KPLC

Greg DeBrosse and other managers are working hard to help those starting out mold their future careers. Some people are ill-equip to handle change, or choose not to change for the better. Managers are instituting new rules and techniques to make reporters and other newsroom staff better at their jobs and to get a career in a mid or top market following employment.

Sexual Discrimination, An Overall Toxic Work Environment

KPLC was once an incredible place to work, you could truly walk into the building and be happy in the workplace. Sure there was a struggle or two but nothing that doesn't come with working in the professional world. However, the entire atmosphere changed when Greg was hired as ND. Greg was so busy trying to “fix” a station that wasn’t broken that he failed to see the talented, hardworking staff he was supposed to be leading. He failed to see the potential in his employees and chastised them for everything they weren’t. He walked in the newsroom looking like a fish out of water, not knowing the first thing about leading a team. This proved true in Aug when a Cat 4 hurricane began barreling down the coast. In the days before Hurricane Laura, managers including Greg, Jillian Corder, Rhonda Kitchens, Agnes DuRouen, and General Manager John Ware failed to inform their staff on safety protocols and backup plans. The day of landfall, when SWLA was already seeing impacts from the storm, I personally heard a VISITING executive producer say to Greg, “You have less than an hour to get all these people out of here, it is not safe here.” ONLY THEN, did Greg and the other managers decide to implements a last ditch effort to evacuate, and failed to even inform all of their staff about the life/death decision. In the coming days as employees were burned out, displaced, and scared, managers continued their pattern of lack of communication and unprofessionalism. After a month of commuting and working at our sister station we returned to LC and proceeded to walk on eggshells around each other. Why? Because there was no formal conversation between management and staff after the hurricane. Soon, another storm would enter the gulf, and yes, the same problems from Laura reared their ugly head during Hurricane Delta.

I second one of the previous posts that stated KPLC has lost more than 10 employees between Sept and Dec 2020, not because SWLA isn’t an AMAZING place to work, or because the staff isn’t one of the best group of people you can find… its because of Greg DeDrosse, John Ware and the management team. I never thought I would say this, but save yourself the hardships and time in therapy and don’t work for this station until a new GM, ND, and AND is hired.

P.S. If you interview at this station, Greg will have you to believe that he “fired” certain people, however, that is UNTRUE. People left on their own accord. Greg has never fired anyone at KPLC, HOWEVER, he has threatened to fire news staff on SEVERAL occasions. I still have the emails.

Sexual Harassment, An Overall Toxic Work Environment

When Hurricane Laura hit Lake Charles, the unorganization and lack or preparedness was revealed in KPLC. They were going to make the employees stay at the station knowing that the Hurricane would land as a Category 4 while disregarding CDC guidelines amid the pandemic. Employees were ordered to evacuate just HOURS before the storm made landfall because managers were not on the same page (still aren't) and were going back and forth with meteorologists to determine if employees were in harm's way (which they obviously were). Some employees even decided to take matters in their own hands due to the lack of guidance from management and evacuated themselves. Even though the employees who evacuated "prematurely" were threatened to be fired (for not wanting to stay during a category 4 Hurricane with a predictable unsurvivable water surge) remained employed but were treated disrespectfully while working there. There was no sensible plan from Greg DeBrosse, Rhonda Kitchens, Jillian Corder or John Ware during this life-threatening storm. They were all completely clueless and unprofessional. KPLC had their signal tower fall into the station due to the hurricane and I can't imagine what could've happened if Greg DeBrosse and John Ware made their employees stay there. Upon returning to the station after a month of living in hotels and working tirelessly to have a newscast for our target audience who 95% didn't even have cable service, the environment became even more toxic. Managers were rude to employees, employees were BURNT OUT, and still management were not on the same page when the second storm, hurricane Delta hit. It was completely mind-blowing how corrupted this news station is. Managers play favorites if you bow down to them or do everything they say but you're in for a ride if you speak up for yourself or set your boundaries. They don't like when you defend yourself and they will talk about you and treat you less than. KPLC has lost 11 employees between September 2019 - December 2019. This has nothing to do with this station being a starting market but has everything to do with management and the lack there of. I wish I could post screenshots of my emails, text messages and recored phone calls to reveal the truth but hopefully writing this serves a reliable insight for anyone who is looking to work here.

Overall advice: It's not worth your mental health. Proceed at your own risk and good luck.

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

The Station is full of “Burnouts” basically slothing by for a pay check. Even though it’s obviously a starter market, there’s no teaching moments or constructive criticism. You get talked down to constantly. And if you decide to stand up for yourself, you’re accused of being unprofessional.

My main realization that ND was not looking out for the safety of his staff was when Hurricane Laura approached our area, it took a auxiliary meteorologist (who came in from a sister station) to call his ND & GM to tell Greg to evacuate the building because he did not want to sacrifice content. Because of his ignorance, everyone had to make a 2 hour drive to Baton Rouge in tropical storm weather to get somewhere safe. Glad he did call his bosses to tell Greg because our antenna tower toppled into our studio. Two of the three managers and a producer just decided to do their own thing when we evacuated instead of going to where they were supposed to and no reprimand was handed out. He then proceeded to write an (now deleted) op-ed on LinkedIn on how “he made the decision to leave KPLC” making himself out to be a selfless hero while we busted our asses to stream a barebones broadcast online.
The next hurricane coverage in October (Delta) during my wall to wall, I had to be the leader because when a system in the TMP room started to fail, Greg’s face is buried into his hands instead of being on top of things working with engineering to find a solution. Later that night when
No sense of teamwork in the newsroom between shifts. It gets very territorial.
70% of the work that gets done is by the young producers/reporters/digital. The “managers” rather just coast along except for David Bray who is the backbone of that newsroom and keeps things running.
Once you tell them you’re leaving it’s like open season for them to take childish, passive shots at you during your notice window.
And don’t bother confronting Greg on it because he goes with the “oh you heard that wrong, I meant it this way” line that everyone sees through. Just no accountability for the “leadership”
If you do decide to work at KPLC, always listen to David because he steers you in the right direction that helps set up and prepare you when you advance your career.

Racial Discrimination, An Overall Toxic Work Environment

If you're black and stand up for yourself, expect your issues to be casted aside. Jenelle is rude most of the times, he barely speaks if she doesn't like you. Head anchors are allowed to talk crazy to new people. Left as soon as I could.

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

There is no true leadership in this newsroom. No constructive criticism, only critiques meant to break you down. Since this is the only tv news station in the market, there is no motivation when it comes to storytelling. The next market over usually beat us on breaking news in our own area. Management never cared. Unless you were a favorite, this place quickly wore you down.