Colorado Media Newsroom
March 31st, 2016, 08:29 AM
From The Denver Post:
806
Matt Makens, who with his wife is expecting a baby in May, is jobless after being summarily fired from KMGH-Channel 7. He's still forecasting on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MattMakens/), but he needs a fulltime gig.
In advance of his contract expiring on Dec. 15, the station offered him a one-year deal. Essentially, “a nice way of firing someone,” Makens said. He was given one day to sleep on the idea. The next night, following the newscast at 10:35 p.m., Makens was surprised when he was stripped of his badge, phone and computer and shown the door.
Note the station doesn’t see it that way: “He was offered a new contract and elected to move on,” General Manager Brad Remington said via email.
Makens said if he’d known he was going to be axed, he would have had audition tapes out to potential employers. He has now met with every TV station in town, with no jobs turning up. Currently he’s sitting out his non-compete clause, through June 15.
For now, “the baby is my priority,” he said. He’s got the nursery ready, painted pink and green. His wife Hillary Pfiefer Makens, senior assignment editor at KDVR, understands the perilous business (but can’t be happy with KMGH).
So what happened? Makens joined KMGH-Channel 7 as the No. 2 meteorologist in 2010. He knew at the time he’d be gaining experience while waiting for No. 1 weatherguy Mike Nelson to ease off the beat.
Nelson, chief meterologist at 7News since 2004, who held the same title at KUSA-Channel 9 from 1991 to 2004, isn’t going anywhere. The word is that Nelson didn’t take kindly to the up-and-comer.
Makens has been getting 20 emails a day asking where he’s gone.
By summer, the Makens family will either move to another market to start over, or a job will reveal itself in Denver. “I’m just in a holding pattern,” Makens said.
More... (http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow/2016/03/31/will-forecast-food-matt-makens-needs-job/24339/)
806
Matt Makens, who with his wife is expecting a baby in May, is jobless after being summarily fired from KMGH-Channel 7. He's still forecasting on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MattMakens/), but he needs a fulltime gig.
In advance of his contract expiring on Dec. 15, the station offered him a one-year deal. Essentially, “a nice way of firing someone,” Makens said. He was given one day to sleep on the idea. The next night, following the newscast at 10:35 p.m., Makens was surprised when he was stripped of his badge, phone and computer and shown the door.
Note the station doesn’t see it that way: “He was offered a new contract and elected to move on,” General Manager Brad Remington said via email.
Makens said if he’d known he was going to be axed, he would have had audition tapes out to potential employers. He has now met with every TV station in town, with no jobs turning up. Currently he’s sitting out his non-compete clause, through June 15.
For now, “the baby is my priority,” he said. He’s got the nursery ready, painted pink and green. His wife Hillary Pfiefer Makens, senior assignment editor at KDVR, understands the perilous business (but can’t be happy with KMGH).
So what happened? Makens joined KMGH-Channel 7 as the No. 2 meteorologist in 2010. He knew at the time he’d be gaining experience while waiting for No. 1 weatherguy Mike Nelson to ease off the beat.
Nelson, chief meterologist at 7News since 2004, who held the same title at KUSA-Channel 9 from 1991 to 2004, isn’t going anywhere. The word is that Nelson didn’t take kindly to the up-and-comer.
Makens has been getting 20 emails a day asking where he’s gone.
By summer, the Makens family will either move to another market to start over, or a job will reveal itself in Denver. “I’m just in a holding pattern,” Makens said.
More... (http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow/2016/03/31/will-forecast-food-matt-makens-needs-job/24339/)