The Sun has received information that several employees have been laid off at local news station KCOY. According to a source close to the news affiliate, a dozen people were let go on Jan. 4, including meteorologist Jim Byrne. Parent company KION TV in Salinas has yet to make an official announcement about possible changes at KCOY, but a reliable source told the Sun that evening news segments would soon be anchored out of Salinas. The morning news will still be live in Santa Maria. Officials at both stations could not be reached for comment. In an exclusive statement to the Sun, former KCOY News Director John Zuchelli said, “KCOY was founded in 1964 by my father, Ed Zuchelli, and several other residents of the Santa Maria Valley. They built the TV station to serve the community of Santa Maria. I hope that will continue to happen. The entire Zuchelli family is praying for the people who have lost their jobs.” Zuchelli recently relocated of his own accord to a TV station in the Bay Area. One of the laid off employees was hesitant to talk to the Sun for fear of jeopardizing his severance package. “Let’s just say that yesterday was a very bad day,” he said.
This article appears in Dec 29, 2011 – Jan 5, 2012.