A local television station in Salinas, after 56 years of broadcasting, abruptly ceased its local news operations on Tuesday. KION-TV, serving the Monterey, Salinas, and Santa Cruz regions of California’s Central Coast, announced that it would no longer produce its own local newscasts, instead partnering with KPIX, a Bay Area CBS station, to air its broadcasts, effective immediately.
The decision to lay off over a dozen employees involved in news operations came as a shock to KION-TV’s news staff, including anchors and producers. The station’s owner, News-Press & Gazette, informed employees of their last day during a regular morning meeting. Many employees learned of the news through co-workers or news reports. Victor Guzman, an assistant news director, expressed the widespread surprise and shock within the team.
Telemundo 23, which shared a newsroom with KION-TV, is also ending operations. This Spanish-language show served a large area of California, including Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura, in addition to the Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz counties. Sandy Santos, a producer at Telemundo 23, highlighted the void created by the decision, particularly for the significant Latino communities in California’s agricultural heartland.
Sergio Berrueta, the digital content director, learned of the changes from a former colleague. He described the scene at the station as people packing their belongings, crying, and saying their goodbyes. Employees mentioned that the station had been dealing with short-staffing, budget cuts, and hiring freezes leading up to the closure. The move comes amid economic pressures impacting local television, with other stations abandoning local newscasts or selling assets to larger companies. This leaves KSBW as the lone local broadcast news station in the region.
KION-TV characterized the changes as positive, citing the partnership with the Bay Area station as a means to provide “expanded news coverage.” Rall Bradley, executive vice president of broadcast at News-Press & Gazette Company, stated that the partnership would ensure viewers continue to receive high-quality local journalism. News-Press & Gazette, which purchased KION-TV in December of 2013, did not respond to questions about its decision or if there were plans to provide news for the Central Coast’s Spanish-speaking community.