Nexstar Media Group, the largest owner of local television stations in the United States (with around 200 stations across numerous markets), has implemented downsizing and layoffs at various local stations primarily for budgetary and cost-cutting reasons.
This fits into broader industry challenges faced by local broadcast TV, including declining advertising revenue (especially in traditional and digital media markets), shrinking audiences due to cord-cutting and streaming competition, and investments in areas like The CW network (which Nexstar partially owns and has described as a financial drag despite shifts to lower-cost programming).
Key Recent Downsizing Events
- In December 2024, Nexstar announced a company-wide reduction of about 2% of its workforce (roughly 260 employees out of approximately 13,000 total). The cuts focused heavily on its broadcasting (local TV stations) and advertising sales divisions.
- The company described this as "streamlining" operations to reduce operating expenses, accelerate collaboration, and focus on growth areas. Executives, including President and COO Mike Biard, emphasized simplifying the organization amid soft ad markets and other pressures.
- This week Nexstar carried out layoffs at specific stations, including a notable round at WGN-TV in Chicago (a CW affiliate owned by Nexstar). Reports indicate 8–9 staffers were let go, including several on-air personalities such as anchors, reporters, entertainment critics, and sports personnel (e.g., Dean Richards (radio production, weekend host) Chris Boden, Judy Wang, and others). This was described as part of restructuring, potentially tied to ongoing cost pressures and Nexstar's proposed major acquisition of Tegna (a $6+ billion deal announced in 2025 that could lead to further consolidation and efficiencies if approved).
These moves are part of a pattern where Nexstar has pursued cost reductions through workforce trimming, often in local newsrooms, to maintain profitability and support growth initiatives (including lobbying for relaxed FCC ownership caps to enable more acquisitions).
Critics, including unions like NABET-CWA and SAG-AFTRA, have highlighted concerns over impacts on local journalism, with reports of lower wages, heavier workloads for remaining staff, and reduced resources for community news coverage.
Broader context: The local TV industry as a whole has seen similar pressures, with consolidation (e.g., Nexstar's past acquisitions like Tribune Media) often leading to duplicated roles being eliminated. Nexstar remains highly profitable overall but continues to cite revenue softness and the need for operational efficiencies as drivers for these budgetary measures. No widespread station closures have been reported, but the focus has been on staff reductions rather than eliminating entire outlets.