Nexstar’s Fresno NBC affiliate KSEE will soon have a new housemate. The station group plans to move its newly acquired CBS affiliate KGPE into the building of its newly acquired NBC affiliate KSEE in a consolidation move similar to what they’ve done in other markets.
Matt Rosenfeld, president and general manager of both KSEE and KGPE, told TVSpy, plans are to give both stations a new newsroom, new studios, new sets and high definition by the end of the year. “That’s something we would have not been able to do without Nexstar. Individually, we could not have gone HD,” Rosenfeld told the Fresno Bee. “We will co-locate — my new favorite word — into this building once the build-out is completed.”
According to the Bee, the stations will continue to share reporters but will maintain separate anchor staffs. But what hasn’t been addressed is what happens to the studio staff of both stations after the move. KSEE employees are represented by IBEW and SAG/AFTRA, while KGPE’s employees are non-union. Rosenfeld did not rule out the possibility of layoffs with either the Bee or TVSpy,
In other markets where Nexstar has combined stations, there have been layoffs. Rosenfeld anticipated that natural attrition will be enough to prevent layoffs, saying there have already been employees at both stations who have taken other jobs. He added that there’s been one new hire, for the business department.
In January Nexstar consolidated its Little Rock stations KLRT and KARK and laid off nearly 30 in the process. Earlier this month, the station group revealed a new Memphis compound housing its three Tennessee stations, WPTY, WLMT and WJKT.