Los Angeles TV Anchorman Mark Mester was terminated after ranting about the fact that management at the studio didn’t allow his co-anchor to say goodbye to viewers when she resigned.
Mester defied orders and went completely off-script, which initially led to a suspension, and then developed into his termination, according to TMZ. Mester expressed his discontent with the fact that his co-anchor, Lynette Romero, was not permitted to say goodbye to viewers when she resigned after 24 years of service. He went off in a three-minute rant, repeatedly apologizing to Romero, whom he called his “best friend.”
The producers had reportedly written a tribute segment that Mester was instructed to read to the viewers, according to TMZ. He refused to read it and opted to air his grievances instead, as seen in the video recording of that news episode.
“I want to start off right now by offering up an apology to you,” Mester said. He went on to air his feelings about the situation, calling it “rude, cruel, and inappropriate,” according to TMZ. He then apologized to his former co-anchor saying, “I love you so much, you literally are my best friend. You did not deserve what happened to you,” Mester added.
“Lynette deserved to say goodbye, it didn’t happen, I don’t know who wrote the script,” he added. “Regardless this was a mistake. We owe you an apology and we owe Lynette an apology.” (RELATED: James Lindsay Suspended From Twitter After Alleged Media Matters Campaign)
He then went on to make a bombshell revelation on-air.
“Now we can’t show this to you this morning but Lynette we do have a gift for you, it is flying over our station this morning,” Mester said.
“They’re words, they’re from an airplane, and there’s a banner that’s flying over Hollywood right now,” Mester said in the episode.
Mester became visibly overcome by emotion. “We love you, we miss you,” he added. “We can’t even move this show forward without you,” he said choking up.
“We’re gonna offer you dignity and grace, which is what this station should have done from the beginning,” Mester added.