‘Blindsided’ KTLA journalist and others speak out against recent layoffs

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This week, Nexstar Media Group’s layoffs at KTLA-TV surprised and upset many viewers, who are disappointed to see several familiar, longtime news reporters leave the station.

The staff reductions at KTLA included popular figures like weatherman Mark Kriski, weathercaster Kacey Montoya, midday news anchors Lu Parker and Glen Walker, and reporter Ellina Abovian. These layoffs are happening as Nexstar tries to lower expenses and finalize its merger with Tegna.

Abovian, a general assignment reporter at the station, shared her reaction to the layoffs on social media. In a video posted to Threads on Thursday, she said she was completely surprised by the cuts, which she described as a result of company restructuring.

After working at the station for over ten years, Abovian acknowledged that layoffs are unfortunately common in many industries. While he understands this is ‘just part of life,’ he admitted the way it happened was difficult to accept.

Some viewers and fellow journalists have also expressed their disappointment.

CNN’s Elex Michaelson shared on X (formerly Twitter) that Mark Kriski is a legendary figure in Los Angeles broadcasting. Michaelson said watching the original KTLA Morning News team – including Carlos, Barbara, Mark, Sam, Eric, and Gayle – made him want to become a journalist. He also expressed his admiration for current personalities Glen, Lu, Kacey, and Elina, calling them both talented and wonderful people.

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Meteorologist Mark Kriski is also out as part of company-wide cost reductions at Nexstar.

The journalists who lost their jobs had all worked at the station for a significant amount of time. Kriski had been with KTLA since 1991, while Walker had been an anchor there since 2010. Parker began working at KTLA in 2005.

Before resuming the broadcast Thursday, KTLA morning news anchor Frank Buckley spoke about what was happening.

As you likely know, there’s a limit to what we can share right now. But if you watch this program and station regularly, you know we consider ourselves a family – and you’re part of that family. When one of us goes through a hard time, we all feel it, and that’s where we are now. We’ll get through this together.

SAG-AFTRA, the union representing the journalists who lost their jobs, released a statement on Wednesday criticizing the layoffs. They announced they are currently in negotiations with Nexstar stations across several cities. The union claims Nexstar is trying to significantly reduce severance packages and add unfair conditions to the union contract that would restrict workers’ ability to negotiate their own employment terms.

SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin stated that Nexstar’s recent layoffs of journalists are harming local news coverage and the communities that depend on it. He emphasized that these cuts demonstrate the dangers of media companies merging and called on regulators and Nexstar to focus on serving the public and supporting journalists.

Nexstar currently runs 201 TV stations across 116 U.S. cities, reaching 70% of homes with televisions. As the largest TV station owner in the country, it’s merging with Tegna, which operates stations in 51 markets. Once the $6.2 billion merger is complete, the combined company will own 265 stations and reach 80% of all TV households nationwide.

President Trump has expressed his support for the deal in a social media post earlier this month.

As a movie buff, I’ve seen enough stories about powerful forces at play, and this whole Nexstar-Tegna situation feels like one of them. Basically, the person who wrote this believes merging these two companies will actually reduce what they call ‘Fake News’ – their thinking is more competition, and more sophisticated players, will lead to better overall news. They also seem to think anyone who disagrees just doesn’t get how beneficial this deal will be, but they’ll eventually see the light. It’s a pretty strong statement, and honestly, a bit of a head-scratcher when you consider the potential impact on local news coverage.

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2026-02-27 23:01