At least 12 employees with KRIS 6 News were laid off Aug. 4, according to a producer at the news station.
A spokesperson for E.W. Scripps Co., the parent company of KRIS 6, confirmed to the Caller-Times that some employees at KRIS were among 268 people laid off across the company.
Cassandra Owen has been with KRIS 6 for nearly three years producing KRIS 6 Sunrise and the 5 p.m. news, but was told Aug. 4 she would be laid off.
Owen said employees received an internal email in the morning informing them that the news station was shifting to 24/7 streaming and that managers would be scheduling one-on-one meetings with certain employees.
"I got my one-on-one and was told I was laid off," Owen said in a phone call. "I decided to leave for the day because
I didn't want to be there. I've been in the business; I know what layoffs are. I didn't want to be there seeing everyone else go."
The employees who were laid off were producers, directors, editors, digital creators and a receptionist, Owen said. Their last day is Aug. 18.
Owen said she received "a little bit" of a severance.
In February, Variety reported that E.W. Scripps Co. was expected to make layoffs in the near future to cut costs and focus on the use of AI-powered newsrooms.
Layoffs at KRIS 6 are primarily tied to newscast roles, including some producer and director positions, the Scripps spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the changes are designed to put more journalists in the field and deliver local reporting faster across platforms. Viewers will continue to see news broadcasts, the spokesperson said, but KRIS 6 will shift to a more digital-first model.
The spokesperson provided an email that Adam Symson, president and CEO of Scripps, had sent to every employee Aug. 4 informing them of the layoffs.
"We will increasingly depend on technology, AI and automation as a key enabler to how we operate so we can allocate resources to deepening audience connection and creating value for our advertisers," Symson wrote in the email.
Owen said viewers have possibly noticed a difference in the newscast with the station, as it has "not been produced the same way it was about two months ago."
"As time goes on, people will notice the changes," Owen said. "I think everyone knows AI is going to take over; I just don't think people realized how fast it was going to happen."
John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Have a story idea? Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: A dozen employees laid off at KRIS 6 News in streaming shift
