Another massive shake-up, this time to ESPN’s coverage of the NBA, comes in this round of layoffs. Perhaps in a decision no one could have predicted, longtime reporter Adrian Wojnarowski announced he’s retiring from the news business to take a general manager position at his alma mater St. Bonaventure.
Later revealing that she had been “unable to continue” in her role under the conditions being offered in a new contract, Bates stated on X (formerly known as Twitter) that “as a 49-year-old round woman, it’s safe to say my television career is done”.
She said in a statement, “While I respect the fact that WJAR management leaders are entitled to compensate employees with wages and benefits at their discretion, I found myself unable to continue working at NBC 10 under existing arrangements.”
“It was one of the most difficult decisions ever. I loved my job at NBC 10, and it makes me profoundly sad to leave after 17 years.”
I know people are leaving left and right,” Fletcher Fischer, the business manager for IBEW Local 1228, the union representing workers at NBC 10, told The Boston Globe. “The offer that Bates got was insulting.”
“People at the station love to work there,” continued Fischer, whose union represents on-air and off-air workers. “But at some point, people have to be able to pay their bills. And [Bates] wanted to be treated fairly.”
Further, Fischer stated that Bates’ hours had been reduced to part-time 10 years ago, and she could be given other people’s hours when they needed time off. Those opportunities reportedly recently ran out, leaving Bate in a position of financial strain, Fischer told MLive in an email exchange.
Kelly Bates Original Words:
Bates wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) when announcing her resignation from WJAR, “So friends. This is it. I wanted to let you know that I am no longer employed by NBC10 Thank you for everything over the nearly 20 years of having the privilege of being a trusted person in the community. It has been one hell of a ride!”
The revelation sparked an army of viewers to clamor for their support for the TV personality, and a petition was floated calling for Bates’ reinstatement.
Public figure Kelly Bates pleaded to her fans not to take their anger out on NBC 10. She does not specify why she needed to do so, but it is likely because of some controversy or bad press aired by the network recently. Kelly Bates in asking for such kind of thing portrays the nature of compassion and empathy towards her haters and encourages her supporters to keep up a positive attitude while disrespecting the opposing party.
Bates captioned the video, which was viewed more than 880,000 times on Thursday. “I am no longer employed by WJAR. Thank you so much for tuning in. Sorry, I can’t do think thank you video without crying. I have tried. No go. #gratis.”
Awards’ Emmy nominee said in the video: So today. Today was an interesting day. Frankly, I didn’t think this day was going to go this way. And yet, here I am.
I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for trusting me for so long. Thank you for all the nice things you’re saying. It does help. I can’t wait to see what’s coming next but right now I need a minute to breathe. Sorry, it’s just a lot.
Taking a moment to collect herself, Bates added, “I can’t wait to see where we’re going to end up next. It’s
going to be awesome.”
Bates’ bio page on the website for WJAR-10, which is no longer available, says she “joined Storm Team 10 in August 2004, forecasting weather for NBC 10 News,” and adds that she has been an Emmy nominee since 2004 and 2005.
“We are saddened that meteorologist Kelly Bates is leaving us after nearly 17 great years together,” said Vetters in a statement. “Kelly ultimately decided it was time to move on and elected not to renew her
contract with us.”
“We thank Kelly for her dedication to WJAR and her commitment to keeping our viewers informed with critical weather updates throughout the years. We wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors.”
