At least a dozen KSPR and KY3 staff, including anchor Jerry Jacob, laid off Friday

At least a dozen employees at KY3 and KSPR, including anchor Jerry Jacob, were laid off Friday morning in what management has called a consolidation of newsrooms. 

A Facebook post by KY3 anchor Steve Grant suggested the total number of employees laid off was 37.

Brian McDonough, general manager of KY3, KSPR and the Ozarks CW, confirmed the restructuring in a Friday evening news release. He described the move as a means to create a single, more efficient news gathering organization.

“It had been increasingly difficult to properly divide resources between our two separate newsrooms. Our world is changing, and the demand for immediate original local content continues to grow across all our news platforms. We needed to adjust our staffing to reflect the changes around us.”

On Friday, Jacob spoke to the News-Leader after losing his job.

"They just fired a whole bunch of people today," he said.

Jacob, 52, said he was not told by management why he was laid off.

"I just went into an office and they shoved a bunch of paper at me," he said.

McDonough's news release did not detail the extent of the layoff or who, specifically, was affected.

“We will double the number of people on our staff who are actively pursuing local news stories on a daily basis. In today’s world where national news and information is at your fingertips on your phone, on your computer and on your tablets, we need to do more of what we do best … telling local stories about the Ozarks and those things that affect all of us who live here.”

Ron Davis, who left KSPR as a senior producer about 18 months ago, told the News-Leader that he had spoken to four of those laid off. 

Davis said some photographers at both stations were laid off, as was the news director at KY3, as well as at least one KSPR reporter and web producers and others who worked on the technical side of both stations.

Bridgett Lovelle, news director at KSPR, will replace the news director at KY3, who lost his job Friday, Davis said.

Jeff Phillips, a news editor and producer for both stations, lost his job Friday. 

He told the News-Leader that he has been in the news business 33 years and estimates that "200 years of news and broadcasting experience was shown the door today."

He said the parent company, based in Atlanta, sent representatives from human resources to help handle the layoffs in Springfield.

KY3 and KSPR have had prior layoffs in recent years, but Friday marks the first time that an anchor was laid off.

In 2007, Jacob was embraced by his Ozarks viewers when he left his job as weekday anchor at KY3, a plum post he had for three years, to enlist in the Army.

He signed up for a five-year hitch and, as expected, was deployed to Iraq.

Jacobs said at the time he had wanted to enlist immediately after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But he was 36 years old and, then, too old for the Army.

But five years later, the age limit was raised to 42 and the Ste. Genevieve native enlisted —  only 13 days before he would have been too old.

He said at the time, "I find it more impressive that people in their teens enlist than someone like me. Obviously, the need for soldiers is there, so off I go."

Jacob said Friday morning that his service in Iraq has helped him keep Friday's setback in perspective.

In the Army, he said, he attended ceremonies honoring fellow soldiers killed in the line of duty.

"I am not sitting here crying," he said.

According to McDonough, the general manager, viewers can expect some changes starting Saturday. A combined KY3/KSPR news team will create weekday newscasts for KSPR at 11 a.m and at 4 p.m. The combined news operation will simulcast on KY3 and KSPR from 5 to 7 a.m. Monday-Friday, 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday and 10 p.m. daily. 

McDonough said the programming and operational changes will allow KY3 to expand the KY3 noon news to one hour and add a fourth hour of Ozarks Today at 8 a.m. on the Ozarks CW beginning in September.

Gray Television bought Indiana-based Schurz Communications, the former owner of KY3 and KSPR, in February 2016 for $443 million.

Since Gray, based in Atlanta, is publicly traded, it files reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

The company's annual report, filed March 1, states: "It is possible that the integration process could result in the loss of key employees."

The company owns over 100 TV stations across the nation.

Its largest market — based on revenue — is Springfield.

Interestingly, earlier this month the company approved a "Key Employee Change in Control Severance Plan" — what some might call a "golden parachute" plan — for its top corporate executives, according to the company's most recent quarterly report.

Hilton H. Howell Jr., chief executive officer and president, has annual total compensation of $5.47 million.  

According to the plan, if Howell loses his job within two years of a change in control of the company, he receives various benefits, including three times whatever his base annual salary is on his date of termination.

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