KTLA News Anchor Mark Mester Fired After Off-Script Tribute to Former Colleague Lynette Moreno
thewrap.comfirst reported the firing.Mester was suspended earlier this week after his on-air tribute to Romero in which he apologized on behalf of KTLA, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.
Mester’s bio has been scrubbed from the KTLA website – much like Moreno’s was the week before immediately after her abrupt departure.Romero, reportedly beloved by her colleagues in the KTLA newsroom, wasn’t permitted to clean out her own belongings or say goodbye to longtime viewers of the newscast.
The Times, citing anonymous sources at the station, said Romero was seeking a weekday anchor shift to spend more time with her family, but management declined due to lack of openings.
Management said only that she had left to pursue “another opportunity” and lamented that she chose not to stay.Mester went off-script during a Saturday broadcast, saying the handling of her exit was “cruel” and “inappropriate,” and apologized on the station’s behalf.
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