Just six months after celebrating his 20th anniversary with WIVB, reporter-anchor Mylous Hairston abruptly resigned on Thursday.
The timing and circumstances surrounding Hairston’s departure from the Buffalo CBS-affiliate suggest a deep-seated rift with the station’s owner, LIN TV.
Hairston is the president of the local chapter of AFTRA and was the chief negotiator in recent labor discussions with LIN. According to Buffalo media reporter Alan Pergament, Hairston left after two long days of AFTRA negotiations with the station. Last summer, LIN imposed a new mandate requiring reporters to learn how to shoot their own video.
WIVB general manager Chris Musial sent a terse email to staff announcing Hairston’s departure. “I appreciate his contributions over the years and wish him well and success in the future,” Musial wrote.
It appears that Hairston was the victim of LIN’s recent cost-cutting measures, as Pergament writes:
Morale inside the station’s news department is said to be at its lowest level in years as LIN attempts to cut higher salaries and eliminate veterans so they can be replaced by cheaper people hired right out of college.
Over the years, Hairston endeared himself to Buffalo viewers with his affability and candor. In 2009, he went public with his struggle with heart disease. Here’s a video detailing his comeback: