Long time anchors from Los Angeles and Chicago are getting laid off-amidst the Nextstar Media Group merger
Shocking news has hit local Los Angeles TV news stations as their parent company, Nexstar Media Group, begins its merger with Tegna. Seeking to cut costs, the company has begun letting go of a number of anchors in the LA and Chicago areas.
Weatherman Mark Kriski, weathercaster Kacey Montoya, midday anchors Lu Parker and Glen Walker and reporter Ellina Abovian have all been affected and let go due to the circumstances.
Kriski and Montoya have both been crucial parts of KTLA’s segments throughout the years.
From the recent Malibu fires to the 1994 Northridge earthquake, Kriski has covered as much news as any local Angelinos can recall. Montoya, along with Kriski, is a multiple-time Emmy winner and has been with the station since 2013.
Kriski was the last remaining original host from the “KTLA Morning News.”
Parker and Walker have spent a while co-hosting the KTLA midday news segments together and are both Emmy winners.
SAG-AFTRA clapped back at Nexstar for taking away union positions at KTLA. They also noted that the layoffs are coming as SAG-AFTRA is bargaining with Nexstar stations in several markets.
President Sean Astin said in a statement, “By laying off journalists across the country, Nexstar is eroding the resources and talent that local communities rely on for trusted news.”
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However, the guild noted the broader context of the layoffs.
“These layoffs come as SAG-AFTRA is actively bargaining with Nexstar stations in multiple markets. At the table, Nexstar is pushing to gut severance pay and insert onerous provisions into the union contract that limit workers’ ability to freely negotiate the terms of their own employment,” the statement said. “These reductions in SAG-AFTRA talent also comes as Nexstar finalizes its multi-billion-dollar acquisition of Tegna. This consolidation makes the decision to cut local newsroom jobs particularly troubling.”
The Nextstar corporation reaches about 70% of homes across the country. They also have 201 stations in 116 local markets.
Tegna, on the other hand, owns 64 television stations within 51 U.S. markets. They reach more than 100 million people in the country monthly: web, mobile apps, streaming and linear television.
National executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland from SAG-AFTRA stated, “Our members are trusted voices in their communities, and they deserve contracts that respect their work and safeguard their futures. SAG-AFTRA will not stand by while the future of local news is put at risk. We will continue to fight for strong agreements that protect journalists and the audiences who rely on them every single day.”
None of the TV personalities has yet made a statement on social media platforms.