FOX 25 Brings In Motivational Speaker for Sagging Ratings

WFXT FOX 25 brought in a motivational speaker to address the staff at the Boston station today.

The station that was taken over by Cox Media Group in 2014 had some ratings gains in the mornings in 2015, but those gains have been erased and Cox has now declared a 'Code Red' to try and fix things.

The first step in improving things seems to be motivational speaker Dr. Willie Jolley, apparently.

"Every now and again we are blessed to have friends who can make a difference in how we feel, how we think, what we say and what we do" said FOX 25 general manager Tom Raponi in an email to staff.

"Even better is when these friends can impact both our professional and personal lives at the same time. I am proud to tell you that a friend that has made a difference in my life will be in Studio B on Wednesday to share a special message with all of us" he said.

Raponi strongly encouraged staffers to adjust their schedules to the event, and guaranteed them they wouldn't be dissapointed and that they would see "that often times your attitude equals your altitude."

Bringing in a motivational speaker seems to imply that Cox still doesn't realize what is wrong with the station right now. The problem is Cox and their cookie cutter style of news not resonating with the Boston television market - not the staff that produce the newscasts.

The staff were treated to motivational statements like "You might have low ratings today, but like Ford, the best is yet to come!"

They also went through a standard exercise of looking at the person next to them and saying "I appreciate you."

This isn't the first time Cox has used Dr. Jolley, you can watch the testimonial video below from Cox Media Group executive vice president Bill Hoffman. According to Jolley's website, he is scheduled to be at FOX 25 through Friday.

Cox can motivate their staff all they want, but until they listen to their viewers and give them what they want to see, they will continue to change the channel.