Heather Kovar suspended: Albany CBS6 WRGB TV anchor taken off air after slurring during broadcast as questions abound.
Ppppeeek-a-boo-boo !! A prominent Albany TV news anchor shocked viewers over the weekend when she seemingly slurred her words during an evening broadcast leading to her being suspended from her job according to her employer.
The dishevelled CBS 6 anchor, identified as Heather Kovar, was jjjj-jittery and wide-eyed during her Saturday segments and at times incoherent.
At one point while trying to alternate between ssss-segments, Kovar said, ‘And so, moving on tonight, is we have to tell you also, you know, like other news that’s happening in the area, and across the area, in the nation.’
Qu’est que c’est…?
Our collective hero also began having trouble while discussing an explosion at a natural gas plant in Oklahoma, sss-stumbling on her words.
Viewers expressing concern over train wreck of local evening newscast out of Albany. Anchor Heather Kovar appeared disheveled, misspoke, and slurred her words for the entire newscast. Here, she tries to set up the weather and toss to the meteorologist, who’s name she gets wrong. pic.twitter.com/70jwwvykKt
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) July 10, 2022
What led to CBS6 Albany news anchor slurring behavior?
She quickly changed subjects during the report, saying bizarrely, ‘Well, hello! Good afternoon!’
‘Ppppeek-a-boo-wahoo!!’
Continued the discombobulated anchor: ‘Like, I was telling you this morning, if you watched us this morning starting at 6 a.m., 7 a.m., I told you, you know what? Today, what a beautiful day outside! It is just amazing. And so, a great time for outdoor music.’
Kovar appeared to also having some technical issues during the segment and was observed holding for dear life a wire at one point during the broadcast.
Major Kovar to Earth, major Kovar, eject, eject …
The anchor was ultimately cut off from speaking mid-sentence.
According to a report via the nypost, Kovar was suspended pending further investigation.
Internal strife at WRGB?
A statement from Robert Croteau, vice president and general manager of the network, released on Sunday read: ‘Heather Kovar has been suspended pending our internal investigation. We have no further comment at this time.’
Kovar had said on Twitter on Saturday that she would be back on the air Sunday morning, but she did not appear on the station’s broadcast and instead was replaced by Emma Quinn.
CBS 6, also referred to as WRGB, is owned by Sinclair Broadcasting Company. Kovar has been an anchor for the network since July 2016.
Kovar recently returned from leave, during which she was tending to her father before his passing, according to the Times Union of Albany. She wrote in a May Facebook post that ‘the station has graciously allowed me to take some time off to be with my family in Texas.’ He passed away that month, according to her social media.
Come Sunday, Kovar released a statement to the Times Union, explaining that she had ‘returned early from family leave following my dad’s death. On Friday, I notified the station I would not be renewing my contract which expires July 31.’
Adding, ‘Saturday I was scheduled to work the early morning 6 a.m. shift and the evening shift. I was sleep-deprived and exhausted.’
Commentators were divided whether Kovak was responding to the stress of her father’s recent death or on a bender or simply on a volatile cocktail of anti depressants and alcohol. Or simply on an unrelated mad hatter bender.
The anchor’s employer has declined to further comment on the weekend episode.
And then there was this comment (in 3 parts) that caught this author’s attention:
More on Heather Kovar: She had posted her work schedule on Twitter, and it’s insane. It doesn’t even give her the SAG-AFTRA guaranteed minimum turnaround time of 10 hours from Saturday to Sunday. A former producer tells me there’s a toxic work culture at WRGB CBS 6 Albany…
…(Heather Kovar, cont.), which is owned by Sinclair. Producer alleges mistreatment by News Director, and 75% of producing/talent quitting between Jan and April, as this producer did. So bad, CBS 6 Albany brought in producers from other Sinclair stations to get the newscast on.
Heather Kovar update: After being suspended by WRGB CBS 6 pending an investigation, Kovar has resigned effective July 31. She’s blaming exhaustion for her performance: “I was scheduled to work the early morning 6 am shift and the evening shift. I was sleep deprived & exhausted.”
