Kacey Montoya’s short return reshapes farewells for viewers and colleagues as KTLA staff face uncertainty

Why this matters now: kacey montoya’s decision to work through the remainder of her 60-day notice gives viewers, coworkers and her nonprofit community a few more weekends of continuity at a moment of sudden staffing upheaval. Rather than an immediate exit, the weathercaster will appear on weekend broadcasts starting Saturday and will continue appearing for several weeks while she readies a shift to full-time nonprofit work during weekdays.

Kacey Montoya’s return: who feels the impact first

The immediate effect lands on weekend viewers who expected an abrupt goodbye and on newsroom colleagues still processing a wave of layoffs. Coverage indicates several longtime staffers were laid off at once, and Montoya’s choice to remain on the weekend weather desk stretches a final chapter into a few additional broadcasts. Here’s the part that matters: those extra appearances turn what would have been a single exit moment into a short, public transition for fans and for the local animal-welfare projects she champions.

Groups most visibly affected include weekend audiences waiting for familiar on-air personalities, newsroom staff adjusting schedules while some colleagues continue to work under 60-day notices, and the community tied to Montoya’s nonprofit, which she says she will run full-time during weekdays once her KTLA time ends.

What’s easy to miss is that Montoya chose to use the notice period on air rather than stepping away immediately — a small decision that changes how viewers and coworkers experience the departures.

Event details and the practical timeline

The factual sequence as presented in recent coverage: station management conducted layoffs affecting five longtime journalists, including weathercaster Kacey Montoya and colleagues named among those let go. The employees were given 60 days’ notice before positions officially end. Montoya will return to the weekend weather desk starting Saturday, March 7, and will continue appearing on weekend broadcasts for several weeks. Accounts differ on her final on-air date — one note frames the run as through early April, another as through late April — so the precise end point remains developing.

• Layoffs announced and notices given: employees received 60 days’ notice before official end of position.
• Montoya’s weekend return begins: she will be on the weekend weather desk starting Saturday, March 7.
• Remaining on air for weeks: coverage places her final appearances sometime in April; exact timing varies across accounts.

Montoya joined the newsroom in 2013 and noted that her time at the station will end after 13 years. She has indicated plans to run her nonprofit, Fix’n Fidos, full-time on weekdays and to explore other opportunities outside the weekend schedule.

Some colleagues and newsroom observers have expressed concern that other employees working out 60-day notices might depart quietly in the coming weeks, which creates operational uncertainty for morning and weekend staffing and for viewers expecting familiar faces. The real question now is how the station will manage those short-term scheduling gaps while on-air personalities complete their notice periods.

Mini timeline for context (subject to details evolving):

• Feb. 25: Group layoffs occurred and affected staff were told their positions would end after a 60-day notice period.
• March 7: Montoya will return to the weekend weather desk beginning this Saturday.
• April (early–late): Montoya’s final on-air date is described in different accounts as sometime in April; specifics remain developing.

Final note: Montoya has invited viewers to join her on the weekend broadcasts to mark these last weeks together. If you’re wondering why this keeps coming up, it’s because the overlap between notice periods and on-air scheduling creates short-term continuity for audiences while leaving longer staffing outcomes uncertain.