Reporters Vikki Vargas, who earlier this year celebrated her 40-year anniversary at KNBC, and Kim Baldonado, part of the station’s news team for the past 27 years, are among a group of on-air talent taking voluntary early retirement buyouts.
They will be wrapping up their decades-long tenure and leaving the station at the end of the month.
Others include NBC4 longtime reporters Beverly White and Angie Crouch, and anchor Chuck Henry.
An award-winning journalist, Vargas spent almost her entire broadcast career at KNBC, previously working one year as a reporter and anchor at KESQ-TV in Palm Springs.
She posted an emotional video about her departure on Twitter.
The Emmy award-winning Baldonado joined KNBC in 1995, after spending three years at KCAL in Los Angeles. She previously also worked at KESQ-TV.
In a comment responding to a post about the buyout, Baldonado wrote: “None of us were forced out and I couldn’t be happier about my decision. I’ve been in the news business more than 30 years and it was my dream job, but it’s time for a change and I’m looking forward to my next career!”
At sister station KVEA Telemundo 52, VP of News Rubén Keoseyan also took a buyout. He had overseen the Spanish-language news team since joining the station in 2012. He had previously been executive editor of La Opinión newspaper.
Sources tell Media Moves that NBCUniversal offered the buyouts to longtime staffers to reduce or avoid layoffs. But in the end, not enough people volunteered, leading to some layoffs. Among them, KVEA lost people from the assignment desk and sales.
Interesting. They’re still young. Hopefully the end up at other L.A. stations.
And they will be missed….ehh, nope.
This is not what viewers want to see. These individuals are staples and icons, you’re not making positive decisions. I personally will follow them because Kim, Beverly, Vicki and Chuck were the reasons NBC was my choice for news. NOT GOOD, YOUR LOSS, SOMEONE ELSE’S GAIN!
The buyouts were offered to old staff employees: a year of salary and benefits. a year salary of chuck pays 6 or more reporters.