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“The ending of FiOS1 is personal,” said French, whose family owns both companies. “Around 150 good people, both behind and in front of the cameras, will be displaced, (that) includes anchors, reporters, producers, videographers and so many other faces you will never see."
The closure of the hyper-local news channel will take place at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16.
Verizon originally stated that residents could receive their news from other local outlets but have since said publically that they hope to offer another option by the end of the year.
Once FiOS1 shutters, only one TV station in the area, Altice's News 12 will offer hyper-local coverage.
Currently, FiOS1 News offers coverage from Poughkeepsie to Long Island and into northern New Jersey.
Speaking during his show, “Richard French Live," French shared comments and tweets from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and local reacting to the closure with worry about the demise of local news coverage.
“On a broader level, the change implicates the importance of multiple voices in the world of local news," he said. "We've seen this play out in print when newspapers from coast to coast are simply closing their doors or scaling back and lay off off scores of workers.
“A similar thing is happening in local TV news,” French added. “Closing bureaus or shrinking them so their scope of coverage is greatly limited.”
In the end, French focused on the many employees: “The people at FiOS1, they're not just numbers, and the channel not just a number on the dial. They're real people who are at the end of the day providing a vital service to the communities that they serve.”
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