Gainesville's CBS4 to cease local broadcasts, staff laid off by Sinclair
Gainesville residents will soon have one less source for local news.
Beginning May 15, WGFL-CBS4 will cease all local news broadcasts, according to an emailed statement sent to The Gainesville Sun on Tuesday from the station's owner, Sinclair Broadcasting Group.
The company has notified its local news staff that they will no longer have a job, but that some may be able to transfer elsewhere within the company. It's unclear how many local jobs will be lost, but it could be at least 10, based on the station's staffing website.
"They laid off the entire news department at work, this f****n sucks," one employee wrote on Facebook.
Other stations affected include WNWO in Toledo, Ohio; KPTH in Sioux City, Iowa; KPTM in Omaha, Nebraska; and KTVL in Medford, Oregon.
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"We are changing the way we produce news in the markets to ensure long-term success," the statement said. "Beginning May 15, The National Desk (TND), which provides real-time national and regional news from Sinclair’s television stations across the US, will air during the station’s regularly scheduled news time periods, with an opportunity for local news cut-ins in the newscast. TND offers an alternative choice for news, and has grown exponentially over the last year, reaching nearly 3 million viewers per week, across all dayparts."
CBS4 has yet to formally announce the change on its social media platforms as of noon Tuesday. It's also unclear what will happen to the station building, located at 1703 NW 80th Blvd.
Harvey Budd, who is no longer affiliated with the station but signed its original agreement with CBS in 2002, called it a "shame" Tuesday morning when informed of the news by phone.
"I hate to hear that," he said. "It's not good for Gainesville."
Budd, who still owns the station's broadcasting tower, hypothesized several reasons behind the move, including CBS's decision not to renew its contract with the Southeastern Conference for sports broadcasting rights. He said the main problem, however, is that unlike in radio, the city of Ocala and Marion County are in a different television market than Gainesville.
He said when the Gainesville and Ocala areas are combined, it's a top 100 market. When you remove Ocala, Gainesville falls out of the top 100.
"That makes a big difference when you're trying to sell commercials," he said.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Sinclair shuts down local Gainesville TV station, lays off employees
