Jon Keller teases ‘more to come’ after being let go from WBZ

Political analyst Jon Keller has broken his silence about being let go from WBZ.

Keller, a longtime staple on the Boston TV station, was laid off last week amid widespread Paramount cuts. Five WBZ-TV employees were let go.

Keller on Monday addressed being canned after 20 years at the station.

“Massholes may not always put their voting energy where their mouths are, but here’s some good news about us – scratch the gruff, bleep-off exterior and there’s a good chance you’ll find a deep reservoir of grace and compassion,” Keller wrote in his MASSterList email newsletter column.

“Our phone is testimony, jammed with dozens of very generous texts, emails and phone calls about the interruption by corporate layoffs of our 34-year run on local TV,” he added. “We’re going to respond to every last one, but in the meantime, thank you.”

Keller was considered “freelance on-air talent” at the TV station. He joined WBZ-TV in 2005, and his “Keller @ Large” reports were regularly featured during WBZ News at 5 and 6 p.m.

“Please keep reading our work here and in Boston Magazine, and pass the word to others who might be interested,” Keller wrote in his column on Monday.

“And stay tuned. More to come,” he added.

This isn’t the first time he’s been axed. In 2020, WBZ Newsradio 1030 cut ties with Keller amid an onslaught of iHeartMedia layoffs across the country.

In long-awaited cuts just months after completing its $8 billion merger with Skydance, Paramount has begun layoffs that were set to impact about 2,000 employees.

Paramount launched roughly 1,000 of those layoffs last week, according to an AP source. The rest of the cuts will be made at a later date, they said.

In all, 2,000 job reductions amount to about 10% of the Paramount’s total workforce.

Herald wire services were used in this report.