TV News Anchor Who Got Suspended for Appearing Sloppy Drunk on the Air Blames Her Bosses for Overworking Her and Quits on Their Asses
If you were not aware of Albany local TV news anchor Heather Kovar before, you should have become familiar with her work over the last 24 hours thanks to the viral moment she produced during this weekend's newscast:
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Personally, I think we can all agree to cut Heather some slack for being so obviously under the influence of ... something. Whether it came in a bottle made of glass or a little plastic one with a childproof cap on it, that's between her and her god. We can forgive her for a lot of reasons.
First, we've all been there, falling into the grip of what is often referred to in polite society as "a bad ice cube." If you're luckier than her, it just doesn't happen in a studio where there are four TV cameras streaming your drunken shenanigans out in real time.
Second, allow me to repeat that this was a local TV weekend newscast. Which means it was being watched by a tiny fraction of the people who watch the local TV evening newscast. And those tend to be shut ins, the infirm, nursing home residents and those in hospital beds who can't reach the remote. So basically the kind of people who don't have other means to get a weather report and are OK with getting their baseball scores 20 hours after the final pitch.
Mostly though, and I'll admit this is just me bringing my own interests into the discussion, Heather's drunkeness is utterly endearing. Charming, even. My favorite type of drunkeness. Right in that happy middle between the extremes miserably serious and obnoxiously happy. Between those drunk ladies who want to drag the conversation into everything that's wrong in the world and their personal lives, and the chicks who over-celebrate everything, laugh uproariously at their own mediocre jokes, and do that insufferable "Wooooo!!!" thing. If this is how she usually is on a night out, she can drink on my tab anytime.
Unfortunately, her employers are less smitten than I am.
NY Post - At one point while trying to pivot between 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.”
She also began having trouble while discussing an explosion at a natural gas plant in Oklahoma, stumbling on her words.
She quickly changed subjects during the report, too, saying bizarrely, “Well, hello! Good afternoon! …
“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.”
The station said she was suspended pending further investigation.
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, who did not return a request for comment.
Again, I'm partial to Heather's inebriated charms. So you can't go by me. But I feel as though most local TV journos would take this lying down. Accept the suspension, issue a written apology, and try to put the whole episode behind her. But not my girl. She apologizes for nothing. On the contrary, she opted to fight. To turn the tables and put the station on notice she is:
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To which those cowards at the station decided to impugn her character:
Yeah? Well blow it out your ass, CBS 6 Albany. If you didn't want Heather coming to work in the grip of the grape once in a while, you should have told her she can't. Or better yet, not worked her into the ground. You took advantage of her work ethic, wore her down to the nub, and made her into a cheap anchor-date. And for that, she gave you a great newscast that everyone in your audience of 80-year-olds enjoyed, and you gave her a suspension.
And now she's gone. Good luck finding another Heaver Kovar, because she is destined for bigger and better things. Probably a network job. Maybe her own talk show. But definitely a place in my heart and the heart of everyone who can appreciate the art of laughing about a terrible heatwave while you're tipsy. She'll be fine. The station who did her wrong? Not so much.