And the first one out the door at Youngstown ABC affiliate WYTV/33 is…news director Pat Livingston.
OMW hears via the folks at NewsBlues that Livingston stays in the state, taking the open ND post at Barrington Broadcasting NBC affiliate WNWO/24 “NBC 24” Toledo.
Our headline, of course, refers to the fact that Livingston is exiting WYTV before he, and likely the entire station newsroom staff, will be pushed out the door.
Most market observers expect that a planned “shared services” agreement between the incoming owner of WYTV, and the new owner of CBS/FOX combo WKBN/27-WYFX “FOX 17/62”, will mean the end of the separate news operation at WYTV’s Shady Run Road headquarters.
WYTV has pretty much been the third-rated TV newsroom in Youngstown for as long as we can remember, even after Vindicator’s WFMJ/21 supplanted “27 First News” as the most popular news operation in the market.
And though we have a limited grasp on the Toledo market, we’re pretty sure WNWO is a perennial third-place newsroom behind Raycom CBS affiliate WTOL/11 and ABC O&O WTVG/13. Of course, Raycom once owned WNWO, before it had to spin the station to Barrington after the deal to acquire WTOL.
At “NBC 24”, Livingston will replace Jonathan Mitchell, who moved to KHQ/Spokane…
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