What the hiring market knows about local television

I’ve spent the last 15 years recruiting television executives, and one thing I’ve learned is that the hiring market often sees change before the rest of the industry does.

It isn’t because recruiters are better at predicting the future. We’re not. It’s because we’re constantly talking to the people making decisions and the people deciding whether they still believe in those decisions. Those conversations often shift months before the headlines do. Over the past year, they’ve changed in ways that are becoming difficult to ignore.

The recent restructuring at E.W. Scripps didn’t create that change, but it certainly brought it into sharper focus. Much of the industry’s discussion has centered on layoffs, artificial intelligence, automation and centralized operations. Those are important topics. But from where I sit, this isn’t primarily about technology. It’s about leadership, and how quickly expectations of leaders in local television are changing.

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