WYOU News: 1953-2009
On July 7, 1953, WGBI became the first television station in NEPA to hit the airwaves, and after 56 years, its current incarnation as WYOU has become the first to fall victim to the economy. Employees were told this afternoon the 11 p.m. newscast would be their last one. According to the Times-Tribune, 14 WYOU employees will lose their jobs, though Beale's Bites has learned from a source that number could be as high as 25.
WYOU's demise is a sad end to a once-prominent station that established TV news in NEPA. Though the early days as WGBI were hardscrabble, the station's news broadcasts -- led by veteran newsman Tom Powell -- were what people watched. The station, which became WDAU in 1958, would continue its success for the next two decades or so, leaving WBRE and WNEP to duke it out for second place in the ratings. WDAU was the jewel of local TV news.
But something happened to WDAU that would eventually lead to its downfall: a tight wallet. The station's many owners became more reluctant to spend money, and it was around that time when WNEP decided it needed to spend money to make money. As WNEP began to throw more coal onto the fire, WDAU began to throw more water on its fire, and soon the station found itself in that eternal battle against WBRE for number-two in the ratings.
WDAU's future as WYOU would not get any brighter. Still a third-place station, WYOU was bought by Nexstar Broadcasting, and its news operations were merged with former rival and fellow Nexstar station WBRE. Then came the experiments: news anchors, new sets, even an "interactive" newscast that was a glorified talk show. Anything you threw at WYOU's wall would not stick. Things got so bad, that WYOU's 6 p.m. newscast was beat in the ratings by reruns of "Everybody Loves Raymond" from WOLF.
That brings us to today. Nexstar/Mission has made good on the nearly ten years of rumors about the end of WYOU, by taking the horse out to pasture, and shooting it in the head. WYOU is not alone. Those of you who follow broadcast trends know other stations are either laying off news employees, getting rid of newscasts, or just getting rid of news departments altogether. Consider the case of WTVH, the CBS affiliate in Syracuse. A tight wallet tanked the once-proud station and led to the demise of its newsroom.
What about the futures of NEPA's two remaining TV news operations? WBRE is still in its far-behind position as number two in the ratings, and Nexstar is reluctant to spend money on the station. Even WNEP, the station that has dominated the ratings since the 1980s, is no longer immune. Earlier this year, station managers on Montage Mountain Road decided to get rid of Skycam 16 -- its well-known news helicopter -- and lay off the pilot. Why? Skycam 16 was too expensive to keep and maintain.
Given the state of the nation's economy, it's hard to assign full blame for the death of WYOU News, as the station's downward spiral began several decades ago. Whatever the reason, one thing is clear. Many of the people who kept WYOU's newsroom running, even if it just sputtered and heaved like a run-down Chevy Vega, will be out of a job after today, through no fault of their own. The people of NEPA will have one less source for their news and information. A sad day, indeed.
Could WYOU News have been saved? Perhaps. All that was needed to bring in more vieiwers was to give the viewers something they wanted. Not a new set or a "Dialing For News" newscast; something relevant, something exciting, something informative, something insightful. But guess what? That costs money, and nobody's spending money these days. Catch 22.
So, to the station and the employees that kept going when many thought they should give up, I say to you, godspeed. And to the people in charge who allowed WYOU's newsroom to wither away and die, I say to you, go to hell and shove it.
Comments and e-mail are open; please share your thoughts.
UPDATE:
Beale's Bites has learned the layoffs are not limited to WYOU. Some WBRE employees were also laid off to make way for WYOU employees with seniority. As for on-air employees, Eric Deabill will move to WBRE and stay there. A source says some others, who were not named, will stay temporarily, and then be let go. Another source says some WYOU producers walked out the door after today's announcement, and left behind unfinished newscasts.
WYOU's demise is a sad end to a once-prominent station that established TV news in NEPA. Though the early days as WGBI were hardscrabble, the station's news broadcasts -- led by veteran newsman Tom Powell -- were what people watched. The station, which became WDAU in 1958, would continue its success for the next two decades or so, leaving WBRE and WNEP to duke it out for second place in the ratings. WDAU was the jewel of local TV news.
But something happened to WDAU that would eventually lead to its downfall: a tight wallet. The station's many owners became more reluctant to spend money, and it was around that time when WNEP decided it needed to spend money to make money. As WNEP began to throw more coal onto the fire, WDAU began to throw more water on its fire, and soon the station found itself in that eternal battle against WBRE for number-two in the ratings.
WDAU's future as WYOU would not get any brighter. Still a third-place station, WYOU was bought by Nexstar Broadcasting, and its news operations were merged with former rival and fellow Nexstar station WBRE. Then came the experiments: news anchors, new sets, even an "interactive" newscast that was a glorified talk show. Anything you threw at WYOU's wall would not stick. Things got so bad, that WYOU's 6 p.m. newscast was beat in the ratings by reruns of "Everybody Loves Raymond" from WOLF.
That brings us to today. Nexstar/Mission has made good on the nearly ten years of rumors about the end of WYOU, by taking the horse out to pasture, and shooting it in the head. WYOU is not alone. Those of you who follow broadcast trends know other stations are either laying off news employees, getting rid of newscasts, or just getting rid of news departments altogether. Consider the case of WTVH, the CBS affiliate in Syracuse. A tight wallet tanked the once-proud station and led to the demise of its newsroom.
What about the futures of NEPA's two remaining TV news operations? WBRE is still in its far-behind position as number two in the ratings, and Nexstar is reluctant to spend money on the station. Even WNEP, the station that has dominated the ratings since the 1980s, is no longer immune. Earlier this year, station managers on Montage Mountain Road decided to get rid of Skycam 16 -- its well-known news helicopter -- and lay off the pilot. Why? Skycam 16 was too expensive to keep and maintain.
Given the state of the nation's economy, it's hard to assign full blame for the death of WYOU News, as the station's downward spiral began several decades ago. Whatever the reason, one thing is clear. Many of the people who kept WYOU's newsroom running, even if it just sputtered and heaved like a run-down Chevy Vega, will be out of a job after today, through no fault of their own. The people of NEPA will have one less source for their news and information. A sad day, indeed.
Could WYOU News have been saved? Perhaps. All that was needed to bring in more vieiwers was to give the viewers something they wanted. Not a new set or a "Dialing For News" newscast; something relevant, something exciting, something informative, something insightful. But guess what? That costs money, and nobody's spending money these days. Catch 22.
So, to the station and the employees that kept going when many thought they should give up, I say to you, godspeed. And to the people in charge who allowed WYOU's newsroom to wither away and die, I say to you, go to hell and shove it.
Comments and e-mail are open; please share your thoughts.
UPDATE:
Beale's Bites has learned the layoffs are not limited to WYOU. Some WBRE employees were also laid off to make way for WYOU employees with seniority. As for on-air employees, Eric Deabill will move to WBRE and stay there. A source says some others, who were not named, will stay temporarily, and then be let go. Another source says some WYOU producers walked out the door after today's announcement, and left behind unfinished newscasts.
posted by Howard Beale at 7:41 PM
56 Comments:
Tom Powell is spinning in his grave.
