KIMA TV in Yakima losing news department to Tri-Cities

Ownership background and recent transfers: KIMA was previously owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. In 2025, operations shifted to Rincon Broadcasting Yakima LLC (a relatively new entity founded in late 2024 by Todd Parkin). On March 24, 2026, an FCC application was filed to transfer control from Rincon to Community News Media LLC (a New York-based company associated with Soohyung Kim and Deborah A. McDermott) as part of a larger $116.5 million deal involving multiple stations. This marks the second ownership change in roughly two months. The deal also includes sister station KEPR-TV (CBS in the Tri-Cities/Pasco area) and affiliated Univision stations.

KIMA-TV (channel 29) is the longtime CBS affiliate serving Yakima and the surrounding Yakima Valley. It has operated since 1953 as the area’s first television station and historically maintained a local news presence branded as KIMA Action News.
Recent developments in early 2026 involve rapid ownership shifts and operational changes that have raised concerns about the station’s local news production in Yakima.

As of late March 2026, KIMA’s nightly newscasts (particularly the 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. slots) appear to have shifted production from the station’s Terrace Heights studio in Yakima to the KEPR studio in Pasco (Tri-Cities area). Previously, KIMA offered the only fully Yakima-focused local newscasts with a dedicated newsroom in Yakima on weekdays at 5 and 6 p.m. (with some sharing of morning, 10 p.m., 11 p.m., and weekend newscasts with KEPR). On March 30, the broadcasts were still anchored locally in Yakima by News Director John Kennedy O’Connor with Yakima/Ellensburg-focused weather. By March 31, they were rebranded as “KIMA KEPR Action News,” anchored from Pasco by Scott Stovall, with expanded weather coverage including the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla areas. This centralization suggests a move away from fully independent Yakima-based production.

The vice president/general manager, David Praga, is no longer in that role for the CBS affiliates (KIMA/KEPR), and no replacement was immediately listed. In early March, the station reportedly had about 25 employees across KIMA and sister Univision station KUNW. There are no confirmed public reports of specific layoffs or a full “shutdown” of the news department at this time. Similar Rincon-related deals often lead to downsizing, fewer local journalists, and centralized operations covering broader regions, which can reduce dedicated local coverage. KIMA’s Yakima-focused newscasts at 5 and 6 p.m. were previously highlighted as unique in the market.

These changes come amid a broader trend in smaller markets where local TV news operations face consolidation, cost pressures, and ownership flux (including “sidecar” arrangements to navigate FCC rules). Other Yakima stations (like KAPP-ABC and KNDO-NBC) have similarly moved primary newscast basing outside Yakima while retaining some local reporters.

As of early April 2026, KIMA’s website (kimatv.com) continues to post local Yakima news stories, but the on-air shift has drawn local attention and concern about diminished Yakima-specific journalism. Long-term plans remain unclear, as the FCC transfer is pending and specific details were not confirmed in initial reporting.

Jason Remington

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