Kessler

Former KPIX morning anchor John Kessler says on his
Facebook page that he jumped the gun when announcing he had a new job at KNTV NBC Bay Area. His announcement “caused a real ruckus” in the KNTV newsroom, and Kessler said his new gig is being reassessed by management.

While posting on LinkedIn, I left my position as “anchor.” That, understandabl[y], didn’t sit well with the NBC Bay Area anchors. My mistake. My apologies to them. Noted both here and on LinkedIn, I wasn’t sure what I’d be doing… It was a freelance position. Because of the turmoil I caused, my going to NBC Bay Area will be “reassessed” in a few weeks. I apologize to my colleagues at 11.. and to you.

Media blogger Rich Lieberman, who has been following Kessler’s moves closely, defended the veteran anchor:

If you’re going to castigate a new hire, don’t mess with Kess. He’s a good guy and he has a huge following. Women like him — men too. That usually adds up to bigger numbers and better demos — can you relate to that? So, the other anchors were pissed? They haven’t earned the right. Again, its not as if the numbers are great. Hell, that’s the reason you went after Kessler and Wang to begin with, take that chip off your shoulder. You’re a major-market station acting like a CW affiliate in Tulsa. Get a life, for god’s sake. And don’t renege on the Kessler deal.