Kelly Bates, One Year Later

Kelly Bates, One Year Later

It has been a full year since meteorologist Kelly Bates left WJAR-10 — and in doing so, turned the media world on its head. 

When GoLocal broke that Bates was out at the Sinclair-owned station in September of 2021, few could have predicted the attention it would garner.

Bates, a seasoned professional with a loyal following, found out just how ardent her supporters were when she tearfully took to video to express it was not her wish to leave the station, but she felt she was left with no choice. 

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Thousands petitioned to have her reinstated at her former job. 

WJAR-10 maintained that Bates had “turned down” a new contract. But the news of her seemingly sudden departure then began to gain steam. 

Bates told Newsweek that TV news is ‘unequivocally unfair' to women following her exit. 

"We're held to standards that men aren't. Period. I believe this is the case in all kinds of industries of course, but TV news is the one I've worked in so I can speak to it,” said Bates. “Maybe it's our culture, or a relic from an outdated era.”

WJAR-10 clearly had their reasons for offering her a much-different contract — but Rhode Islanders overwhelmingly responded that it was the wrong decision. 

Bates’ popularity only continued to rise. 

She was picked up by ABC 6 -- coming full circle to the station where she had gotten her start decades earlier

Bates was invited to emcee the 2022 Pride Fest in Providence. 

Kelly Bates was back, and maybe better than ever. 

On Tuesday, Bates did not respond to request for comment on the anniversary of her saga at time of publication, but then again, she is busy predicting Rhode Island’s weather. 

A year after the network news drama, don’t be surprised if you see a “Kelly Bates case-study” coming to college media classes soon.