April 18th, 2009 
joel Over the past five months, we have seen the continuum of this story run from vehement denial to matter-of-fact announcement, but in the end our hunch was true; the news staffs of WICU and WSEE will merge.
In an article by David Bruce in Saturday’s Erie Times-News, Brian Lilly confirmed that the stations will combine on June 1. However, each station will broadcast its own newscast.
“Nothing will change to the outside viewer, except they will perhaps see more content,” Lilly said. “The bottom line is that WICU and WSEE will each stand alone.”
Lilly is quoted to say that despite the consolidation of news personnel and resources, no layoffs are planned for the 28 on-air staffers. Meanwhile, the paper quotes Eric Seggi from the NABET union who said four part-time photographers were let go from WSEE Thursday, and WICU has reduced front office staff in the past several weeks. Add these moves to the attrition factor by folks like Shannon Solo who has left Erie to pursue his singing career in Nashville, and the staff will resize in short order.
The big remaining question is how you do multiple live broadcasts in such a small space as WICU’s studios. Some scheduling scenarios that have been suggested on The Press and Tower include (not including mornings):
- Noon: WSEE
- 5-6 PM: WICU
- 6-6:30 PM: WSEE
- 7- 7:30 PM: WICU (the return of Hotline News?!)
- 10-10:35 PM: WSEE produces a Prime-time newscast on WBEP
- 11-11:35 PM: WICU live cast, while WSEE plays the tape delayed cast that aired on WBEP
A creative solution will have to be developed to do simultaneous live shows in the morning including maybe trying to build an isolated green screen weather booth, or configuring the news room as a “flash cam” anchor point.
In the last part of this morning’s article, Brian Lilly issues a warning to consumers of news that times are very quickly changing:
“The markets will not exist as we know them today,” Lilly said. “In five years, newspapers, television and radio will all be under one owner.”
There are loads of questions, uncertainties, and deep emotional responses. But now we know that a new era for Erie television journalism is about to begin, and there is no going back now.
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Brian Lilly said: “In five years, newspapers, television and radio will all be under one owner.”
Oh My Goodness! I hope he is wrong!!! We got into this mess in the first place due to the FCC allowing one owner to control multiple TV stations and Radio stations in one market.
The studio at TV-12 is extremely cramped – it is going to be amusing to see how they can pull this off. Mr Lilly seems to think it will be easy so it most likely will be a piece of cake? NOT!
Maybe 12 News or Newswatch will originate from the “combined” newsroom so the other morning newscast can originate from the studio?
Can they say “One big happy family?”
Sorry to comment again but this move presents more questions than answers:
- Will there be 2 separate websites?
- What about mic flags?
- Will WICU still use Panny P2 and WSEE Firestore gear?
- What if….?
- What if….?
- What about the morning shows?
- What about employee morale? (And please, no comments that they should all be happy to at least have a job in this economy!)
Lastly are there ANY guarantees there won’t be layoffs or contraction of the on air staffs in the future? After all, Mr Lilly DENIED this merger as long as he could, why should we believe him when he says “none of the on-air staffs will be laid off?”
From the quotes of Mr Donahue, the local union President it sounds like morale inside TV-12 and WSEE isn’t exactly “cheery.”
My condolences to both TV stations on losing your identities. From a former Union Brother all I can say to the remaining employees is “watch your back!”
Brian Lilly said: “In five years, newspapers, television and radio will all be under one owner.”
For at least a few years in the late 40s and early 50s, Edward Lamb owned/published an Erie newspaper (The Dispatch-Herald), owned WICU(nee’ WIKK) radio 1330 AM, and WICU TV channel 12.
Everything old is new again.
In my opinion I don’t ever think Brian Lilly will be compared with Edward Lamb. (Mr Lamb actually cared a great deal about his employees and the quality of the on-air product)
Brian Lilly is like a used car saleman. Talks out both sides of his mouth…and most of what he says can’t be believed. In the end this move will destory both stations. IT’S ALL ABOUT MONEY…WHAT HE CAN MAKE AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH QUALITY BROADCASTING.
You can blame the FCC idiots for allowing this debacle. Between allowing duopolies and the rush to digitial all the FCC has done is make it harder and harder for the smaller market stations to survive.
Lilly may be correct about the future. PGH or CLE may end up becoming the future TV operations for Erie, with only bureaus for the news and everything else coming in via satellite link, or some other remote operation.
To answer a couple of Tim’s questions:
–Mic flags…you’ll see 12/35 on them
–Morning shows…since both are on at the same time, one will obviously be severely, compromised, if not gone completely. My bet is that WSEE’s will go simply because they’re moving into WICU’s digs. I also think for that same reason that WSEE’s people will come out on the losing end as far as who will stay and who will go is concerned.
