New owner SJL Broadcasting continues to clean house at Flint’s WJRT.

After losing its general manager and longtime news director as SJL assumed control of the ABC-affiliate last Friday, WJRT is now saying Goodbye to two anchors who have been the face of the station for decades.

New WJRT GM Peter Veto has decided to dump Bill Harris (right), who has been with the station for over three decades and who most recently anchored WJRT’s 5, 6, and 11 p.m. newscasts, as well as Joel Feick (far right), a weekend anchor who has been with the station since 1983.

“Quite frankly, I don’t know much about it, because it’s still fresh, other than that my services are no longer needed,” Harris told The Flint Journal in confirming his dismissal. Read more

Jim Bleicher, who led WJRT‘s newsroom for over two decades, has departed his news director post amid an ownership change at the Flint ABC-affiliate.

According to sources, Bleicher’s final day with WJRT was last Friday–the same day that SJL Broadcasting took over ownership of the station. Last week the company, which agreed to buy WJRT from ABC in November, announced that general manager Tom Bryson was leaving the station. Bryson was replaced by Peter Veto, who has a longstanding relationship with SJL.

Jayne Hodak, who served as assistant news director under Bleicher, has been appointed acting news director as Veto considers Bleicher’s successor.

Bleicher made an indelible mark on WJRT during his long tenure with the station. Celebrating his recent induction into the Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame, the station said that Bleicher had “hired almost everyone you see each and every day on ABC12.”

The two former ABC O&Os recently sold to SJL Broadcasting now have new station heads. The general managers of both WJRT in Flint and WTVG in Toledo have decided to leave their posts and SJL has appointed replacements.

WJRT’s Tom Bryson and WTVG’s David Zamichow have opted to leave on their own, according to Broadcasting & Cable, as SJL prepares to take over ownership of the stations this week.

“Both of them are class people,” SJL president George Lilly told B&C. “We would’ve kept both in a heartbeat.”

Bryson and Zamichow are being replaced by two TV veterans that have worked for the Lilly family.  Peter Veto has been named GM of WJRT while John Christianson has been handed the reins of WTVG. Read more