San Antonio Anchor: It Was Awful Reading That Sinclair Promo
WOAI (San Antonio) Anchor Delaine Mathieu took to social media and said that it was Facebook “awful” having to deliver promos mandated by parent company Sinclair Broadcast Group that seemed to echo the views of President Trump.
However, she and chief anchorman Randy Beamer had no choice, she added, if they wanted to keep their jobs.
“Trust me, this was awful,” Mathieu wrote in response to a critic on Facebook. “We had several closed-door meetings and even had to re-record our version because we looked so mortified in the first cut.
“But we gathered our composure and did our job knowing this would happen,” she added. “It sucks. It just does. You will make your judgment and I can’t change that. But I wish you well!”
Her reaction was prompted by a post Tuesday by San Antonio resident Lola Crane, in which she shared a story that ran in the San Antonio Express-News about an anti-fake news Sinclair script that dozens of anchors across the country - including those on WOAI and KABB here - were obliged to read on the air.
“I used to think Randy Beamer was pretty cool, not anymore. Not an ounce of integrity, turns out he’s just a puppet,” Crane wrote. “You too Delaine Mathieu. Shame on you News 4 San Antonio!”
“Yeah, shame on us for wanting to keep our jobs so that we could continue to support our families,” Mathieu fired back. “This wasn’t a choice nor a script that we wrote.”
It is so sad that Sinclair put these Anchors in such a tough position.