Heather Kovar, a news anchor for CBS6, was fired after she appeared unattended on air and started babbling throughout the show.
Kovar, the weekend morning anchor for WRGB CBS-6 News, began to slur her sentences throughout Saturday’s program and was almost completely incomprehensible.
Moving forward tonight, she said, “we have to let you know also, you know, like other news that’s happening in the region, and across the area, across the country.”
During the unusual broadcast, Kovar stated, “These places are reaching such areas,” appearing agitated and deviating from the subject of the US heatwave.
‘Like, I was telling you this morning, if you watched us this morning starting at 6am, 7 am, I told you, you know what? Today, what a beautiful day outside! It is just amazing. And so, a great time for outdoor music.’
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
She also referred to her meteorologist colleague Craig Gold as Craig Adams.
‘Anchor Heather Kovar appeared disheveled, misspoke, and slurred her words for the entire newscast,’ said Mike Sington Senior Executive at NBCUniversal. ‘Here, she tries to set up the weather and toss to the meteorologist, who’s name she gets wrong.’
‘Is Heather Kovar alright? She seems out of sorts on the air right now?’ said Twitter user Mike Garavelli.
‘I hope Heather is ok on news channel 6 But she shouldn’t be on TV she looks a wreck and she is slurring,’ said Twitter user Eve G.
‘#heatherkovar may be having a medical issue??’ said another viewer.
Kovar, who has been an anchor for the network since July 2016, said exhaustion caused the erratic on-air performance.
Kovar was supposed to return to the airwaves on Sunday morning, but news anchor Emma Quinn took her place.
Following the performance, Kovar was reportedly suspended from the news channel when social media users called attention to her messy appearance and slurred speech.
Heather Kovar is on leave while we conduct an internal investigation. Robert Croteau, vice president and general manager of the Sinclair-owned station, said, “We have no additional comments at this time.”
In addition to reporting the 11 a.m. news the following day until she was replaced by another anchor, the news anchor was expected to work the morning and evening news shifts on Sunday in a double duty.
According to The Times Union, Kovar recently sought a leave of absence from the station to be with her father as he grew weaker.
Following the passing of my father, she “returned early from family leave.” I informed the station on Friday that I would not be renewing my contract, which expires on July 31.
I had two shifts on Saturday: the early one at 6 a.m. and the late one at 10 p.m. I was weary and sleep-deprived.
It is unknown how long her suspension will stay or if she will finally start working again.