KTLA has axed sports anchor Tony Hernandez, and he's not going quietly.
Hernandez, who joined the Tribune-owned station in 1998, said station management told him they were "not pleased" with the way he presented sports on air.
After discussing potential changes to his sportscast -- including a suggestion by news director Jeff Wald to add a human-interest story to his segment -- Hernandez was told last week that his contract wouldn't be renewed. His last day on air will be April 16.
"I wasn't prepared enough for that moment," Hernandez said. "What was surprising was how badly it was handled. After six years at the station, the ending was rather unprofessional and abrupt."
Prior to KTLA, Hernandez had spent seven years as sports anchor at KCOP. He also anchored sports at KCBS, KABC, Philadelphia's KYW-TV and WCBS-TV in New York.
The anchor also once played minor league baseball for the Chicago Cubs organization.
With the writing on the wall, Hernandez said he huddled earlier this month with producers in the KTLA sports department to come up with ways to save his job.
"I'm not sure what they wanted," he said. "In my opinion, it was a charade, they were probably hoping I'd walk away graciously and say, 'Thanks for the memories.' And when I didn't, they shifted and started playing hardball."
Hernandez said he hadn't figured out his next step post-KTLA, only that he's looking at his options. Calls to KTLA management weren't returned; station hasn't announced Hernandez's replacement.
Contact Michael Schneider at
mike.schneider@variety.com