TV Execs Looking For Journalists Who Can ‘Go Viral’ Amid Influencers Taking Jobs From Veteran Anchors

Tiktokers and other social media influencers are coming for the jobs of highly paid TV anchors, insiders tell the National Enquirer.

ESPN started the trend, hiring TikTok phenom Katie Feeney, a recent college grad with 14 million followers who shot to fame covering Penn State and Washington Commanders football.

“Executives saw what happened with Katie at ESPN — the engagement, the reach, the headlines,” a top TV source reveals. “They’re using that as a test balloon and the talk is they are already embarking on finding their next generation of online stars [who will] become on-air news personalities.”

In the last year, the sports network has hired no fewer than five social media standouts, including Brittney Elena, Emily Harrigan, Jaylin James, Lily Shimbashi and Trey Phills. They have been given access to ESPN’s marquee sporting events, been introduced to the network’s talent and executives, and received support for their content strategies, per Net Influencer.

“They’re weeding out the older and more expensive talent and focusing on digital-first reporting and bringing in younger, cheaper people to connect with the evolving audience,” says the insider.

As Enquirer readers know, established network news stars — who are often paid astronomical salaries — are in meltdown mode as companies search for ways to cut costs and attract younger viewers by bringing in more youthful social-media-savvy stars.

Among those who know they have targets on their back are the hosts and reporters at GMA. “Everyone’s nervous — especially the on-air talent,” says the insider.

GMA’s ongoing ratings war with NBC’s Today has put everyone even more on edge.

“Every day used to be an automatic win over Today for GMA,” an insider says. But that’s not the case since anchors T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach were booted for engaging in an extramarital affair. When they departed, they took younger viewers with them.

A network insider insists none of the anchors are likely to be dropped and that the recruitment process is not focused on influencers.

“There’s an ongoing attempt to reach audiences where they are — but influencers are not the focus,” says a source, who points to the new Disney+ streaming series What You Need to Know as an example of the evolution of news reporting at ABC.

Still, sources say execs are focusing on hiring digital content creators and quietly posting job listings emphasizing online storytelling.

“They’re looking for ‘journo-influencers,’ ” says the insider. “People who can report and go viral. This is the future, like it or not.”