Chief Meteorologist, Weekend Sports Anchor Among Layoffs At KCOY

Nine people, including chief meteorologist Jim Byrne (pictured) and weekend sports anchor Kevin Roose, have been laid off at Santa Maria CBS-affiliate KCOY, TVSpy has learned.

A KCOY station source says the layoffs, which all came from the news division, were part of a “re-structuring.” The layoffs — which included photographers, directors and producers as well as Byrne and Roose — were announced yesterday.

Byrne has worked at KCOY since 1999 and has been chief meteorologist since 2002. Roose, who began as a video editor at the station, joined in 2005.

Cowles California Media Company, the owner of KCOY, recently consolidated KCOY with KION-KCBA in Salinas to “lower capital and operating costs and improve our on-air product.”

“The television markets have lost millions of dollars over the last several years,” KCOY general manager Kevin Harlan told the Tribune News of the layoffs. “We are a business and we have to address this.”

KCOY news director Traciann Zeravica did not immediately respond to TVSpy’s request for comment.

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