CBS6 Albany anchor Heather Kovar appeared on a live broadcast Saturday at 6 p.m., in which her speech was slurred and in which she appeared to go off script at several points. Kovar has since said the performance was a result of lack of sleep and exhaustion, having taken time off due to her father’s death. In a portion of the bulletin, which was shared on Twitter by NBCUniversal executive Mike Sington, Kovar begins by giving an incoherent description of the heat wave in the southern US region and ends about 50 seconds in by saying that “this weekend, right here, it’s so amazing.” “More than 50 million people across the country, Southeast or under extreme heat warnings and boy, wouldn’t you know it, 105 degrees in Texas today. I just talked to my mother about what it’s all about, it’s a big heat wave and it’s just hitting everywhere, we’re so lucky it’s only 80 degrees here. We are really lucky in the capital region. “I mean, let me tell you about it, these areas are reaching areas like, I mean Houston, Austin, San Antonio. I mean, it’s not expected, it’s happened. We don’t have to tell you it’s bad, as they tell people they like to stay in and drink a lot of water and we’re just lucky. This weekend, here, is so amazing,” Kovar continues until the super interrupts her. At this point, Kovar mistakes meteorologist Craig Gold’s name for Craig Adams, another meteorologist. “Meteor Craig Adams is right here, right here,” he can be heard saying as the super chimes in, adding, “I’m sorry, Craig Adams, why did I say that?” Kovar, at one point in the bulletin, said: “And so, continuing tonight, we have to tell you as well, you know, as well as other news that’s happening in the region and across the region, in the nation. “I was telling you this morning, if you watched us this morning starting at 6 in the morning, 7 in the morning, I told you, you know what? Today, what a beautiful day outside! It’s just amazing. And so, a great time for outdoor music.” Kovar was then cut off mid-sentence and did not return to the show. The anchor later tweeted that she would be back on Sunday, but the station’s vice president and general manager Robert Croteau said she was suspended. “Heather Kovar has been suspended pending our internal investigation. We have no further comment at this time,” he told the Times Union. Reacting to the clip from the show shared on Twitter, viewers expressed shock and concern that there was no other host to take over. Some social media users came to her defense. “That’s not how Heather Kovar usually is at all. Cut her some slack and let her sleep,” one user wrote. In a statement to the Times Union later Sunday, Kovar said she had “returned early from family leave following my dad’s death. On Friday, I notified the station that I will not be renewing my contract, which expires on July 31.” “On Saturday I was scheduled to work the 6am and evening shifts. I was sleep deprived and exhausted.”
