Micromanaged and felt unvalued - Anonymous employee KPIX CBS Employee Review

2.0
29 May 2013
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I was excited to start work at KPIX after getting a job at the station straight out of college. I enjoyed the experience for about two weeks until I quickly realized that it was just blissful ignorance. On the bright side, you'll get to work with some bright young people, who will become great friends, but mostly because you are commiserating over how terrible you feel while in the newsroom. I started out as the low man on the totem pole, but I was still lucky enough to act as an associate producer of sorts and got content on the air which was great. You will learn a good amount, but only if you learn who to suck up to, are willing to work insane hours, or throw yourself in the deep end and risk making huge mistakes and getting blamed for them (even though you were never properly trained to do the tasks).

Cons

In general, I had a pretty terrible time at KPIX. I thought I could last a year, but that wasn't even possible, as I dreaded coming into the newsroom everyday. It literally made me feel physically ill. The biggest con to working at KPIX is its terrible management. A "News Director" who sits in his office with the doors closed daily, only to make an occasional appearance during editorial meetings and have pointless input; managers who throw their subordinates under the bus for their own misdoings; an incredible amount of micromanagement; and a slew of "Assistant News Directors" and "Special Projects Managers" who basically did nothing but pretend they were doing something so they wouldn't get laid off. At a given time during the day, three news directors were in the office. Usually only one or two of them was actually doing work. Typically one was doing online shopping. I was hired on in a position where I was promised the chance to learn and train so that I'd be launched into an upward trajectory. I soon found that I was basically no more than a (poorly) paid intern. I was stuck fetching tapes, logging tapes, and "researching". When I was thrown into writing for actual shows or producing my own pieces, I was severely micromanaged, my superiors would chew me out for making mistakes on things that I was never trained on, and was even told I was mistake to be hired. How about that for company culture? Even worse is that when I was given "learning opportunities" they were small things that barely mattered, and when I'd bring up wanting to do more I was told "I wasn't ready" or "I wasn't needed". So how in the hell do you learn? When it was convenient for the upper management, I was placed on graveyard hours to write for weekend morning shows, even though I "wasn't ready" just a week ago. In short, you'll be poorly trained, not learn a whole lot, be poorly compensated, and be a plaything of your superiors. When I put in my two weeks, I thought I'd try to give constructive feedback on how to fix my position, as it is offered every year to fresh college grads. The news director blew me off and sent me away. While some may say this is just a disgruntled employee, many of my colleagues felt similarly. Hired on as freelancers with promises of being given full-time equivalent hours only to be told to work a handful of hours per week. The list goes on and on.

Explore other reviews about KPIX CBS

5.0
7 Jan 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I think that KPIX, especially within the last few months, has been doing amazing things in terms of storytelling and general coverage of local issues. I've enjoyed networking with my coworkers who are always very kind, supportive, as well as caring about your personal career path. Everybody is open and close due to the committed - and sometimes quite stressful - work environment.

Cons

I do believe that certain higher-ups in charge of things like payment and scheduling could be a little more considerate and professional. Patience is also key, but in a really tense and fast-paced work environment, sometimes there's no room for patience. Ultimately I really have no big gripes with working at KPIX and I've been so grateful for the opportunity since I was hired.

4.0
24 Nov 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Really loved everyone I worked with

Cons

Can be difficult to get promoted or try new jobs

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