'Blindsided' KTLA journalist and others speak out against recent layoffs

After Nexstar Media Group announced layoffs astatine KTLA-TV this week, immoderate viewers person expressed daze and dismay implicit losing respective longtime section broadcast journalists astatine the station.

The cuts included KTLA weatherman Mark Kriski, weathercaster Kacey Montoya, midday anchors Lu Parker and Glen Walker and newsman Ellina Abovian. The layoffs travel arsenic Nexstar attempts to chopped costs and pursues a merger with rival media institution Tegna.

Abovian, who was a wide duty newsman astatine the station, reflected connected the layoffs connected societal media, saying successful a video posted to Threads connected Thursday that she was “blindsided,” and that the cuts were “part of firm restructuring.”

“Corporate layoffs are a portion of beingness and this is conscionable the crippled of life. They’re impacting radical crossed aggregate industries close now, truthful I’m not the lone one, and my concern surely isn’t unique,” said Abovian, who worked astatine the presumption for much than a decade. “But it’s hard to process, considering however it happened.”

Some viewers and chap journalists person besides expressed their disappointment.

CNN anchor Elex Michaelson responded connected X, writing, “Mark Kriski is an L.A. broadcasting icon. As a kid, the OG KTLA Morning News unit (Carlos, Barbara, Mark, Sam, Eric, Gayle, etc) inspired maine to privation to beryllium a journalist. I person large respect for Glen, Lu, Kacey, and Elina arsenic good … each large radical … and talented broadcasters.”

Each of the laid-off journalists had been with the presumption for a fig of years. Kriski had been with KTLA since 1991, portion Walker sat astatine the station’s anchor table since 2010. Parker joined KTLA successful 2005.

KTLA greeting quality anchor Frank Buckley addressed the concern earlier continuing connected with the broadcast Thursday.

“As you astir apt know, we are highly constricted successful what we tin say,” Buckley said. “But if you are a regular spectator of this programme and of this TV station, you besides cognize that we are a household here. We see you to beryllium portion of that family. And erstwhile household members acquisition pugnacious times, we each consciousness it. So this is simply a hard clip for us. And we volition spell done it together.”

SAG-AFTRA, which represents the laid-off journalists, issued a merchandise connected Wednesday condemning the cuts. The guild disclosed that they are “actively bargaining with Nexstar stations successful aggregate markets.” It accused Nexstar of pushing “to gut severance wage and insert onerous provisions into the national declaration that bounds workers’ quality to freely negociate the presumption of their ain employment.”

“By laying disconnected journalists crossed the country, Nexstar is eroding the resources and endowment that section communities trust connected for trusted news,” said SAG-AFTRA’s President Sean Astin successful the release. “These actions item the risks of media consolidation and underscore the urgent request for regulators and the institution to prioritize the nationalist involvement and the professionals who service it.”

Nexstar operates 201 stations successful 116 section markets successful the US, reaching 70% of American households. It is the largest TV presumption ownership radical successful the U.S. Tegna owns tv stations successful 51 U.S. markets. Following the pending $6.2 cardinal merger, the lasting institution volition person 265 stations, representing 80% of U.S. TV households.

President Trump has expressed his enactment for the woody successful a societal media station earlier this month.

He wrote, “Letting Good Deals get done similar Nexstar – Tegna volition assistance sound retired the Fake News due to the fact that determination volition beryllium much competition, and astatine a higher and much blase level. Those that are opposed don’t afloat recognize however bully the conception of this Deal is for them, but they volition successful the future.”