SAG-AFTRA leaders are laying into Nexstar for conducting sweeping layoffs at local television stations across the country, saying the action demonstrates the dangers of media consolidation.
Local L.A. station KTLA, Chicago station WGN and WPIX in New York have all reportedly been impacted by the cuts. In L.A. alone, anchors Glen Walker and Lu Parker and meteorologist Mark Kriski have been swept up in round the layoffs, The Los Angeles Times reported. SAG-AFTRA claims that eight union members have been laid off at Chicago’s WGN.
Leaders of the performers’ union, which represents local TV journalists, went on the offensive about the layoffs on Wednesday. “By laying off journalists across the country, Nexstar is eroding the resources and talent that local communities rely on for trusted news,” union president Sean Astin said in a statement on Wednesday. “These actions highlight the risks of media consolidation and underscore the urgent need for regulators and the company to prioritize the public interest and the professionals who serve it.”
The Hollywood Reporter has contacted Nexstar, the largest television station owner in the U.S., for comment.
Nexstar is currently in the process of attempting to consummate a $6.2 billion merger with rival station owner Tegna. With his remarks, Astin appears to be flagging regulators to consider the deal closely, even as Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr has previously signaled support for the transaction.
SAG-AFTRA, meanwhile, is presently negotiating several labor agreements with Nexstar stations. “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,” SAG-AFTRA claimed in its press release.
The union’s chief negotiator vowed to get his members a good deal in those ongoing negotiations. “SAG-AFTRA will not stand by while the future of local news is put at risk,” said SAG-AFTRA national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “We will continue to fight for strong agreements that protect journalists and the audiences who rely on them every single day.”