This is heartbreaking.. good luck to everyone at WYOU with their future.
Among those informed they’ll be laid off were on-air talents Lyndall Stout, Eric Scheiner, David DeCosmo, Dave Kuharchik, Mike Conigliaro, and Dia Wallace.
I cannot even express my feelings...I am totally shocked. I will miss it terribly. May WYOU rest in peace.
The people of NEPA will have one less source for their news and information.
But that's been the case for quite a while now, ever since one shooter was sent out with, basically, someone to get the story and the "two" stations ever so slightly re-writing it.
All you had to do was flip back and forth between 22 and 28 to see the same item. There never was, in recent years, this other source of news and information. That's how it became known here as Channel 50.
Perhaps we might see "YOUr Eyewitness News at 10:00," competing with the slamming, sliding doors over at 56.
I rather think the economy is a convenient hook on which to hang ongoing corporate failure. Legacy and heritage have no room in the industry these days.
Fuck You Carten.. take your academics elsewhere...
To WYOU personnel, you guys stuck it out and are owed a debt of gratitude for a good fight.
This should be one hell of an interesting return, Howard. Here's hoping you'll stay long enough for a substantial airing of thoughts on this matter. Mine, at least for now, is that this surprises me not an ounce. That WYOU has maintained this long is the big surprise.
Nice to see you back. Try sticking around.
Well put, Tom. It's nice to know not everyone falls for the corporate spin.
No offense, 10:43, but I think Tom was trying to say the same thing you did. Without the profanity, of course.
Barely six posts before there is an idiot posting the same middle school nonsense that is the NEPA Media boards. That site, and what the message boards are is sickening. Glad to see at least a temporary return, as there really isn't any source for information anymore.
Good luck though to those who are now no longer with WYOU.
We must remember that for a long time, WDAU was a highly rated newscast.
It's easy to blame things on Perry Sook, and he deserves a lot of blame for messing up WYOU, but the neglect of the Magargee famly started the decline of WYOU. They fialed to modernize or maintain their equipment.
WYOU maintained a large film library which is rotting away in WBRE's basement. The archived material includes shots of the mines under Scranton, The McClellan Crime hearings in Washington. The material is in peril because of how it is stored and is in peril because there are no film chains raound which are capible of transfring the 16 mm film...some of which is just a black and white negative...on to DVDs. WDAU used B&W negatives and elecronically reversed the negtaives into positives for airing.
Nexstar will never properly archive this stuff, they should turn it over to osmeone who will save it.
A savings of $900,000 .. eh?
Irresponsible move. Saying goodbye to news content in place for shows like Inside Edition and Access Hollywood is pretty shocking.
Layoff notices are always at the last minute, I guess, but this one seems exceedingly rude, especially with the fact they had to go on the air only hours later
It is sad to see WYOU go as a news source. My thoughts for those who lost jobs. As someone who is not a tv professional, but watches local news every day, I have a few observations.
1) The WYOU new format was too professional and distant. I prefer newscasts that have close cameras that give the "in your living room feel."
2) I hope that WBRE will now use the chance to push at WNEP's heels. I must confess that as a loyal WNEP guy, I have switched a few times to WBRE at 11 for fresher and different news stories. I would like to see more competition here.
3) To WNEP and WBRE, please find a reason for me to watch more of your broadcasts besides the 1st 3 minutes and the weather.
wow, not surprising, but you don't ever expect something like this to ACTUALLY happen.
was hoping to see this place alive after i read this in today's paper. glad you came out of retirement for this one, howard. stick around!
It was a very sad day in that newsroom. There ARE more than 14 people laid off...and there's only so much WBRE can do with more than a dozen on-air talent, and half the production staff. This is not the end. There were several WBRE staff laid off...and senority didn't necessarily mean anything. There were some super-talened, veteran employees cut.
As a former Nexstar WYOU/WBRE employee I was very saddened by the demise of WYOU, however not surprised. For years rumors have spun that the end was near.
I keep all my friends who are now without a job in my thoughts and prayers in this difficult time.
I also hope that those who were "reassigned" keep the faith and try to make the best of it all.
And to those WYOU producers that are rumored to have walked out, good for you!!!
I'm happy to have stumbled upon this blog. My late father Tom Reilly spent almost his entire career at WGBI Radio/Tv, WDAU, WYOU.
I have fond memories of rooting around the old studio which was located in the basement of the Scranton Prep building.
My Dad hosted a kid's show in the fifties, Texas Tom's clubhouse or something like that. My brother and I appeared on it once, I was 5 and scared to death of the pony Dusty.
It is a shame to see what has happened to the old place.
Thank you for this site, I will visit more often.
It's nice to know someone remembers the old days.
Thank you.
Kevin M. Reilly
Mark Hiller will be transferred to the weekend evening anchor chair, replacing Dia Wallace. Eric Deabill will go dayside Monday to Friday.
The on-air folks from WYOU who were cut won't be shown the door until the anniversaries of their contract dates. Of course, if they chose to walk before then, it's up to them. Until those anniversary dates are reached, you'll likely see some former WYOU on-air people doing on-camera WBRE stuff... not necessarily a good move by management. It just goes to show you the brains at the operation. How confusing will that be?
Well I'm sorry it took this to get Howard out of retirement. Nice to see you back Howie and I agree, with Vince, stick around. We need you and each other during these tough times. My heart goes out to all the families that will be affected by WYOU's demise.
From Frank Andrews Shimkus to phony anchorlady Diane Lee, WYOU had become the laughingstock of NEPA television.
Sorry for all those folks who no longer have jobs - it is a terrible time to be without work...
Now, if only Fox23News in Albany will lay off Mark Baker, Diane Lee, and Brandon Hertell - that failed show they used to call DayBreak should be next on the chopping block in the Albany area.
WYOU was not the first station across this country to have layoffs and it certainly won't be the last...
Poor "talent" moves on and on...Shimkus is getting his due in losing his bid to bilk PA taxpayers - poetic justice...
Now, if only Fox23News in Albany can figure out Diane Lee is as useless there as she was at WYOU, they'll be way ahead of the game!
I didn't see WYOU's last newscast (I don't live in the state anymore), but someone on TVSpy did.
"In a word, pitiful. Eric solo-anchored. The bulk of the last newscast was taken up with a tedious 'interactive' interview with some so-called 'expert' about living past 100. One caller bum-rushed the segment demanding confirmation the shutdown and Eric said he was ordered not to talk about it. The second caller was a suicidal-sounding 35-year-old guy who wondered what the point of living past 100 was if your family and friends were dead. I've never witnessed a more inglorious end to a news operation."
"As a former Nexstar WYOU/WBRE employee I was very saddened by the demise of WYOU, however not surprised. For years rumors have spun that the end was near.
