Kelly Bates - 21 Who Made a Difference in 2021

Kelly Bates - 21 Who Made a Difference in 2021

WJAR was once one of the top local affiliates in the country, but under the ownership of Sinclair Broadcast Group, the controversial media company with close ties to the Trumps is just a shadow of itself and the corporation continued to slash staff in 2021.

Kelly Bates, the long-time meteorologist at WJAR 10, was knocked off the station in September.

Bates took to social media after her removal and made the following announcement: 

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

So friends. This is it. I wanted to let you know that I am no longer employed by NBC10. If you know anyone who may be looking for a public relations expert with great oral and written skills, please send them my way! 

Thank you for everything over the nearly 20 years of having the privilege of being a trusted person in the community. It has been one hell of a ride!

The company said she had been offered a new contract. There was a lot of he-said, she-said between Bates and WJAR.

After GoLocal broke the story — it went viral and became a national sensation. Everyone from Newsweek and the Daily Mail featured the story.

Closer to home, it was another case of a local talent gone from corporate-owned media.