WEEK

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

Leadership very unprofessional. One was politely demoted to “content manager” she worked 30 years at a college and had no tv broadcast experience so often gives horrible direction. The photogs were asked to go out on stories very last minute due to her negligence. The producers are huge gossipers and will drag you through the mud about a shot yet most of them do not know how to turn a camera on. The anchors offer no leadership/mentorship and try to get out of any duties beyond reading through the show, which mean waiting for writing approvals when you’re on a strict deadline. Very nasty attitudes I was actually made fun of for being so polite. High stress little pay or growth. High turn over.

Run do not work for 25 News I wish I was warned.
Thankfully I’m at a complexly different station. But, it’s expensive to bounce around so I don’t recommend risking spending your savings to try Peoria-Bloomington market.

Sexual Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, An Overall Toxic Work Environment

Gavin Maliska is the worst ND. He got fired 1 weeks before I left. Several staff members reported him. Was denied promotions because I was a female (his words). Also, was called in for snow storm coverage after taking mental health week off because I was having suicidal thoughts (driven by the horrible, toxic environment). The current news director is Leon. He’s a cool guy, and I think he’s an honest man. I wish he was promoted ND when I was there (he was assistant ND for years). Sometimes I disagreed with him, but I respected him. Aside from that, the entire newsroom is toxic, and there’s a history of sexual harassment here, and managers abusing employees. HR was fired for assaulting an MMJ in front of everyone in the newsroom. The new HR person, Mary, is cool and nice, but unfortunately, when this station was owned by Quincy, HR was forced to sweep things under the rug. I can’t speak for how management is now since I no longer work there, but I still hear gossip from those who still work there, and how horrible it is, and how it has gotten worse since leaving. Some of the legacy on air staff is extremely cocky, and have a stick up their ass. Jenise will act nice at first, but if you so much say “hello” in the wrong tone to her, she will hate you and never speak to you again. She talks crap about everyone behind their backs. She is a sour patch kid, first sweet, but then sour. She will always say “well I did this when I was an MMJ” and has the mindset of “because I did it, you have too!”. Idk why people like her. She has a cute kid though. Jim who is sports director, is a dickhead. If you want a sports job, do not work under this man. He has a great resume, and is a great sports anchor, but is extremely abusive. He is legacy, so the station will not do anything to him regardless of his behavior. John Kendall is really something. He thinks he’s a manager, and runs the whole station. He doesn’t understand if you say no to him. Also, if you say rain, he will think you mean tornado. Several meteorologists here have gotten fired without reason, or have left before contracts were up. Most people have either left before contracts ending, or stick it out for a little while and then leave as soon as they can. You will be overworked here. I was forced to work 60+ hours a week for a month. I hope things get better there, but unfortunately, in order for that to happen, they need to just fire everyone and start from stretch. That place has real bad JuJu. I swear the place is cursed.

You will never know your schedule until the week of (at least when I was here).

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

The company and some managers are okay...keywords SOME. Many managers though are honestly less skilled at their jobs than college graduates. You are sometimes blamed for their never-ending mistakes and poor decision-making. There is no standard of how things are done...especially disciplinary actions, varying from employee to employee. It is also a "do as I say, not as I do" station for sure.

HR plays favorites and if you're not one, won't even listen to your side. If you stand-up for yourself, it is "disrespectful". They have also asked females about their cycles, which I'm surprised didn't end in a lawsuit. Also, if you don't clock out on break, you're a criminal.

Family owned (Quincy Media) so there was no pressure from corporate that pushed political agendas like Sinclair, Nexstar, etc. You'll get a chance to meet the people who run Quincy Media, and address possible issues. They're always there to listen and provide reassurance.