You'd have to be crazy to work for Channel 24

Seems to me they keep getting rid of the wrong people. Maybe the should stop firing the talent and get rid of the set designers and managers.

That was a big mistake. She's good at her job. Looks like me and my mate will have to try to figure which of the other stations will be the lesser of two evils.

I am probably missing something here. How was she "screwed" exactly? Don't people in that line of work change jobs often?

Yep, TV and radio are some of the most unstable positions one would want to pursue. I never understood it personally. Look at 92.5, in the past 6 years there have been 3 different morning shows. I mean, how does someone feel comfortable enough to “settle down” when working jobs like that?

I think people, especially young people, in broadcast news do change jobs often mostly as their own choice as they advance to bigger markets and better pay. I think in the past we've seen many young NBC-24 anchors use the station as a pit-stop on their way to bigger things.

But it doesn't sound like that's what has happened to Shenikwa. I think she made it plain that she was happy in Toledo and happy at the station, and frankly I came to enjoy watching her and thought she was a good anchor. She certainly made her most recent co-anchor, that Clay Aiken looking guy, look like an amateur.

One reason I'm disappointed in NBC-24 for this is because I think Shenikwa's position at the station was excellent for young Black women and girls in Toledo -- and not simply because she was a Black female face, although that's important. Research shows that if you have a "Black-sounding" or African first name on your resume, you might find it more difficult to land a job. You think young Black women in Toledo with serious academic and career goals don't realize that? Casting Shenikwa as an anchor was a sign of progress in overcoming overt name discrimination and stereotypes. So I do give kudos to NBC-24 for casting her in the first place.

But they should've kept her.

Fair-Accurate-Honest, unless they want to cut jobs.

I, as a part time viewer would rather watch Shenikwa than those other two white women they recently got that frankly, are ugly. One looks like she is on drugs with her half opened eyes and the other looks like a goth chick.

I agree with the whole black angle having her on the station, but even so, she was competent and did a good job in my opinion.

In the last year alone, Blizzard Bill and now Shenikwa. Are they trying to fail? I miss Blizzard Bill's personality. And by the way, that weather guy on fox is simply creepy. His monotone voice gets on my nerves.

More reason to watch another station. Good luck Shenikwa. Doing all those Toledo and fair/accurate/honest promotional commercials didn't matter to 24 I guess.

Too bad, she's the only one that I liked listening to on that station. Very clear and articulate speech. They must have just replaced her with someone that would work at a lower wage. I won't be watching 24 any longer. Most of the new hires seem kind of goofy and nonchalant. I'll bet Shenikwa will find work with another station if she wants it. I wish her good luck.

She was NORVILLED!! Took me a while to remember that-and if you're old enough to remember Deborah Norville, you're old, period.

I'm one of the few who didn't care for Shenikwa, apparently, so I said good riddance, she was treated the same as her predecessor-but-to each their own, I guess. Hockeyfan-please explain who you're talking about here:
---------------------------------
. One looks like she is on drugs with her half opened eyes and the other looks like a goth chick.
-------------------------------------On 24?? Berlin (SP?) doesn't look 'half-awake- to me , and the only 'goth' looking one I can think of is the latest channel 11 weatherwoman on the weekend, Tara Hastings (I think?).

Whoops-should have been Arielle Berlin.

Last night they had the Janitor doing the weather.

Was she fired, or laid off? Since when should low seniority trump high seniority?

I agree about the new girls on channel 24. When this salmonella outbreak stuff started, the one girl kept pronouncing it like the fish, leaving the "L" sound out of the word. I could understand it once, but she had to have done it half a dozen times at least, and it just made her look like a complete idiot!

Shenikwa was great, I really enjoyed her the times we watch the 7PM news cast and I'm TOTALLY going to miss their 11 AM show! But I haven't watched much of 24 news since they brought Jim Blue on, and yes, I know he's long gone, but he just grated on my every nerve!

News just isn't like it was back in the days of Jeff Heitz, Merle Kachenmeister and Charlie Umpenhour! I miss that kind of news, THAT was fair, accurate and HONEST! I watch 13 and 36 now, and also agree with hockeyfan about the weather guy from 36. He seems nice enough, but his voice is kind of creepy...LOL! I miss the dude that got into some legal problems last fall, Mike Morrison I think was his name. He ROCKED!

