WBBH

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

Management fosters competition between employees for promotions or consideration, only to end up hiring in someone new to fill a spot. There are a LOT of people leaving because of low pay, double shifts without compensation, and overall burnout.

There are good people here, your reel will look amazing by the time you finish your contract here and the station has a history of sending people to other amazing opportunities in news. But they burn people out even more. People are leaving faster than they're coming in. The station doesn't pay enough to keep up with the high cost of living. If you get an offer, just be careful.

Sexual Discrimination, Racial Discrimination, An Overall Toxic Work Environment

I currently work in a top 20 market. I’ve heard lots of horror stories but I’ve yet to hear of a more manipulative and toxic environment than what I worked in under Darrel Lieze-Adams and Tim Klutsarits. Both of them facilitate an environment built on gossip. Coworkers are pitted against each other because “competition breeds excellence.” Anchors have constant meetings with management where they shit on their producers, most of whom are fresh out of school and inadequately trained by management. I’ve seen a few rookie producers unfairly fired…several of whom were actually good, and one of them went on to produce in market 3 right after. Plus, it isn’t a real newsroom. Content decisions are not made based off impact or how it would serve people living in the market. Instead, every decision comes down to one thing: ratings. Even the most minute things, like how often your scripts say the words “today” or “right now.” It’s all manufactured by consultants. The newsroom isn’t run by Tim or Darrel, it’s run by the consultants. To both of them, the word of God may as well be coming from the mouth of a MAGID consultant. And that means what the consultants say, goes, period. And you better not disagree. On top of all of this, the pay is terrible. If WBBH offers you a contract, run far, far away. Don’t be fooled by the beaches and sunshine. Your mental health will deteriorate. Btw, you won’t get paid to work OT or to work a 6th/7th day. And you’ll be forced to do both.

This station is great learning environment, if you want to discover everything that’s wrong with local TV news. When I got to my new market, I had to unlearn nearly everything that was beaten into to me at WBBH. Trust me when I say you’re better off working somewhere in a less desirable geographic location to get your start. If you looked at their staff page three years ago, all you would find are white faces and blonde hair. There’s a reason why that was forced to change, and why they now have a more diverse group of reporters and anchors. And it’s not because management had some sort of awakening.

This place is toxic as can be. Unless new management comes into control, do not work here.

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

Management creates a chaotically competitive environment that burns people out. Employees have been pinned against each other for promotions and management takes joy in fanning exceedingly petty drama with other stations in the market. Upper management will go out of its way to highlight the short comings of the competitor in ratings while simultaneously ignoring why the newsroom morale is at an all time low as the station hemorrhages employees. Ratings are king, but bringing in "record books" for the station during sweeps is never reflected in compensation and ratings bonuses are being phased out. Management touts the station as one that operates at the level of a top 20 market, but regularly advertises itself as "WatermanU" - essentially treating employees like they're fresh out of college. This station continues to pay its reporters, weekend anchors, and producers unsustainable wages even as the cost of living in the area has doubled in recent years. The staff continues to carry the station to record high numbers while being paid in sunshine. Finally - the station lives and dies by what Magid consultants say. Upper management is in bed with them and if you don't serve as a yes man to everything the consultants want, you'll be out the door at the end of your deal.

Don't even get me started on middle management.

Sexual Discrimination

The News director is gay and hires an inordinate amount of gay men. It is actually an open source of discussion in the community. A gay anchor was actually arrested for domestic violence and KEPT his job,...until he was arrested for a second time. You can look it up.

Management takes credit for all successes and blames all failures on employees. The company also runs the ABC affiliate. Both stations should be a dominant number #1 and 2 because of, by far, the largest staff in the market, and superior equipment. There are some good people and the news judgement is generally good. The station also suffers from a weak weather department which holds them back.

Our Chief photographer is an NPPA god and holds regular workshops. We get regular coaching in the building plus the station sends employees to NPPA, NABJ, IRE and special weather and producer training regularly.