NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – An Albany news anchor has been suspended after appearing disheveled, slurring her words during a broadcast, and saying the wrong name of a colleague on Saturday for CBS affiliate WRGB-TV.
Anchor Heather Kovar released a statement to the Albany Times Union explaining why she appeared out of sorts -- plus her time at the station will soon end.
In the statement, Kovar said 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. Saturday I was scheduled to work the early morning 6 a.m. shift and the evening shift. I was sleep-deprived and exhausted."
According to Kovar, who has been the weekend anchor for several years, she had also been scheduled for a shift Saturday's 11 p.m. broadcast as well, but the station subsequently replaced her with weekday evening anchor Greg Floyd.
Kovar had stepped away this past May to be with her father and returned on Father’s Day weekend after his death, the Times Union reported at the time.
In one part of the broadcast, Kovar starts describing the heatwave in Texas and ends the segment by saying that “this weekend, right here, is so amazing."
“More than 50 million people across the country, southeast or under warnings for excessive heat and boy, don’t you know that, a 105 degrees in Texas today,” Kovar said. "I just spoke with my mother as for what she’s dealing with, it’s a major heatwave and it’s, it’s just hitting everywhere, we’re so lucky, its only 80 degrees here. We’re really lucky in the capital region."
Kovar continues to slur and ramble throughout and gets the name of the meteorologist while introducing his weather report, calling him Craig Adams instead of Craig Gold.
She later tweeted that she’d be back on Sunday, but she did not appear in the broadcast the next day.
“Heather Kovar has been suspended pending our internal investigation,” WRGB vice president and general manager Robert Croteau told the Albany Times Union. “We have no further comment at this time.”
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