Former MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts leaves local anchor job after 14 months

Former MSNBC and CNN anchor Thomas Roberts has left WGCL in Atlanta after just 14 months on the job, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

• He jumped back to local news: Roberts had sought another network job after leaving MSNBC, but nothing came through.
• Last day on air: His last day at the anchor desk was Aug. 16, 2019. He then took a two week vacation but never returned.
• As an anchor team: His co-anchor, Sharon Reed, is reportedly a divisive figure in the newsroom, though Roberts reportedly got along with her.
• Why did he leave? According to both Roberts and the station, the parting is amicable and mutual — and seems to stem from the role not being a good fit.
• Bad omen? On his first day at the station, Roberts ripped his pants.

However, in the short time Roberts was at WGCL, there was turmoil in the newsroom.

• A leak: Some notes Roberts and Reed reportedly wrote filled with newsroom gossip leaked in December 2018.
• One target of the note: Then chief meteorologist Paul Ossmann was mentioned in the notes.
• Roberts’ defense: Roberts, meanwhile, said many of the comments were taken out of context.
• An apology: Roberts apologized to Ossmann.
• Ossmann out: The meteorologist abruptly left the station in April — without any reason given.
• Then Reed: A few weeks after that, Reed’s contract ran out and she announced she was leaving.

Ossmann then sued the station in July.

• His claim: Ossmann claimed a work environment there was discriminatory against him.
• The station responded: WGCL shot back saying he had made inappropriate statements about female coworkers.

Roberts’ path to WGCL includes stops at two networks:

• This is CNN: He previously was based in Atlanta from 2001 to 2007 when working for CNN.
• Peacock time: He moved to MSNBC and NBC from 2010 to 2018. During that period, he became the first openly gay man to anchor a network evening newscast when he filled in on “NBC Nightly News.”
• Hotlanta homecoming: He then signed on to anchor after WGCL fired Ben Swann, who relaunched a conspiracy-oriented site “Reality Check” without approval from station management.
• Swann after WGCL: Swann now contributed to RT, a network available around the world that is funded by the Russian government.