KTLA reporter Ellina Abovian revealed Thursday that the Nexstar newsroom layoffs that saw her out of a job came on her 40th birthday.
On Wednesday, Nexstar enacted a wave of layoffs that affected both KTLA and WGN in an effort to cut costs while pursuing a merger with Tegna. Abovian was among the cuts at the Los Angeles news station along with Mark Kriski, Kacey Montoya, Lu Parker and Glen Walker.
“I was not expecting this,” Abovian said in a video posted to Threads. “I was blindsided, and it hurts. It cuts deep, because I cared about what I did. And I understand. Corporate layoffs are a part of life and this is just the game of life. They’re impacting people across multiple industries right now, so I’m not the only one, and certainly my situation isn’t unique. But it’s hard to process considering how it happened.”
She added: “I was getting ready to celebrate a milestone birthday. And instead now I’m processing what I’m going to do as a single mom to two kids. Life gets real when it gets real.”
Watch the full video below:
View on Threads
Wednesday’s layoffs stirred a wave of dissent across the industry and local news viewers on Wednesday, with SAG-AFTRA criticizing the decision in a press release saying the layoffs “strike a serious blow to a trusted source of news and information on which these communities depend.” Union president Sean Astin shared those same sentiments in a statement.
“By laying off journalists across the country, Nexstar is eroding the resources and talent that local communities rely on for trusted news,” Astin said. “These actions highlight the risks of media consolidation and underscore the urgent need for regulators and the company to prioritize the public interest and the professionals who serve it,” Astin wrote.
The statement added that Nexstar is pushing to “gut severance pay” in exchange for “onerous provisions into the union contract” that would limit workers’ ability to freely bargain their own deals for employment. In addition, SAG-AFTRA points out that Nexstar is in the middle of finalizing its purchase of media company Tegna, a consolidation the union notes as “troubling” as it relates it Nexstar axing local newsroom jobs.
