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Longtime political analyst Jon Keller among latest WBZ layoffs
Keller had been with WBZ-TV for 20 years.
Jon Keller, a longtime political analyst at WBZ-TV, was laid off Thursday.
The news comes a few months after two other high-profile reporters left the station and a number of employees were offered buyouts.
Keller’s layoff appears to be part of a wider series of cuts at Paramount, WBZ’s owner. The company was recently purchased by Skydance Media, which is led by chief executive David Ellison. The billionaire media mogul is seen in the industry as an ally to President Donald Trump.
Keller was laid off along with four other employees, The Boston Globe reported Thursday night. It is unclear who else has been laid off, and Keller declined to comment when reached by the Globe. A representative from IBEW Local 1228 told the paper that no staff photographers or engineers were part of the recent layoffs.
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Representatives from Paramount and WBZ declined to comment Friday. Keller did not respond to a request for comment.
Keller, a 12-time Emmy winner, has been a staple of political coverage in the Boston area for decades. He joined WBZ in 2005, and before that spent 14 years at WLVI-TV. Keller also has credits as an op-ed columnist for the Globe and as a political reporter for The Boston Phoenix.
He is known for his interviews and reports on local politics. Keller’s latest column was published just a day before the news broke that he was being laid off. He has moderated some of the state’s most notable debates, such as one between Sen. Ed Markey and former Congressman Joe Kennedy. He moderated a forum for District 7 Boston City Council candidates this month.
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Fans of Keller will presumably still be able to engage with his work via MASSter List, part of the State House News Service. He has written a column for that publication since 2020.
Some 2,000 workers were laid off at Paramount across the country, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“In some areas, we are addressing redundancies that have emerged across the organization,” Ellison said in a memo to employees, per the Journal. “In others, we are phasing out roles that are no longer aligned with our evolving priorities and the new structure designed to strengthen our focus on growth.”
Under Ellison, Paramount acquired news and commentary site The Free Press for $150 million earlier this month. That site’s founder, Bari Weiss, was installed as the editor-in-chief of CBS News. Weiss, an opinion journalist who has not worked in television before, is reportedly overseeing major changes to CBS and courting more conservative media personalities.
Paramount is reportedly exploring ways to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery, which operates cable networks like CNN.
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