Quick Take

In a move that stunned staff and viewers alike, Salinas-based KION abruptly shuttered its newsroom after 56 years, leaving the Central Coast with just one local TV news outlet and raising questions about who will tell the region’s stories.

This is a developing story; check back for updates.

KION, the Central Coast’s CBS-affiliate television station, announced Tuesday that it was immediately shutting down its local news operation after 56 years. 

Starting with the 5 p.m. slot on Tuesday, KION’s audience in Monterey, Salinas and Santa Cruz will now receive their news from KPIX, San Francisco’s CBS station, which says it intends to extend its newsgathering and weather reporting. In a statement, KION owner News-Press & Gazette Company offered no reason for the closure of the Salinas-based newsroom. NP&G did not respond to Lookout’s request for comment. 

Victor Guzman, KION’s assistant news director since 2020, said the news came without warning. When he wrapped up his morning show on Tuesday, he went home assuming the station would present newscasts at 5 and 10 p.m. Just before noon, Guzman’s boss called him with the news that KION’s news division was shutting down. 

Victor Guzman, assistant news director at KION-TV. Credit: KION

“I still can’t believe it at this point,” Guzman, who grew up in Salinas, said on Tuesday afternoon. “I feel like they just gave up on the station.” 

Guzman estimated that about 16 people lost their jobs as a result of the closure. 

Without KION, the people of Monterey, Salinas and Santa Cruz and surrounding areas are left with only one local news station, ABC- and NBC-affiliated KSBW. One KSBW producer told Lookout that the station was “in total shock” over its rival’s abrupt closure. 

“Having competition is key for motivation,” the producer said. “This is just a big shock and a total surprise.” 

In a statement, NP&G explained that KION will “no longer produce its own full local newscasts” but that KPIX would work to bring local stories to viewers in Monterey, Salinas and Santa Cruz. The company’s executive vice president, Rall Bradley, framed the change not as a loss but as a “partnership” that would expand KPIX’s coverage and ensure that Central Coast viewers “continue to receive the high-quality local journalism they deserve.”

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Over the past decade, Christopher Neely has built a diverse journalism résumé, spanning from the East Coast to Texas and, most recently, California’s Central Coast.Chris reported from Capitol Hill...