FTVLive was the FIRST to tell you that Graham Media was going to offer longtime staffers buyouts.

It took other media outlets days to catch up with FTVLive on the story.

We have been telling you about all the longtime staffers who are leaving Graham stations around the country.

In Detroit, WDIV's General Manager Bob Ellis took to the station’s website to explain to viewers why some of the station's most popular and experienced employees will no longer be on the air.

He starts off with this:

“Last March, we offered a small group of long-tenured employees a voluntary retirement incentive program. It was a package that helped bridge the gap between now and retirement for people who were near or at that time in their lives. People who’ve been here a long time. Some of that group said yes.

Four of them you know well, because you see them on TV every day. Bernie Smilovitz, Rod Meloni, Paula Tutman and Mara MacDonald will all be saying goodbye in early July. A number of behind-the-scenes employees, equally important to our station, will be leaving that same day.”

This is all well and good, but then the spin starts:

“Why did we do it?

At our company, we deeply value the hard work and loyalty of our employees. We work hard to create an exceptional workplace that attracts and retains top talent. We had a unique opportunity to reward a group of long-serving individuals who have been instrumental in building our station’s success over the years.”

This was about saving the company millions of dollars.

This was a cost-cutting move, and Bob Ellis and everyone else knows it.

In a union town like Detroit, the viewers know it as well. They have seen this play out in other industries, and you are not going to pull the wool over their eyes.

I will say that Graham has been generous with their buyout offers, which is nice. But, don’t try and play it off as something it is not.

It is a way for the company to save money.

That’s it, that’s all.