660 replies to this topic

[sebberry]

Jim Beatty Resigns as Anchor at CHEK News

Very few details known, just that CHEK’s lead anchor Jim Beatty returned today from a week’s vacation, performed his usual solid job on the 5 and 6:30 newscasts, and then resigned.
 
[...]

http://www.pugetsoun...chor-chek-news/

[Mike K.]

I wonder why these resignations are often so rigid with nary a mention of the individual's future. Especially with tv hosts, you sort of get to "know" them and build affinity for them. When they suddenly walk away it can leave viewers feeling abandoned. Does that make sense? Anyways, when Hudson Mack walked off the job it was strange not seeing him heading up a nightly newscast.

[sasamat]

Rumour has it that Hudson Mack is in line for the lead anchor job at CHEK. Expect more people to resign from CHEK if that is the case. To say that he is not well loved there would be an gross understatement.

[Mike K.]

We've put the question out there. Hopefully we can dispel or validate in due course.

[Jill]

I keep hearing second- or third-hand that Hudson Mack is a nightmare, but no one ever says anything specific.

[sasamat]

I keep hearing second- or third-hand that Hudson Mack is a nightmare, but no one ever says anything specific.

 

Well when CHEK was facing imminent shutdown in 2009, he told a newsroom full of people that he hoped CHEK would collapse and all the employees would lose their houses.

[Nparker]

My feeling is that Hudson Mack burned too many bridges when he left CHEK to be asked to return. But who knows.

[Sparky]

I know Hud and his wife Patty personally. We sold them the house that they live in. My experiences with them has always been top drawer. IMHO he is a true gentleman.

[AllseeingEye]

Interesting discussion; both being CHEK "alumni" he always got along very well with my father. He was always convivial with dad. It should be stressed however unless someone knows him personally this is rumor. I came from a family tradition that practically demanded that 'celebrity' in whatever form or however large or small, should be leveraged to be a positive example in the community and above all and where feasible use it to do good things for others. As far as I know Mack has done a lot for Victoria.

 

Ego can be a funny thing especially where being a well known media personality in this town is concerned. Quite obviously Victoria is not London, New York, LA or even Vancouver in that regard. That said being a big fish, even here, can swell even the most level headed of individuals.

 

I think one major reason why the TV, radio and newspaper community in dad's time were, almost without exception, uniformly a humble and well behaved and decent bunch was due to the fact Victoria was considerably smaller (< 225,000 population in those days) - everyone literally knew everyone so unless you truly did not care you couldn't afford to be a d**k and p*** people off. And of course the technology did not exist whereby literally anyone could become an instant media star through YouTube or Facebook. There were a couple of exceptions of course, there always are, however Ida Clarkson was always a classy and very nice person; whenever she or dad were taping their respective shows I looked at her akin to a kindly aunt and she was always very pleasant to me. Gorde Hunter (Times Colonist) was a fireball but funny as hell; Jim Hume was and is a real gentleman. He is a real gem. Andy Stephen was probably the one guy with a Hudson Mack-like persona - within 5 minutes everyone at the party knew who Andy was, what he did, and the "celebrities" he'd interviewed -  but that said in private once again he was always good to me.

Edited by AllseeingEye, 22 March 2015 - 08:54 AM.

[Benezet]

I met Hudson Mack exactly once, when I declined his attempt to get me on-camera. The glare and the sarcastic parting shot he gave me were unforgettable. When that's how he treats strangers, it's easy to believe the negative things his ex-subordinates say about him.

[Jill]

^Maybe I'd find it easier to believe if I heard something substantial in a first-hand account. It's always "someone who knows someone who knew somebody...."

 

Sasamat, did you witness that remark? It was definitely said and meant to be taken seriously?

[Benezet]

^Maybe I'd find it easier to believe if I heard something substantial in a first-hand account.

Media personnel are remarkably diplomatic about this sort of thing, so there may never be such exposés.

My first-hand experience of getting sneered at was substantial enough to put me right off the guy.

[rjag]

Well when CHEK was facing imminent shutdown in 2009, he told a newsroom full of people that he hoped CHEK would collapse and all the employees would lose their houses.

I've known the Macks for about 15 years, our kids went to school together and have met him socially and professionally and have never found him or his wife to be nothing but nice normal folks.
To quote someone saying such a spiteful thing I believe should be substantiated or retracted

Edited by rjag, 22 March 2015 - 11:44 AM.

[sasamat]

I've known the Macks for about 15 years, our kids went to school together and have met him socially and professionally and have never found him or his wife to be nothing but nice normal folks.
To quote someone saying such a spiteful thing I believe should be substantiated or retracted

 

Perhaps you can ask one of the 20 CHEK newsroom employees about why, when Hudson Mack came through CHEK with his communications class last week, they all got up and left the newsroom and refused to come back until he left. 

[sebberry]

Perhaps you can ask one of the 20 CHEK newsroom employees about why, when Hudson Mack came through CHEK with his communications class last week, they all got up and left the newsroom and refused to come back until he left. 

 

What's your source for this?

[sasamat]

What's your source for this?

 

Oh, well my friend's mother's hairdresser's cousin used to date someone who knows someone at CHEK.

 

That, or I heard it from a CHEK newsroom employee who walked out. 

 

He probably is a great father, neighbour, client, etc, but ask anyone who has worked for him in the past five years their thoughts on him, and you will likely get a much different answer. The powers that be at CHEK want to hire him, the people who actually make the news want nothing to do with him, and if he is hired, more people will almost certainly leave. Viewers will likely be happy, however, and he'll likely boost ratings. 

Edited by sasamat, 22 March 2015 - 02:12 PM.

[Jill]

But CHEK is employee owned, isn't it? So aren't they the powers that be?

[sasamat]

But CHEK is employee owned, isn't it? So aren't they the powers that be?

 

Yes and no. CHEK employees own shares in the company, which collectively add up to an insignificant percentage of total shares. Other non-employee investors own a much greater percentage of the company (who form part of the board of directors, but are not company managers). Decisions like hiring are not made by rank-and-file employees; they are made by management like at any other company. Management at CHEK is accountable to the board and the shareholders. 

Edited by sasamat, 22 March 2015 - 03:19 PM.

[Jill]

Still not sure what Hudson Mack has done that would inspire that kind of reaction. It can't possibly be a response to a remark made in a different newsroom long after his departure from CHEK, can it? To reiterate, I keep hearing that he's a jerk and much disliked by the people who work with him, but it's never from someone with direct experience, and it's never specific.

[Mike K.]

My interactions with him in public have been memorable in a positive sense. Sometimes we need to keep in mind that a boss has to lead, not be a friend. Different leaders have different leadership styles and not every style will jive with every employee.