EXCLUSIVE: Another shakeup is afoot in the news division of LA’s Nexstar-owned KTLA, this time behind the scenes. The station’s news director, Pete Saiers, is out. The station’s staff was just informed of his abrupt exit. His last day was today. The official stance is that Saiers and the management mutually agreed to not renew his contract, I hear. Deadline has reached out to KTLA and parent Nexstar for comment.
“I thank everyone for the privilege of having been part of this talented and dedicated team,” Saiers wrote in a brief farewell note. “Take care of each other. And take care of the loyal audience.”
Saiers’ exit comes six months after he was caught in a storm of controversy over the way the station handled the departure of news anchor Lynnette Romero after 24 years. Romero’s Weekend Morning News co-anchor Mark Mester was suspended — and later fired — after slamming his bosses on-air for failing to give Romero a proper sendoff.
Saiers, who started at KTLA on April 21 2021, came to Los Angeles from Seattle station KING where he was news director. From 2007-2018, he was at KPIX in San Francisco
Before becoming news director, Saiers worked as a reporter, producer, executive producer and managing editor at local TV stations.