–I expect only one combined website.
If you want a good indicator on how this will play out, look no further than WOIO/WUAB in Cleveland. If you’re on County Time Warner, you get WUAB on channel 14. Watch their news nightly at 10. It’s all WOIO.
Who is going to be the News Director of this “combination?” Will it be Julie Eisenman? Scott Bremner? A new hire? Who will have “managerial control?” A ship of state needs a strong captain that’s for sure.
I can’t wait to hear the discussion in the newsroom at 35th & State about who gets to go first on a breaking news story, ‘ICU or ‘SEE!?
If I worked at WICU and WSEE this is the quote that would make me very uncomfortable…..Brian Lilly said “There are some decisions we haven’t made yet.”
That quote pretty much says it all. If they can’t fit two sets in the studio and if they can’t fit anymore desks in the newsroom then Mr Lilly has given himself the perfect out in which to say, “I did my best but in the end WSEE News has to be eliminated because there just in’t enough room at TV-12.”
This move makes no sense at all. The studio is already cramped as it is. The newsroom? Same, not anymore room for 2 or 3 desks, let alone a new assignment desk for the combined operation and reporters and anchors.
It is a shame it has to come to this. Any competant manager would see that combining WSEE into WICU is a move that is ill advised and destined for anything but success.
Anyone read the book “A Bridge Too Far???”
Heard that Eiseman will stay as ND…Bremner as AE (???) Not sure Scott could take a demtion like that. Definately time for all at 12 & 35 to get their resume tapes together and start looknig. The ship is sinking and the current captian is heading for the rocks.
Regarding the merge between WICU and WSEE
Whatever the strategic goals of the merge are will not matter if the ratings plunder. From the perspective of many viewers the professionalism and fluidity of the WICU team (Mark Soliday and Jill McCormick) outshine any of the morning broadcasts
changing the dynamics of this team and the synergy may have a negative impact on ratings overall.
Keep what works, ratings don’t lie.
WICU, you will lose loyal viewers who invest significantly in Erie if you merge personalities from WSEE that can’t be trusted to deliver humor (rambling and misguided) let alone deliver the news effectively to us, the viewers.
Trust your team, let them help navigate the merge of personalities while you figure out the rest.
It’s not the morning newscast that make the biggest difference. 6PM & 11PM newscasts I still believe are the bread winners when it comes to ad. dollars. From what Lilly said, most viewers won’t notice the difference anyway. Did everybody turn off 12News Today when Cheryl Scott(from WSEE) did the weather a couple of weeks ago? I think not. At least I didn’t. Theres going to be growing pains. Lets judge this deal at Nov. sweeps time and see how they are doing then.
And further more who rambles and misguides viewers on WSEE?
Keep the WSEE morning show and 6 & 11 anchors.
WKBN & WYTV no longer use mic flags since they share a lot of the same stories. Expect generic outcues from reporters.
Go to Wikipedia.org and type in WYTV or WKBN and read about how there “merge” has done so far. Hopefully WSEE and WICU won’t follow this path.
There is no reason to expect that the WICU/WSEE merger won’t end up like the WYTV/WKBN merger.
Morale among the WSEE employees is not very good at all. Several employees even report being told (after hearing of the 4 part time photographers being let go) that management could not guarantee their jobs “after the next few weeks.”
If Brian Lilly were serious about merging WSEE News with WICU News then why would he tell the on air staff that he couldn’t guarantee their jobs?
This is all just a smokescreen to ready WSEE for becoming a platform to air CBS Network programming and syndicated programs and infomercials….and nothing else. No News. No Sports. No Weather. No Newswatch. No nothing.
Looks like the big winner in this merger will be WJET-TV. At the rate Brian Lilly is working his magic Channels 12 and 35 will be destroyed in 5 years or less, leaving this possible scenario:
WJET 24.1 ABC
WJET 24.2 NBC
WJET 24.3 CBS
WFXP 22.1 FOX
WFXP 22.2 The CW
You never know?
I think you’ve got it….Lilly will merge everything to 35th & State and then sell it to Nexstar. Then they can run it into the ground like they’ve done at 24. In the end Lilly gets his money, laughs all the way to the bank, and Erie viewers get in the shorts.
It would be nice to the WSEE Mornings Live set reconstructed at WICU, if possible. I like seeing something other than the news desk all the time…
Considering Kevin MacDowell’s wife designed the Mornings Live set, why couldn’t it be reconstructed.
Interesting to note: There is a ‘Former Employees of WICU/WSEE group on Facebook.
I would bet money that group will grow more in the coming days….regardless of what B. Lilly has claimed.