PROVIDENCE – Popular longtime Providence television meteorologist Kelly Bates is off the air – again.
Bates announced on Facebook Thursday, September 11, that she and “a number” of colleagues at ABC6 are out of work, as the station comes under new ownership.
“So it happened again. It happened again,” Bates said in a video as she apparently tried to hold back tears. “Our station was just bought by the station that I worked for previously. And that parent company has decided I’m a redundancy and needed to go.”
Kelly Bates
“So, no tears this time. I know what to expect with this company,” Bates said. “But if anyone’s looking for an effective communicator, person who can make great homemade bracelets, and someone who’s dedicated and loyal, and hardworking, please feel free to reach out to me, because I could use a job.”
Who owns RI’s local TV stations?
Bates did not mention the company by name, but she left her job with NBC10, owned by media company Sinclair, in September 2021 after a contract dispute. ABC6 hired her in June of 2022, and she returned to the airwaves with much fanfare. As of Friday morning, Sept. 12, Standard Media’s website listed ABC6 as one of its television stations.
Bates had worked at NBC10 for 17 years before her departure in 2021. Before NBC10, she had worked at ABC6, hired there as a weekend night meteorologist in 2000.
Bates has received Emmy nominations and has been voted best female meteorologist of Rhode Island by the readers of Rhode Island Monthly multiple times. She was inducted into the Rhode Island Monthly Hall of Fame in July 2022.
In her Facebook post, Bates also noted that other staff members had also lost their jobs.
“Good grief! It happened again!! A number of us ABC6 folks are now looking for work. If a resume crosses your desk from someone at ABC6, do yourself a favor and hire them,” she wrote. “They are the finest humans I have worked with. They are resourceful beyond measure and dedicated to excellence. They are magic makers who can make so much happen with so little. It was an honor to work with them. It was a gift and a blessing to be part of the team.”
As of about 7:45 a.m, Friday, the Facebook post had received some 1,900 reactions, more than 600 comments and had been shared 193 times.
Bates grew up in North Attleboro and graduated from Bishop Feehan High School.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI’s ABC6 meteorologist Kelly Bates says she, others are out
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