Emmy-winning reporter and anchorHeather Kovarpreviously said in a statement that she had worked a double shift and was “sleep-deprived and exhausted” following her return from family leave after the death of her father.
Kovar told PEOPLE this week that “it has been an exhausting time using my time off to fly to family in between shifts.”
She continued, “I was hoping to create a better situation. I just hope people will understand as I move forward in what is next.”
While anchoring for CBS affiliate WRGB Saturday night, Kovar struggled to make it through the segment. She appeared to stammer when reading a script on excessive heat in Texas and later misidentified one of her colleagues.
Heather Kovar.Heather Kovar Instagram
Kovar said on air that she had worked a double shift that day — a claim she alsotweetedon Saturday morning.
“It’s another marathon weekend!” she wrote. “See you now 6-8am. Then at 6 and 11. And I’ll be back Sunday morning from 7-9am then 6:30 pm and 11pm.”
In a statement provided both toNBC Newsand theTimes Union, Kovar provided more context about what had been going on behind the scenes.
“I recently returned early from family leave following my dad’s death,” Kovar wrote in her statement. “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 a.m. shift and the evening shift. I was sleep-deprived and exhausted.”
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Kovar told PEOPLE that because she had notified the station prior to Saturday’s incident that she would not be renewing her contract, “the situation has been amicably handled with the station.”
source: people.com
