Anchors Quit on Air, but Reason Is Unclear

Cindy Michaels and Tony Consiglio came to work Nov 20 with a secret: this was going to be their last day co-anchoring the news together.

The anchors, in Bangor (ME), had been talking for some time about leaving WVII and WFVX, the two stations operated by their employer, Rockfleet Broadcasting. But they had not told their bosses. “Many times in broadcasting, if you give your notice, you aren’t allowed on the air for fear from management that you will bad-mouth the company,” Michaels said. So the anchors waited until the end of the 6 p.m. news on WVII, then told viewers that they were signing off, not just for the night but for good. There was no criticism, just a glum goodbye. “We have loved every moment bringing the news to you,” Consiglio said, before mentioning “some recent developments” that led the pair to conclude that “departing together is the best alternative we can take.” The anchors hugged as the half-hour newscast ended. By the next morning, Michaels and Consiglio were stars in local newsrooms across the country. But the reason they quit remained shrouded in mystery — a reminder that television’s most interesting plots sometimes don’t show up on the screen at all.

In interviews off the air, the anchors asserted that they quit to preserve their journalistic independence. Michaels, who doubled as the person in charge of all news coverage at the two stations, said that the managers of the stations had meddled with news coverage. Singling out Mike Palmer, the general manager of the two stations, she said, “The general manager’s philosophical beliefs played a role in what he wanted us to cover, or not cover.”