Local meteorologists broadcast tearful goodbyes as Allen Media Group — which owns nearly two dozen television stations across the country — replaced them with a feed from The Weather Channel, according to a report.
The Byron Allen-owned media company will lay off or reassign at least 50 workers across all of its local stations – including FOX, NBC, ABC and CBS affiliates stretching from California and Hawaii to Alabama and the ‘Arizona, according to a CNN report.
“Kevin and I have been coming to your house for decades — almost 37 years for me,” Patrece Dayton, a news anchor in Terre Haute, Indiana, said Friday as a box of tissues sat nearby.
“And more than 40 for me,” added Kevin Orpurt, the station’s chief meteorologist.
“For those of you who don’t know, both of our positions are being eliminated here at WTHI-TV,” Dayton continued. “The television industry in general is changing nationally and budget cuts are happening everywhere.”
Allen Media is assembling a new Atlanta-based team to lead the “cutting edge” coverage of The Weather Channel, which the company acquired for $300 million in 2018, according to a press release.
The new team will include some of the relevant meteorologists and will be led by Carl Parker, a storm expert and 20-year Weather Channel veteran, according to Allen Media.
It’s the latest cost-cutting measure following layoffs at Allen Media and The Weather Channel last year.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Atlanta “hub” will have the latest weather technology, improved forecasting capabilities, more graphics and 24/7 media coverage, according to the press release.
Some of the affected employees took to social media to start sharing the news.
“By now, most of you have probably heard about Allen Media letting local meteorologists go, and well, I’m one of those who will be affected by this,” WAAY meteorologist Amber Kulick wrote to Huntsville, Alabama, in a Facebook post. “For now, I’m still at the station but looking for my next career opportunity.”
In a Facebook post, Christina Burkhart, a meteorologist who left Flint, Michigan-based WJRT at the end of 2024, said the layoffs would affect 100 meteorologists, double what CNN reports.
Allen Media did not confirm how many employees would be affected.
“The weather forecast will be sent from the Atlanta Weather Channel,” Burkhart said. “These will be pre-recorded by regional meteorologists recording the results for each Allen station. They will also provide live coverage of severe weather.
Last year, Allen Media carried out a series of layoffs for an undisclosed number of employees, citing “strategic changes.”
The Weather Channel also cut staff in October and shut down its Spanish-language version as part of “widespread cost-cutting measures.”
Meanwhile, Allen, the group’s founder and chief executive, has made a handful of unsuccessful takeover bids for major media companies in recent years.
Last year, he offered $30 billion to buy Paramount Global.
In 2023, he reportedly offered Disney $10 billion for ABC and some of its cable networks.
He also reportedly considered making a bid for EW Scripps.
Meteorologists at rival stations denounced the layoffs and the move to a single weather feed.
Although the change “may save money in the short term,” it also “takes away value and credibility in the long term,” said Spencer Denton, a meteorologist at rival WVLT in Knoxville, Tennessee. in a message on Facebook.
“Weather is the number one reason most people watch a local newscast,” Denton said. “These people are more valuable than some companies think and I am sure they will land on their feet.”
A 2019 Pew study found that the weather was the most important news topic for viewers.
