Mankato's KEYC hit by layoffs from parent company, will broadcast news from Rochester

Gray Media has reportedly laid off newsroom employees at several of its smaller market TV stations, including KEYC in Mankato .

The Mankato Free Press reports that around 12 newsroom employees have been laid off. The company declined to specify which news staff or exactly how many were let go. Staff were notified of the layoffs on Friday, just days before Tuesday's election.

KEYC and Gray TV did not respond to a request for comment from Bring Me The News.

On Monday, the station posted a message on its site outlining changes to its newscasts. KEYC's Morning News Now will now broadcast the program produced at KTTC in Rochester .

Changes are also coming to its noon and weekend newscasts.

"Viewers in both Rochester and Mankato will now see a regionalized morning and noon newscast that prioritizes local First Alert Weather forecasts, overnight breaking news, and important information from our respective communities," the station wrote, adding that KEYC and KTTC journalists and meteorologists will work "closely with their counterparts" to include "local content" in newscasts.

Additionally, KEYC will add a news broadcast on weekend mornings, and the noon broadcast will soon expand from 30 minutes to a full hour. However, those broadcasts will originate from the Rochester station.

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Its daily newscasts at 5, 6, and 10 p.m. will continue to be produced in Mankato. However, the Mankato Free Press says that "it appears all but one news reporter has been laid off."

KEYC will continue to produce "Kato Living" and its local polka music show, "Bandwagon," the longest continually running music program in the nation.

KEYC, which has been on the air with various affiliations since 1960, was purchased by Gray Media in 2019. The company has not confirmed the number of stations that were part of its cutbacks days before the election, but some reports are putting the number at more than 12 stations.

The layoffs come just months after Alpha Media announced sweeping layoffs at radio stations throughout southern Minnesota , including four stations in Mankato.