Suspended News Anchor Blames Exhaustion for Slurring Lines During Erratic Broadcast, Later Resigns

An upstate New York news anchor was suspended and later resigned after slurring her way through an erratic Saturday evening broadcast.

Heather Kovar of CBS 6, based out of Albany, appeared disjointed as she mumbled through a segment of the broadcast and introduced one of her colleague’s names wrong. The news anchor blamed exhaustion for her performance.

Watch:

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

In a segment on the recent heatwave in the U.S. southeast, Kovar — who had been working for the station since 2016 — included odd sounding phrases while slurring during her reporting.

“More than 50 million people across the country’s southeast are under warnings for excessive heat, and boy don’t you know that,” Kovar said. After explaining that temperatures hit 105 degrees in Texas, the CBS 6 anchor continued stammering throughout the segment.

“It’s a major heatwave, and it its, it is just hitting everywhere, we’re so lucky. It’s only 80 degrees here. We are really lucky here in the capital region. I mean, let me tell you about that,” she said

It appeared Kovar had some technical issues with her microphone as the segment continued. The news anchor then inaccurately introduced her weatherman colleague as Craig Adams, instead by his actual name, Craig Gold.

“Meteorologist Craig Adams is right here. I’m sorry, Craig Adams. Why did I say that? Of course clearly we are taking a live look over downtown Albany. And of course, just like me, meteorologist Craig Gold is working a double shift,” she said.

Kovar’s reference that she was working a double shift appears to be substantiated through a social media post and she was slated to work the following morning after her evening broadcast.

It’s another marathon weekend!
See you now 6-8am. Then at 6 and 11.
And I’ll be back Sunday morning from 7-9am then 6:30 pm and 11pm.
Lots of good live music out there this weekend. We have info later in the show. Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/SZqiJw5DKP

— Heather Kovar (@CBS6Heather) July 9, 2022

“It’s another marathon weekend! See you now 6-8am. Then at 6 and 11. And I’ll be back Sunday morning from 7-9am then 6:30 pm and 11pm,” Kovar wrote.

Despite her evening post that she would be back at work the next day, she did not appear on the Sunday morning broadcast and was replaced by Emma Quinn, the New York Post reported. It was later announced by the station that she was suspended.

Kovar later announced, in a statement provided to Times Union, that she would not renew her contract that expires on July 31. She stated that she was “sleep-deprived and exhausted.”

Kovar also mentioned in her statement that she had “returned early from family leave following my dad’s death,” per the Times Union.

Mike Sington, a social media influencer who used to be an executive with Universal, claimed on Twitter that a colleague of Kovar told him that she “was known to come in for weekend shifts “intoxicated,” but “not this bad”.” Sington also mentioned allegations that there was a toxic work environment and mistreatment at the CBS 6 station, also known as WRGB.

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.