Wgn Layoffs: On-air names revealed as WGN-TV cuts nine staff amid merger review
Wgn Layoffs accelerated this week when WGN-TV cut nine on-air personnel Monday, including entertainment critic and reporter Dean Richards and sports anchor Chris Boden, with more layoffs possible. The moves have prompted schedule reshuffles at the station and intensified scrutiny of a pending $6. 2 billion merger that the company says is being navigated during a period of unprecedented change.
Wgn Layoffs: Who was let go
The staff reductions were described in two overlapping ways: as nine on-air personnel being cut and alternatively as eight newsroom journalists plus a contract meteorologist whose agreement was not renewed. Those impacted include:
- Dean Richards — entertainment critic and reporter; described as a 34-year entertainment reporter who joined WGN in 1991 as a staff announcer and became a regular contributor in 1998.
- Chris Boden — sports anchor; noted for more than 30 years covering sports across roughly half a dozen Chicago TV and radio stations.
- Ray Cortopassi — news anchor; was laid off in the middle of his shift, leaving Micah Materre to anchor solo Monday night.
- Sean Lewis — anchor; began his WGN tenure in 2008.
- Judy Wang — general assignment reporter; began at the defunct CLTV in 1995 before joining WGN in 2009.
- Julian Crews — reporter; has covered the city and state since 1996.
- Bronagh Tumulty — reporter.
- Mike Janssen — meteorologist; effectively let go when his contract was not renewed.
- Paul Lisnek — political analyst; began work at WGN in 2008.
Anchor schedule shakeup and immediate operational effects
The cuts disrupted the station's anchor lineup. The reshuffle places Patrick Elwood anchoring solo at noon (ET), Lourdes Duarte anchoring solo at 4 p. m. (ET), Ben Bradley joining Duarte at 5 p. m. (ET), and Micah Materre joining Bradley at 6 p. m. (ET). Materre is scheduled to anchor solo from 9 to 10: 30 p. m. (ET). The popular morning-news crew is expected to stay intact. The abrupt nature of at least one layoff — with Cortopassi let go mid-shift — forced a live single-anchor response on the desk that evening.
Why management cites change and observers link cuts to merger
Management has framed the moves as steps necessary to compete in a period of unprecedented change, stating, "Nexstar does not comment on personnel issues, but the company is taking steps necessary to compete effectively in this period of unprecedented change. " Industry observers and veteran journalists have described the sequence differently, arguing the cuts are tied to cost pressures around a pending merger. One veteran Chicago broadcast journalist and current academic called the layoffs "a massacre, " saying money and the pending merger are primary drivers.
Commentary from a former metropolitan editor turned journalism chair characterized the actions as cost cutting that also signals a potential reorganization after the pending combination of broadcast groups. The same observer noted the layoffs occurred less than a week after the Federal Communications Commission chairman expressed support from the administration for the proposed merger. A social-media post from the former president urging regulators to finalize the deal — rendering the sentiment "GET THAT DEAL DONE!" — has been cited in the broader discussion of momentum behind the transaction.
Merger, debt and corporate context
The parent company announced a plan to acquire Tegna for $6. 2 billion in August, a transaction described as creating a broadcast behemoth that would reach about 80% of U. S. TV households and that would require the FCC to lift its 39% ownership cap. The company already carries debt from a prior $4. 1 billion purchase of another media group in 2019. Observers link the current cuts to the financial strain and anticipated debt burdens tied to the larger deal.
Local news trends, station performance and reaction
Industry context notes that media companies have faced cutbacks as revenues tighten in the internet age and that local journalism has been contracting for decades. Despite that trend, WGN is described as still being very profitable; ratings data cited show strong performance in the morning, dominance at 9 p. m. over a local competitor, and competitiveness at 10 p. m., with the morning-news program said to be emulated by other stations. Colleagues and observers expressed surprise at the depth of these cuts, with at least one veteran reporter saying they had never seen this many simultaneous reductions at a Chicago station.
Practical next steps and reader note
More layoffs were described as possible as the company navigates the pending merger and regulatory review. A message on the station’s site asked for voluntary donations from readers to help keep news coverage accessible, noting the site remains free thanks to community support. Details may evolve as the merger review progresses and the company continues to adjust operations.
