Lafayette TV Station Lays Off Staff Amid Massive Shakeup

Lafayette, LA (KPEL News) - The Lafayette, Louisiana, TV market has been a hotbed of activity over the last year. The only TV station that hasn't seen major shakeups to staff or on-screen faces is CBS affiliate KLFY.

Scripps, the parent company of ABC affiliate KATC, announced big changes to its news format that resulted in the exodus of the faces of their morning and evening newscasts. Katie Lopez left Good Morning Acadiana, and Jim Hummel and Marcelle Fontenot announced their departure. Long-time talent Dave Baker, who expertly straddled the meteorologist/news anchor role, departed at the end of 2023.

READ MORE: Dave Baker Gets Back to Forecasting for South Louisiana on His Terms

When Jim and Marcelle bid farewell, their move across the street to Fox/NBC affiliate KADN became the worst-kept secret in Lafayette. The anchor team did, in fact, appear on screens across the south Louisiana TV market on KADN and KLAF's nightly news months after leaving KATC, reportedly pulling in 6-figure salaries.

READ MORE: Jim and Marcelle Back on Air in Lafayette

Allen Media, owned by businessman and comedian Byron Allen, owns KADN/KLAF. Within recent weeks, the industry has been abuzz about cuts and potential layoffs at its stations. The axe fell this week, and the chopping may not be over at Allen Media as a whole.

The media mogul earlier this year put in a bid of more than $14-billion to buy an entertainment group that includes Paramount Pictures and CBS. Allen also owns The Weather Channel which let people go this week, Allen says, in an effort to provide for growth.

Mike Seidel, a TV name and face familiar to everyone in the Lafayette area, lost his job after a 32-year-career at The Weather Channel. Mike has been one of the people we've watched get blown around by hurricanes while showing the country what Louisiana deals with during storms.

In a statement to several news outlets, the company said:

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. We are aligning these changes to drive future business opportunities and support our growth strategies in our rapidly evolving industry.

In Lafayette, five members of the production staff were laid off. Jim Parker, Executive Director of News and Public Affairs at KADN, says they were part-time personnel, and the loss won't affect their operation. It's still unclear what percentage of their production team those five people represent. Production staff are the people viewers don't see on camera, but are an integral part of creating a good show.

According to FTV Live, a television industry trade, none of the on-air staff were cut. One KADN/KLAF employee commented to the trade publication:

It's very crappy they have these two wayward anchors who likely make north of 100k a year each and people who make $39k a year are getting laid off. These anchors were supposed to turn ratings around, and the change has barely been noticeable. It's pathetic.

No word yet on whether the layoffs are complete for KADN/KLAF, The Weather Channel, or any other Allen Media-owned properties across the country.