I keep all my friends who are now without a job in my thoughts and prayers in this difficult time.
I also hope that those who were "reassigned" keep the faith and try to make the best of it all.
And to those WYOU producers that are rumored to have walked out, good for you!!!"
As for you who use sugarcoated speech to say "you care" for all the people hurt by the layoff - wake up! Yes, people are laid off, but realize, a true mess of a station has finally realized the news operation was in shambles and was given the axe.
(I can't help but think the above sugarcoated speech came from Diane Lee, as it sounds like her phony diatribe...if it came from anyone else, please don't be upset - such speech is sincere if it comes from anyone but Diane Lee...)
I don't usually advocate stations leaving the news biz, but, with the economy the way it has been, who needs two stations (WBRE and WYOU) duplicating the news. It was insanity when it was first proposed and it would be even more insane to stick with that arrangement in a failing economy.
Mission pulled the plug on news because the advertisers left in droves. Gee, I wonder why?
The phrase "It is the economy stupid!" should be sounded to all those who think losing WYOU news is a "bad" thing.
Maybe, if the right group takes over the station and maybe, if the economy starts to boom again, then maybe, just maybe, a more professional news operation can be put in place on WYOU.
Well, in the meantime, keep dreaming!
Maybe it's time for WBRE to also close up and let WNEP be the sole provider of local news in NEPA.
As a former employee of WYOU, let me be the first person on this blog to say I was and am damn proud to have once been a part of WYOU. That station had its problems, but they were not unique in that. I would not trade my time with there, and I'll never regret the years I spent there.
They're all solid people, my former colleagues, and many of them close friends. This a sad time for local news and my thoughts are with all of those who lost jobs, or got re-assigned. May the future hold bigger and better things for you all.
To the Anonymous person who posted at 5:01PM - Piss off. Neither of those people are here anymore and they don't matter. This isn't about them.
I worked at Nexstar for a few years in the sales department selling WBRE. I feel for the families of the employees who were let go and hope there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
On another note, Howard- does this mean you're back for good? Even though I'm out of the industry, I would stop back at the website hoping you would return. Hope you'll be around for a while.
I'd already scheduled Andy Mehalshick as my guest today (4/5) on "WILK Live on Sunday." I figured we'd talk about corruption in Luzerne County. Now topic #1 will be WYOU. If you'd like to listen, we're on the web at http://www.wilknewsradio.com/. If you'd like to call, use 883-0098 or 1-800-437-0098.
Howard,
I echo the sentiment. I hope you are back. Granted, many complained about the attacks made on this blog, but you allowed others to tell it like it is...the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The problem with most blogs is censorship to meet specific standards set by "big brother."
I praise you for coming back to allow others to air their views - pro, con, neutral.
WYOU News' fate is the sum total of all of its employees ups and downs since Mission took over.
As a viewer who has personally been on the butt-end on a former WYOU anchor's treacherous behaviors I can tell you truthfully that when stations push anchors as celebrity, it goes to their heads.
To the blogger who said "Piss off." : I say this. It is about "them." It is about WYOU people past and present since Mission took over. If they had been successful and if some of them had treated people with kindness on the job and treated viewers with kindness instead of contempt, the station may well still have its news operation!
Some of them treated people kindly on the surface and pretended to care about viewers, the station's interests in the community, etc... but in the end, only those with local ties to the community really cared
I feel for those with families to support who have rooted their families in NEPA.
People criticize Andy Mehalshick for his pronunciation. Who are any of us to do that?
I have Parkinson's disease and my speech becomes so poor that I talk like I have Cerebral Palsy. Would they make fun of me too?
I've met Andy. I was interviewed once by Andy. He is one of the nicest people from NEPA. To criticize a person without taking the time to know them, is just plain ignorant. Andy has roots in the community and truly cares about NEPA. Thanks Andy for caring! It is so needed in this world!
I know Diane Lee. She was kind to me and my family here in NEPA.
Once she moved to Albany, she became aloof, nasty, and utterly unkind. Right before she left she tearfully promised me she would always be my friend - promised my wife the same, and even my then-13 year-old daughter.
Then, months after she told my wife and daughter she was "thinking about me all the time and praying for me all the time," she proceeded to have me arrested for simply emailing her and asking her to "try" and help me get to the bottom of my severe neurological problem - all after promising me in person she'd help me find work (as I was on public assistance, my wife was chronically ill, and my daughter was struggling with dyslexia.) She told my daughter in person she would always be her "Big Sis," and once she moved to Albany, stopped corrsponding altogether. My daughter held her in high regard, because Diane Lee was a person who helped her cope with her reading problems and her dyslexia - only to be dumped by someone who should have held broadcasting ethics in high regard, but showed it was all superficial.
For months I tried to find a diagnosis for my condition.
After months of dealing with the pitiful neurology dept. at Geisinger in Danville, I managed to find a clinic in Albany, NY, with a neurologist who truly cared about finding determining my illness. I tried Pittsburgh, but it was 4 hours away. I tried Long Island, but it was 5 hours away. Albany was 3 plus hours away and I figured my "friend," Diane Lee would care enough to help me.
My wife and I went to Albany on a visit to obtain the help of a local neurologist, and I figured I'd see if my "friend" Diane Lee would want to help me since she hosted an annual telethon there for that clinic and knew a lot of people, including the neurologist I was going to see.
Instead, when I left my appointment there, I was met by police and told by them Diane Lee filed a complaint that I my simple and sincere emails to her made her feel her job was threatened. She made a false complaint to the police and indicated she never ever wanted any emails I had sent to her going way back to the period when I first met her in May of 2006. She blatantly lied to police.
I was hauled off in shackles, poor health and all, like a common criminal. This is the same Diane Lee who claimed to care about me in person just a few months earlier.
The DA's office could not figure out how Diane Lee could turn on a friend. I gave them photos and emails that proved Diane and I and my wife and daughter were friends. They were puzzled, but could not prosecute her for lying, simply because she was local media.
What happened? Who knows?
I all I know is that some people are meant to be broadcasters and have the ethics and comportment meant to do the job and others, like Diane Lee, have no business being in the biz because they have no ethics to speak of.
I met a lot of people at WYOU and WBRE. Many of them are kind and sincere people.
To Dave Kuharchick, I say this: Dave, you treated me with kindness when you allowed me to participate in a softball game at one of the local Hazleton community events you and some WYOU staffers supported. Thank you for putting on air and allowing me to be a weather spotter. It was certainly a privilege and honor.
I am sad to see WYOU News leave the air. A lot of good, sincere people lost their jobs and I am sorry to see that. I've struggled with unemployment, and now Parkinson's and know what it is like to be on public assistance.
As a viewer, I enjoyed WYOU News interactive format. It was a novel try at something different.
I am a college graduate, a professional - yet I've been reduced to being on assistance. It hurts a man's pride and is no fun.
