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Nexstar ready to hook up with TEGNA?

thedesk.net

Layoffs hit WGN newsroom as Nexstar lobbies for media consolidation

The company argues consolidation is needed to compete with streaming rivals, but critics cite prior newsroom cuts and market consolidation.
thedesk.net thedesk.net

  • Nexstar laid off at least nine employees at Chicago station WGN-TV amid restructuring, even as it seeks FCC approval for its $6 billion TEGNA acquisition.
  • The company argues consolidation is needed to compete with streaming rivals, but critics cite prior newsroom cuts and market consolidation.
  • The proposed deal exceeds the FCC’s 39 percent ownership cap, which Nexstar has urged regulators to eliminate.
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chicago.suntimes.com

On-air names revealed in WGN TV's latest round of layoffs

WGN TV cut nine on-air personnel Monday in its latest round of layoffs, including entertainment critic and reporter Dean Richards and sports anchor Chris Boden, the Sun-Times has learned, and more layoffs are possible.
chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com



Here is more this time WGN-TV is one of the Nexstar owned stations hit by the Layoffs as Nexstar is trying to get approval to merge with Tegna. In this case Nexstar is cutting debt that would incur if the Nexstar/Tegna deal is approved.
WGN TV cut nine on-air personnel Monday in its latest round of layoffs, including entertainment critic and reporter Dean Richards and sports anchor Chris Boden, the Sun-Times has learned, and more layoffs are possible.

Others let go were news anchors Ray Cortopassi, Sean Lewis and Judy Wang, reporters Julian Crews and Bronagh Tumulty, meteorologist Mike Janssen and political analyst Paul Lisnek. Sources say Cortopassi was laid off in the middle of his shift, leaving Micah Materre to work solo on the anchor desk Monday night.

The layoffs follow a recent round of behind-the-scenes cuts that included copywriters, circumstances that have touched local network affiliates but rarely have hit “Chicago’s Very Own.” One veteran TV reporter had never seen this many cuts at once from a Chicago station. They come as WGN parent company Nexstar is working to merge with Tegna in a deal that’s under regulatory review.
The layoffs are an apparent effort to cut costs in anticipation of the excessive debt Nexstar will incur from money borrowed to buy Tegna. In August, Nexstar announced it would acquire Tegna for $6.2 billion, creating a broadcast behemoth that would cover about 80% of U.S. TV households. The deal requires the Federal Communications Commission to lift its 39% ownership cap
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Loverofradio said:
So what happens if the deal doesn’t go through and DeathStar just axed a bunch of employees for no reason?
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Doesn’t make any difference. Both Nexstar and TEGNA would be chopping headcount anyway. TEGNA has been booting staff for the last 18 months, and had waves of layoffs prior to that.

At the local level you are just going to have a skeleton news staff at each operation. Everything else will be centralized, hubbed, and consolidated with AI taking over a large number of functions.
 
thedesk.net

Nexstar lays off workers at KTLA, WPIX amid push for TEGNA merger

Nexstar Media Group has issued layoff notices to around a dozen on-air workers at television stations in the country's two biggest TV markets.
thedesk.net thedesk.net

Update WPIX-TV New York joins the Nexstar layoffs as the company attempts to merge with Tegna.

We need to wait for San Diego, Hartford/New Haven and Sacramento TV markets where Tegna and Nexstar currently have separate news operations but would have to move to one of their offices if merger is approved.
 
www.hollywoodreporter.com

SAG-AFTRA President Sounds Alarm Over Local TV Station Layoffs Across U.S.

Local L.A. station KTLA, Chicago station WGN and WPIX in New York have all reportedly been impacted by the cuts.
www.hollywoodreporter.com www.hollywoodreporter.com

variety.com

KTLA’s Mark Kriski Among Layoffs As Nexstar Eliminates Jobs at Stations Across the Country; SAG-AFTRA Decries Cuts

Nexstar is making deep cuts at stations including KTLA, WGN and WPIX, with major layoffs including weatherman Mark Kriski.
variety.com variety.com

Here is more details of the WPIX cuts.

