SAG-AFTRA President Sounds Alarm Over Local TV Station Layoffs Across U.S.

SAG-AFTRA leaders are laying into Nexstar for conducting sweeping layoffs at local television stations across the country, saying the action demonstrates the dangers of media consolidation.

Local L.A. station Ktla, Chicago station WGN and Wpix in New York have all reportedly been impacted by the cuts. In L.A. alone, anchors Glen Walker and Lu Parker and meteorologist Mark Kriski have been swept up in round the layoffs, The Los Angeles Times reported. SAG-AFTRA claims that eight union members have been laid off at Chicago’s WGN.

Leaders of the performers’ union, which represents local TV journalists, went on the offensive about the layoffs on Wednesday. “By laying off journalists across the country, Nexstar is eroding the resources and talent that local communities rely on for trusted news,” union president Sean Astin said in a statement on Wednesday. “These actions highlight the risks of media consolidation and underscore the…