KSAT 12 confirmed Tuesday that it has made staffing adjustments that took several employees off the San Antonio ABC affiliate’s payroll, the latest ripple in a turbulent stretch for local TV news. Station leaders described the cuts as limited in scope and emphasized they were not tied to individual performance, even as the move adds to a string of recent shake ups at Alamo City newsrooms.
As reported by MySA, a KSAT spokesperson said the changes were “part of an ongoing review of our business and operational needs” and that the actions “impacted a limited number of positions” and were not related to performance. MySA noted that the station did not provide a head count and that Graham Media Group had not returned requests for comment as of publication. The account, filed March 3, 2026, included only limited details about which roles were affected.
San Antonio stations have seen recent cuts
The KSAT move follows newsroom reductions at rival KENS 5 that began in February 2025 and continued into this year, when veteran directors and other long-serving employees departed. The San Antonio Current reported that Tegna framed those earlier cuts as part of a restructuring that involved investing in some areas while scaling back in others. Local journalists have watched automation and centralization reshape staffing decisions across the market.
Broader pressure on local journalism
National trackers show newsroom employment has been shrinking. The Press Gazette counted more than 3,000 journalism job cuts across the U.S. and U.K. in 2025, and analysts at Poynter have pointed to AI, automation and shifting ad revenue as accelerants for consolidation. Those forces have prompted both voluntary buyouts and targeted layoffs at broadcast groups and digital outlets, leaving smaller reporting teams to cover the same or larger beats.
What KSAT said and what remains unknown
KSAT emphasized to reporters that the adjustments were not a reflection of individual performance and that the station is committed to supporting affected employees during the transition, according to MySA. The station did not specify which desks were affected or whether the cuts included buyouts. Graham Media Group did not issue a broader corporate comment by the time the initial reports were published…