At 3 p.m. March 31, the staffers at WRTV were preparing for the station’s regular slate of evening broadcasts. By the end of the night, most of them had lost their jobs.
Local media company Circle City Broadcasting gutted what appears to be most of the staff after completing its acquisition of the station from E.W. Scripps Co. Former WRTV executive producer Lydia Williams told IndyStar that the newsroom was blindsided by the layoffs, and they learned of the sale only hours before most of the newsroom was let go.
WRTV staff laid off one-by-one in the middle of evening broadcasts
Staffers received an email from Scripps corporate at around 3:30 p.m. March 31 that the sale would close that day, Williams told IndyStar. Shortly after, the newsroom received an invitation to a 4:15 p.m. meeting with representatives from Circle City Broadcasting’s human resources department. The staff continued to prepare for its 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. broadcasts leading up to the meeting.
Circle City CEO DuJuan McCoy was not present at the station, Williams said. McCoy and Circle City Broadcasting have not responded to multiple requests for comment but issued a statement on the acquisition April 1.
“Circle City Broadcasting remains committed to family, community, and delivering high-quality local news programming,” the statement promised.
‘We all banded together,’ Lydia Williams says of final day
Circle City personnel told WRTV employees that some of them would receive offers to stay on while others would receive severance packages, Williams said. Those who were let go were guaranteed an interview for any open positions the new-look WRTV might have under Circle City ownership, though the future of the station remains unclear.
Staffers were called one-by-one in alphabetical order into a conference room where human resources representatives told them whether they would stay on or be let go, Williams said. The process lasted around three hours for around 60 employees at the station. The 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. broadcasts aired as employees were told whether they still had a job.
Even as those human resources meetings were happening feet away, Williams said the staff worked to put the broadcasts together. Some reporters went on air knowing it would be their last show, she said.
“We all banded together, and we kept the ship rowing in the right direction,” Williams said. “People are watching. People need us.”
Williams, near the end of the alphabet, said she spent the hours before her meeting packing up her desk, poring over contracts and consoling colleagues. A Carmel native and employee at WRTV for almost 13 years, Williams said she’s proud to have produced news for her community — and that many of her former colleagues feel the same.
“I stayed there for so many years because I loved it so much,” Williams said. “There are many people in that newsroom who have the same story.”
What’s next for WRTV?
Circle City acquired WRTV from Scripps in an $83 million deal, which it announced last October. The Federal Communications Commission waived longstanding regulations meant to prevent local monopolies to greenlight the sale in February, and the deal officially closed March 31.
The acquisition expanded Circle City’s station portfolio to three local properties. The company now owns CW affiliate WISH, MyNetwork TV affiliate WNDY-TV 23 and ABC affiliate WRTV.
When the WRTV staff first learned of Circle City acquisition last October, Williams said the newsroom mood was that of “general panic.” Staffers were nervous to transition to a smaller company, and talk of layoffs swirled. Williams, however, said she was eager to give McCoy and Circle City Broadcasting a chance — especially after McCoy visited the station shortly after the sale was announced last year and told the staff he was excited to bring WRTV into the fold.
“It was implied that there would be a lot more hires,” Williams said. “We were very excited to start the new WRTV.”
Several reporters have confirmed via social media that they were let go, though it’s unclear exactly how many of around 60 reporters, producers and other staff lost their jobs. Meteorologist Kyle Mounce wrote that the staff had been “shown the door,” and meteorologist Todd Klaassen wrote that “essentially the entire staff has been let go.”
It’s not confirmed whether Kara Kenney, the station’s highly decorated investigative reporter, received an offer to stay on. She wrote in a social media post that she would miss working for Scripps but she’s “excited for the road ahead.” Kenney referred questions to newsroom leadership, which IndyStar has been unable to reach.
With the staff all but hollowed out, it’s unclear what the new WRTV will look like as Circle City Broadcasting settles into ownership. McCoy said the transition will eventually lead to more local news in the statement April 1, though he noted the process will take “several months” to complete.
In the immediacy, WRTV looks identical to its former competitor and current sister station under Circle City.
Staffers from WISH-TV, Circle City’s CW affiliate, have helmed WRTV broadcast since the layoffs. WISH meteorologist Tara Hastings anchored WRTV’s noon news broadcast April 1, which featured news stories from WISH reporters. The broadcast had WRTV logos, and reporters identified themselves as reporting for WRTV.
The shift was near-instantaneous, Williams told IndyStar. The 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. broadcasts March 31 aired as planned, but as staffers prepared for the 7 p.m. show, the feed changed.
“WISH-TV had already taken over our signal,” Williams said.
Contact IndyStar Pop Culture Reporter Heather Bushman at hbishman@indystar.com. Follow her on X @hmb_1013.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: WRTV staff were being fired while preparing the evening news, staffer says
Reporting by Heather Bushman, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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