It's Not a Buyout (It Just Looks Like One)

Insiders at NBC’s WMAQ in Chicago say that the cuts are continuing.

“The departures haven’t stopped at NBC Chicago — in fact, things are escalating,” said one station insider to FTVLive.

“Just this past week (8/27/25), Nina Florez, Assignment Desk, resigned abruptly. She told some colleagues she didn’t like how management was treating her, and she quit on the spot,” said our source.

We also hear that WMAQ GM Kevin Cross, along with HR, held a TEAMS meeting with Photographers, IT staff, and Producers to discuss “voluntary departures.”

Employees were told this was not about cost-cutting or layoffs. Instead, management claimed that with the new state-of-the-art newsroom being built, some people “won’t want to” or “won’t be up to the challenge” of learning the new technology.

according to sources, employees were told they can contact HR to see what their compensation package would look like if they choose to “voluntarily depart.”

The deadline to decide is September 12.

Stay tuned…