Meltdown in Orlando (Patreon)

FTVLive has been hearing from a number of staffers at one of the Cox stations and just how bad everything has gotten.

Current and former employees at Cox's WFTV in Orlando have reached out to FTVLive to talk about the internal issues at the station.

All of those that we have talked to say that the newsroom is very short staffed and it is starting to wear on many in the newsroom.

A look at the Cox job site shows many openings at WFTV.

The station is short on Executive Producers and it is taking its toll. One station insider says that one of the only two EPs had a panic attack a few weeks back; collapsing in the newsroom under the severe pressure of coordinating breaking news while having to oversee the noon, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11 pm newscasts (or produce them, when a producer calls out or simply has a day off). The EP was sent home for two days leaving the entire afternoon and evening lineup without an Executive Producer.

But, where it really got bad, was a Producer who according to an insider melted down in the newsroom. The Producer who was tasked with doing multiple newscasts, lost it and went off.

"The producer was back in the newsroom when he had an outburst. Tossed his badge out, punched walls as he walked out, screaming he hated the place, hated the news director, calling him an asshole, and saying he quit," said one station insider to FTVLive.

It was bad enough, the police were called and this memo about safety went out the next day. FTVLive obtained a copy.

As for the Producer who went off, a source tells FTVLive, the employee, who had initially been suspended, appears to have been terminated.

There are many more issues that have been brought to our attention. WFTV used to be the gold-standard of Orlando television and a place that many strived to work for.

That no longer seems to be the case and judging by all the job openings, it might be a station you want to think twice about before taking a job there.

Just saying...