Meanwhile, WPIX layoffs are said to include anchors Kori Chambers, Arrianae LeBeau, John Muller and Craig Treadway.

“Nexstar does not comment on personnel issues, but the company is taking steps necessary to compete effectively in this period of unprecedented change,” a Nexstar spokesperson said in a statement.

The Nexstar job cuts come as the company is in the process of acquiring the Tegna station group, which would give it a massive oversight of TV news departments in major local markets across the country.
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labortribune.com

IBEW Local 4 calls for boycott of KSDK Channel 5 amid contract dispute - The Labor Tribune

By TIM ROWDEN Editor-in-Chief St. Louis – IBEW Local 4 is calling for a boycott of KSDK Channel 5 as contract talks with Tegna-KSDK drag on. Local 4 represents St. Louis television and radio workers. Its contract with KSDK owner Tegna Media expired Feb. 1 and, with talks making little progress...
labortribune.com labortribune.com

Here is another one a contract dispute on Tegna's end. In this case they are looking at KSDK-TV.
 
KilowattKat said:
In San Diego, a Nextstar/TEGNA merger would consolidate newsrooms further. Nextstar already combined KUSI and KSWB. TEGNA has KFMB.

www.sandiegoville.com

Is San Diego’s Local TV News About To Be Consolidated? Nexstar Layoffs, A $6.2 Billion Merger, And What It Could Mean For FOX 5, KUSI & CBS 8

Nexstar’s $6.2B Tegna merger could unite FOX 5, KUSI, and CBS 8 under one owner in San Diego amid national layoffs.
www.sandiegoville.com www.sandiegoville.com
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Same with Sacramento Tegna’s KXTV and Nexstars KTXL currently have separate offices in the area. They have to deal with the same stuff we saw when KTLA, WPIX and WGN had layoffs. But in the case of Sacramento one of them would have to lose their current affiliation like KXTV or KTXL has to send Fox or ABC somewhere else like Hearst owned KQCA because of Nexstars ownership of the CW Network if the merger is approved.
 
www.theadvocate.com

Jobs cut at KLFY in effort to reduce costs as Nexstar prepares for $6.2 billion merger

The Lafayette CBS affiliate cut its creative services department, which handles the commercial production and the station’s promotions.
www.theadvocate.com www.theadvocate.com

Here is more this time Louisiana is watching out for the Nexstar cuts at KLFY-TV. But the big one is in TV markets where Nexstar and Tegna currently have separate offices like San Diego and Sacramento we have to wait for those cuts to hit hard given that they involve closing entire offices along with the layoffs in the event Tegna and Nexstar merger is finalized.
 
www.ftvlive.com

More Tegna Cuts — FTVLive

The question is, who’s deciding to make these cuts?
www.ftvlive.com www.ftvlive.com

Update Tegna is cutting staff at WTSP-TV Tampa. Yes is the one of the first reports of Tegna cutting staff because of the Nexstar deal. Note we have to wait and see which offices in Tampa are shut down given that Nexstar owns WFLA-TV and WTTA-TV Tampa.

 
Tegna has to pay $6000 over public inspection files to their affiliate KPNX-TV.

thedesk.net

TEGNA pays $6,000 to settle FCC probe over public inspection files

TEGNA will pay $6,000 to settle an investigation over delayed public inspection reports related to one of its local TV stations.
thedesk.net thedesk.net

Local television broadcaster TEGNA has agreed to pay a $6,000 settlement to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to close an investigation into the company’s failure to maintain adequate public inspection files for one of its Arizona TV stations.

The investigation started shortly after TEGNA filed an application to renew the broadcast license of KNAZ (Channel 2) in Flagstaff, which simulcasts programming from nearby NBC affiliate KPNX (Channel 12) in Phoenix.

In the application, a TEGNA executive marked the “no” box when asked if KNAZ had filed timely reports in its public inspection file, which is supposed to be made available on the Internet. The executive later affirmed that some of KNAZ’s public inspection disclosure reports were filed late, including records that related to community-oriented programming.
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