An Emmy-winning director at San Antonio CBS affiliate KENS5 has introduced his departure. After 40 years in tv, broadcaster Raymond Silva mentioned he’s been changed by AI.
Silva shared the rationale for his departure in a Monday Fb put up, as reported by My SA. He indicated that his departure was neither his determination nor the station’s.
Slightly, he mentioned KENS’s guardian firm, Tegna, is “shifting in a route using a system which contains AI expertise together with automation to get rid of all administrators,” My SA reviews.
Tegna is the most important group proprietor of NBC associates nationwide, forward of Hearst and Sinclair Broadcasting. The media empire operates 64 TV stations in 51 markets. Its 15 Lone Star State stations additionally embody KVUE-TV in Austin, KHOU-TV in Houston and WFAA-TV in Dallas.
Salva, who works his final day Feb. 18, is just the newest in a string of exits from KENS 5. A previous spherical of pink slips in February 2025 included director John Allen.
Through the February layoffs, Tegna additionally fired its Confirm fact-checking group of 20 journalists and producers assigned to “cease the unfold of misinformation.” In March, the station lower 4 extra newsroom jobs. Shortly after, longtime anchor Deborah Knapp retired.
Throughout final spring’s downsizing, a Tegna spokesperson instructed the Present that the layoffs weren’t unique to KENS5 however a part of sweeping restructuring efforts company-wide involving “investing in some areas and scaling again in others.”
The 12 months prior, KENS5 lower jobs in its advertising operations in one other effort to streamline.
The layoffs observe the arrival of present Tegna CEO Mike Steib, who took the function in August 2024. A Google alum, Steib is a proponent of embracing AI within the newsroom, encouraging staff to discover ways to report, produce and run newscasts with AI, FITSNews reviews.
“[I] am excited concerning the many alternatives to leverage expertise to boost this service and generate substantial worth for shareholders,” Steib mentioned in a press assertion asserting his hiring. “Tegna is extremely nicely positioned to grab this second and construct a vivid future.”
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Associated Tales
An announcement that Nexstar plans to purchase KENS5’s company guardian comes simply 4 months after the station laid off newsroom employees.
The layoff additionally hit different properties owned by broadcast big Tegna.
Knapp’s departure after 5 many years within the enterprise follows layoffs on the TV station and downsizing at its guardian firm.
