Heather Kovar, a news anchor from upstate New York, has been suspended from CBS6 Albany (WRGB-TV) after she slurred her words on television and called her colleague the wrong name. On Sunday, April 15th, The Times Union reported that Kovar was dismissed from her post as an anchor at CBS6 Albany (WRGB-TV) the day after she appeared on air for the station’s Saturday evening broadcast.
During the broadcast, Kovar appeared to be confused and some viewers went so far as to claim that she was intoxicated while on duty. These viewers noticed the news anchor swaying on camera, talking in a “borderline incoherent” way with numerous stumbles as she tried to transition between topics during the report.
“Evacuations have been ordered for the town of Medford, Oklahoma, with unknown fatalities and injuries… injuries are unknown in this situation. Alright, so, well, hello! Good afternoon! Like, I was telling you this morning, if you watched us this morning… I told you, you know what? What a beautiful day outside! It is just amazing,” she stated.
When the weather report came on, Heather Kovar was given the job of introducing the station’s meteorologist. Craig Gold took over for her, but she referred to him as Craig Adams during the program. According to CBS6’s website, another meteorologist named Craig Adams works for them.
On Sunday, Robert Croteau, vice president and general manager of the Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned TV station in upstate New York, said that Kovar had been let go. The anchor was “suspended pending our internal investigation,” he noted. He did not provide further information or explain the decision in his statement.
After the event, Kovar justify her actions by saying she was not drunk but rather sleep deprived and exhausted from a recent leave of absence to mourn her father’s death.
“On Friday, I notified the station I would not be renewing my contract, which expires July 31. Saturday, I was scheduled to work the early morning 6 am shift and the evening shift. I was sleep-deprived and exhausted,” she stated.
Kovar was supposed to work the 11 pm newscast on Saturday, but due to her “drunken appearance”, she was replaced by weekday anchor Greg Floyd. According to the Albany newspaper, Floyd also filled in for Kovar on Sunday.
Kovar has experience as a news anchor. She had worked for CBS6 in Albany, WKTV in Utica, and RNN in Kingston before her suspension, as well as News 12 Connecticut and Reuters business news.
