Local Television Station Abruptly Shuts Down News Operations After 56 Years
KION-TV, a local television station based in Salinas, California, has abruptly shut down its news operations after 56 years on the air. The station, which serves the Monterey, Salinas, and Santa Cruz regions on California’s Central Coast, announced on its website that it would no longer produce its own local newscasts. Instead, it will partner with Bay Area CBS station KPIX to air its broadcasts, effective 5 p.m. on the day of the announcement.
The decision to shut down the news operations was met with shock and confusion from the station’s employees, including news anchors, producers, and other staff members. According to Victor Guzman, an assistant news director and employee of more than seven years, “No one knew they were going to kill our news show. We are all shocked.” Guzman, who worked nights daily to write, produce, and anchor the morning show, said that employees who had shifts later in the day learned the news through calls and text messages from co-workers or from news reports.
Impact on the Community
The shutdown of KION-TV’s news operations will have a significant impact on the community, particularly the large Latino population in the area. Telemundo 23, which shared a newsroom with KION-TV, is also ending operations, leaving a void in Spanish-language news media serving the region. Sandy Santos, who produced Telemundo 23 with part-time help from one bilingual reporter, said that the decision “creates a void” and that “people are very concerned about what’s going to happen.”
The closure of KION-TV’s news operations comes at a time of economic pressures on local television, with many stations abandoning local newscasts or selling off assets to larger companies. The station had dealt with short-staffing, budget cuts, and hiring freezes, and its closure leaves the region with KSBW as the lone local broadcast news station.
Response from the Station’s Owners
KION-TV characterized the changes as positive, saying that the partnership with KPIX would bring “expanded news coverage” and “builds on a long history.” Rall Bradley, executive vice president of broadcast at News-Press & Gazette Company, said in a statement that “Our partnership with KPIX ensures that viewers across the Monterey, Salinas, and Santa Cruz region continue to receive the high-quality local journalism they deserve” and will deliver “a seamless experience for viewers during a time of change.”
However, News-Press & Gazette did not respond to questions from The Times about the decision or if there were plans to provide news for the Central Coast’s Spanish-speaking community. The company, which owns KEYT in Santa Barbara and KESQ in Palm Springs, bought KION-TV in December 2013.
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