Inside staff departures and uncertain future

Eight current and former employees who spoke to the Globe cited a confluence of factors driving people out, including issues with the quality of the station’s content, overwhelming workloads, pay cuts, layoffs, and uncertainty over whether its private equity owners will keep the lights on. Most spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears of retribution.

“It was not a great atmosphere,” said David Rothstein, a former news assignment editor at Boston 25 who was laid off in 2021. “I was planning to quit every day.”

Current and former staff say the recent departures feel more pronounced now than in years past and say the station is severely understaffed, with employees bearing more responsibilities.

“We’re so short-staffed,” said one journalist at the Dedham-based station. “We kind of go into battle every day undermanned.”

Though Boston 25 ranked second among Boston’s five TV news stations in at least one ratings category in January 2020, it has struggled in recent years to rise above the middle or bottom of Boston’s crowded pack. But it has still attracted staff who want to work in a top 10 market.

It’s an example of how the audience, and ambition, of local TV news has shrunk in the digital age, as viewers have moved to social media, streaming services and other options, and advertising revenue that pays for news gathering has fallen away with them.

In a statement, Boston 25 said it is proud of its team’s work and noted that the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association named it the state’s station of the year in 2023.

“It’s no secret that there are industry disruptions that have created pressure for local TV stations, and we’re positioning ourselves to operate more effectively as we look to be the TV station of the future,” the statement said. “We remain committed to delivering the critical news, weather and groundbreaking journalism that helps viewers stay informed, safe, and protected while fostering a positive and collaborative work environment for our valued employees.”

The decline in viewership has harmed all stations, but affects some more than others, said Matt Ellis, former news director at WBZ-TV (Channel 4) in Boston and WPRI-TV in Providence.

“Is what’s happening at Channel 25 a sign that not all the stations are going to be able to survive in the same way and do the same thing as before? Yeah, I think so,” said Ellis, who now owns a public relations firm.

The cost-cutting and increased workloads have affected the quality of the station’s programming, said two former employees and a current journalist at Boston 25.

For example, the station did not send staff to cover the Celtics road playoff games until Game Four of the NBA Finals, the current journalist there said, which differed from other Boston stations like WCVB, WHDH and WBZ.

And for years, Boston 25 has lacked a helicopter, which local stations dispatch to help cover breaking news and offer different views for live coverage. That has hurt its ability to cover fires, shootings, and other urgent news, three former journalists there said.

Once owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, Boston 25 was traded to Cox Media Group in 2014….