It’s hard to keep score when so many TV station groups have changed ownership in the past couple of years. It’s like the old Abbott and Costello routine of who’s on first. Who’s acquired whom, when, FCC approved or pending? Sinclair, Gannett and Nexstar have been especially active. And while the headlines are white hot […]
It’s hard to keep score when so many TV station groups have changed ownership in the past couple of years. It’s like the old Abbott and Costello routine of who’s on first. Who’s acquired whom, when, FCC approved or pending? Sinclair, Gannett and Nexstar have been especially active. And while the headlines are white hot when the announcements are made, only on occasion do we get to hear what happens on the ground inside stations after consolidation.
The idea for this story started with an off-handed comment made by Luanne Stuart, the creative services director for the newly acquired Gannett NBC affiliate in Charlotte, N.C., WCNC. While interviewing her for another story, Luanne gushed, “Paul, since Gannett’s taken over, we’re really feeling the love down here.”
Eventually, I got the chance to talk to Stuart and the station’s new general manager, Deborah Collura, on the record.
“Since Gannett’s taken over, we have more resources and people which creates a better environment,” said Stuart. She listed the station upgrading to high-definition, a new newsroom computer system, a new graphic look and new website design as examples.
“They’ve spent millions,” said Collura, who arrived at the station in June to take over the GM reins.
“They have talented people helping us through the process, and we’re laser focused on where we’re headed,” said Collura. “It’s a refreshing experience.”
But it’s not just hardware and bodies that are improving operations there, but news coverage is expanding as well.
Stuart pointed out that during Hurricane Arthur’s recent trek up the East Coast in July, WCNC was able to provide more and stronger reporting with more live shots and coverage from the other Gannett stations along Arthur’s path.
In addition, enterprise investigative reporting like the station’s story on high school football helmet safety is often shared among the stations in the group, giving a heads-up to viewers in all of their markets that football helmets are not all the same.
Gannett’s daily national newspaper, USA Today, helps WCNC’s ability to provide broader coverage of high school sports and gives the station a marketing platform to reach readers in the market with full page ads for the station.
Gannett also helps the stations create all of their print and digital advertising through a service called Gannett Imaging and Ad Design Center or GIADC.
“They do beautiful work,” said Stuart.
According to Collura, Gannett also encourages its stations to be a constant advocate for viewers, a focus consistent with WCNC’s already established consumer reporter.
“This is a company with a heart,” said Stuart, who says Gannett encourages all of its stations to try to make a difference in their communities by sponsoring major local events. WCNC’s big event is called Make a Difference Day, a clothing drive for Goodwill coming up in October.
Collura admitted that when friends heard she was contemplating the move to become WCNC’s general manager, “they cautioned me. They said the company’s too big, you’ll get lost it’s so large.”
Quite the contrary, she said. “It’s been overwhelmingly positive.”
Stuart says Gannett Broadcasting president Dave Lougee is a visionary. “At the initial meeting with us, he told us to think big, think bold, take risks. All of the things he said would happen, happened. Every one of us feels as if we’re in good hands.”
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