May 16th, 2009 
joel We are watching Darwinian Theory play out before our eyes here in Erie television.
Lilly Broadcasting has determined that the essence of what is WSEE is too weak to survive, so it is being eliminated from the species. If Gerry Weiss’s reporting from this morning turns out to be true, any strong elements left from the old WSEE will be transferred to the Alpha Male, WICU, in a quest for survival of the fittest.
As we reported Thursday, nine people who worked off camera at WSEE were given their notices that their employment would cease by June 1st. Now it is apparent from comments here at The Press and Tower that many if not all on-camera personnel will also go away, in direct contradiction to what Brian Lilly told the newspaper last month. What’s also apparent is that the NABET local here is impotent on these moves.
The sticking points on who stays or goes on the on-air side is the existence of personal contracts. It seems likely, but we can’t be sure, that each station will have separate identifiable anchor teams. There are also the tasks that the 35 crew, including the very popular island-shirt-wearing Joey Stevens, does for the CBS Caribbean satellite feed that need to be taken into account.
The massacre doesn’t end with the staff. The better programming schedule will also go to WICU, according to sources quoted by the paper. Most egregious is the proposed move of the “Wheel of Fortune”/”Jeopardy” franchise to channel 12, in exchange for a 7:00 newscast and “Two and a Half Men.” It doesn’t matter that ICU has poorly programmed Prime Access for decades since dropping its own 7 PM Hotline News, they get rewarded the big ratings from Wheel/Jeopardy in the spirit of the AIG bonuses.
Finally, as we’ve conjectured, WSEE will run a recycled newscast at 11 PM that it airs live on its CW affiliate. I guess if there’s any accidents on I-90 or fires, they’ll just have to take the live show from WICU. It’s easy to predict that evolution will lead to just one live cast on two or all three channels at 11:00.
It is difficult to not get emotional when you see friends and colleagues who have given blood, sweat, and tears to a job and a company get tossed aside. But this scenario is playing out not only in media outlets across the country, but at companies throughout our region as well. We may as well be talking about the closing of IP or GAF, however the difference here to our P&T readers is that it is happening to our family, the Erie media family. Plus, it comes after the 9% workforce buyouts at the Erie Times-News, and the decimating of the radio staffs at Connoisseur and Citadel.
It just hurts.
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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.
