Communication outlet lacks sufficient internal communication
Pros
Being associated with National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting system can open doors professionally and in the community. The Rochester community is supportive of its station and there is a core of viewers and listeners who care deeply about it. The feedback given when station staff are out in the community is almost always positive, and the connections that the station has with other organizations in the community allow new projects to be pursued and new relationships to be established. WXXI feels like part of the solution to many problems in economically depressed Rochester, New York. The station has cooperative agreements with local government and businesses and has developed good working relationships with underwriters.
Cons
There is little effective communication going on. There is a heavy reliance on proprietary software to communicate, but the station is staffed in large part by part time staff that are not given complete access to those tools. Training is abysmal. There is no comprehensive training or orientation for new employees, or updates on training when new procedures are instituted. Newbie mistakes are rewarded not with training but with criticism, sometimes from the highest echelons of management. Management runs hot and cold, giving conflicting signals. Employees speak poorly of the station and management among themselves because they don't have the resources, training, or time to do the jobs they've been hired to do. Morale is low in many parts of the station, and all departments of the station are divorced from each other. There is a sense that employees are territorial and don't feel responsibility for the entire product - only for their individual domains. Overall there is a lack of optimism, and many closed doors.
