CA - LOS ANGELES KTLA/5 NEWS** 24 YR ANCHOR RESIGNS, CO-ANCHOR GETS FIRED***

[Seattle1]

KTLA anchor Mark Mester fired after emotional on-air defense of Lynette Romero

Mark Mester, a co-anchor on KTLA's popular weekend morning show, went off script over the weekend to talk about Lynette Romero's sudden departure.

www.latimes.com

9/22/22

KTLA-TV Channel 5 fired news anchor Mark Mester Thursday afternoon, days after he was suspended following an off-script segment in which he criticized the station’s handling of his co-anchor Lynette Romero’s abrupt departure, according to several employees at the station.

The station’s general manager, Janene Drafs, announced the firing with a brief speech during a meeting in the newsroom around 1:15 p.m., saying, "[Mester] is no longer at KTLA5,” staffers who were present for the announcement told The Times Thursday.

[..]

According to station sources who asked to remain anonymous, Romero no longer wanted to work weekends and had asked management to allow her to work a weekday anchor shift so she could spend more time with her family, but she was told there were no openings. She reportedly has been hired at KNBC-TV, L.A.'s NBC affiliate, as one of its weekday morning show anchors, sources said.

Romero did not respond to The Times’ requests for comment.

During Saturday’s weekend morning show, Mester, Romero’s co-anchor, went off script with an emotional speech. He apologized, on behalf of the station, to viewers and said the handling of Romero’s exit “was rude, it was cruel, it was inappropriate and we are so sorry.”

He then apologized to Romero, whom he called “his best friend.”

“You did not deserve this, it was a mistake, and we hope you can find it in your heart to forgive us,” Mester said, his voice cracking at times, in a monologue that lasted more than four minutes alongside three of his colleagues.

 

[Seattle1]

Los Angeles anchorman is out of a job following on-air, emotional farewell to colleague

KTLA’s Mark Mester lashed out at bosses after co-anchor Lynette Romero suddenly exited.

www.today.com

A Los Angeles television station parted with a popular anchorman after he went on air to criticize management’s handling of a colleague’s departure, officials said Sept. 23.

Mark Mester will not be in the anchor chair when KTLA’s “Weekend Morning News” airs on Sept. 24, one week after he appeared to go off-script to rip the station for not staging a more grand goodbye to his longtime co-anchor Lynette Romero.

“Mark Mester is no longer employed by KTLA,” according to a statement Friday by Irving, Texas-based Nexstar Media Group Inc., which owns CW affiliate Channel 5 in Southern California. “As this is a personnel matter, we will decline further comment.”

On Sept. 17, Mester seemed to choke back tears in telling viewers that the station should be ashamed of itself for not giving Romero a celebrated sendoff.

[..]

Longtime TV reporters and anchors will often receive loving, on-air sendoffs when they retire or leave their job.

But when those on-air personalities leave for a competing network or station, the separation is often immediate with little or no mention by the soon-to-be former employer.

KTLA did not say if Romero had secured another job, and she could not be reached for comment on Sept. 23.

TV news contracts typically include no-compete clauses, preventing a reporter or anchor from working at a rival station for a set period of time, often six months.

Mester thanked Romero for her mentorship and said he learned that “dignity and grace” were the keys to success.

“And that is how we’re going to say bye to you today,” Mester said on air. “We’re going to offer you dignity and grace, which is what the station should have done from the beginning.”

 

[Seattle1]

KTLA Viewers Angry Over Lynette Romero and Mark Mester Exits

Furious fans are calling for a boycott of the CW affiliate after its "unforgivable" decision to give them both the boot

www.thewrap.com

 

[Seattle1]

KTLA fires weekend anchor Mark Mester over Saturday broadcast

KTLA has fired weekend morning news anchor Mark Mester after he criticized the station for its handling of the departure of a veteran broadcaster.

thedesk.net

 

[Seattle1]

Emmy Award-Winning Reporter Lynette Romero Exits KTLA

Emmy Award-winning reporter Lynette Romero has left KTLA to pursue "another opportunity elsewhere," the network reported Wednesday.

www.thewrap.com

 

[anonypotomous]

Good for him. I’ll bet that felt good, and he certainly knew he’d get canned but did it anyway.

 

[Seattle1]

News Anchor Mark Mester Fired After Criticizing KTLA's Treatment of Former Co-Anchor Lynette Romero

KTLA's weekend anchor Mark Mester spoke out on air after his former co-anchor Lynette Romero resigned from the LA-area news station after more than 20 years

people.com

 

[Seattle1]

Weeks earlier, Anchor Dayna Devon was allowed 5 minutes to say goodbye whereas Lynette was escorted from the building. This did not go down well with Mark!

 

[Seattle1]

2/2/19 --Donny Osmond Surprises Lynette Romero on her Birthday

 

[Seattle1]

No doubt the "suits" had a contractual reason not to allow Lynette to sign-off from her final broadcast in a manner similar to the courtesy provided to Dayna Devon a couple of weeks earlier.

However, 24 years in one chair is the kind of career that builds up generations of loyal followers! Nobody knows this better than sleuths that follow reporters on social media and develop relationships with them especially to ask about court dates, etc. (And it's not like Lynette wanted to leave KTLA, after changes in her life, she simply asked to move to weekday anchoring and KTLA declined to accommodate her request).

Days later, after the backlash from viewers, KTLA offered to send a camera crew to Lynette's home to record a goodbye message that she rightfully declined (i.e., out the door, she was no longer under the KTLA umbrella and has a new boss to answer to).

Full disclaimer, I have a personal history with KTLA/5. Years ago, I had a work assignment in LA and became a fan of their weekend edition beginning at 6 AM anchored by Chris Burrous and Lynette Romero which included a segment titled "Burro Bites" where Chris visited local eateries suggested by viewers -- think of Anthony Bourdain doing only southern CA. As a newbie to the LA area, I found my breakfast, lunch, and dinner spots from Chris! Tragically, Chris died unexpectedly at age 43 just after Christmas 2018.

The entire KTLA family was devasted by the loss of Chris, and Lynette carried the entire crew (AND viewers) through it all.

Mark Mester (who had been with KTLA since 2014) was soon partnered with Lynette for the weekend 6-11 AM broadcast. Mark also wanted to honor Chris by continuing the food segment on the weekend edition but instead of reviewing local eateries as in "Burro Bites," Mark started cooking entres on the show -- recipes sent in by viewers and some of his own. The transition with Mark was a success with viewers, and again, Lynette saved the day at KTLA.

IMO, Lynette earned the right to request the schedule change to weekdays and when this did not happen within her own news house, they certainly could have handled her departure better.