News anchor fired after ranting on-air about station’s treatment of former colleague
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A Los Angeles news anchor was fired after ranting on-air about his station’s “rude, cruel and inappropriate” treatment of his longtime co-anchor.
KTLA’s weekend anchor Mark Mester was canned days after criticizing executives for how they handled the departure of Lynette Romero, who left amid controversy and didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to viewers.
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KTLA staffers were informed of Mester’s firing on Thursday, just over a week after the station announced Romero, his Weekend Morning News co-anchor, had resigned.
Mester wasn’t the only one displeased with how Romero’s departure went down.
It was entertainment reporter Sam Rubin who told viewers during a brief segment on a weekday broadcast instead of letting Romero, who was with KTLA for nearly 24 years, make the announcement herself.
A few days later, Mester took it upon himself to apologize to viewers for the cavalier way in which her leaving was announced.
“I’m going to take some time to speak directly to you at this hour, to tell you, what it is that happened here on Wednesday,” Mester said in a clip from the show while a proper tribute aired behind the anchor desk.
“I want to start off right now by offering up an apology to you [the viewers],” Mester continued. “What the viewers experienced was rude, it was cruel, it was inappropriate and we are so sorry.”
He added: “I also want to say sorry to Lynette Romero, because Lynette … I love you so much, and you really are my best friend, you did not deserve what happened to you on Wednesday.”
Shortly after Mester’s four-minute monologue, Deadline reported he had been suspended.
“After 24 years, Lynette Romero has decided to move on from anchoring our weekend morning news,” KTLA news director Pete Saiers said in a statement to Variety.
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“We really wanted her to stay, and KTLA Management worked hard to make that happen. Lynette decided to leave for another opportunity,” he continued. “We had hoped she would record a farewell message to viewers, but she declined. Lynette has been a wonderful member of the KTLA family and wish her and her family the best.”
Following her resignation, Romero retweeted a message from a fan who said not giving her a “proper goodbye opportunity is a BAD look.”
“I will always be grateful for the love and affection LA viewers have given me,” Romero tweeted. “Stay tuned my friends I’ll be right back.”
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