The red haired guy on 36 reminds me of howdy doody

I'll get the names of the women I've described as soon as I can.

Meanwhile, I didn't schedule my day around watching Shenikwa, but when I did tune in, she didn't bother me and I have no complaints about her. If you'd ask me who to keep on that channel, I would have her near the top of the list. I'll miss her. Now if we can just get rid of Dan Bumpus.

I'm not intending to hijack the thread in any way, especially since I can't talk about the original post, but I'd like to throw this out there...

If you've got something we do that you don't like, or something that randomly irks you, or a story you think we need to cover -- e-mail me!

I'd much rather be able to explain it than see it show up on a message board later. I'm always open to talking to people, even if it's seemingly mundane stuff.

With the Internet, it makes it even easier to talk to us... so feel free.

Barrett Andrews
Reporter, FOX Toledo News

bandrews@foxtoledo.com
cell: 419.461.1591
newsroom: 419.244.2197
http://www.twitter.com/BarrettFTN

she just rubbed my fur te wrong way, i found her cocky and overbearing. for me, the most annoying of all now locally are 11's J. Anderson, Chrys "the Giggler" Peterson, and 13's Bill Hormann, along with Fox's crooked-nosed Laura Emerson. All these people can't just report news, they put their own personal slant to it.

Give me my morning with Sashem, or give me death.

darkseid - her husband lost his job too. He was an assistant football coach at UT under Tom Amstutz.

They're a nice family, and I'm sad to see this happen to them.

Guess that's the story of the region though. Hopefully they both land on their feet soon.

?? I thought I read somewhere they were in Texas recently (Christmas?)where he was being interviewed for something. Maybe that was after he lost his job, but sounded to me like maybe they were thinking of moving anyway.

He would have been out of a job before Christmas - the new head coach was hired at the beginning of December. I'd guess he probably started looking as soon as Amstutz's firing was announced.

You're probably right about the move thing - the "for sale" sign on their house went up at least a week or two before her layoff was announced.

Wouldn't we be wrong if the husband got a job elsewhere and she told NBC 24 about it, so they "got rid of her". Here we are getting upset and it might have been her choice.

Does anyone know for sure?

When is her last day? It's 24 loss she was great

Hi - normally I don't check out chatg forums - never know what you'll find. But, I heard there was a discussion about me. First, thanks for all the supporters, and those who didn't care as much. I just wanted you to know I was planning on leaving after the birth of my second daughter. The station offered me a chance to stay as long as I would like, but I told them I really wanted to move back to Dallas, my hometown. I have family there who can help with two little ones. As you know, working in news is a tough schedule; and I just didn't see myself staying in the business. My husband left UT almost three years ago. He works as an NFL scout for the Houston Texans. He traveles a lot, another reason I decided to leave the business. In terms of the layoff, the station offered me another chance to stay, but I declined. Therefore, because of the economy, it was best for me to leave now. It wasn't ideal, but, it was fine. I still got to say goodbye, just check out NBC24.com. We plan to move in late May, June. The house was already for sale. We are really excited and happy to move on to the next chapter of lives. Toledo has been great - I've loved every day. And, I've loved my coworkers and viewers.

So, there it is. That's what happened.

Thanks again,

Shenikwa Stratford-Carr

Sorry for any typos. I have a two year old on my lap:)

Thanks for coming here to set the record straight. Especially for those of us who directed our dismay at NBC-24 without knowing all the facts.

(But they should've BEGGED you to stay, ha!)

Shenikwa,
Thanks so much for taking the time from your busy life to stop by here and fill us in on the details that we didn't know. You truly are an amazing woman and you are truly going to be missed. You left a mark on Toledo that will forever stay with us! But take if from a former full time mom, it's the BEST job in the world! You'll never regret a moment of it and when your girls are teens, like my son and daughter are now, you'll find yourself wondering how you ever could have done anything else!

Congrats on the upcoming bundle of joy, can't wait to see the videos/pictures when they come! Know that we all wish you the best of what life has to offer!!

Shenikwa,
Oh gosh, It's good to hear that your move is voluntary and a positive one. I really unloaded my displeasure with NBC-24. You are a terrific news caster. Sorry to hear you're leaving the business. You were such a good role model. Best wishes.