Lynette Romero jumped ship from the weekend anchoring at local Los Angeles news station KTLA for a position as a weekday anchor for KNBC, multiple individuals with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.
KTLA insiders say Romero accepted a more lucrative financial offer at direct competitor KNBC, which “shocked” the KTLA brass – and explained the sudden nature of his exit earlier this month.
According to the same individuals and confirmed in a statement by KTLA Vice President and GM Janine Drafts, the station attempted to counter and retain Romero. But after more than two decades there, an insider said Romero “just wanted to explore a new opportunity and challenge.”
A KNBC insider told TheWrap that no official announcement has been made of Romero’s appointment. He also confirmed that the position of the langar on an open weekday morning, which was Evacuated by Danielle Guzman in January and not yet filled. Guzman is currently anchoring the evening news at Channel 2 KPRC in Houston.
A KNBC spokesperson did not respond to TheWrap’s multiple requests for confirmation. Romero did not respond to messages from TheWrap seeking comment.
Romero’s departure caused a lot of dust in KTLA. Insiders told TheWrap that the station did not offer him an on-air sign-off opportunity, though drafts said Romero declined his offer to record a goodbye message to viewers.
Finally, KTLA Morning Entertainment anchor Sam Rubin said goodbye to the 24-year-old station veteran in a written farewell. Management instructed the rest of the on-air team not to discuss Romero – but Mark Meester, Romero’s former co-anchor on the weekend, went off-script with the on-air tribute, and was suspended and subsequently been fired.
It was only after Rubin said goodbye to Romero that he replied to a viewer’s tweet on his account, thanking him and saying “I’ll be back.”
According to E!, Meester has hired a lawyer and is exploring its options against KTLA. Meester has not responded to TheWrap’s requests for comments.
During his time at KTLA, Romero covered a wide range of issues and began Sunday’s Link Up with Lynette, a segment that focused on broadcasting “good news”. Earlier this year, Romero shared that his mother had passed away from Alzheimer’s and partnership With the Alzheimer’s Association of California Southland.
Additional reporting by Jethro Nededog.