
3 Popular Flint Meteorologists Out, Parent Company Announces Sweeping Cuts
The face of TV weather will soon look very different as Allen Media Group has announced that all of its local meteorologists will soon be let go.
Allen Media Group is the parent company behind 22 Television stations throughout the US, including Flint's ABC affiliate, WJRT-TV - Channel 12. Three local meteorologists are reportedly affected by the nationwide cuts expected to take place in March.
Who is Being Let Go From ABC-12?
Townsquare Media has confirmed that three local weather personalities - JR Kirtek, Kevin Goff, and Isaac Cleland - have been informed that their positions at ABC-12 will soon be eliminated.
Meteorologist Kevin Goff said he is unable to comment on the situation due to the terms of his agreement with the station. He added that he'll be seeking other employment and looking to take his career in another direction.
UPDATE: 1/24/25 - Allen Media May be Rethinking Plans to Outsource Local Weather
In a social media post, former ABC-12 staffer Christina Burkhart said all weather forecasting duties will soon be handled by the Weather Channel staff in Atlanta, Georgia.
"These will be pre-recorded by regional meteorologists recording hits for each Allen station. Live severe weather coverage will also come from them," Burkhart said.
FTV Live is a media watchdog site that covers TV broadcasting. The site posted a classified ad seeking to fill positions at the Weather Channel to fulfill Allen Media's new weather structure. The site points out that the ad calls for weather personnel to do 'near-live forecasting' which means weather segments will likely be pre-recorded for Allen stations.
ABC-12 Fights to Keep Staff
Staff cuts at WJRT have become a regular occurrence. Christine Winter and Kent Davis were let go due to budget cuts late last year. Burkhart left the station recently as well, accepting a non-broadcast-related position.
She notes that WJRT's General Manager Brock Rice fought to keep the local weather team intact, but the decision to cut staff members was made at the corporate level.
"Please know - our GM tried anything and everything to keep the ABC12 weather team. This was a corporate decision with no one local at fault," Burkhart noted.
Staff changes at ABC-12 and Allen Media's other 21 stations are expected to take place in March.
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