Several KRIS 6 journalists spoke out on social media after E.W. Scripps’ nationwide layoffs affected employees at the Corpus Christi station.
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Texas TV journalists are speaking out after E.W. Scripps’ sweeping layoffs cut jobs at stations across the country Tuesday, including KRIS 6 in Corpus Christi and KXXV in Waco.
The layoffs are part of a nationwide restructuring that affects roughly 200 employees across Scripps’ local television division. The broadcaster said it is flattening management, consolidating some operations and increasing the use of technology, including AI-powered tools, while maintaining local news coverage.
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On Wednesday, several KRIS 6 on-air personalities shared emotional messages about losing coworkers, thanking viewers for their support and pledging to continue serving the Coastal Bend.
Evening anchor and reporter Clara Benitez-Cortez asked viewers to keep the newsroom in their prayers.
“Many of my colleagues lost their jobs yesterday,” she wrote. “I was not affected, but I still hurt.”
Benitez-Cortez said KRIS 6 will continue reporting across the Coastal Bend despite losing many behind-the-scenes employees.
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“The goal still remains the same – inform the community,” she wrote.
Neighborhood news reporter Jeydah Jenkins said news of the layoffs spread quickly through Corpus Christi, prompting messages from city council members, business owners and viewers asking whether she would still be at the station.
“Thankfully, my position at KRIS is safe,” Jenkins wrote, saying she was grateful for the outpouring of support.
She said many of the coworkers who lost their jobs helped shape her reporting and made her work possible. Jenkins also stressed she was speaking only for herself, not on behalf of station management.
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Jenkins acknowledged that the station is being asked to use more digital and AI tools but said, “AI formats does not replace human interaction.”
She said the relationships she builds while reporting, from conversations at neighborhood taquerias to community events and churches, are what make the job meaningful.
“If you know me then you know I will keep my reporting as personal as possible,” Jenkins wrote. “So, when you see my coworkers that have been laid off, please be kind and remind them of all of the hard and important work they’ve done.”
‘We grieve the old normal’
Meteorologist Stefanie Lauber said the restructuring has had “a profound impact” on the newsroom.
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“In a couple weeks, many of my talented, hardworking colleagues will be moving on to new opportunities,” she wrote.
While acknowledging that change is constant in television news, Lauber said, “We grieve the ‘old normal,’ and take the ‘new normal’ step by step,” asking viewers to keep departing employees in their prayers.
Sports director Larissa Liska also described the layoffs as heartbreaking.
“Hugging coworkers that will be leaving not on their own accord is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my career,” she wrote.
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Liska said she plans to continue covering student-athletes across the Coastal Bend and hopes viewers will continue supporting local journalism.
Neighborhood news reporter Drew Bishop said the layoffs had quickly become a story in Corpus Christi itself, with many people asking whether he was affected and what happened inside the station.
“Our newsroom is a special place,” Bishop wrote. “KRIS 6 is not only losing great journalists, but we’re losing great people.”
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Bishop acknowledged the challenges facing local television news, including fewer viewers, fewer resources and mounting pressure, but said his own reporting would not change.
“I will continue to ask the hard questions, I will continue to report on what matters here in Corpus Christi,” he wrote.
He also addressed speculation about AI’s role in his work.
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“I want to make it very clear: AI plays ZERO role in my reporting,” Bishop wrote. “I write my own scripts, I write my own posts, and I interview people for my stories personally.”
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Scripps has not disclosed how many employees were laid off at KRIS 6 or KXXV. Neither station responded to Chron’s request for comment. Multiple media outlets have reported that more than two dozen employees were affected at the Corpus Christi station.
In a statement Tuesday, Scripps said the restructuring is intended to simplify operations while preserving local journalism. The company said the changes primarily affect management and behind-the-scenes positions rather than reporters who cover local communities.