Controversy Swirls Around WPIX Executive Producer After Threatening Email to Staff

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Broadcast Union News

by JerryBarmash

The media have grabbed hold of the Governor Christie “Bridgegate” coverage, which took off after an incriminating email from one of his aides. But one media outlet is facing its own internal turmoil due to an email. WPIX morning executive producer Zev Shalev is facing harsh criticism from his underlings and higher ups.

Shalev, who joined Channel 11 in September, wrote an email last week to his morning group. In the email, which was obtained by Tuned In, Shalev sought story ideas from staffers for the February sweeps period. However, Shalev made it clear that everyone must participate or face consequences at their next review.

Needless to say, employees were upset. We’re hearing that many who received the email found the tone harassing and threatening. Here’s the entire message that Shalev sent:

Last year, I asked for sweeps submissions and got a total of 4! As I mentioned, content submissions and pitches will be a big part of performance management this year (so it will impact your salary increases).Can I please have fully-formed week-long pitches or special events from EVERYONE who works on the content for the show (writers/producers/reporters/anchors) by the end of Friday. Please submit at least 3. They need to be high quality, well thought out sweeps and stunts. Absolutely no exceptions. It will be too late when we are assessing your performance in the near future.

FULL story at link.




Read more: http://broadcastunionnews.blogspot.com/2014/01/controversy-swirls-around-wpix.html

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Zev Shalev

[cosmicone]

1. I don't see anything wrong with it

He only threatened that an expected task will be one of the points considered in performance review and salary increases are always contingent upon performance.

The tone may be a bit harsh and combative but the substance is fine. If one is a writer, producer, reporter or anchor, it is part of the job to give pitches for higher ratings which determine the station's profits. If there are no new ideas pitched, no increase in profits and thus no reason for a pay increase.

[yeoman6987]

4. ???

I didn't see anything threatening at all. He basically said do your job or it will be written in your next evaluation. Are we seriously getting this soft?

[George II]

9. Ditto - he gave his employees an assignment and said their reviews would be influenced by....

....how they performed the assignment. It was more direct than it had to be, but no big deal.

"Swirling controversy"? No.
"Latest Breaking News"? Give me a break!

[Omaha Steve]

12. A contract spells out your job requirements, duties, pay, discharge and discipline, ........

A manager comes along and ignores three union contracts. HR informs the manager he crossed a black and white line that is actionable in court. Manager corrects his mistake in less than 24 hours. How often do managers without a union of employees retract anything?

"Educational"? Yes.
"Some DUers have an inflated opinion of themselves"? YES!

[George II]

15. Even though it appears the people he sent that email to are represented by unions...

...I can't see anything in the email that would have violated any union contracts. And he retracted the email, too! I think its much ado about almost nothing.

[Omaha Steve]

16. Workers not used to the joy of a contract take what they are handed without a second thought

Now you know why CEO's want to bury unions. Unions are democracy for the workers.

If something is not in your contracted job duties, they can't force you to do it, especially without additional compensation. Why do you think Zev Shalev retracted it? Because it violated the contract!

[benh57]

17. I agree, no big deal

Really strange that this hit the media.. There's a lot of much, much worse bosses out there as i've learned on askamanager.org.. (Great stories there!)

[deutsey]

20. I've worked with real jerks in his type of position, so I'm sensitive to abusive commands

from "the boss."

I don't see where this email falls into that category, however.

[undiegrinder]

2. Hmmmm ...

I'm a STAUNCH union supporter -- so staunch it pains me that I feel so compelled to post my opinion on this -- but ...

Based on my many years in TV production of this level, this story -- despite its "whirling controversy" -- strikes me as a transparent attempt by "broadcastunionnews.blogspot" to bolster support for their push to include more job titles under their rules. It's an attack I fear could misfire.

Whether "fair" or not, Shalev's email strikes me as pretty mild. I've suffered FAR worse -- and, to be painfully honest, on one or two occasions it might have been deserved.

My apologies if he was actually asking non-union employees to perform a union function by submitting sweeps pitches and I missed it, but "threatening email" this is not.

For those who may be unfamiliar with why "show biz" is widely understood to be an EXTREMELY brutal career choice, an inkling can be gleaned from the movie "Network" (1974) -- in particular, a scene where TV executive Faye Dunaway casually announces to her program development staff:

"And, by the way, the next time I send an audience research report around, you all better read it, or I'll sack the fucking lot of you, is that clear ?"

[giftedgirl77]

3. I don't see any issues with it either, especially

considering that it appears this email was a reiteration to previous expectations that were discussed.

[okaawhatever]

5. I understand the issues now. It appears he's threatening the pay of people who aren't responsible

for creating stories. There is a contract in place and he's basically saying "F your contract, if I tell you to come up with a story line, you'll come up with a story line. Even if you are the electrician." Also from the story, he isn't the one who is responsible for the pay, the General Manager is. It appears he's not very successful in his job and isn't well liked. More from the story:

“Effron allows his managers to escape responsibility for on-air mistakes, poor ratings, and mistreatment of employees,” one WPIX insider says. “Yet he never misses a chance to blame producers and talent.”

That talent and those producers have watched as the morning broadcast with Shalev at the helm has tanked. For example, on Tuesday the household rating was so low it registered hash marks. In the main demographic– adults 25-54– all a.m. dayparts were also literally off the charts— in a bad way.

Tuned In investigated whether Shalev’s style is standard operating procedure at other newsrooms in New York. We got a resounding no from a pair of industry insiders.

“I’ve never heard of a news boss threatening money on a special project. They really don’t have the authority. The GM pays you and he’s rarely a part of the day to day contracts.” The person adds, “If a news director hates your work enough to threaten to dock your pay, they’d just as soon can you.”
Another experienced “outsider” concurs

[Dollface]

13. "from EVERYONE who works on the content for the show (writers/producers/reporters/anchors)"

No electricians, but I'm thinking the anchors might be whining.

[okaawhatever]

14. I was just using that as an example. I didn't want to go into how the anchors are represented by a

different union and their contract apparently has nothing to do with content or story line. It's the employees under the newspaper guild union that are responsible blah blah. The point is, he's threatening the pay of individuals who aren't contracted to perform the service he's requiring and then threatening their pay for it.

[Dollface]

19. I see.

[Omaha Steve]

6. I wonder why then HR got involved at all?

And the follow email with this: "It has come to my attention that the performance management process and pay increases are not relevant to everyone on this list."

They are dealing with three different union contracts.

[Beaverhausen]

7. I don't work for a TV station and I could come up with 4 ideas, easy

this is weird

[Hassin Bin Sober]

8. I once worked for a guy who screamed and yelled at every sales meeting.

He once said "look at yourself in the mirror and if you don't like what you see, slit your fucking throat"

[George II]

10. I worked with an HR director that, when explaining organizational and policy changes....

....said "anyone who's not happy with these, there's the door"

[louis-t]

11. I don't see anything wrong with it.

[Ken Burch]

18. It sounds like he doesn't trust his employees to make sweep submissions.

That's a weird attitude.

Why would he assume that only threats of a poor evaluation would get his employees to do their work?

[deutsey]

21. "Last year, I asked for sweeps submissions and got a total of 4!"

He apparently expects at least three from each staff member.