A fired KTLA reporter offers a bleak view of the future of TV news

It’s no secret that the local TV news industry is going through a lot of change.

Ellina Abovian – a longtime KTLA reporter who was fired from the station last month – emphasized that in an interview with the Los Angeles Times on Monday, telling the newspaper that it is now up to journalists to see how they “continue to be storytellers, in a different way.”

“Local news will always be very important,” Abovian told the newspaper. “However, the delivery and the way the industry does it is changing.”

Abovian was among several prominent on-air talents let go last month from the Nexstar Media Group channel.

As live streaming continues to take a large portion of viewers away from traditional television and revenue declines, companies must downsize and look to consolidation to reduce costs and remain operational.

Nexstar recently completed its acquisition of Tegna Inc. of $6.2 billion, which now puts the broadcaster in 80 percent of America’s TV households.

The deal was made possible after the Federal Communications Commission issued a rescission of a ruling that had prevented one broadcast company from reaching more than 39% of American households.

Adam Symson, president and CEO of EW Scripps Co told the Times that consolidation is necessary for the industry to grow.

“I think the business needs a healthy level of consolidation,” said Symson, whose company has more than 60 stations. “It is not sustainable to expect these businesses to continue to operate under pressure of income in an environment that makes it seem like we are competing with only four or five television stations.”

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Scripps rejected an unsolicited acquisition proposal from Sinclair last year, but said it remains open to future opportunities to enhance shareholder value, including any acquisition proposal.

The company announced a restructuring plan in February focused on investing in artificial intelligence to grow revenue and save money, but it could also include layoffs, according to CNBC.

“Everything is on the table, but our goal is to always maintain journalism and sales, the two things that build our customer relationships,” Symson told the outlet.

The Nexstar-Tegna merger and the FCC’s decision to lift ownership mark a turning point in an industry that has long sought freedom to combine — and survive.

“It’s going to be very helpful in terms of paving the way for future jobs,” Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley told Wall Street analysts last month on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, according to a filing. “And we, in particular, are not standing still.”

As for Abovian, for now, she is leaving TV news to focus on her podcast “Breaking Through, The Ellina Abovian Podcast.”