4 TV shows axed, 150 staff sacked: An insider tells us what life is like in TV land.

Network Ten announced yesterday that 150 people at the station would lose their jobs. Breakfast show Wake Up was axed, along with early morning and late news bulletins.

Amy Schmid was in the room when staff were told the heartbreaking news. Amy watched her colleagues leave, breakdown, cry. Here, she writes about what that was like, and why TV news is the hardest job she’s ever had….

Standing at the meeting we had on Thursday was tough. There were sniffles and desperate questions from all sides, and all I wanted to do was give everyone hugs. We’ve had a death in the Ten family this week too, and we all attended reporter Harry Potter’s funeral together; that just cemented the feeling of love and family we have here.

I’ve been through job cuts like this three times. I’ve been to a meeting like this three times. It never gets easier. It just gets harder as colleagues and friends leave.

To see four shows axed in one fell swoop was big. It’s heartbreaking to see my colleagues devastated, but we will soldier on. We always do. I have so much faith in Network Ten; if any network can pull itself out of this, we can.

I don’t know what is going to happen yet. The wound is still raw for all of us, but it will get better. I’m just hoping that if you’ve read the news about cuts this week, please don’t think negatively about channel Ten. Think of the people who work here. Think of how the remarks made online will affect those who have poured their hearts into one of the axed shows. It’s easy to trash something; it takes a lot more to sit back and remember the people behind the scenes.

It’s not an easy job.

It’s emotional, thankless, demanding, frustrating, exciting, interesting and forever changing. It’s television news. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Working for Ten News the past five years has been the most eye opening job ever.

Some of the proudest moments of my career have been on the newsroom floor. I’ve felt debilitating sadness at failures and exhilarating highs at seeing stories I’ve written go live in TV.

Tv attracts some of the most difficult people, and some of the loveliest. You end up pulling your hair out trying to get ahead in such a competitive business, and it’s the hardest yet most rewarding thing you can do.

Coming into television news, I had no idea what I was about to embark on. It’s one of the toughest, most competitive industries that exists. The people I met, the hours I worked, the drive that would push me – I didn’t anticipate any of it.

I love working in the media. The dedication of the journalists, the drive of the producers to get the best content to air, the manic atmosphere that grips the office when something big happens. And of course, I’ve seen colleagues in tears as their beloved show is axed.

Like what happened yesterday, here.

I walked into the Sydney Pyrmont office in September 2009, looked through the glass walls into the newsroom and saw Ron Wilson and Natarsha Belling. I marvelled at my good luck, and was in awe.

It took all my courage to march into the news director’s office to pitch stories. It’s only because I walked into that room, that I am where I am now, 5 years later.

I’m so proud of everyone at Ten; we work so hard and give the best of ourselves to give the viewers fantastic shows. Sometimes awful comments pop up on Facebook about Network Ten, and it disheartens me. Everyone puts their heart and soul into this network, every single day.

Have you ever lost your job or seen someone you love, lose their job?