However, in the newsroom, many staffers began to call for Mester’s firing, saying that he had betrayed their trust.An investigative report on KTLA anchor Chris Burrous has determined that his cause of death was attributed to methamphetamine toxicity, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office. The suspension spurred further vitriol toward the station and praise for Mester, whom viewers saw as advocating for Romero. Although KTLA and its Nexstar Media Group ownership refused to comment on the suspension, media outlets and the KTLA audience immediately began to draw the line between Romero’s abrupt exit, Mester’s impassioned speech and his suspension. Industry trade publication Deadline reported Mester’s suspension. Several sources at the station said it was common knowledge that staffers were concerned about Mester’s temper and what was described as his “disrespectful” behavior to women and had complained to management. At one point, several staffers recalled Mester telling one of the news directors to “shut up” and refusing to leave the building after being asked to do so.ĭuring the exchange with management, Mester allegedly yelled obscenities that could be heard by other staffers in the newsroom. An assistant news director was forced to break the news of his suspension over voicemail. Immediately after the show as Mester stepped off set, station management called him into their office for a meeting, which he refused. With three colleagues alongside him, Mester’s monologue lasted more than four minutes. “You did not deserve this, we are sorry, it was a mistake, and we just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive us,” Mester said, his voice cracking at times. “Dayna AND Lynette gone now?” commented one user on Twitter. Romero’s departure was the tipping point for some viewers. KTLA had already lost favor with some viewers when news anchor Dayna Devon left the “Morning” program for a different show. Many questioned the station’s decision not to allow Romero to say her own goodbye on air. An outpouring of praise for Romero spread online, celebrating her storied career at KTLA that included winning six local Emmy Awards, with one of them recognizing her reporting on Latinos in L.A.īut her departure also drew intense criticism of the station. With KTLA’s “Weekend Morning” show among the most popular local weekend programs on TV, Romero’s departure sent shockwaves among the show’s loyal audience. Sources say she reportedly has been hired at KNBC-TV, L.A.’s NBC affiliate, as one of its weekday morning show anchors. Romero no longer wanted to work weekends and had asked management to allow her to work a weekday anchor shift so she could spend more time with her family, but she was told there were no openings, according to station sources who asked to remain anonymous. Station management had been in negotiations with Romero over the past several weeks. On behalf of everyone here, we wish you and your family nothing but the best.” Lynette, we wish you luck, we miss you and we thank you for everything you’ve done for KTLA. “But Lynette has decided to move to another opportunity elsewhere. “KTLA management had hoped she would stay here her entire career, and KTLA worked hard to make that happen,” Rubin added. “After nearly 24 years, Lynette Romero, our friend Lynette, has decided to move on from anchoring our weekend morning news,” Rubin said on air after a photo of Romero flashed onto the screen. show, the newsroom’s director Pete Saiers handed entertainment reporter Sam Rubin a script announcing the departure of Lynette Romero. In a news broadcast at the end of its 10 a.m. 14 - KTLA announces Lynette Romero’s exit Mark Mester, a co-anchor on KTLA’s popular weekend morning show, went off script over the weekend to talk about Lynette Romero’s sudden departure. Television KTLA anchor Mark Mester fired after emotional on-air defense of Lynette Romero “It’s not gonna be regained in a day, in a week, or in a month.” “I think it obviously affected us in a very negative way, and that trust has to be regained over many years,” said a station source who spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity. Some viewers are saying they will no longer tune in. The abrupt departures have shocked many within the station, and the drama has reverberated throughout Southern California as a deluge of dedicated viewers have criticized KTLA’s handling of Romero’s departure and Mester’s termination. It has thrown the station’s popular “Weekend Morning News” show into flux. The shakeup marks a tumultuous moment for KTLA, a station that values longevity and earlier this year celebrated its 75th anniversary. KTLA-TV Channel 5, whose broadcasts of local news for decades have been an essential part of daily life for many Los Angeles viewers, became the news this past week, after the departure of one of its high-profile news anchors, Lynette Romero, and the firing of another, Mark Mester.
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