[Professional Blog] Paddy Daly
Off the Air

Paddy Daly has been 'let go' from Out of the Fog, on Rogers Cable.

It happened suddenly and was effective immediately, taking everyone not the least Daly himself by surprise.

The first sign came yesterday afternoon on Dalys Facebook profile, where he announced in a status update that he was flipped out.

Just over an hour later, he had collected his thoughts and left the following message:

Paddy Daly wants to thank everyone for their support during my time on Out of the Fog!! It was a good ride. I am looking forward to the next opportunity, whatever that may be!

I sent Daly a note last night, and received a brief reply this morning. Daly said he was indeed surprised by the elimination of his position. However, he declined further comment, saying he wanted to let it sink in for a few days.

(I am still trying to pin down how the news was framed to Daly - was he fired or laid off?)

I am on my way to an engagement which will occupy my day for the next 12 hours, so I cannot follow this story until later.

However, if we look at the chain of events at Rogers in recent months, a picture does take shape. Rogers staffed up Out of the Fog in a big way, with the hiring of Erin Sulley and Peter Walsh, both talented and seasoned professionals. Four months later, they let go Daly, one of the incumbent anchors.

From where I sit, it looks like this was the strategy: to staff up, get things humming along, then let Daly go.

And if this was indeed the plan, then it is not good HR policy. It may ensure a seamless, hassle-free transition, but it is not fair to those affected by the cuts.

I will watch this story and offer updates in the days ahead. Something tells me more news is looming in the fog.