Madison radio station WTDY laid off their entire newsroom staff and liberal morning show host John "Sly" Sylvester yesterday out of the blue.
Also let go were reporters Dylan Brogan, Shawn Prebil, Crystal McKenzie, Deanna Wright and Lindsay Adjavor. Reached by phone, Brogan expressed gratitude for his time working at WTDY and had high praise for the work done by the newsroom to cover local news. However, he sees the change as a major loss for the area.
"The city is sorely lacking local news reporters and the people putting in the hard work that it takes to cover local politics and local schools," Brogan said. "We were swimming up stream and doing a damn good job and kills me that that is now over."
(Snip)
The station is now playing holiday music, and the website simply displays a large "Happy Holidays" graphic.
WTDY is owned by Mid-west Family Broadcasting. The station itself has been in operation since 1948, when its call letters were WISC, later WISM, and has been broadcasting news and talk since the 1980s.
Brogan said that no warning was given to staffers about the layoffs. Managers called the news team into one room Wednesday morning and read a simple statement about the format change and that "our services were no longer needed." Part of the deal, too, was a requirement that the laid-off workers not "disparage or criticize" WTDY or Mid-West Family Broadcasting, else risk losing their severance packages, Brogan explained.
CORPORATE ASSHOLES HAVE NO FUCKING HEARTS!!!
10:19 AM PT: Just discovered that triumph110 posted a diary on Sly's firing yesterday... If you're of a mind to, there's still time to throw him/her some mojo.