May 30, 1997 – Chuck Taylor/Seattle Times
Seven people at KIRO-TV (UPN) this week were told they will be let go in a month as part of an ownership change likely to happen next week.
It wasn’t unexpected. When the station regains CBS affiliation this summer, probably on June 30, it will have to trim its news from its current 8 1/2 hours a day to accommodate network programming.
Citing personnel issues, KIRO declined to name those being let go. Three are on-air talent. All work in news, and three work on the station’s local morning show, “7 Live.” The show will be cut back to meld with “CBS This Morning.”
The layoffs were conducted by outgoing owner A.H. Belo of Dallas, which also owns KING-TV (NBC) and NorthWest Cable News here.
Sometime next week, with Federal Communications Commission approval, Cox Communications of Atlanta will take control of KIRO-TV.
The KIRO change is part of a complicated deal that includes an ownership swap at KSTW-TV (CBS). Next week, Paramount Stations Group of Los Angeles will take control of KSTW from Gaylord Entertainment of Nashville, Tenn. KSTW laid off 50 people last week.
Tony Cassara, president of Paramount Stations Group of Los Angeles, next week will visit KSTW. When KIRO gains CBS, KSTW will get UPN, a corporate relative of Paramount Stations.
