KCTV stands to lose veterans; Cramer, Anschutz get buyout offers

Kansas City's CBS affiliate, KCTV, Channel 5, announced Wednesday that veteran consumer reporter Stan Cramer had accepted an early-retirement offer and would leave the station June 15. And there may be another shoe waiting to drop: KCTV's senior anchor, Wendall Anschutz, says he is also considering a retirement offer from Meredith Corp., the Des Moines, Iowa, company that owns KCTV. Anschutz's departure would not be a surprise. He is 63 and halfway through what he has long said will be his last five-year contract. Anschutz was scheduled to pare back all but his duties on the 5 p.m. newscast beginning in August. But the loss of Cramer was sudden and unexpected. If it is coupled with Anschutz's retirement, the face of Channel 5 and the Kansas City media landscape will change significantly. Meredith has offered early retirement to 170 of its 2,700 full-time employees. Only those employees age 55 or older and with 10 years of service as of June 30 are eligible. Besides 12 TV stations, Meredith publishes Better Homes and Gardens and more than 120 other magazines and specialty publications. Three members of KCTV's engineering department have taken up Meredith on its offer, said program director Peter Barrett. Eight members of the newsroom, including Cramer and Anschutz, qualify for the buyout. The deadline to accept is June 15. Because employees sometimes have a change of heart, the retirements will not be finalized until the deadline passes. Cramer's decision, however, appears to be final. Management announced it to the newsroom Tuesday and issued a news release Wednesday. "It was an opportunity I absolutely could not ignore," Cramer, 56, said Wednesday. He reportedly will receive two weeks' pay for every year of service. Cramer has been at KCTV 36 years. In the midst of an advertising slowdown, many media companies, including The Kansas City Star's owner, Knight Ridder, have offered employees buyout plans. Cramer started at KCTV as a cub reporter before being named community affairs director. His "Call for Action" consumer segment evolved out of the public-affairs programming that was under Cramer's purview. Anschutz, who has been at Channel 5 since 1966, was anchor on the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts before giving up the 6 p.m. job two years ago. He said Wednesday that Meredith's retirement package was very attractive but that he was reluctant to accept it. "I'm torn, both financially and emotionally," said Anschutz, who stands to make about a year and a half's salary through the buyout. "It's a good deal for the government, but I'm not sure how good a deal it is for me," Anschutz joked. - You can reach Aaron Barnhart through the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com. @ART CAPTION:Cramer; Anschutz @ART:Photos (2, color) >>>