Allen Media Group is reportedly reversing its controversial plan to ax native meteorologists and change them with a Climate Channel feed after going through heated backlash from loyal viewers, who known as the transfer “greedy,” “ridiculous” and “damn cheap.”
The Byron Allen-owned media firm over the weekend revealed its plans to put off or reassign employees throughout all of its practically two dozen TV stations — together with FOX, NBC, ABC and CBS associates stretching from California and Hawaii to Alabama and Arizona, in response to a press launch.
“Allen Media should get out of the weather business altogether. Lost all credibility with their greedy, ridiculous plan to export local TV weather to a central hub at Weather Channel in Atlanta,” one viewer fumed in a publish on X. “What a disaster.”
Now, the media group is hitting pause on its plan to put off round 100 meteorologists and outsource protection from the Climate Channel after area people members slammed the heartless layoffs on social media, in response to the Desk, a digital information web site centered on media and expertise information.
“After receiving significant feedback across various markets, Allen Media has decided to pause and reconsider the strategy of providing local weather from the Weather Channel in Atlanta,” a gross sales supervisor at an Allen Media-owned station informed the Desk in an announcement.
Allen Media didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Amber Kulick, a meteorologist at WAAY in Huntsville, Ala., who final week shared she was being laid off, celebrated the reversal on social media.
“Allen media has went back on the decision to let go of all local meteorologists so I will be staying in Huntsville on the air,” Kulick wrote in a publish on X.
“Thank you to everyone who reached out and made your voice heard,” she added, alongside a coronary heart emoji.
Matt Hoffman, chief meteorologist at Allen Media’s KDRV, rejoiced over the coverage pause and introduced that climate reporters at his station and KEZI, each of which cowl California and Oregon, had been maintaining their jobs.
“We’re sticking around, folks!” Hoffman wrote in a publish on X. “Our local meteorologists will continue to bring you the weather here at KDRV and up at KEZI. Thanks to everyone for the support!”
Allen Media-owned stations together with WTVA in northeast Mississippi, KWWL in japanese Iowa and WSIL in southern Illinois additionally mentioned they acquired information that their climate departments had been remaining intact.
It’s unclear what number of native meteorologists who already acquired pink slips, like Kulick from the Huntsville station, will get to maintain their jobs.
The media group is reportedly nonetheless transferring ahead with its plans to construct an Atlanta-based crew to steer protection on the Climate Channel, which the corporate purchased for $300 million in 2018, so some native stations should still be compelled to exchange their groups with the feed.
Many climate reporters had already issued teary goodbyes and written farewell messages on social media. However loyal viewers — a lot of whom flip to native stations for correct climate protection — took to social media to blast the choice and name for a boycott of Allen Media stations.
One other viewer lamented the lack of WTVA chief meteorologist Matt Laubhan, who was initially set to be impacted by the layoffs.
Laubhan was praised by neighborhood members for praying for town of Amory earlier than it was struck and devastated by a twister.
“I hope to God a better tv station out there will hire Matt,” a WTVA viewer wrote on X. “A damn shame on Allen media group and Byron Allen specifically for being this damn cheap.”
A Kentucky photojournalist chimed in: “I hope the backlash to Allen Media Group’s horrible weather decisions wakes up the large media cooperations that are gutting local news.”
The layoffs had been a part of a cost-cutting plan at Allen Media, however outrage from native viewers pushed advertisers to threaten to drag their spots at impacted stations, the Desk reported.
Allen Media didn’t reply to earlier questions on whether or not the layoffs had been a part of a cost-cutting plan.
