Firing and Hiring

Yesterday was certainly a learning experience for me. I was exposed to "the business" of television news and its sometimes harsh dealings. For privacy's sake I won't mention the name of this person but a guy (we'll call him John) that I've been working with during my internship at WKYT has decided to leave the station. He hasn't shared where he'll be going or what he'll be doing. However, after talking to one of the men that has been at the station for 20+ years I realized that John may have "seen the writing on the wall" about his future with the station. He was a very engaging, witty, and likable on-air personality. He was extremely friendly and helpful to me during these first few weeks at the station but he also didn't seem to really work that hard. He didn't go out and shoot stories or report. He simply lined up what would go in the sports segments he was in charge of and then he would go on set and deliver it. I learned that it was that lazy or complacent attitude that was behind the "writing on the wall" for him.

I'm sure John will be fine. I'm not worried about him at all and in reality he beat WKYT to the punch by finding and taking another job before they cut him loose.

I also learned a little bit about the hiring process. It seems that WKYT has moved quickly in finding a replacement for John. The process was very fast. The guy got a phone call on Friday, came for an interview the next Tuesday, and will, barring any unusual turn of events, start work a week from this coming Monday. Altogether, it will be about 16 days from first contact to first day on the job for the new guy. Now that's moving quickly.

And for those of you who are thinking, "Man, they should just give the job to Cameron." I appreciate your support but...I still have a year of school left and Lexington, the #62 market, is not exactly an entry level market. Still, my internship gives me a leg up on many of my competitors and is continuing to create contacts that will benefit me down the road.