With WPIX news director Bill Carey‘s recent departure, our sister blog, FishbowlNY, took the opportunity to look at the state of the station before the next news director has a chance to put their stamp on it.

FishbowlNY spoke with Queensborough Community College professor Eileen White who said she thinks the next news director should be given a blank slate to work with.  “For that new person, that’s going to be the carrot,” White said. “You can do what you want, take a failing thing and turn it around.”

One of her suggestions concerns the news at 10 p.m.  “Especially if you don’t have a sports department, come on, cut it down to an half-hour,” White told FishbowlNY. “And then people can get to bed… because I think Fox strings you along, way too long. I think a half-hour is perfect.”

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Nine months after parting ways with New York City CW-affiliate WPIX, Jim Watkins is back behind the anchor desk.

Watkins began as an anchor this week at News 12 Westchester, our sister site FishbowlNY reports. Watkins has been freelancing with the station for several months, and with the recent departure of 5 p.m. anchor Brian Conybeare, his role has increased.

Conybeare leaves News 12 Westchester for a role in New York governor Andrew Cuomo‘s office. A spokesperson for the station told FishbowlNY that a permanent replacement for Conybeare has not been named.

Nearly a month after FishbowlNY reported Jim Watkins was out the door at New York City CW-affiliate WPIX, the station has finally confirmed the longtime anchor’s departure.

“Jim Watkins and WPIX-TV have decided to end their relationship after 13 years and three Best Newscast Emmy Awards,” WPIX said in a statement.

The station has disputed the original report that Watkins had been fired and was no longer welcome in the WPIX building. For more details, visit FishbowlNY.

Anchor Jim Watkins has been fired from New York’s WPIX.

According to FishbowlNY, Watkins, who had been with the station since 1998, was abruptly let go on Tuesday by news director Bill Carey and has been barred from the station’s offices.

Watkins had a long run as weekday evening co-anchor, alongside Kaity Tong, but moved to weekends last year when Jodi Applegate joined the station.

>Update: Okay, not so fast.  Carey is now saying that Watkins “remains employed by WPIX.”  Watkins has been unavailable for comment.  Read more at FishbowlNY

Veteran anchor-reporter Jackie Hyland has been cut by WPIX. The New York CW-affiliate decided not to renew her contract at the end of March.

Hyland had been hired in 2009 as a weekend anchor but got lost in an on-air shuffle made by news director Bill Carey, who brought in Jodi Applegate to be the station’s marquee anchor and bumped previous weeknight anchor Jim Watkins to weekends.

“Right now, I’m spending time with my girls, and pursuing other opportunities,” Hyland told TVSpy sister site FishbowlNY recently.

Hyland is a veteran of the New York market, having made stops at Cablevision’s News 12 and ABC News NOW before recently joining WPIX. It was her second stint with the station. Read more at FishbowlNY