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Subscribe to RSSUpdated at 9 p.m. ET: Anyone who has been fed up with salary, management or other issues that have made a job unbearable has surely dreamed of a "take-this-job-and-shove-it" moment. For most, though, news of the moment likely wouldn't make it outside the workplace walls.
That wasn't the case for a TV news anchor duo in Bangor, Maine, who quit their jobs in front of thousands of viewers at the end of Tuesday evening's newscast.
In what was reportedly inspired by a conflict with upper management, co-anchors Cindy Michaels and Tony Consiglio announced to viewers that it would be their last show, the Bangor Daily News reported.
The news anchors shared more than 12 years of experience working for WVII and sister station WFVX, according to the Daily News.
"Some recent developments have come to our attention ... and departing together is the best alternative we can take," Consiglio told viewers.
"We wanted to be able to say a thoughtful, heartfelt good-bye to our viewers and to the many communities we served over the years," Michaels told NBC News in an email Wednesday. "We scripted something to keep from getting off-course and emotional."
Michaels, 46, and Consiglio, 28, didn't tell anyone of their decision before the newscast, according to the Bangor Daily News. The newspaper reported the journalists were frustrated over the last four years with the way they were told to do their jobs. In her signoff, Michaels claimed the two were "the longest running news team in Bangor," with six years at the desk.
"There was a constant disrespecting and belittling of staff and we both felt there was a lack of knowledge from ownership and upper management in running a newsroom to the extent that I was not allowed to structure and direct them professionally,” Michaels, who also served as the station's news director, told the Bangor Daily News. Her co-anchor, Consiglio, also served as executive producer for the station.
"There was a regular undoing of decisions made by me, the news director," Michaels told NBC News, citing that politically-charged stories were sometimes not treated with an unbiased approach.
Related: Dramatic tales of leaving jobs
Michaels' public LinkedIn profile indicates she has worked at the station since October 2006. Consiglio, who was first a sports anchor and reporter before moving over to the news anchor role, has worked at the station since April 2006, according to his public LinkedIn profile.
Mike Palmer, the station's vice president and general manager, told the Bangor Daily News the incident was "unfortunate, but not unexpected." Palmer denied claims that upper management was involved in daily news production.
But a 2006 New York Times' story indicates that may not be true. Following a broadcast segment about the showing of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," Palmer wrote to his staff that they should refrain from reporting on global warming until Bar Harbor is underwater.
He explained: “a) we do local news, b) the issue evolved from hard science into hard politics and c) despite what you may have heard from the mainstream media, this science is far from conclusive.”
According to the Times' report, Palmer likened global to “global warming stories in the same category as ‘the killer African bee scare’ from the 1970s or, more recently, the Y2K scare when everyone’s computer was going to self-destruct.”
As of Wednesday morning, WVII's employment page listed no open job opportunities, but the Bangor Daily News reported Palmer posted online job opening ads Tuesday night.
The anchors are moving on: Michaels told viewers she will pursue freelance writing, while Consiglio said he'll continue his career "in another capacity."
See the video of the co-anchors final sign-off on the Bangor Daily News website.
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Leave a Comment:
Jane Skinner........purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
I guess they showed those mean ole bosses by quitting on the job. Yeah, we showed them.
If they think they can't be replaced, I've got a word for them "really". There are thousands of people out there that can read a monitor and talk to a camera. Big deal. They weren't even good looking. Being cool would have been giving notice to the station and having a going away party with style. They looked like a couple of goofiest. It's no wonder they are leaving, it's Bangor, Maine.
Hooray for them and at least they did not go postal,As for the management,it is always the same, their egos outweigh their talent!
Can I take over? I need a job.
Tom, you'll have to pretend there is global warming.
Actually, you will have to pretend it doesn't exist. Michael Palmer, the FOX and ABC stations joint general manager, is on record for telling his staff that they would no longer report stories on global warming. When "Bar Harbor is underwater, then we can do global warming stories," he wrote in an email. "Until then, no more."
Gee--everyone take a good look at the picture--it says ABC right on it---not Fox---now I know why America is in trouble--look at all the libs who can't read! At least they were professional about it!!!
FOX management runs both of the Fox and ABC afilliates in Bangor. Try reading for comprehension.
HA!! Priceless!
At least they did it with class and professionalism.Best to both of you and I am sure the producer and director were speechless. Maybe the owner(s) will see the light, but I doubt it. I have worked in a situation like that before and was happy to leave for greener pastures.
Good luck and good night.
This is GREAT! No matter what your political or personal beliefs are they need to be kept out of journalism. People already know where to go to see "news" that caters to their beliefs. Good for them for taking a stand and applying integrity to their jobs.
True, but that went into the wind a few years ago, and at this time the news media ("Journalism") has given that up in favor of being a branch of the democratic party.
