In a shocking turn of events, KTLA has terminated one of its prominent journalists on what should have been a day of celebration. Ellina Abovian, an Emmy-nominated reporter, was among several staff members dismissed by the station as part of a strategic restructuring unveiled on Wednesday.
The layoffs also affected notable figures like weekday morning weather anchor Mark Kriski, meteorologist Kacey Montoya, and the seasoned midday anchors Glen Walker and Lu Parker. These changes mark a significant shift for the station, impacting both its staff and audience.
Despite the unsettling news, Abovian chose to focus on a personal milestone. She marked her 40th birthday on social media, where a flood of well-wishes poured in from friends and admirers. Their messages highlighted the deep connections she’s fostered over the years.
One friend expressed, “Happy birthday to the stunning and talented Ellina,” while another chimed in with, “Happy birthday, my beautiful Pisces sister.” A longtime friend added heartfelt sentiments, noting, “Happy birthday to my bestie, my sister, who always makes me smile and laugh. Thirty years of friendship and counting… and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
One wrote: “Happy birthday to the stunning and talented Elina.” Another said: “Happy birthday my beautiful Pisces sister.”
And another posted: “Happy birthday to my bestie, my sista, the one who always makes me smile and laugh. 30 years of friendship and counting… and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
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Abovian also dropped a podcast episode on Wednesday where she made a thinly-veiled dig at her former employers.
She said: “Stop hiding. Stop shrinking. There’s a big world out there and you can be a part of it. You don’t have to only exist within your Armenian community.
“Stop hiding your body, stop thinking you’re not good enough. You are so perfect in all your imperfections. If I could say that to my 21-year-old self and just say go for it. What are you waiting for.
She added: “I wish my 21-year-old self could have followed all her dreams. I wish she could have gone out there into the world… and experienced more things instead of looking for safety.
“But it’s easier said than done now being 40. So I’m going to tell myself that now as if you know it’s the 20-year-old in me and do the best with what I have in front of me today.
“We don’t get do overs in life but we do get to be who we are right now and to be 40 to feel great in my own skin, to have come this far… great, let’s move through the world now with that certainty and stop trying to go back to 20 or 30.
“Those chapters are finished and I’m happy that they’re finished because it led me here.” She added in an Instagram post: “I guess this is 40. Feeling lighter, loved and looking forward.”
In New York, KTLA owner Nexstar also moved to cut staff at its station WPIX-TV, where newsroom layoffs were reported alongside the reductions in LA.
A spokesman said: “Nexstar does not comment on personnel issues, but the company is taking steps necessary to compete effectively in this period of unprecedented change.”
The outlet said the New York cuts were part of the same round of cost-trimming that hit KTLA, though the exact number of positions eliminated was not immediately clear.
Kriski was a longtime weekday morning weather anchor at KTLA and a staple of the station’s early broadcast.
A KTLA on-air personality, who didn’t want to be named, told The Post: “Kriski was beloved, been [with the station] for 30 years.
“Everyone is devastated and worried about the future of the station. That includes many of the people in charge in LA, who seemed to be blindsided themselves,” the source added.
“Many of the talent were like family to the station and to LA viewers, the way Nexstar treated them is undignified and cruel.”
Walker served as a veteran midday anchor at KTLA, helping lead what grew into a three-hour late-morning news block from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., as well as an additional afternoon hour.
“The midday shows that I did — it started as a one o’clock news,” Walker told The California Post.
“It was successful, so we added another show and then added another show. It ended up being a three hour news block from eleven to two o’clock right after the morning show, and then from three to four.”
“The shows all had good numbers, especially the ones at eleven, twelve, and one. And especially during breaking news,” he added.
Walker said he learned of the layoffs on Monday, telling The California Post: “Did I see it coming? I would say no.”
Despite the setback, Walker struck an optimistic tone about his next chapter. “I had a great run at KTLA and I intend to have another run somewhere else. And stay tuned,” he said.
He added that while the station offered him a send-off, he declined. “I am officially still under contract for sixty days,” Walker said. “They offered one and I declined.”
Parker also served as a veteran midday anchor and was among the prominent on-air figures named in the cuts.
Montoya worked as a meteorologist at the station, while Abovian served as a reporter covering local news in Los Angeles.
Walker reflected on the station’s legacy, calling KTLA “a unique television station as the first television station west of the Mississippi” that “had a lot of great history.”
“It’ll be interesting to see what happens moving forward,” he said.
