Fired CNN Producer is former WTVJ/WSVN/WPLG-er

The fired for blogging CNN producer Chez Pazienza has a South Florida connection by way of ending up working at WSVN (1992-1995) as producer and executive producer after his band fell apart. He also worked at WTVJ (aug 1997-april 2000) as a producer .//* also worked at WPLG as EP

He describes himself as “wise-ass who doesn’t mind being an occasional nuisance to authority figures.” Which instantly makes us like him so so much.

If you haven’t read his post about his firing from CNN, and you are a news junkie (hopefully if you’re on this site) or are in the news business in some capacity, you should read it.

Deus Ex Malcontent: Say What You Will (Requiem for a TV News Career)

some notables:

At first they repeated the line about not writing anything outside of CNN without permission, but HR then made a surprising comment: “It’s also, you know, the nature of what you’ve been writing.”

I watched my bosses literally stand in the middle of the newsroom and ask, “What can we do to not lead with Iraq?” — the reason being that Iraq, although an important story, wasn’t always a surefire ratings draw. I was asked to complete self-evaluations which pressed me to describe the ways in which I’d “increased shareholder value.”

I mentioned calling Jacki Schechner — so what did she tell me?

“Think about how frustrated and disillusioned most of the American Morning staff is.”

Not simply frustrated and disillusioned, but outright miserable.

And then she reminded me that in the past year-and-a-half, nearly 20 mid to high-level people have left American Morning; many of them quit with no other job to go to — they just wanted out of the business. That speaks goddamned volumes, not simply about the show but about the state of the entire profession.