Chief meteorologist Nelson Robinson is no longer with Lafayette Fox affiliate KADN and its Baton Rouge sister stations, NBC affiliate WVLA and Fox affiliate WGMB. According to Baton Rouge's Daily Report, station executives are not talking about the reason for his departure. Baton Rouge Station Manager Phil Waterman also recently departed the TV group, owned by Lafayette-based Comcorp., for a similar post at ABC affiliate WGNO in New Orleans. Calling Robinson's departure a personnel matter, Waterman decline Daily Report's request for a comment.
Robinson left KATC 18 years ago to start Lafayette-based Alert Weather Services Inc., which serves the offshore oil and gas industry. He had been commuting to Baton Rouge for the new gig.
Daily Report noted that Robinson, who did not return its calls for comment, is the latest of several on-air personalities to leave the stations, all of which struggle consistently in the news ratings, but he is the first high-profile anchor to depart. Robinson was positioned in “Nelson Knows” promotional campaigns as the voice of experience for the group's newscasts, which began in early 2007. Robinson was last on the air during Hurricane Ike; he has been replaced by Brett Cummins.