Saturday, May 24, 2008

Developing: KRCG Sports Director Laid Off... Sports Cut From Most Newscasts


I wasn't going to post again until Sunday, but I got this info late today and had to post...

In a move that surprised even Rod Smith himself, CBS affiliate KRCG out of Jeff City has laid off its sports director. This is just one of six totals cuts to the station that were apparently mandated by KRCG's parent company, Barrington Broadcasting. He had been with the station for about 23 years. Additionally, KRCG is cutting its sportscasts at 5 and 6 p.m. You can read the letter to KRCG viewers by clicking here.

According to a source in the Columbia/Jeff City area, viewers are angry about the departure. They went so far as to describe some as being "furious with the network."

We will provide more as it becomes available, but the questions now become endless: is this the start of a trend or an isolated incident? Will all Barrington stations lose their sports directors? Why Rod Smith? And why was there no substantial advanced notice?

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