The bios of CBS 11 DFW KTVT morning anchor Russ McCaskey and weekend morning anchor Jennifer Lindgren were removed from the station's website yesterday.
This coincides with the much publicized layoffs in the CBS and Viacom merger that has not only affected the corporate side yesterday, but also the CBS owned an operated television stations.
I was told by a source there are around 15 or so employees of KTVT involved in this cost cutting measures.
In a statement CBS issued Wednesday:
“We are restructuring various operations at CBS as part our ongoing integration with Viacom, and to adapt to changes in our business, including those related to COVID-19. Our thoughts today are with our departing colleagues for their friendship, service and many important contributions to CBS.”
Yesterday McCaskey and Lindgren were no longer on the station's site. At the time of this post's publishing, McCaskey's KTVT Facebook has been deleted.
As we all know, this is a tough time for the media biz, but the timing of the merger between Viacom and CBS made this extra difficult.
Russ McCaskey
McCaskey joined KTVT in 2015 from KJRH Tulsa where he had been the 5, 6 and 10pm anchor. Before that he was an anchor reporter at KXII Sherman.
The Dallas native and award winning journalist is a Plano Senior High School and Texas Christian University graduate.
Jennifer Lindgren
Lindgren joined KTVT from WKYC Northeast Ohio in 2013.
Prior to Ohio, Lindgren was a reporter/fill-in weekend anchor at WTLV Jacksonville, WLTX Columbia, SC and KXII in Sherman.
Among the awards she has won is a regional Edward R. Murrow.
* This post has been updated to confirm that Russ McCaskey and Jennifer Lindgren and others were apart of CBS nationwide layoffs
