WDBJ

The AND and EP ran the newsroom, most days without the help or input of the ND. They were overworked. The GM plays favorites, and has a certain look that you must have to get the better on-air shifts. The GM and ND (Eric Walters) piled more and more work on the newsroom and didn't support those who were getting the shows on air. People didn't come in for their assigned shifts, other producers didn't help out when there was breaking news. Only the long-timers were reliable. IF you want to work in Roanoke, I'd look at WSLS - their product is better and viewers are noticing.

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

Eric Walters is completely disconnected from the newsroom. He only cares about making sure the station meets Gray Television's profit margins, which has manifested in low salaries and equipment that doesn't get repaired. He does not invest in the future of producers or reporters at this station, nor does he care. The assistant news director, Stephanie Shultz, is largely the same way. She also tends to act childish when she's in a bad mood. Their combined goal is to crank out as much content as possible (largely due to the station having evening shows from 3 - 7 p.m.) without putting any effort into the news gathering process themselves, resulting in low morale, high turnover and extreme burnout.

If you're a reporter coming out of college or looking to make a career move, avoid this station at all costs. While WDBJ used to be a premier landing spot for anyone who wanted to move up the ladder, the Gray takeover of this station has led to its cultural collapse. Your ability to grow will be stunted.

Also consider that Gray announced earlier this year a minimum wage increase to $18/hour, which impacted about 2,000 employees. Interesting to think they saw this as a win, as this can also be viewed as about 2,000 people being below this amount for years, likely barely getting by (and likely still barely getting by due to inflation's impacts). Here's the rub: This salary doesn't apply to contracted employees.

But hey, they'll throw you a pizza party on Election Night.

Sexual Harassment

Eric Walters hires people for their looks, so they'll be forced to pay attention to him. He has no actual management skills, other than looking for physical talent--most of whom would leave him "on read" anyway.

Eric Walters ruined this station. He doesn't know how to manage, nor does he care. He is incapable of dealing with different personalities, and doesn't have what it takes to be a leader. He doesn't care about people--only whatever makes him look "cool" for his Twitter followers.

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

Management blames the producers and reporters for the fact that it is not the number one station anymore. However, this can be blamed on the managers and not having an assignment manager. The managers are checked out and do not care about their employees or the quality of the newscast. Producers and reporters are stretched thin and continue to have more added to their plates.

When I first started, the station was number one and I had a good experience. However, that ended when the current news director started. He is incompetent and does little to no actual management. The station and general manager’s main focus is money, and that’s it. The focus on quality journalism and helping employees is nonexistent. There is currently a mass exodus of people leaving the station because they are fed up with management. It’s sad because there are a lot of good people that work there who have been there for a long time.

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

Yelling and inappropriate behavior were tolerated. Long hours, poor pay, and a lack of appreciation from management gave rise to negative attitudes in the newsroom.

There are a lot of wonderful, talented people at the station, and the equipment is better here than at other stations. There are strong friendships and a welcoming environment among reporters and producers. The only issue is the management. They have started to hire inexperienced reporters and producers, and do not always give them the tools they need to get better and succeed. I have seen a manager stomp around, yell, gossip, and throw things on a regular basis. If you work overtime, you are not compensated because they will force you to take awkwardly long lunch breaks in the middle of another shift.