What do you get when you cross 9News with America’s Got Talent? Apparently just 9News. And not everyone is happy about it.

The on-air promos are short and sweet: “Do you watch 9News and think, ‘Hey, I can do better than this guy?’ ” asks KUSA-Channel 9’s Steve Staeger. “Now is your chance. Send us a short video of you being the you-est you there is through 9News.com. Your take, and your voice, could lead you straight to 9News.”

The 15-second spot, which began airing on Denver’s NBC affiliate two weeks ago, offers a novel solution to a decades-old problem. Namely, soliciting reality TV-style audition videos that farm out the task finding on-air personalities for local news. …

Not everyone finds the idea of crowdsourcing on-air talent charming.

“Another major embarrassment for the once great industry,” wrote Scott Jones, editor of the TV news industry-watching site FTVLive.com. “It is nothing more than a slap in the face to real journalists.”