Nexstar Swings the Blade in Chi-Town

As Nexstar gets ready to take over the Tegna stations, the company is making cuts at its most successful stations.

Nexstar made a brutal round of cuts at WGN that sent shockwaves through the market.

While staffing reductions have become a grim reality for many local network affiliates, these moves have rarely touched the hallways of "Chicago’s Very Own" until now.

These high-profile departures follow a recent wave of behind-the-scenes cuts that FTVLive has been reporting on.

When reached for comment, a Nexstar spokesperson provided a standard corporate crap, stating that the company does not comment on personnel issues but is taking the "steps necessary to compete effectively in this period of unprecedented change."

However, insiders see this for what it is: a desperate attempt to trim fat and balance the books in anticipation of the mountain of debt Nexstar will take on to finalize the Tegna deal. This comes on top of the lingering $4.1 billion debt load from the 2019 Tribune Media acquisition.

The irony here is thick enough to clog a deep-dish pizza. WGN remains a cash cow and a ratings powerhouse. The station’s morning news is the gold standard that stations across the country try to replicate.

Despite being highly profitable, the station is being forced to pay the price for corporate expansion through no fault of the hardworking staff.

Among the casualties are long-time staples and familiar faces including Sean Lewis, Dean Richards, Mike Jansen, and Judy Wang. Also caught in the purge were Chris Boden, Paul Lisnek, Julian Crews, Bronagh Tumulty, and Ray Cortipassi.

It is a dark day in the Windy City when a station at the top of its game is gutted to feed the corporate beast.