In a stunning development for multiple reasons, WIVB News Director Lisa Polizzi was fired Thursday.
Polizzi has been in the role for more than five years and previously was the news director at WKBW-TV (Channel 7).
The timing is strange considering the news department is in the middle of covering last weekend's mass shooting at the Tops Markets on Jefferson Avenue and Polizzi is considered to have strong news judgment. The station has a done a very good job covering the shooting, starting with its extensive coverage Saturday night.
In addition, WIVB General Manager Brien Kennedy was scheduled to leave the station next week.
According to multiple sources, Polizzi was fired after members of Nexstar’s Human Resources (HR) arm recently conducted interviews with current news staffers and some of the about 30 news staffers who have left the station in the last year. According to sources, HR representatives heard the news department being described as a “toxic work environment.”
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Polizzi and Kennedy did not return phone calls.
Polizzi’s firing likely means Kennedy will be asked to stay beyond his originally scheduled last day of May 25.
Operations manager Josh Roy, who has been at WIVB for about 20 years, is expected to lead the news department now. It wouldn’t be surprising if Nexstar also brought in people from some of its other stations to help out Roy lead the continuing coverage of the shooting.
