Local TV News Anchor Resigns, Blames Exhaustion After Slurring Her Words Live On Air—Co-Worker Disagrees
A local TV anchor has resigned after slurring through an erratic news broadcast over the weekend.
CBS 6 viewers were concerned while watching Heather Kovar struggle to coherently deliver the news during her weekend shift—at times slurring and even calling the weatherman by the wrong name.
The Albany news anchor blamed exhaustion for her erratic performance along with the recent death of her father.
She says her hectic schedule (see above) was at the root of her sleep deprivation, but her excuse wasn't enough to avoid being suspended by the station.
Saturday I was scheduled to work the early morning 6 a.m. shift and the evening shift. I was sleep-deprived and exhausted.
Kovar made the announcement that she would not be renewing her contract and effective July 31 she will be resigning her job at CBS after hitting a "breaking point from exhaustion."
But according to at least one inside source, Kovar was known to come in "intoxicated" for weekend shifts before but "not this bad."
Kovar was replaced on the Sunday broadcast and the general manager at CBS 6 said that there would be no further comment after revealing the upstate New York anchor was suspended while they conducted an investigation.
As a broadcast professional I can't help but wonder who allowed her to go on air in that condition let alone let her remain on the air as she stumbled through her incoherent delivery.
I'm not saying she was set up, but there was definitely at least one other person who saw her fit to go on air in the condition of exhaustion, intoxication, or whatever led to what we are now seeing go viral all over social media.
I'm going to give Heather the benefit of the doubt and wish her the best as she continues to deal with whatever is ailing her in life and based on her rigorous schedule, this may just be a blessing in disguise.
Check out the full story here via The New York Post.