Anchor at Channel 51 Quits Early

Even though he was planning to leave his job next month, Roger Grimsby, the feisty lead anchor of the 10 p.m. newscast at KUSI-TV (Channel 51), abruptly left the station Tuesday night. The departure comes just a week after the start of a ratings period.

Grimsby was preparing for the Tuesday night newscast, when he was called in to the office of News Director Pete Jacobus. He left the station a few minutes later.

“Initially, the situation had been that I would leave the 15th of March, but they decided to buy out my contract,” Grimsby said Wednesday morning. He declined to give a specific reason for leaving.

Jacobus characterized Grimsby’s departure as a “mutual agreement” between the 4-month-old station and Grimsby.

“It’s been a topic of conversation between him and me for more than a week, so I was not surprised,” Jacobus said.

Station sources, who asked not to be identified, said they believed that the decision to break ties with Grimsby came from station owner Mike McKinnon.

“There was no big blow-up,” said one source. “I just generally don’t think things worked out the way they wanted them to.”

A 20-year veteran of New York television news wars, Grimsby made few concessions to modern television news. He refused to wear makeup, and displayed none of the perkiness common in most anchors. Grimsby, who closed each newscast with a commentary, rarely participated in “happy talk,” the banter between news personalities.

“I think their (management’s) thinking may have been to cut their losses,” said one newsroom source. “They were very sensitive to negative feedback about Roger.”

McKinnon, acknowledging that he was “probably” the source of the station’s dissatisfaction with Grimsby, said he wanted “a little more energy, a little faster-paced” news program.

The timing of the move surprised many in the industry. February is a ratings sweeps month, and the station has been running advertisements in newspapers and on the station promoting Grimsby and co-anchor George Reading.

“We’re concerned about the ratings, but we’re more concerned about putting together a team for the long stretch,” McKinnon said.

Jacobus said the ratings period never entered into the discussions with Grimsby, who he said was unhappy at the station.

“I can’t imagine anybody wanting to be miserable,” Jacobus said.

Until a replacement is found, Reading will anchor the 10 p.m. newscast solo, with occasional help from current staff members.

“It will probably be a male-female anchor situation” eventually, McKinnon said.