Henri Gendreau said he feels “shocked and betrayed” after the new owner of The Roanoke Rambler terminated the site’s entire reporting staff just days after the sale closed.
Gendreau, who founded the digital news outlet in 2021, issued a statement Monday expressing devastation over the firing of journalists Todd Jackson, Jeff Sturgeon and Sinclair Holian. The move follows the acquisition of the publication by Roanoke entrepreneur Ollie Howie, a transaction that finalized March 30.
“I shed blood, sweat and tears to try to leave The Roanoke Rambler in good hands; this is not at all what I anticipated,” Gendreau said. “Before the sale closed, I felt assured that staff would be retained, that they would be compensated at the same rates, and that the mission of local, investigative news would continue.”
Local news partnership in jeopardy
The staff cuts leave the future of a long-standing media partnership in doubt. Jackson, Sturgeon and Holian have been regular contributors to WFIR’s “On The Record: With the Roanoke Rambler.” The segment typically airs Wednesday mornings at 7:45 a.m. on The Roanoke Valley’s Morning News.
Signs of a transition were visible last week when the Rambler released no new investigative stories and the weekly radio segment did not air. Sturgeon has been the most frequent guest on the program, providing deep dives into local government and community issues…