KENS5 is owned by broadcast company Tegna, which operates 64 stations in 51 markets. Credit: Screen Capture: Google Maps

San Antonio TV station KENS5 has laid off at least four newsroom employees as its parent company Tegna continues to restructure, according to people familiar with the business.

A Tegna spokesperson wouldn’t confirm the departures but issued a statement acknowledging that the Virginia-based broadcast and media company is “scaling back” some operations.

“We’re focused on creating a sustainable future for local news, with local leaders adjusting their newsrooms to meet the unique needs of their market,” the statement said. “We’re investing in some areas and scaling back in others.”

The people familiar with the layoffs said they affect newsrooms at other Tegna broadcast properties. However, they didn’t say how many people were losing their jobs nor could they confirm what positions were eliminated at KENS5.

The newsroom downsizing is just the latest in a series of job cuts at Tegna, which operates 64 television stations in 51 markets. Its 15 Lone Star State stations also include KVUE-TV in Austin, KHOU-TV in Houston and WFAA-TV in Dallas.

Last month, the company laid off its Verify fact-checking team, a team of 20 journalists and producers assigned to “stop the spread of false information,” AdWeek reports. The group’s content was distributed across Tegna’s local stations and digital properties.

Late last year, Tegna also streamlined its marketing operations, eliminating jobs in the process, according to South Carolina-based news website FITSNews.

The layoffs follow the arrival of new Tegna CEO Mike Steib, who took the role last August. Steib, a Google alum, is a proponent of embracing AI in the newsroom, encouraging employees to learn how to report, produce and run newscasts with AI, FITSNews reports.

“[I] am excited about the many opportunities to leverage technology to enhance this service and generate substantial value for shareholders,” Steib said in a press statement announcing his hiring. “TEGNA is incredibly well positioned to seize this moment and build a bright future.”

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This article appears in Mar 5-18, 2025.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...