It is time to offer my 2 cents on the decision of former WGRZ-TV (Channel 2) anchor-reporter Heather Ly to decline the salary offer to become the anchor of the 4 p.m. program “Most Buffalo” after spending 17 years at the station.
In a telephone interview Saturday, Ly said she was offered the job of “Most Buffalo” host last Thursday but declined it because she and station management were about $30,000 apart on salary.
I sympathize with Ly, a high-quality anchor-reporter who is well liked inside and outside the station.
I also admire her guts. Not everyone would stand up for what they believe is their worth.
Unfortunately for Ly, it was the wrong time in the local or national broadcast industry to take a strong stand and effectively say “show me the money.”
Like all media businesses, local TV news just isn’t what it used to be.
A look at the recent local Nielsen ratings for the February sweeps illustrates the audience declines in the last five years.
This February, the three local news stations – WGRZ, WIVB-TV (Channel 4) and WKBW-TV (Channel 7) – had a combined 11.6 Nielsen ratings points at 5 p.m., down from 18.6 in February of 2019.
At 5:30 p.m., the three newscasts had a combined 12.5 points, down from 19.7 in 2019. At 6 p.m., the three…
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