KCCI Layoffs

Layoffs. Firings. Reductions. Who cares what word you use? They all suck. It's a scary time for a lot of people right now, those with jobs and those without. We in the media, it seems, report on layoffs most every night now. Insurance companies, auto dealerships, financial institutions...and now those layoffs have hit one of our competitors. KCCI TV in Des Moines laid off four employees. Two workers took early retirement. And one person went from full-time to part-time. Don't get me wrong, I want us to beat Channel 8 in the ratings. It's been a long time. But you never want to see this happen. They're our competitors. But they're also our friends.

I don't know reporter Ryan Luby very well. But he's a fellow University of Missouri grad. So a hearty M-I-Z-Z-O-U to him. I've known meteorologist Jason Parkin for more than seven years now. He used to work at our station before he went to KCCI. He's a great guy. A really great guy. This television market and central Iowans will miss him terribly. I wish them all the best of luck. They deserve it.