OT: The new first world annoyances thread

Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Layoffs with ‘no warning’. What’s going on at Dr. Phil’s Fort Worth media company?
Cody Copeland
Mon, August 12, 2024 at 1:22 PM PDT

Many of them moved across the country to start what they believed were stable, well-paying jobs. Then on Friday, after just a matter of months, they were told they didn’t have jobs anymore.

The layoffs at Dr. Phil’s media company, Merit Street Media, were first reported by Mediaite on Friday. By Monday, several of those laid off were already sending out résumés.

Popular TV psychologist and talk show host Phil McGraw ended his long-running show “Dr. Phil” in early 2023 and announced later that year that he would start a new Fort Worth-based media company with news and a new talk show. “Dr. Phil Primetime” launched on April 2.

“We were just let go from a job out of nowhere ... no warning, no anything,” said one a former Merit Street Media employee who, like most of those interviewed, asked to remain anonymous due to the precarious professional situation she now finds herself in.

She and others said they were not given a reason for the layoffs and that they were let go without any sort of severance package. Former employees reported dozens of people were let go.

Some of the former employees reported having moved to Fort Worth from states “more than 12 hours away” just a few months ago. They had no idea how they were going to pay rent on 12- and 15-month leases they recently signed.

The Star-Telegram reached out to the Merit Street Media press contact and two members of the human resources department, but none responded to a request for comment.

Employees had just wrapped up a taping when they were called in for a “powwow” and told they had been let go. “That’s what she called it, a powwow,” the former employee said.

Two of the former employees had already applied for new jobs and become each other’s competition by Monday morning. Others were still reeling from the news. Several already had the #OpenToWork logo on their LinkedIn profile photos on Monday.

“It’s overwhelming, and I can’t even think about next steps,” said another who also asked to remain anonymous. “I’ve never been fired or let go from any job in my entire life, and I’ve never been in a position where I felt this vulnerable in terms of if I’m going to be able to keep a roof over my head.”

The Star-Telegram also spoke to a Merit Street freelancer who was not let go, but said he disagreed with how the layoffs were conducted.

“It’s so sad, it’s unthinkable,” he said.

The freelancer said that while the layoffs were taking place, a large buffet had been set up for talk show guests, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who was at the Merit Street studios to tape a roundtable discussion with Dr. Phil and others “about whether God spared the life” of former president Donald Trump during the assassination attempt last month.

“It was basically this split screen of everybody’s getting laid off, and all of the higher-ups are having this big, massive celebratory buffet for, like, the new direction of the network,” he said. “So I think that also rubs people the wrong way.”

Also in attendance for the taping was Matt Crouch, president of Merit Street Media partner Trinity Broadcast Network.

A TBN blog post from March titled, “Where Values & Vision Meet: TBN & Merit Street Media,” states that “Dr. Phil underscores the enduring importance of shared values in shaping a just and prosperous society.”

The layoffs came as no surprise to Mansfield native Carson Taylor, who now lives in California. He was hired by Merit Street Media for an editor job in July, but was told on Aug. 1 that his hiring had been canceled.

“From my point of view, it’s extremely disturbing and disappointing to see such television industry titans with years of experience run a production company like such amateurs,” he said in a written exchange. “Especially with Dr. Phil’s mental health background. To uproot people from other states, offer them a relocation package and their dream salary and then turn around and have nothing.”