Posted by chicagomedia.org on November 03, 2008 at 15:43:57:
In Reply to: WGN's Allison Payne stepping down posted by chicagomedia.org on November 03, 2008 at 15:41:08:
WGN-Ch. 9's Allison Payne taking time off for health
WGN-Ch. 9 newscaster Allison Payne will be off the air for an undisclosed length of time, the station announced today, citing ongoing health concerns.
Micah Materre will substitute for Payne alongside co-anchor Mark Suppelsa on the station's 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. newscasts in the interim, effective immediately. Dina Bair will fill in for Materre as Steve Sanders' co-anchor on Channel 9's midday news.
“Earlier this year, Allison Payne suffered a series of mini-strokes that took her off the air for several weeks," Marty Wilke, WGN's vice president and general manager, said in a statement. "At this time, she is taking some additional time off to fully rehabilitate."
Payne, who has co-anchored Channel 9's 9 p.m. news for 15 years and helped launch its 5:30 p.m. newscast in September, not only was sidelined from January to April, she took time off in September to undergo a battery of tests at Minnesota's famed Mayo Clinic. She could not be reached for comment immediately today.
In August, Payne apologized to viewers in an interview with the Chicago Tribune for an unsteady on-air appearance, saying overwork compounded the effects of earlier mini-strokes. "I was not drunk," she said.
"I don't want to play a violin, but I am still recovering," she said at the time. "It's a process. I have to ask people to be patient with that in terms of slurring and things."
In a later Tribune interview, Payne said she also hadn't been taking her prescribed blood thinner, "and that's a major no-no."
"We look forward to Allison’s speedy return," Wilke said. "Viewers who would like to send Allison a get well wish can do so at wgntv.com on our 'get well' message board."
WGN, like the Chicago Tribune, is owned by Tribune Co.
(Phil Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune)