A severe talent drain is devastating local television news broadcasters across the United States, from Boston to Houston, creating what industry veterans describe as a crisis threatening the very foundation of community journalism.
The Breaking Point for Broadcast Veterans
Former journalists speaking to The Boston Globe reveal that those remaining in the industry are struggling to maintain quality coverage as experienced colleagues depart in droves. Nearly all sources cited a toxic combination of cost-cutting measures, layoffs, and voluntary resignations that has left local television news in dire straits.
Sabrina Silva, a former reporter at WHDH-TV Channel 7, explained what prompted her February departure for a career in real estate. "The stories felt the same," she confessed. "I would cover one fire and it would require the same script I had written for another fire just a week earlier."
Silva described how newsroom reductions made substantive journalism increasingly difficult. "The issue was the 'if it bleeds, it leads' mentality. We prioritised breaking news with minimal information over stories we had developed properly," she told the Globe.
Industry-Wide Impact and Departures
The crisis extends far beyond individual cities, with statistics confirming a national trend. Full-time local TV news employment declined for the first time in over a decade at the end of last year, according to a recent survey from the Radio Television Digital News Association and Syracuse University's Newhouse School.
In Boston's battered television market, the exodus includes numerous high-profile departures:
- David Robichaud left WBZ after four decades in 2018, citing lack of respect for veteran reporters
- Liam Martin, former WBZ morning anchor, departed last year after four years, citing gruelling hours
- Jon Keller was laid off from WBZ after 20 years in October as part of parent company cuts
- Kim Khazei announced her exit from WHDH after 30 years to spend more time with family
- Former WFXT-TV Channel 25 anchors Vanessa Welch and Elizabeth Hopkins left in April and May respectively
The pattern repeats nationwide. Houston, among America's largest local news markets, has been particularly hard hit by departures this year. Meanwhile, in Toledo, Ohio, an NBC affiliate completely abandoned locally produced news by shuttering two newsrooms in 2023, now delivering only network programming without local staff.
Systemic Challenges and Changing Media Landscape
Multiple factors drive this talent exodus. The advent of social media and digital news sources has fragmented audiences and advertising revenue. Technological advances and shrinking traditional viewership have prompted aggressive cost-cutting, making broadcast journalism less financially appealing.
David Robichaud expressed frustration about the industry's direction. "There was no respect given to veteran reporters like myself," he said. "They didn't care that you knew every police station in Massachusetts or could pronounce local town names correctly."
Instead, stations increasingly hire younger, less expensive journalists to fill gaps, often lacking the institutional knowledge and community connections of their predecessors.
The career transitions of departed journalists reveal much about the industry's challenges. Multiple veterans have moved into public relations, marketing, and real estate. Jackie Bruno, a longtime NBC10 Boston anchor and reporter, now runs a PR agency, as does former WBZ morning anchor Liam Martin. Christina Hager, after 25 years as a Boston-area reporter, left WBZ last year for marketing, while Melissa Pagano, a former WBZ producer, transitioned to public relations in 2022.
Industry observers warn that the model where stations abandon local news production while maintaining network programming could become more common as operations struggle financially. With advertising revenue and ratings continuing to decline, layoffs that have plagued the industry for years will likely continue testing local news resilience for the foreseeable future.
