Mark Mester, a Los Angeles news anchor, was fired after he slammed his own station on-air for how it handled the abrupt departure of his former co-anchor, Lynette Romero, glamsquad reports
According to reports, KTLA general manager Janene Drafs announced Mester’s dismissal during a newsroom meeting. The page for the local news anchor on KTLA now redirects to a page for the news team, where Mester is no longer listed.
On September 14, KTLA announced that Romero had decided to leave the station after nearly 24 years and pursue another opportunity, despite the station’s hopes that she would stay for the rest of her career.
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“KTLA worked very hard to make that happen,” anchor Sam Rubin said on the air. “Lynette, we wish you luck, miss you, and appreciate everything you’ve done for KTLA…. We wish you and your family all the best on behalf of everyone here.”
Following Romero’s departure, Mester spent a portion of his September 17 show going off-script to apologize to viewers on behalf of the station, saying that the way the station handled the resignation “was rude, cruel, and inappropriate, and we are so sorry.”
“You didn’t deserve it,” Mester said, referring to Romero as his “best friend.” “It was an error, and we hope you will find it in your heart to forgive us.”
Romero, a 24-year veteran of the station, left for another after asking her bosses unsuccessfully if she could work a weekday anchor shift instead of weekends, according to reports.