I wish I could help all those who've been laid off from WYOU as well as many who've been laid off in NEPA, an area with so many struggling for many years in an area with little or no economic growth.
Andy Mehalshick and Diane Lee are like day and night. Andy has roots in the community and cares. Diane Lee doesn't put down roots and as such, cares little for the communities in which she resides, and little about the viewers she pretends to befriend.
I pray WBRE can sustain a presence in the NEPA market, but I fear that if the economy doesn't turn around soon, WNEP may well be the only station left with a viable news operation.
God Bless All of You!
WNEP has been the most viable news operation for some time, if you go by the new WNEP standards for excellence: "WE'RE BEST BECAUSE WE COVER MORE FIRES AND MORE FENDER-BENDERS AND MORE SHOOTINGS AND MORE ROBBERIES AND MORE STABBINGS IN MORE COUNTIES THAN ANYONE ELSE!"
Have you noticed that the only broadcast REPORTER in the market is Andy Mehalshick? Oh, there are lots of "personalities" on the air, but only Andy still digs for news and breaks stories.
Andy is the biggest problem - reporting rumors as fact and "breaking" investigations that lead nowhere isn't reporting - it's just being a gossip columnist. He reported the judicial indictments were "about to happen" for 24 hours one day. It was over 19 weeks before they actually were. If channel 50 was more interested in focusing on their reporters who do actual reporting and less a demoted anchor who fixates on tabloid journalism they'd be better off.
I never thought WYOU's product was horrible, but not great either. There always seemed to be some untapped potential. Clearly, there was a lot of mismanagement from the top.
Since Diversified Communications sold WYOU, it has had no news product to offer. All the "changes" Mission threw at it were mere coverups for the fact that it had no staff. There hasn't really been a WYOU for years. No building, no people, no product, no ratings. Back in my TV newsboy days we were a part of the community, charity softball and basketball games, I remember taking Rich Noonan to the hole once in Dallas. (to give you a time frame). We put out a good product, DC was investing in the station in hardware and people. It was a great news market with friendly competition among the three stations. It's truly sad, especially when you see someone like Dave DeCosmo put out on the street.
A truly sad day in history, and I like, 8:10 a.m. am concerned for that film library. That stuff is irreplacable and should be in the hands of whorthwhile stewards.
I agree - total mismanagement from the top. Mission doesn't understand what it takes to really deliver the news to people. Nextstar is pitiful too. It is a royal shame, but inevitable given their lack of concern for their employees and their ineptitude in hiring "anchors" and their sheer ignorance in assigning stories to reporters.
With Mission, the term "anchor" were not used properly. They should have used the term "teleprompter readers." They didn't give anyone any leeway to showcase any talent anyone had, from producers to directors to anchors to reporters - all floundered and some pulled every which way. As a viewer I understand there was quite a bit of friction within the organization. Some "anchors" demanding things their way, while others were in complete opposition to that. No harmony, no guidance from top management (if you could call it "management") - Maybe they should call it "top mismanagement!"
People who are left at WBRE are lucky to have jobs, because any company willing to scrap that many employees and destroy a news operation (whether it was good or bad) does not care one bit about the employees they do have left.
They'll close WBRE too if they get the whim to do it. Then more people, talented or otherwise will be on the street.
I agree, David DeCosmo has been around a long time. What does he get for all his trouble - a pink slip? No one, especially him, deserves to be treated that poorly!
I wonder how many, if any other station's news operations Mission is going to close down...
WYOU had enormous potential - it is a shame management squandered the talent that came through those doors!
I wonder who will do the Geisinger telethons now that WYOU's news department is no more?
WBRE?...Will anyone watch?...
What a shame...what a shame indeed!
Nowadays, on a blog, it could be considered cyberstalking if one even goes so far as to "tell it like it is" about a particular person.
Howard, you've done a great job allowing others to speak their minds. Thank you.
I am that disabled person who was treated so kind by Dave Kuharchik and so poorly by Diane Lee after she moved to Albany.
The trouble with "the biz" is that too many stations push the anchors as celebrities, instead of hard working journalists.
I wound up moving my family to the Albany area because of my disability - not to mention here in Albany there are the only doctors who would even look at my wife's chronic wound infections and try to get to the bottom of them were here.
NEPA is a wonderful place and needs a good TV station. WYOU was let go like a person leaves food out on a countertop to rot.
I never had the pleasure of meeting the last news team, but, even if one didn't like the news product, they were very nice people from all I've heard. I may be wrong, but if I ever regretted anything in my life, it was trying to be a friend to Diane Lee. She doesn't know how to appreciate anyone who truly cares.
When she left for Albany, she was all teary-eyed and upset. Once she came to Albany, she changed - not overnight, but over time. In the span of 6 months, she was no longer the nice person I knew. Maybe it was a false front, maybe not. Maybe it was pressure from the station, most likely not.
I know people at other stations and they are VERY real and genuine people. My wife, daughter and son met the 5 PM anchorman of a station in the local bowling alley months ago. They could not be more gracious people!
My wife works for the local Wal-Mart and we've been on assistance - that anchorman is always in the local Wal-Mart and is as kind and human as can be...
I've corresponded with a few reporters, all of which have been very, very kind. I've corresponded with one reporter for over a year now. Every two to three weeks, she writes me and asks me "How are you doing? She has stated on numerous occasions "Your emails brighten my days!" etc... She knows I am disabled, and never once, ever told me I am a bother to her. In fact, she told me around Thanksgiving last year, she was thankful for she and I becoming friends via email.
I've been a shut-in over the winter, unable to get out and travel, and I don't have friends in the local area because of that.
Yet, I was able to reach out to this reporter, who is as diligent and tenacious as can be when going after a story - and she reached out to me. She didn't have to. She just did. She filled in in the interim when the anchor lady in the 6 PM time slot left permanently to have her second son. This anchor/reporter gets along with EVERYONE. And I mean EVERYONE!. She never talks for the sake of talking on the air and is as unpretentious as can be when around others in public.
I wish all anchors/reporters could be like her - not afraid to be herself. She thinks and acts like she is no better than anyone else...a refreshing quality to find in a TV person.
Unfortunately, she was passed over for the 6 PM anchor position, which she badly wanted, but, what she said impressed me: "God has His purpose in keeping me a reporter. I may not understand it all, but I know I'm in this role for a reason and am determined to do my best in that role until my role changes again."
That is how all should act in journalism. Funny how all too many forget that once they leave college and get out into the world!
People have asked me, "You've been burned by Diane Lee...why would you even attempt to correspond with another journalist, male or female?"
To which I reply: "They are all not as self-centered as Diane Lee has been. There is a lot of good in many people. That there is one anchor lady who was mean and who could care less about me and other disabled people does not prove that all other female anchors and reporters are or will be just as mean and petty."
