THE AX HAS FALLEN IN CHANNEL 2'S NEWSROOM!!!!
I always hate to see people lose their jobs but apparently that's what happened at KPRC TV 2. Reliable sources tell The Insite news director Nancy Shafran has been let go after 12 years at the NBC affiliate station. We're told employees received an email from station management saying effective immediately Shafran is no longer news director at the station. She will temporarily be replaced by assistant news director Rick McFarland. However, The Insite is told the position will go to Orlando news director Skip Valet. He's already a part of the Post News Week company. When asked by The Insite if Shafran will be missed I was told "no". Shafran has been at the helm of the station as employees say it suffered in the ratings.
NANCY TOLD ME 4 YEARS AGO I WASN'T CUT OUT FOR THE NEWS. IT WAS ONLY THE SECOND TIME SHE EVER TALKED TO ME. IN FACT, SHE REALLY NEVER EVEN LOOKED AT ME. NOW... IT'S TRUE... I HAD ALOT TO LEARN AT THAT POINT. BUT...NOW IT APPEARS SHE ISN'T CUT OUT FOR THE NEWS AS MUCH AS I AM! ANOTHER KPRC MISTAKE...ALLOWING HER TO HANG AROUND WHILE GOOD EMPLOYEES WERE LET GO. GOOD LUCK TO HER!
ReplyDeleteShe should've been fired a long time ago. But like you Ike, I hate to see someone lose their job.
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is even though she presided over the worst dumbing down of TV news in a market that has dumbed down significantly, her dismissal isn't likely to lead to change. It'd be nice if one local TV station went back to news reporting rather than what passes for news - but, alas, the Orlando market and WESH make Houston and KPRC look sophisticated. It'd be nice if her dismissal was because of a realization that journalists like Phil Archer should be returned to center stage. More likely, however, it was because of a belief that the "weather dog" was underused!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous wrote "she really never even look at me"
ReplyDeleteI've worked for Nancy less than 2 years, i can tell you that she never really looks at anyone. in fact she looks the other direction. unless you were one of her favorities like dominique, frank, ect;
I have not read one good thing about Nancy over the last 24 hours since she has been fired. She seems to be the most vilified person in local news.
ReplyDeleteShe was here 11 1/2 years too long. Such a b**ch. Everyone knew it. Good riddance to her.
Now maybe the new ND will bring back the people in front and behnd the camera that she never got a long with, was threatened of or just plain didn't like. Including
Don Armstrong, Pauline Chiou, Wes Hohenstein, Craig Robertson, Michael Garfield, Don Clark and many many more.
As one of the people she "let go," I would like to think she finally realizes how she made everyone she "let go" feel...probably not...I wish her well anyway!
ReplyDeleteMy friends who work at KPRC have never had a nice thing to say about her and have long wondered how she's managed to survive for so long. Wes Hoenstein was the best thing on their morning show. Bring him back. Reporters such as Phil Archer and Mary Benton are the mainstays of a staff that seems to continue to change, and not for the better.
ReplyDeleteI have watched Channel 2 since I moved to Houston in the early 70's. In fact, Doug Johnson's son and I were friends in the 3rd grade.
ReplyDeleteRecently I have been getting frustrated with with the 'revolving door' list of anchors of the morning program. Every time I think I get used to the team...it changes. I have not been able to get used to Byron Miranda at all...he just annoys me. Bring back Gasia, Wes and Don Armstrong.
I miss the old team.
I personally never met this woman, but now that explains why there have been so many changes. I, too, HAD been watching channel 2 since I moved back to Houston in 2002. It is amazing how many anchors have come and gone. I do miss Wes and the others. But, I'm sure they have moved on to bigger and better things. But, I like Byron Miranda. He seems like a genuinely nice guy. But, since the demotion of Linda Lorelle (and now departure) and Kambrell Marshall, I had to say goodbye to channel 2 and move on to channel 13. Just can't get used to all these new faces. How can we trust our local anchors if we can't even remember their names.
ReplyDeleteI was a former "KPRCite" working in newsroom management for over two years. I worked with Nancy and the gang and she was exactly as the previous posts describe her. She is driven by ratings and NOTHING else. Story, truth, in-depth, are words she never uses. Market share, Neilsens, what Channel 11 and 13 are doing..is part of her reparte. She even created a segment I worked on with her called "Zip Trips" which were supposed to focus on unique features within a zipcode. However, her direction only went to those zipcodes whose numbers pulled low from the night before. When the shuttle tragedy occured, she damanded reporters go live from any debris. "Hell if I care, go live in front of a turned over picnic table!" she would exclaim - just to get the shot. I am still haunted by her hawkish looks at the morning meeting, sipping on her daily Whataburger coffee, scanning the Chronicle for any shred of news she could exploit. God forbid the cute, blond, mid-20s reporters she hired go out and actually RESEARCH a story! Want to read more....I could type for days! Enjoy your Whataburger coffee Nancy...now you dont have to go to drive-thru anymore. You can go in and watch Houston staples like Mirerva Perez and Tom Koch on Channel 13.
ReplyDeleteNancy always seemd to be distracted from doing her job- while you talked to her about a script she'd be writing an email or surfing the net and almost never looked at you. I think once Steve Wasserman was removed she had to know her time was coming. Steve micromanaged that station for so long all the managers were conditioned to never think for themselves- so no one knew how to make a decision unless it was a knee-jerk, reactive one. Steve is to blame for the lousy ratings, morale and directionless environment at KPRC.
ReplyDeleteI was a dedicated KPRC viewer the minute Khambrell Marshall came on board. Chuck George and even Wes Hoestein were the best! Since Marshall's demotion and Lorelle's departure, I have moved on to Channel 11. Every once and a while, I flip to KPRC and I just can't stomach Dominique and Bryon!
ReplyDeleteNancy wouldn't know hard news if it bit her on the A**. All she cared about was covering the weather. Like many others at the station I left because of her poor leadership. She surrounded herself with stupid people, so she would look better. Now the station is filled with adolescent morons. Goodbye,goodluck.
ReplyDeleteI've read all of the postings on this site an it's just crazy.. Nancy did what Steve told her to do.. Every news room is driven by ratings, it's how they pay the bills and get your salary.. so get over it.. As in most places yes she had her fav's but who didn't? What I don't understand is how certain people remain at the station when they've proven time and time again that they'll lie, cheat and steal to not be fired or look bad.. All of you reporters, photog's and engineers know who I'm talking about.. That one person on the news desk :-) Nancy was way cool and I wish her the best..
ReplyDeleteNancy Shafran is currently a talant agent at NWT Group in Houston
ReplyDelete