Three of the longest-serving TV anchors in Los Angeles were abruptly fired Wednesday when company owner Nexstar cut jobs at KTLA.
The cuts included weekday morning meteorologist Mark Kriski and veteran afternoon anchors Glen Walker and Lu Parker, along with weatherman Kacey Montoya and reporter Ellina Abovian, according to NewscastStudio.
The layoffs are part of one broader restructuring at Nextstar Media Group stations in Los Angeles and New York.
In New York, Nexstar also decided to cut staff at its channel WPIX-TV, where newsroom layoffs were reported in addition to the cuts in Los Angeles, according to NewscastStudio.
“Nexstar does not comment on personnel matters, but the company is taking steps necessary to compete effectively during this period of unprecedented change,” a company representative told The California Post in a statement on Wednesday.
The outlet said the New York cuts were part of the same round of cost cuts that hit KTLA, although the exact number of positions eliminated was not immediately clear.
Kriski was a longtime weekday morning meteorologist at KTLA and a staple of the station’s early broadcasts.
Walker served as a veteran midday anchor at KTLA, helping to run what became a three-hour late morning news block from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., as well as an additional noon hour.
“The afternoon shows that I did — it started as a one-hour news story,” Walker told The California Post.
“It was a success, so we added another show and then another show. It ended up being a three-hour news block, from 11 to 2 right after the morning show, and then from 3 to 4.”
“The shows all had good numbers, especially those at eleven, twelve and one. And especially during breaking news,” he added.
Walker said he learned of the layoffs on Monday, telling The California Post, “Did I see it coming? I would say no.”
Despite the setback, Walker struck an optimistic tone about his next chapter.
“I had a great run at KTLA and I plan on having another run somewhere else. And stay tuned,” he said.
He added that although the station offered him a broadcast, he declined.
“Officially I am still under contract for sixty days,” said Walker. “They offered one, but I declined.”
Parker also served as a veteran afternoon anchor and was one of the prominent on-air figures mentioned in the cuts.
Montoya worked as a weatherman at the station, while Abovian served as a reporter for local news in Los Angeles.
Walker reflected on the station’s legacy, calling KTLA “a unique television station as the first television station west of the Mississippi” that “had a lot of great history.”
“It will be interesting to see what happens in the future,” he said.
Reactions on social media were mixed. A X user wrote: “Mark Kriski was great. What a shame.”
“Not Mark Kriski – LA weather icon,” another X user wrote.
A disappointed Angeleno promised to avoid the stationwriting on
Some viewers saw the layoffs as a result of what they see as the channel’s political shift. “I grew up with @KTLA but they lost me when I woke up years ago. That’s a shame,” one user wrote. “It’s crap now.”
Another commenter was more blunt, writing, “Ktla is a biased news outlet that loves to promote Democrats.”
Others echoed that sentiment, with one post saying: “Channel 5 is left wing propaganda and now it will be even worse without the sensible people left,” while another added: “Be neutral and you will get more ratings.”
The Post has requested comment from Kriski, Montoya, Abovian and Parker.
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