UPDATE, Jan. 23, 2025 — A plan by Allen Media Group, which owns four TV stations in Wisconsin, to cut meteorologists’ jobs across the U.S. apparently has been scrapped.
Amid an outcry from viewers and advertisers, Allen Media Regional Vice President Dan Batchelor confirmed to West Kentucky Star in Paducah, Kentucky, that the move to release all local meteorologists in favor of coverage from the studios of The Weather Channel has been scrapped. READ MORE.
UPDATE, Jan. 21, 2025 — Allen Media Group has announced The Weather Channel will soon provide local weather coverage for its broadcasting television station division, Allen Media Broadcasting (AMB). Allen Media Group owns The Weather Channel.
The new initiative will happen at all of AMB’s local television stations nationwide in 2025, including WKOW in Madison, WXOW in La Crosse, WQOW in Eau Claire and WAOW in Wausau. Allen Media Broadcasting has a total of 22 local broadcast television stations in the U.S.
UPDATE, Jan. 18, 2025 – Multiple social media reports say that Allen Media Group is laying off its weather staff as it moves to “hubbing” weather forecasts from the Atlanta facilities of its co-owned Weather Channel.
The group, which owns around 36 stations in mid-size to small markets across the country, has already been quietly cutting a variety of jobs in recent months, including managers, anchors and forecasters.
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LA CROSSE, Dec. 4, 2024 — Allen Media, which owns four TV stations in Wisconsin, reportedly had significant layoffs this week at its northern Wisconsin stations.
According to a social media post from Vicki Markussen, former CEO of the LA Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce, eight people were let go from WXOW in La Crosse with six staff members remaining.
News Director Sean Dwyer and longtime anchor Davie Solie were among the cuts, according to Markussen.
In a message to viewers, WXOW anchor Heather Armstrong acknowledged the changes at 19 News.
“Thank you for your patience as we make this transition. Rest assured, we’re still here and committed to bringing you the local news you want to see,” she said.
Markussen said she’s heard from insiders that the weekend newscast will no longer be locally produced. Limited weekend La Crosse news will be produced and sent to WKOW in Madison for a statewide weekend show, she suspects.
Weekdays there will be two minutes of local sports a day.
In April, Allen Media laid off at least four on-air journalists at its flagship Wisconsin station, WKOW, including an anchor, senior reporter, sports reporter and meteorologist.
Since then, another sports staffer and meteorologist have left the station.
There also are reports that WAOW in La Crosse and WQOW in Eau Claire also had layoffs.
(Loss of local news a blow for Wausau)
(Edwards, other staffers out at WQOW)
In May, Allen Media Group, the company owned by TV mogul Byron Allen, announced it was beginning a significant round of layoffs affecting all divisions of the business.
“Allen Media Group is making strategic changes to better position the company for growth that will result in expense and workforce reductions across all divisions of the company,” a spokesperson said in a statement to The LA Times.
In 2021, the four Wisconsin stations were sold by longtime owner Quincy media to Gray Television, which then sold them to Allen Media for a reported $380 million in cash.
Allen Media, which owns and operates local television stations in twelve markets, also owns 12 networks including The Weather Channel and the free-streaming service Local Now. Allen Media Group was founded by Byron Allen in 1993.
