Eight current and Former employees who spoke to the Globe cited a confluence of factors driving people away, including issues with the quality of the station’s content, overwhelming workloads, pay cuts, layoffs, and uncertainty about whether the private equity owners will keep the lights on. Most spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of retaliation.
“The atmosphere wasn’t great,” said David Rothstein, a former news anchor. assignment editor at Boston 25 who was laid off in 2021. “I was planning on quitting every day.”
Current and former staff members say the recent departures are more noticeable now than in previous years, and they say the station is severely understaffed and employees have more responsibilities.
“We’re so short-staffed,” said a reporter from the Dedham station. “We’re fighting a shortage of staff every day.”
Although Boston 25 has ranked second among Boston’s five TV news stations at least once, category in January 2020, it has struggled to rank above the middle or bottom of the Boston’s busy pack. But it has still attracted staff who want to work in a top 10 market.
It’s an example of how the audience and ambition of local TV news has shrunk in the digital age. Viewers have turned to social media, streaming services and other options. At the same time, the advertising revenue that pays for news gathering has declined.
Boston 25 said in a statement that it was proud of the team’s work, noting that the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association named the station the state’s station of the year for 2023.
“It’s no secret that disruptions in the industry have created pressure for local TV stations, and we are positioning ourselves to operate more effectively as we strive to become the TV station of the future,” the statement said. “We remain committed to delivering the critical news, weather and groundbreaking journalism that helps viewers stay informed, safe and protected, while fostering a positive and collaborative work environment for our valued employees.”
The decline in viewership is affecting all networks, but some more than others, said Matt Ellis, former news director at WBZ-TV (channel 4) in Boston and WPRI-TV in Providence.
“Is what’s happening at Channel 25 a sign that not all stations can survive in the same way and do the same thing they did before? Yes, I think so,” said Ellis, who now owns a public relations firm.
The cost cuts and increased workload are affecting the quality of the station’s programming, according to two former employees and a current Boston 25 journalist.
The station only sent staff to the Celtics’ away games in the playoffs during Game 4 of the NBA Finals, according to the current reporter. That was different from other Boston stations, such as WCVB, WHDH and WBZ.
And for years, Boston 25 has been without a helicopter, which local stations use to cover breaking news and provide multiple views for live reporting. That has hurt its ability to cover fires, shootings and other urgent news, three former journalists there said.
Boston 25, once owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, was sold to Cox Media Group in 2014. The station dropped its decades-old name, Fox 25, in 2017 to differentiate itself from the popular Fox News and improve its sluggish ratings.
Boston 25 changed hands again in 2019, when Cox’s parent company sold its radio, television and advertising operations — which retained the Cox Media Group name — to private equity giant Apollo Global Management. Three years later, hedge fund Standard General struck a deal to acquire Boston 25, but that deal fell through a year later.
Current and former employees criticized Apollo’s continued ownership, citing cost-cutting measures such as significantly cutting anchor pay and the slow pace of replacing workers who leave. Cox Media Group, under Apollo’s ownership, has laid off staff at other properties this year.
“They’re not a company with a rich history in journalism,” Rothstein said, referring to Apollo. “They’re investors.”
Spokespeople for Cox Media Group did not respond to a detailed request for comment. A spokesman for Apollo declined to comment.
Boston 25 laid off more than a dozen employees and canceled some newscasts in 2021, the Boston Business Journal reported at the time. The station also laid off several workers in late June, two former employees said.
The cuts and the general uncertainty According to current and former employees, developments surrounding the future of the station in recent months have all contributed to employees leaving.
The challenges come at a time when news outlets in the media industry are struggling, especially at the local level. TV news is still one of the most important sources for local news, a A recent Pew Research study found that although people have been tuning in less since 2018.
“It’s troubling to see some of the local TV infrastructure wearing out,” said Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor at Northeastern University.
Among those leaving Boston 25 in recent months are Hopkins, Welch, consumer reporter Jason Law and news director Sarah Burgess.
The exits have meant other Staff members have had to do a lot of extra work, said six employees who left in recent years. For example, Rothstein said there were times when he was the only editor working the assignment desk, which monitors potential news and sends out employees. He used to have two or three other colleagues at the desk with him.
“You can’t do 500 things and have them work out well,” Rothstein said.
Former employees also said there are barely enough journalists left at the station to cover the programming. The station’s 20 Boston-based anchors and reporters are nearly half the 39 it had in 2020, according to rosters posted on the station’s website. The station currently has job openings for an anchor/reporter, multi-platform producer, digital media director and more. It has also brought in freelancers to fill the gaps left by departing anchors and reporters.
Boston 25 has discussed expanding its news programming to more hours a day to cut costs, according to a current reporter. Broadcasting more news is typically cheaper than paying to syndicate content from other networks, such as “TMZ Live” and “Divorce Court,” which will air this month after Boston 25’s morning show. While that could help the station cut costs, it could also put more strain on employees.
Staff departures and programming challenges come as Boston 25 stays in the neighborhood the middle or bottom of the key ratings charts in May and June, according to Nielsen data obtained by the Globe. The station ranked third among Boston’s five weekday morning TV news stations in total viewer impressions, including live TV and digital viewing. Meanwhile, it ranked fourth during evening broadcasts in both May and June.
But in a key demographic that matters to advertisers — viewers aged 25 to 54 — Boston 25 finished in last place for the two shows that start at 5 p.m. and 11 p.m.
While the search for better ratings was underway, the research team was expected to produce stories at a rapid pace, which would not allow for high-quality, long-term investigations, according to a former employee.
People who worked for Boston 25 hope the station survives. But they worry about signs pointing the wrong way.
A current journalist added: “It is a crucial moment for the future of this TV station.”
Aidan Ryan can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @aidanfitzryan.