By CHESTER ROBARDS

Tribune Staff Reporter

crobards@tribunemedia.net

ZNS will not terminate any of its staff, nor will staff suffer salary reductions or benefit changes as the government-run radio and television entity undergoes restructuring, according to its executive chairman Rev Dr William Thompson.

Dr Thompson released a statement yesterday in response to a Tribune article in which sources suggested that the staff changes which are a part of the company’s restructuring exercise were politically motivated and amounted to “victimisation”.

In his statement, Dr Thompson did not speak directly to the claims of victimisation, only explaining the details of the restructuring.

In last week’s article, a ZNS insider told The Tribune: “No matter what they claim, they are targeting people perceived to be FNMs. In the case of Clint Watson and Shenique Miller, it’s just because they covered the FNM rallies. I’ve heard managers tell them, ‘You gonna get what’s coming to you. We will deal with you.’”

Dr Thompson explained that ZNS’s restructuring is designed to make its television programming more appealing to the public and regain the viewing audience it has lost over recent years.

“While ZNS news remains number one, we have lost significant market share to some of our competitors which we fully intend to regain,” he said in the statement.

“ZNS television also loses a sizable segment of its viewing audience between 8pm and 11pm and as a consequence income from ad placements are negligible during this period. We seek to change that with more exciting, innovative programmes to come on stream early in 2013.”

With regard to the shifting of newsroom personnel, Dr Thompson suggested ZNS is attempting to bring fresh faces to the fore in order to enhance its nightly news product.

“In order to bring a fresh focus to news, several staff adjustments will be made including new hires to replace those persons reassigned to television production and programming,” he said.

“Management met with the affected staff members individually on August 16, 2012 to advise them of the impending adjustments.”

However, sources within ZNS suggest the staff changes are questionable.

One source said: “Isn’t it ironic that everyone removed had been assigned to cover (the FNM) campaign? It’s just too obvious.”

What’s more, the insiders say, many persons now being considered for senior newsroom positions worked on or openly supported the PLP election campaign.

Reportedly among the candidates are Julian Reid and Andrew J Burrows.

And despite the official line of a need for “fresh faces”, the new-look ZNS could reportedly also feature recycled PLP supporters who left ZNS years before – including two former employees who applied for and collected severance packages offered by the Ingraham administration in 2010.

This paper understands that those who will be removed from the newsroom, in addition to Mr Watson, Ms Miller and Beverley Curry, are reporters Carla Palmer and Syann Thompson, and news producer Vaughn Albury.