I cannot judge other anchors/reporter on the basis of what Diane Lee did to me, or to my wife or to my daughter. I have to take each one for who they are: individuals - unique and special. I will do that unless and until they prove me otherwise.
I will tell you this: I keep my distance and am wary of those I correspond with however. It is a shame it has to be that way but...
as the phrase goes:"Burn me once, shame on you, Burn me twice, shame on me!"
With this I'll close my comments regarding this sad mess happening to WYOU: May all those affected by the layoffs find peace and know that all things, even the bad, happen for reasons - we may not like them, or ever understand them, but remember - there is a higher power - Some say God, some say Allah, some say Buddah, etc...
That higher power IS watching - keep the faith and be strong - better days WILL come to those who stand firm!
4:59pm... WOW! I'd take a valium or something.
I blame Nexstar. I worked at another one of the company's stations. They have a reputation for digging them to the ground. It's a shame. The executives at Nexstar don't know what they are doing, and it shows.
4:59pm... WOW! I'd take a valium or something.
11:53 PM
Clever. You must have been a copywriter for WYOU news.
I'd just like to check in to thank the many people who have been calling and emailing me since the decision was made to have WYOU News "go dark."
I had been with the company since 1980 full time and ever earlier as a part time reporter in the late 1960's.
For the most part it's been a good run!
To all of you, here's hoping all of your news is good!
David DeCosmo
It's true about Mehalshick. He's never at his desk - because he's always making calls and tracking down leads.
Too much story posting and not enough news gathering. Andy is an honest to god news gatherer. He may not be 20/20 material - but he's not the "reporters" at WNEP - who have been a powerhouse for years, no thanks to their lazy reporters... it's the old school anchors and reporters (along with an management who stressed covering the entire DMA)... but when was the last time you saw one of their teeny boppy blondes actually break a story that wasn't a press release...and had the balls to go on the air with that story because of a relationship with a source that underscored the gravitas behind the story.
Need more news gathering. Enough news posting.
The End.
Let's not lose sight of the fact that, in actuality, there *is* no Mission Broadcasting.
Ain't it funny how every one of the stations they own is run by Nexstar?
Ain't it funny how Mission didn't exist until 1998 -- the same year that Perry Sook bought WBRE and needed to dump the WYOU license to avoid FCC persecution due to the duopoly rule?
Let's not kid ourselves. Nexstar isn't stupid. In fact, they're business geniuses! You know how we all try to devise that plan to make quick money and live like kings? Yeah. They did it.
They haven't failed, like many are convinced. Sure, they haven't been supporting news operations at WYOU (or many of their other stations) and they haven't poured money into talent and infrastructure like one would expect of a responsible and passionate owner.
But that's exactly the point -- they never intended to. Perry Sook had a master plan since 1996 and he's executed it phenomenally. Kudos to him. His plan has made him rich beyond his wildest dreams. Kind of like a Ponzi scheme... only, somehow, more legal.
Oh, right, right... he's had to fire a few people here and there (13 years worth for a countless amount of budget realization) which has affected him with that nasty side effect of losing one's soul. But eyes on the prize, people... he's rich. Oh, and important. Verrrry important. Remember that when he walks down the hall, nods your way and simply says, "Gentlemen" (not having the faintest clue or concern about who you really are).
And let's not forget his plan -- from day one -- has included sucking the life out of every station he owns and skimming the spoils off the top. Some might call that "embezzlement". We, in the industry, prefer the term "LMA". (Friendly reminder: this includes the dozen or so stations he owns at Mission).
Oops! Did I let the cat out of the bag? Nexstar owns Mission?? Wait... Perry Sook tells the stations at Mission what to do? But... but... I thought they were only "providing services" to the other stations??
Oh, no! What ever will they do now that the secret's out? Well, whatever happens, I'm quite sure the FCC will be pounding down their doors any day now with an audit...
Umm... any day now...
Hello?
FCC?
WYOU was my favorite station to watch. To all of you that worked for WYOU I wish the best and keep your heads up this might be a stepping stone to something better. You all are very talented people and WILL find a better place than WYOU with better management!
The problem with Andy is that it's all "me me me". Last night he boasts this big exclusive with Chiavarella. Never mind that the other guys had him two weeks ago. But he spends all 5 & 5:30 pushing this big exclusive at 6. Then when they finally show it, it is a bunch of no-comments. That's not even an interview! I felt ripped off. But for Andy it is never about actually delivering substance, it is about standing on the courthouse steps stammering through the words "exclusive" and "I-team". If he delivered on his hype, he'd be good. But misleading us all isn't being a reporter, its being a marketer. We don't need more of those.
WYOU is leaving people in the dark without their newscast, I hope Mission realizes that. Their signal was the only channel that came in when I first hooked up my mother's DTV, so I had to buy her a larger antenna to get the other Scranton/Wilkesbarre channels, which means there are probably other people that can only get in the WYOU digital channel. Also, WBRE/WYOU operate a translator here in Stroudsburg. For some reason, WYOU is the only one that comes in at my house, which is about 6 miles from the translator site. I can't get any kind of signal on the WBRE channel 64 translator. It's on the air, I know when I go up the road a few blocks it begins to come in, but as I said WYOU always came in. So in conclusion, many people in NEPA will be left in the dark with WYOU dropping their news.
If the WYOU news blackout has left your mom without local news you or she should complain to the FCC! The station is suppose to be serving all of its licensed area.
Guess the big wigs did not think about that.
It is a crying same that WYOU closed its newsroom. It is a crying same that the one person I tried to get to know as broadcaster treated me with unkindness.
What has the profession become?
It is a sad day when those who broadcast think they are more important than the communities they serve.
They are human - but, have been put on a pedestal by the local stations and even the networks themselves.
They are treated like kings, princesses and divas - all at the expense of delivering REAL news.
It has to stop. The Diane Lee's of this world need to wake up and realize it is NOT about them in the sense they are needed by the public.
Without the kind, considerate viewers, broadcasters like Diane Lee, Andy Mehalshick, and others are expendable - just like any other person when it comes to business.
I happen to know - there have been layoffs in the Albany market too.
Fox23 News - WXXA TV - let go of several people connected with their failed "DayBreak" show.
They moved the timeslot from the 5 to 8 AM time slot to the 6 to 9 AM time slot in hopes of increasing their ratings. From the last I've heard, it isn't happening.
As someone who knows (and at this juncture I'm sad to say I do know) Diane Lee, I can say this:
She once told my then-wife that she was not happy at WXXA - the AM shift was not what she anticipated it to be. It was clear she made a wrong decision. She jumped from WYOU for what was billed to her as a chance to interview many people - on a talk-show type of AM news - and they were going to build it all around her. She was fed a bill of goods - lied to by then-station-manager Jeffrey Whitson.
(He's a piece of work too...a real snake in the grass...story to be told later if I have the opportunity.)
She let her ego get the better of her. She left NEPA and her boyfriend at the time, Jimmy "McKay" of 979x radio. He is a wonderful man. They tried a distance relationship and it didn't work out. Pity - he was a caring man and if he ever found out what she did to me and my family, he'd be completely embarassed by it.
Diane Lee was the one who insisted my wife and daughter and I get to know her boyfriend Jimmy.
We met him and he was most gracious to us, as was Diane.
The two seemed right for each other. Diane gave up a lot when she left NEPA - but she is now engaged to a geologist whose name is Kenny, as if she'll find happiness by getting married and having kids...she is searching for more than that, but refuses to admit it to herself...marriage, in her current state of immaturity, will no doubt be a struggle for Kenny...my advice to him - run, run far away... Diane Lee is pretty - pretty immature and not ready for marriage.
Her biological clock was ticking long before she left NEPA - she said so to me in person one day before she entered the studio at WYOU weeks before she left for Albany.
She was, and still is, in my opinion, immature for 30 years old.
She hadn't had many stable "relationships" with men because the way she acted when with Jimmy was like that of a star-struck schoolgirl.
She strutted her stuff on the 4th of July 2006 after a Red Baron's game where she sang God Bless America. She sauntered away with him on her arm.
She giggled and laughed like she didn't have a care in the world - like someone who never really dated much.
It was then my wife commented to me, "She is really immature - there is no way a 30 year-old woman should act that way unless she hasn't had many real relationships...she is just a baby in a 30 year old woman's body."
All of what was said by my wife was said with loving concern for Diane Lee.
My wife said Diane is headed for a fall, and anyone connected with her will do the same...
Little did I know she would break up with Jimmy, turn on me and have me arrested, and basically eliminate from her life many traces of her life in NEPA.
I certainly hope Jimmy was let down easy. He really did care for her. She wanted kids desperately, but Jimmy wanted them "someday."
Apparently that "someday" was not close enough for Diane.
People change - they move on...
Relationships begin and end...
But through it all, we should remember to be as kind as can be to others - Diane Lee failed that test with me, and I'm afraid with others as well - not only while at WYOU, but at WXXA.
Not even WXXA main anchor John Gray likes her. I know that very well. Her cohost Mark Baker can't stand her. His friendliness is all a front to keep up the appearance of harmony.
Late last year, when she filled in for the lovely Ann Hughes, John Gray made several derogatory comments about her talking out of turn and about her even being on the newscast.
She talked way too much for him and he felt she shouldn't have even been there.
While that goes on a lot on many stations, it tells a lot about Diane's ability to make enemies among her co-workers.
She is, contrary to how she's treated me, a lovely young lady. I say "young" because I am 18 years her senior.
She has a ton to learn about treating people with kindness, both on the job and out in the real world.
She comes on really friendly, but on the job she made enemies at WYOU - pushing her views as to how things should have been done over that of others. While it IS good to have a multitude of views to make a news product better, she should have been more humble.
At the time she was at WYOU, I suspected she was not well-liked by a lot of people, but she had always been loving and kind to me my wife and my daughter, so I openly defended her.
She is NOT a bad person - she just needs to learn to be kind to all - not just those she thinks will further her goals and careers in life.
My chonically-ill wife, daughter and I really tried to be a friend to her - and she reciprocated in what we thought was a kind manner.
I thought she trusted me - she indicated it by her emails and by the way she treated me in public.
Yet, distrust and even paranoia seem to be the order of the day with Diane Lee - even when she worked at WYOU she acted kind of odd for a person who was supposed to trust her "friends."
Maybe I should have seen the signs and backed away from her "friendship."
Like a fool, I tried to be there as a friend for her and later on I was burned in a way no friend wishes to be burned - arrested out of the blue after an appointment with a specialist trying to determine why I was disabled after years of having absolutely no health problems whatsoever.
After being arrested, I felt like Diane kicked me in the gut. Beside the fatigue and slowness, I felt my "friend" didn't know what she was doing...sad but true, she knew full well she fed me to the lions - all for reasons I still do not understand...maybe I never will...
Diane promised me she'd always be my friend - no matter what. I promised the same to her. I kept my end of that promise.
She had become "My Precious Diane..." simply because she is precious deep down inside - but fails to let it show to everyone...she is intensely private - but too private and aloof for someone who portends to care about others.
It is almost as if she is hiding a hurt or hurts deep down inside of her - only allowing a scant few people close enough to see the real her. I saw glimpses of the real her, but only a few times.
Call me a fool - call me an idiot for caring...I do regret meeting the Diane Lee who had me arrested...she is NOT the Diane Lee who left WYOU. She changed - and not for the better.
I'll always love her for the lady I know she can be when she chooses to follow her heart - but as for the Diane Lee she is today - I have no use for her nor would I give her the time of day.
Media people are a funny lot. God help those who try to befriend them in truly human ways.
I've learned my lesson - but, if Diane Lee ever wants to talk, apologize, and be a "true" friend, she knows where to find me...my door is always open to all - even her. I am not angry with Diane Lee - just sadly disgusted with her.
To all of you media people - don't forget, the viewers are the reason for you having jobs - don't betray their trust! In many ways it is an important trust, because many of you either are anchors/reporters who are welcome into people's homes everyday, or are behind the scenes making news casts possible.
To all of you who have been kind to me and to others, I truly thank you...God Bless...and thank you Howard, for the opportunity to be heard.
You think it's hard watching Andy? Try working with him! He's like mustard gas in a bottle... a little creeps out here and there... and soon, the whole operation gets fouled up, in the wake of his promises of exclusives and "you only see it here-s."
He's a load of nonsense. There's little education behind his mirage. He's more interested in blatant self promotion than he is about the issue he may be covering... and that ripples through the staff, reducing good stories to glorified mehalshick promotion. No wonder WBRE will always be in the basement, you can't turn the station on and get anything other than mehalshick pumping himself up. Happy Easter.
I did my best to read most of the comments, but I got lost in all the Diane Lee posts. Someone needs help.
That aside, this market is filled with people set in their ways, and littered with viewers who don't know a scam when they see one. Way too many people in NEPA are victims of shameless self promotion.
A vial of life? That was a scheme to get the WNEP logo sticker in the window of your home or your car.
Outdoor Life? That show should be renamed the WNEP Road Show. "Show up at the Mall, get a free Hat". (and be sure you wear it when attending any public gathering were a lot of people can see it).
News? The news is pretty much the same across the board, except if you have twice as many news cars on the road, and let interns gather those cute VOs, you get your cars (read: roving billboards) out and about to be sure. Product Placement anyone?
If you want someone to watch your newscast, give them a reason to watch. And the best way to do that is cover any gathering which brings in more than 500 people (think fundraiser dinners, galas, balls, school plays, etc.) and just enough blood and guts to mix it up. Turkey Dinners and Rattlesnake Roundups aren't really "news", but that is where the people are. Did you see Sixteen at the Church Bizarre?? Yeah! Scotty Dog told the photog to bring him back a sandwich, and Paula wants funnelcake!
