Axe Swings at Tegna Station

In a sign of potential instability across one of the nation's largest broadcast groups, Minneapolis's KARE is reeling from two high-profile staff departures, sparking questions about the station's future as its parent company, Tegna Inc., awaits a massive buyout from Nexstar Media Group.

The most abrupt exit is that of meteorologist Wren Clair, who announced Friday she is not only leaving the station but leaving the television industry entirely. Her departure is particularly striking given her short tenure; Clair had only joined the Tegna-owned station in May. Her sudden exit comes just three weeks after she filed a widely publicized sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against her previous employer, KSTP-TV.

“KARE 11 and I have agreed to part ways,” Clair wrote in an Instagram post. “I look forward to focusing more on my personal life and pursuing scientific careers outside of television.” Her biography was scrubbed from the station's website concurrently with her announcement.

Adding to the sense of upheaval, KARE Sports Director Reggie Wilson announced his position is being eliminated at the end of the year. Wilson’s departure highlights the human cost of corporate restructuring, as his wife, former KARE 11 anchor Alexis Rogers, was also let go from the station in January during a round of national layoffs.

In a candid LinkedIn post, Wilson revealed the personal toll of the decisions. “It’s not easy navigating layoffs, especially considering my wife and I are both enduring job loss at KARE in the same year," he wrote. "Now with a newborn at home, the stakes are raised.”

These back-to-back departures are being viewed by industry insiders as a potential symptom of the uncertainty surrounding Tegna Inc. The company is in the final stages of being acquired by Nexstar, a media behemoth that is already the largest owner of local television stations in the United States. Such large-scale corporate mergers are often preceded by significant cost-cutting measures, strategic restructuring, and the elimination of positions as the parent company prepares to absorb new assets and streamline operations.

The situation at KARE, a prominent station in a top-20 media market—serves as a potential bellwether for the changes that could ripple across Tegna's 64 stations nationwide as the Nexstar deal closes, leaving employees and viewers to wonder what their local news will look like in the era of further media consolidation.