WHDH

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

Terrible

I have had a very positive experience at WHDH - that said, the station (and its sister station, WSVN in Miami) has a VERY well-defined style/voice. It is iconic within the market. It allows for creativity in some areas (like coming up with clever headlines & graphics) but does not allow for much creativity in terms of content, storytelling or showcasing. I have personally found that to be liberating in the sense that it allows me to focus more on my writing and less about doing complicated things with our set.

It is an independent station owned by Sunbeam- a family company which owns just one other station (WSVN in Miami). Small ownership comes with pros and cons. The family is very hands-off, as such we have not faced pressures to downsize in the way other stations have. We have a FULL staff of writers and graphic designers, and our control room is not automated. I only write vos and vo sots in my show when I am excited about the story and want to write it. I never have to make my own graphics or put supers in scripts (we have people for that!)

Another huge perk is time off. 10 days pod vacation but you can bank holidays if you work on a holiday and you can bank comp days if you pick up extra shifts. On top of that 12 (!!!) paid sick days and 2 personal days. Reader, it is only July and already I have taken 19 paid days off from work this year.

Downsides - our style is not for everyone (I encourage you to watch our newscasts before applying.) Some of the managers can be a bit abrasive.. I say it’s that typical New England bite coupled with that old school puritan work ethic. That said, I do genuinely enjoy the people on my shift (I produce nightside). They make coming to work fun every night. Also the building is very old and run down… Miami is getting a new building over the next few years. It’s widely believed that we may get a makeover soon as well, but that would be multiple years down the pipe.

All in all, highly recommend working here if you can look past a couple of quirks.

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

WHDH has no interest in doing anything other than what it's always done. That is, if it's flashy, it goes on the air. Of course, most WHDH stories get on the air after WBZ and WCVB got to them first, but then news director Linda Miele has the station beat the story into the ground until it feels like WHDH has the exclusive. Seriously, all they care about is flashy and glitzy content. WHDH clings so heavily to tabloid fodder that at first it seems like it's a joke. There are no new ideas, Robert Kraft is a hero, and god forbid you make a suggestion to do something differently or criticize the crummy coverage and/or news practices. This is a company full of lazy yes-men (and women) who are so comfortable they'd rather peddle crud than be uncomfortable. They push out talented people and promote the dregs. Just the worst.

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

I worked at WHDH for only 8 months and it was the most miserable experience I’ve ever had. I can’t speak for everyone’s boss, but mine was the worst. To clarify I wasn’t an intern at WHDH, I worked as a Graphics Operator (I couldn’t find that option in the job selection area). My supervisor was probably one of the most bad tempered, and foul mouthed person I’ve ever met. He would berate, swear, and shame me if I made a mistake. Calling me things like, “inadiquit,” “useless”, and “worthless.” The whole place was a mess, not just with the department I worked in; the head Director was married to the station manager, part time employees were hardly given any extra hours, sexual harassment was a huge problem (not that I experienced any of it, but heard stories from coworkers and saw it with my own eyes). The place was and is a mess, when your head morning weekday anchor leaves to another station, you know WHDH isn’t going to last long.

It is a total mess. It’s outdated and barely functioning and holding onto old ways. It’s full of yes men, and corrupt politics. I would avoid working at WHDH like the plague, it’s stressful no matter what department you work in.

Sexual Discrimination, An Overall Toxic Work Environment

I was discriminated for being part of the LGBT community, despite having two openly gay main male anchors at the station. My boss was a delight to work for but his supervisor was an evil man named Ted. Ted was lazy ass who rarely did work and didn't care if you were happy or not. I was in the Special Projects/Investigative department. I did enjoy that, but not that I did all the work for the department every Thursday, because they had four interns who didn't do any work the previous day and a half. The interns were mostly model types who didn't have much interest in being there. Most interns didn't know there hours till the day of orientation. I lost money interning there by commuting back and forth. The weekend morning anchor at the time was not a nice lady and she would force me off my desk so that she could have it but it wasn't her desk. Not having my desk made it harder to do work and needed a desk with a phone which was further away. The place was toxic, many people have left even after they lost NBC affiliation. The station was stressful to work for and I was thankful to leave. Toxic isn't even the first word I would use, I would use disrespectful to the few kind long timers there.

Don't go there. It's not worth the drama, the flash and trash. Being a part of the 7 News Team had been a long time dream but for me it turned into a nightmare.

Go elsewhere in the Boston market.