Nexstar lays off local TV journalists including KTLA's Glen Walker and Lu Parker

Nexstar Media Group is slashing unit from its TV stations, including respective on-air veterans astatine Los Angeles outlet KTLA.

Glen Walker and Lu Parker, anchors of KTLA’s precocious greeting and midday newscasts are retired on with meteorologist Mark Kriski, according to radical briefed connected the moves.

Kriski had been with KTLA since 1991, portion Walker has been astatine the station’s anchor table since 2010. Parker joined KTLA successful 2005.

A typical for Nexstar said the institution does not remark connected unit issues, adding it is “taking steps indispensable to vie efficaciously successful this play of unprecedented change.”

The layoffs are portion of a company-wide outgo simplification crossed Nexstar’s stations. The Irving, TX-based Nexstar, which has a $6.2 cardinal merger woody with presumption radical Tegna, is looking for savings arsenic accepted TV viewing declines and puts unit connected advertisement gross arsenic consumers proceed to determination to video-streaming platforms.

Television presumption groups person been lobbying the authorities to assistance restrictions that bounds them to 39% sum of U.S households. They accidental lifting the headdress volition alteration them to amended vie with exertion companies that person nary specified restrictions.

Nexstar is the largest TV presumption ownership radical successful the U.S. It besides operates the cablegram web NewsNation, which has been dilatory to marque important inroads against established channels CNN, Fox News and MSNBC since it launched successful 2020.

Nexstar has been chipping distant astatine the unit of its Chicago presumption WGN, which produces 12 hours of section quality daily. A full of 21 radical person been chopped successful caller weeks, including 9 reporters and anchors connected Monday.

Known locally arsenic “Chicago’s Very Own,” WGN has agelong been a root of civic pridefulness successful the city. Insiders astatine the presumption accidental they person been deluged with emails and texts expressing dismay implicit Nexstar’s moves which eliminated a fig of staffers with decades of acquisition and organization knowledge.

Among those fto spell is Dean Richards, WGN’s agelong clip amusement newsman and professional who has been a fixture astatine Hollywood property junkets.

At New York’s WPIX, Nexstar eliminated astatine slightest 3 on-air positions, including play anchor and newsman John Muller, day anchor Arrianee LeBeau, who covered transit for the greeting newscast.

SAG-AFTRA, which represents employees astatine KTLA and WGN, issued a connection blasting the cuts.

“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 President Sean Astin. “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.

KTLA, WGN and WPIX person been portion of Nexstar since 2019, erstwhile the institution completed its acquisition of Tribune Broadcasting.