From an audience loyalty standpoint, I have no idea if it will have any impact at all but word that Fox News has dismissed the remaining staff members who were attached to the recently discarded Tucker Carlson Tonight show probably will not help the network’s image much.
Of course, I am not sure if it matters.
Ask the industry analysts and they will likely tell us that business is business, and nobody involved in the ratings game has time to be warm and fuzzy or at all concerned with the ability of others to make a living.
Reading what is already out there in the form of “exclusive” tweets and attributed information, perhaps we can surmise that this is the way business is done. I do not know exactly what kind of turnover took place following previous high-profile firings at other networks, but I don’t think it unreasonable to look at these dismissals as collateral damage.
Looking around at writings concerning the sackings of the eight staffers, I have seen words like “clean slate,” “sudden shakeup”, and my favorite, “scorched earth.”
Losing a job — to be succinct — sucks. Under circumstances where support staff has to willingly or unwillingly be witnesses, the removal of the main player must create a wonderland of wounds.
After all, even with Carlson gone, there are still shows to be created. They must be written, booked, produced, and directed by somebody. Oh yes, and often there must also be a host, but I also think we are quickly learning that who this is has often become secondary. The only stipulation being their name must fit on the graphics and lower thirds.
Obviously, there is blame to go around at Fox News, and certainly, a few belts might need to be tightened to help make up for the $787.5 million lost shooting craps with Dominion Voting Systems. Perhaps some people needed to go based on their performance or decision-making capability. After all, it is usually not the best idea to post graphics calling a sitting president a “wannabe dictator” or claiming he had his “political rival arrested.”
Your network still calls itself Fox News after all. In any case, that particular perpetrator was already dispatched prior to the dismissal of Carlson’s remaining eight staffers.
So, what do they do now?
Reportedly they have been offered the opportunity to accrue some “enhanced severance” if they stick around and work a bit longer.
What options do they have, really? Are they waiting for Tucker on Twitter to grow so they can hope to catch on with that concept? I’ve also read where they supposedly have been prompted or encouraged to apply for other open positions within the network. Does anyone expect that to go well for any of them?
It’s hard to get through the front door when your prospective employer is shoving you out the back door at the same time.
That is the thing about departures, voluntary or not. You can rarely go home again. Most of the time you don’t want to but even if you do, your former employer often does not want you back.
You are perceived as damaged goods, even if they are the ones who damaged you.
Okay, that last line might sound a tad overly dramatic but hopefully anyone who has left an employer while simultaneously leaving either themselves or said employer with hurt feelings can grasp the idea.
On another note, I continue to wonder how deeply our previous associations impact our future endeavors. It has to be challenging these days to tell potential new employers you come from Fox News, CNN, or MSNBC, etc.
Once all revered as the major players, nowadays they are just as well known for the drama behind the scenes and just how far is that going to get you?
I do not know any of the eight staffers now looking for work but unless you give me good reasons not to, I wish them luck.
Transition is rarely easy.
It has been 14 years and I still offer a heavy sigh whenever I walk near 66th Street and Columbus Avenue.
Bill Zito has devoted most of his work efforts to broadcast news since 1999. He made the career switch after serving a dozen years as a police officer on both coasts. Splitting the time between Radio and TV, he’s worked for ABC News and Fox News, News 12 New York , The Weather Channel and KIRO and KOMO in Seattle. He writes, edits and anchors for Audacy’s WTIC-AM in Hartford and lives in New England. You can find him on Twitter @BillZitoNEWS.
