There are a number of good reasons as to why stations should shy away from having married couples on the payroll.

They often want to take vacations at the same time. If they get in a fight, it often makes the entire newsroom a bit uneasy. If you fire one, it is awkward for the spouse that wasn’t fired.

Lastly, when one leaves, the other spouse often follows, and now you are stuck with two job openings.

It is even worse when the couple are both anchors because you now lose two front-line talents.

Just like what is happening at Gray’s WCTV (Tallahassee).

Here is the internal email sent to the staff from WCTV News Director Sabrina Fuller about the impending exit of married anchors Ben and Katie Kaplan.

Good morning everyone,

I have some big news to share this morning, and it won't be an easy announcement to read.

After just about 7 years and 5 years respectively, Ben and Katie will be winding down their time here in Tallahassee to pursue new opportunities.

Both as individuals and as a team we sometimes fondly call "The Kaplans," Ben and Katie have made immense contributions to this newsroom. They've approached each day with a genuine passion for what we do here at WCTV. They've demonstrated the high standards necessary to serve this community, and to achieve excellence.

Katie and Ben have always gone above and beyond in their commitment to the Big Bend and South Georgia, whether it's taking on service-related projects, or roles within community organizations. And we can't mention that hard work without also highlighting their efforts to get It's Our Honor off the ground, with the added fundraising component this year.

Between Ben, Katie..and of course Rocco, our loss will truly be their next market's gain.

The good news in all of this is that we still have some time left.

Ben will be leaving September 8. Katie will be leaving a few months later, in mid-November.

In the next few weeks, there will be a lot more to come on the effort to replace two sets of big shoes to fill.

Thank you for everything, Katie and Ben!

Sabrina Fuller
News Director
WCTV Eyewitness News