A Brief History of Hideous TV News Reporters

Last week, WPIX/Channel 11 reporter Vince DeMentri was fired after a slapping incident involving the Bahamian UN ambassador's chauffeur. As a result, he joins a long line of historically dumb news anchors who got fired (or worse) for poor behavior.

In honor of DeMentri's flame-out, the News has compiled a list of some other notable local TV news personalities fails:

CNN reporter Richard Quest was busted in 2008 in Central Park at 3:42 a.m. for methamphetamine possession. (He later entered drug rehab and has remained on CNN.)
Anchor Steve Bartelstein was fired from WABC/Channel 7 in 2007 after snoozing in his office when he was supposed to be on the air. He also had shown up late for newscasts he was anchoring. Later that year he joined WCBS/Channel 2, only to resign last year, saying he felt "underappreciated."
WCBS/Channel 2 weatherman Mark Danon was suspended without pay in 2000 after being busted on the Upper East Side for cocaine possession.

WABC Weatherman Tex Antoine, a city fixture for three decades, was suspended in 1976, and fired the following year, after making a tasteless on-air joke about a news report of the rape of an 8-year-old girl.
WCBS reporter Jim Jensen got in trouble in 1988 when he asked co-anchor Bree Walker, who had just given a report on early detection of birth defects, if her parents might have aborted her had they known in advance of her deformities. (A genetic condition caused Walker's toes and fingers to be fused together.)
Anchorwoman Alycia Lane, 38, was fired in 2008 from Philadelphia's CBS affiliate after being accused of hitting an undercover police officer in New York. Her co-anchor in Philadelphia, Larry Mendte, pleaded guilty to a felony in late 2008 for obsessively hacking into Lane's e-mails and leaking private tidbits to the press. He served six months' home confinement and is on federal probation.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Ben Yakas in News on May 26, 2010 5:42 PM

Comments [rss]

Wza

Alycia Lane is hot.

How about a thread on hot news reporters?

Mr. Shankly

Keep on fucking that chicken, but remember to clean up the jism.

WorksInDUMBO

here's a picture of Tex Antoine:

http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=638a7dc481002689&q=tex%20antoine&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtex%2Bantoine%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1

WorksInDUMBO

Why the smock???

FutureMan83

the Tex Antoine "joke" is still the greatest of all time.

ottoemezzo

What about the guys from NY1? Wife-beater Dominic Carter and I-can't-remember-what-he-did Gary Anthony Ramsay.

inoyourider

You guys should see the stuff that doesn't make air!

ronshapley

And, of course, Greg Kelly and Rossana Scotto should be fired for waging a daily assault on New Yorkers...with their abject stupidity !!!

NeatEngine

And I quote the late Roger Grimsby, "As Mara Wolynski would say, 'We're number 1.'"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4pZfgXAGEU

(Great TV moment!)

Mrs Parker

Minor leagues. Back in the 80's in Detroit drunken anchor man Bill Bonds challenged another felonious Detroit Mayor, Coleman Soulman Young to a fist fight.

Ed

What about "Good Day New York's" Julie Golden?! Back in the 90's she was arrested for I think for Marijuana or DWI, all I remember is when she got arrested she had "Blood shot eyes"...

FJF

Julie Golden was a huge lush! Still like that era of GDNY better than any one since.

sj

I'm pretty sure that you have to have a certain mental defect to want to be a local news anchor.

longacre

I'm Ron Burgundy?

Kevin Walsh

Jim Jensen and Bree Walker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-_UR93_9Ro

Nyctini11

Reading it above, i was like OMG, but then seeing the video, IDK, maybe it's just me, but i didn't see it as him being offensive, just interested and helping drag out a segment.

longacre

Wow, that's amazing. Carol Martin is like WTF.

snickerdoodle

Sue Simmons was caught letting her ghetto girl act fly on live TV.

She should have been fired for such a vulgar, unprofessional act but then she'd just sue for racial discrimination wouldn't she?

robingee

Hold on, snickerdoodle. For someone with such a whimsical name you're terribly angry. Sue Simmons cursed a few times, big whoop. She never insulted anyone, she just does goofy stuff. Sue can do anything she wants.

rasputinsghost

i get it black women are 'ghetto fly'. or are you just projecting that stereotype on her because you're a hilariously stupid troll/overt racist?