The car accidents are what you get when the shooter keeps his eyes open on the way back from that Veterans Dinner in Pottsville, or that building dedication in Bloomsburg. Again, not really news unless you are the one in the accident. If it ties up traffic, then there's your Live Shot at Six, or Seven, or Ten, or Eleven....
Back to the bake sales... if you go to the big events, everyone there will watch that night. And they will usually double their number when they call a friend to watch as well. Holy cow, Leckey got up on stage and waived to the audience, I must go home and watch that again.... quick call cousin Larry and make him watch too!
Is it the only formula for success? No way. But as long as WNEP continues to cover the public gatherings as well as they cover the courthouse, then they will continue to self-promote themselves all the way to bigger and better and better ratings.
Fires are a nice addition to the newscast, but they only affect people who live THERE. Feature Stories are nice, but their payoff is directly related to the number of people who see the crew there.
And police blotter after the fact is just not good television. And it's a waste of time if we cannot understand what is being said or if the details are left to the newspaper article coming out the next day.
If you think this sounds silly, spend some time at the Bloomsburg Fair. Look for the big crowds at noon and five. They are over by the WNEP party wagon. Someone heard Tom is giving out free pens and there is always a chance you can put your little one on your shoulders and get them on TV.
And don't forget to wear your Outdoor Life hat...
Amen to the above poster.
The news in this market is all about self-promotion and thank God Elden Hale knew what he was doing when he created WNEP ‘The News Station’ x-number of years ago. Heck, they started telling people they were the news when the other guys couldn’t come up with a better slogan.
Props to WNEP on a few things: They bought a chopper, went to tape long before the other guys would, and hired some decent talent (note I said decent, not great).
People in this market think Tom Clark is a God and I could never understand why. His weather forecasts are terrible and his wife could talk her way out of a paper bag.
If you transferred the ENTIRE Newswatch 16 team to WYOU or WBRE, the numbers would stay the same. WNEP would still be number one.
Why?
It’s the content stupid. WNEP was always good at covering the news in way that affected everyone in the marketplace. If you could do a story in Stroudsburg that mattered to the people in Williamsport, WNEP did it. They never did groundbreaking investigations or hard-hitting interviews. They just covered the news and covered it well. Packaging helps too.
And as someone who used to work with Diane Lee, she had absolutely no talent. Dumb as a box of rocks who couldn’t even read the Tele-PrompTer.
I lived down in the Philly area for many years - lost my home and moved to NEPA. The people are fantastic, but the TV stations downright suck. People in NEPA are NOT getting the news they deserve because all three stations have no clue what it is to deliver real news. I've heard those boast of WNEP as the best.
It is the best of three extremely poor stations. That is NOTHING to brag about.
WYOU - Interactive - a joke!
WBRE - no matter how many times it is reinvented, it will always be second-rate, and WNEP - stagnant - does not aspire to better itself because it has NO competition.
There you have it NEPA -
One-Strike: WNEP - nowhere near OK
Two-Strikes: WBRE - Pitiful at best
Three-Strikes: WYOU - Fade to black
You'rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr OUT!
When IS the FCC going to step in?
I hear the old-timers in NEPA media criticizing the way things are done today. Why don't all of you complainers get together, and formulate a set of documents to present to the FCC. THAT would be a constructive thing to do.
Complaining isn't heard by anyone and most likely only read by those who read this blog.
DO Something - ANYTHING - NEPA media has been sinking like the Titanic...Only the FCC can save it now...if they only have reason to do so...
I've heard people bash the "talent." - Andy Mehalshick, Tom Clark, Lyndall Stout - past non-performers like Diane Lee, Frank Andrews, etc...
What "talent?" There is none to speak of.
They all have high opinions of themselves and couldn't hit a bullseye in the water if they fell out of a boat and the target was right beside them.
Wake up NEPA? WBRE news operations can be saved if the FCC steps in and orders management to clean up its act.
I agree with Howard - the film archive needs to be turned over to a responsible party - not left to rot at WBRE...
Unless and Until you media folks here in NEPA wake up and take seriously what is really going on at WBRE, the new operation there may also be shut down.
Who's the sad sack with all of the Diane Lee stories? Pretty creepy if you ask e. No wonder she had you arrested. By the way, how'd you meet her and get to be so "close"?
When is the fcc gonna do something about this?!
Answer to 12:09 - Part 1
I met her through the "Crime" town meeting held by WYOU/WBRE at the University of Scranton.I briefly talked to her, and emailed her once. She emailed me back, and I emailed her again. We talked via email often and I saw her at events and at the station. She met my wife and daughter an d seemed to like them both very much... She was instrumental in getting me to walk 1/2 hour each day. I give her credit as I lost 30 pounds in 30 days - all walking only 1/2 hour each and every day, whether I felt like it or not. She insisted we meet her then-boyfriend Jimmy (McKay) of 979x radio (979x.com) When my wife had her life-threatening surgeries, a month or two after the WXXA-TV Daybreak program where she was a co-anchor started airing, she called my wife before her surgeries to tell her she'd be praying for her and during that conversation she gave my wife a lot of encouragement. That's the Diane Lee I knew... a kind and compassionate person - not the cold, calculating, distant person she is now... I have tons of emails back and forth to prove we "were" friends... We met her and Jimmy on July 4 2006 for a 3K walk in Wilkes-Barre. I walked the 3K while she visited with my wife and daughter...Diane Lee "was" a nice person. As for what she has become, I could care less...Would I be mean to her if she talked to me on the street? No. But, if she is still that self-centered person that even the WXXA-TV evening anchor can't stand, then I have no use for her. You see, I never got a chance to tell Diane Lee how disappointed I am with her. Most people get to tell people when they are disappointed in their behavior. I know she'll read this blog - she's done it many times before. And, I know she'll understand even the Albany DA was puzzled at her attitudes...if she weren't "media," they would have arrested her for abuse of the criminal system. It is as plain and simple as that. That is what I was told was the DA's perspective. She became a little too high and mighty, but, because she filed a complaint, and was a media personality, they let her get away with lying in the complaint. That would not have ever happened in PA. In PA, a "Private Criminal Complaint" would be verified by the DA for the County (Say Luzerne County for example) then and only then, if they found a real crime, would they arrest someone. In Albany, NY - if you file a complaint, they arrest first, question you, and then worry about whether the case was valid. Meanwhile, a person is out about 1000 dollars just to hire an attorney when nothing is wrong and they've been falsely accused.
12:09 AM - Answer Part 1: I met her through the "Root of the Crime" town meeting held by WYOU/WBRE at the University of Scranton.I briefly talked to her, and emailed her once. She emailed me back, and I emailed her again. We talked via email often and I saw her at events and at the station. She met my wife and daughter an d seemed to like them both very much... She was instrumental in getting me to walk 1/2 hour each day. I give her credit as I lost 30 pounds in 30 days - all walking only 1/2 hour each and every day, whether I felt like it or not. She insisted we meet her then-boyfriend Jimmy (McKay) of 979x radio (979x.com) When my wife had her life-threatening surgeries, a month or two after the WXXA-TV Daybreak program where she was a co-anchor started airing, she called my wife before her surgeries to tell her she'd be praying for her and during that conversation she gave my wife a lot of encouragement. That's the Diane Lee I knew... a kind and compassionate person - not the cold, calculating, distant person she is now... I have tons of emails back and forth to prove we "were" friends... We met her and Jimmy on July 4 2006 for a 3K walk in Wilkes-Barre. I walked the 3K while she visited with my wife and daughter...Diane Lee "was" a nice person. As for what she has become, I could care less...Would I be mean to her if she talked to me on the street? No. But, if she is still that self-centered person that even the WXXA-TV evening anchor can't stand, then I have no use for her. You see, I never got a chance to tell Diane Lee how disappointed I am with her. Most people get to tell people when they are disappointed in their behavior. I know she'll read this blog - she's done it many times before. And, I know she'll understand even the Albany DA was puzzled at her attitudes...if she weren't "media," they would have arrested her for abuse of the criminal system. It is as plain and simple as that. That is what I was told was the DA's perspective. She became a little too high and mighty, but, because she filed a complaint, and was a media personality, they let her get away with lying in the complaint. That would not have ever happened in PA. In PA, a "Private Criminal Complaint" would be verified by the DA for the County (Say Luzerne County for example) then and only then, if they found a real crime, would they arrest someone. In Albany, NY - if you file a complaint, they arrest first, question you, and then worry about whether the case was valid. Meanwhile, a person is out about 1000 dollars just to hire an attorney when nothing is wrong and they've been falsely accused.
12:09 PM Answer Part 2:So: Diane Lee didn't want to be my friend or friends with my wife and daughter. Why couldn't she do the "normal" thing and write an email - either to me, my wife, and/or daughter stating those facts. Why didn't she? Who the heck knows? She was so paranoid and so aloof, it didn't matter if I dropped dead in front of her... To her I say this: Don't make something a criminal matter that shouldn't be one. Granted the Albany County DA dismissed the case against me, and didn't have you arrested. But, they came very close to arresting you too...all for lying - misrepresenting the facts surrounding our friendship to law enforcement and the local DA's office. Well that's it in a nutshell. You have no idea how deep and personal our emails were. All I EVER talked about to her was how much I loved my wife...that was what she loved to much about me - my concern for my wife and family above all else...and a family is what she's always wanted - she told both my daughter and me her biological clock was ticking so-to-speak and she was desperate to find husband-quality material. I feel McKay was that guy - apparently they tried a long distance relationship and it didn't work. She wanted kids right away and he wants them someday. That, in and of itself was enough to doom their relationship. Don't get me wrong: Diane is a nice person, down deep. But she is extremely immature for 31 years old...btw her birthday is July 27, 1978..."friends" know this specific information... She thinks marriage will solve her problems...that is only going to complicate her life more...and a baby will do it all the more... She makes enemies out of many station employees because things have to be done her way or no way... Sadly she is not well-liked by her co-workers...To prove my point, perhaps I should post a video WXXA-TV mistakenly posted to its website where her co-anchor Mark Baker had a look of utter contempt on his face after a failed reading of the news by Diane. The look was one of utter disgust as well... Yes, I DO know Diane Lee, and, I don't have any use for the Diane Lee who turned on me, forgot about my wife and daughter etc... True, people sometimes do not want to be friends with people after a certain point. She never did the proper thing and tell us that. She should have, as the Albany County DA's office told us. Misusing the criminal justice system because she obviously couldn't face us and tell us the truth is the ultimate in unethical behavior and even set her up for failure down the road if she doesn't change her act and be truthful to people. With that said, I say to you that you have NO idea how close we were as friends...So who are you to make a comment or judge me - or even her for that matter? My answer is that you're as ignorant as they come...and, you Don't want to get close to a broadcaster - they've too many issues that you won't want to deal with.
Sorry - previous posts are meant to answer 12:02 AM - Gee it is way too early in the AM to be blogging!
But, to 12:02 AM - you have no idea how stupid you sound...media people are not the wonderful people you may think...they are as human as we are, but with VERY inflated egos. Deep down Diane Lee IS a very nice person...
You are ignorant, and as such, don't even deserve answers to your questions about my family became "so close" to Diane Lee.
The only reason I answered your stupid post is because you ARE ignorant. Take that and put it in your pipe and smoke it you big a-hole.
Now - do you really want to know what CREEPY really IS?
How about this Mr. Ignorant: Two weeks ago, as I was driving to pick up someone from Troy, NY, I was riding on I787 (east of albany) for you geographically challenged,) when who was following me for a bit? Diane Lee in her little Subaru Outback.
I didn't pay any attention to her and didn't bother acknowledging her.
All of the sudden, she darted out into the far left lane, passed me and came back into my lane, not far from my truck.
Then, she fiddled around with her rear-view mirror and her side mirror in a pathetic attempt to get my attention. I just ignored her and drove off and went about my business...
You, who have NO idea what you're talking about when it comes to Diane Lee, and know nothing about CREEPY.
That she was even following me in the first place, and trying to get my attention in the second place - after all she's done to me and my family - the poor way she's treated us...now THAT is creepy.
Do I care if she is my friend at present? No. I have my life to live.
Burn Me Once, Shame On You.
Burn Me Twice, Shame On Me.
She'd have to really come to us and admit she was immature and wrong. Then and only then would I even give her the time of day...
In fact, my giving you the time of day was a big fat mistake...people like you Mr. 12:02 AM, are just the reason this world is in the sad state it is in...
If Ignorance was a crime, you'd be in for life. People Can and Do become friends with TV anchors...Grow up and use the commonsense God gave you!
Would you all just shut up about Diane Lee, I barley know who she is, I started watching WYOU only a few months ago. I loved the Interactive section. I must admit that it was more of an entertainment show than a news program, but man was it unique and awesome. RIP wyou news, hope you will return someday.
I'm a friend of a disabled man - a man who was treated disgracefully by the dunce diva, Diane Lee after she moved to Albany...Well, what goes around, comes around...
Just three (3) days after Diane Lee married Robert McKenney ("Kenny") Hall III, staff scientist at Arcadis in Albany, WXXA issued her a pink slip...
Yes, she was terminated while on her honeymoon...
Now, if that is not poetic justice.
That they kept her rival Mark Baker says loads about her lack of ability to get the job done. She impressed no one during her tenure at WXXA and no one of any stature at WYOU either.
While I don't like to see people lose their jobs, the fact Diane Lee lost her job on her honeymoon is striking, since she valued her "image" more than a friend who came to her from help...
Yes, what goes around, comes around...yes indeed! That's what she gets for trashing NEPA and leaving for what she called "greener" pastures...
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