Citing “tough economic times,” management at KCOY 11 and FOX 12 laid off employees, including meteorologist Jim Byrne, on Jan. 4. The layoffs affected all divisions of the company, including editorial, production, and business/administration.
The Sun received word of the downsizing not long after it occurred from sources close to the station. However, KCOY General Manager Kevin Harlan and officials at parent company Cowles California Media in Salinas didn’t immediately return requests for comment.
On Jan. 6, Harlan e-mailed a prepared statement about the layoffs to other local news affiliates.
“There has been a lot of discussion of the events that have happened at our stations over the last several days. These are tough economic times for every business including television. The decisions made were not made lightly,” Harlan said in the statement.
Starting Jan. 16, the morning newscast with co-anchors Tony Coppola and Cassandra Jones will air every day, but for only an hour, from 6 to 7 a.m. on KCOY 12 and from 7 to 8 a.m. on FOX 11.
“We will actually have more local reporters in SLO and Santa Barbara counties for our evening newscasts, and they will be anchored in Salinas,” Harlan said.
Evening news segments will air on KCOY at 5, 6, and 11 p.m. FOX will broadcast the news at 7 p.m. and at 10 p.m. for a full hour. Former nightly anchor Arturo Santiago will become a reporter in the field.
“The sad news is several of our colleagues and friends will lose their jobs effective Jan. 13. It was through no fault of theirs. We have all worked hard here to make this a great television station,” Harlan said in the statement.
After hearing about the layoffs, former KCOY News Director John Zuchelli sent out his own statement as well.
“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,” said Zuchelli, who recently relocated of his own accord to a TV station in the Bay Area.
This article appears in Jan 12-19, 2012.
