WBBH and WZVN in Fort Myers have cut back on sports coverage.
The Waterman broadcasting owned NBC and ABC affiliate in Fort Myers, Florida will no longer have a traditional sportscast in the weekday shows. Because of that, the sports department has been reduced and WBBH sports director Joe Girvan’s position has been eliminated.
“We are doing full sportscasts on Saturday’s and Sunday’s and we have three beat reporters covering sports during the week. We will value sports every day. The stories we will do will run where appropriate. Some days they may lead. Some days they may run at 6:25p. It will always be based on the news value of the day,” vice president of news Darrel Lieze-Adams told TVSpy.
Lieze-Adams continued to say daily sports stories will run where appropriate in the newscasts.
“Some days they may lead. Some days they may run at 6:26p.”
Girvan posted an announcement about the reduction of sports on his Facebook page. He was let go.
“Some exciting news to share – tonight I anchored my last sportscast at NBC2. Management decided to reduce sports coverage and eliminated two positions, including mine. While initially jarring, it has proven to be a blessing, as I’m now pursuing a number of career opportunities both in and out of sports,” he said.
The programming change begins immediately.