Okay Steve, but can you be more specific and indicate an event that has been swayed to the left by the media? Also, can you infer how the entire news media has aligned with the democratic party "a few years ago"? If it is true, then there must be evidence or a paper trail (billions$$$) of such a massive acquisition. Cheers
It rather appears Mike Palmer, station VP and general manager is the only one with any sense of logic. Did someone say prima donnas?
I see a stripper pole in Cindy's future.
It was so impressive that the upper management corrected the political bent re. Al Gore's hype. Unfortunately today, majoring in public media means being propagandized toward the Left and these two could not see that their management's correction was accurate. Has everyone forgotten that Global Warming 'science' has been caught and exposed by their own internal communications manipulating data in both England and the US?
Contrary to public opinion- major media companies guide/bias their stories. CNN for instance had a very Left founder who directed their philosophy from the beginning. In fact CNN has been so successful at what they do that people have largely bought into their angle of news reporting as the actual news and see more central or Right reporting as biased.
Ted Turner sold CNN ages ago. Try to keep up. Do you not know who owns CNN?
Climate Change is undeniable to anyone who believes the world is older than six thousand years. It helps to understand that much of our understanding is based on atmospheric data from 25,000 years ago.
The woman is 28 and has been working there for 12 years?
How DARE that station hire a 16 year old kid and employ her for 12 years!
Okay, here's your problem: She was only 16 part of that time. Clear that up?
The man is 28, dear. The woman is in her 40's.
Somehow I think this woman will be BEGGING for a job once her "Freelance writing" career and painting doesn't take off.
I would expect that they'll have a hard time finding any kind of tv anchor job again. Doing what they did would give any potential employer pause.
Being intelligent people, I am going to go way out there and think they both think there are more important and satisfying careers than participating in the current news media world.
If one has lived within their income and had put money away for a future, things tend to work out just fine.
I have taken jobs for less money because it was what I wanted to do, rather than what I had to do. It always works out. I have never had a job I hated. But I have had jobs after being there for years were just not as important to me anymore. When the passion is gone, it is time to stand on the edge and try something else that interest you. If you are at a job you lost the passion for, one does tend not to do a good job either. It is a win win.
I wish the best for them.
More people should look at a job as more than a pay check. Maybe the USA could actually rebuild it self, economically, morally and with a new strength and belief in doing the right thing is more important then the things and life style we have wasted our time and money on for the last 3 decades.
Good for them wish we all could have the chance to quit in front of hundreds of viewers. They could of been nasty but they showed class, wish I could be a fly on the wall to hear what their bosses had to say.
The news media ABC NBC MSNBC CBS etc...they are all biased and corrupted and need to be shut down.
If you don't put FOX"NEWS" at the top of the list of BIASED "news" outlets, you are an ignorant and probably an idiot. FOX"NEWS" is the only "news" organization that ever SUED for the RIGHT to KNOWINGLY LIE to you.
I'd have to agree with the globel warming comment
I've got to say that the 28 year-old, mostly bald dude didn't have a whole lot of future in broadcasting. Not the most camera-friendly mug, so, sad to say, life is probably pushing him in the right direction. Good luck to both.
I thought it was a great deal the way the two of them stuck together. Most teams now don't even like each other. And the story verifys something I always said. Those reporters are told what and what not to say on the air.
So... They quit because they weren't allowed to lie about global warming on the news. Wow! Media ethics.
I'd be glad to come up to Maine and pretend there is global warming if they pay me. I'll even agree not to "wink" or laugh openly when reporting on the subject. Global Warming HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
No clue why this is a news story - so two people quit their jobs, what else? Everyone is replaceable, they aren't going to close up shop over two people
Principal is sooo overrated. The only people who are negatively effected by principal are those who stand blindly and steadfastly upon it.
Good. Two more know it all, self absorbed liberals off the air. Like the article said...it's a local news broadcast, and not some liberal media machine such as CNN. These two wanted to push their own agenda and beliefs onto their viewers. If they choose to believe their is global warming then that's their right. However, it's apparent that they wanted to present their opinion as fact...and as news. Sorry, but again..it's a local news program and stories like that belong on national news or world news. That's exactly why the upper management said that until it effects them locally...leave it out of the broadcast. He did NOT however tell them to only report on the topic as long as it reflected his own personal views. There is a huge difference.
I can't wait to read her book. It will probably be something along the lines of 'how i was traumatized after being put in my place.' Poor liberals....always the victims.
Just sit at the anchor test and report the factual news....not your opinions. Next!
AAAWWWW!! The poor liberals propoganda is being compromised by management who has an opinion......so the tolerant ones who tout "free speech" so much decide instead to take their message and go home when it isn't their agenda. I'll bet when they left the station they had their bottom lip poked out. The elite, holier than all liberal ***holes!
Just more of the x and y me, me, me, generation. Most people call them the spoiled rotten generations.
Great Job, Guys! You told management to shove it, but in a very classy way! Way to go!
Couple of freakin weirdo's! Glad I didn't have to watch them do the news!