A beloved Ohio TV weatherman is “no longer employed” as a meteorologist at an ABC affiliate he worked at for years, the station revealed in a vague statement.
“News 5 wants to share with our viewers a change to our on-air staffing. Meteorologist Mark Johnson is no longer employed at WEWS,” the Cleveland-based news station announced on Friday.
WEWS Vice President and General Manager Steve Weinstein added that the station takes “protecting” its audience “very seriously.”
“We want our audiences to know that News 5 and its parent company, Scripps, take protecting our audiences’ trust very seriously by requiring our employees to adhere to the highest ethical standards,” Weinstein said.
“We cannot provide further details, as this is a personnel matter.”
WEWS said they have already begun searching for Johnson’s replacement.
“Our commitment to being the weather team Northeast Ohio turns to for safety and accuracy remains steadfast,” the station wrote.
News director Jodie Heisner told Cleveland.com Saturday that the station could not “comment beyond what was posted on our website.”
The Post has reached out to News 5 for comment.
The widely adored meteorologist being let go from his position shocked locals, who quickly took to social media to vocalize their confusion and outrage.
“You are the one who made me watch weather news. ABC is nothing without you,” another wrote to the veteran weatherman.
“No idea what happened, that’s between you and WEWS, but hope to see you back on the air soon and that it’s somewhere in NE Ohio! Wish you luck whenever and wherever that may be!” wrote another.
“More than anyone, you know there will be sunshine after a storm. Clevelanders stand with you … your stellar reputation cannot be tarnished and we celebrate your decades of loyalty to our community,” another fan wrote to the meteorologist.
Though Johnson has not publicly made a statement on his departure from the station, the beloved weatherman replied to one user’s post on Saturday.
“Well no reason for me to ever watch WEWS 5 every again. Not without Mark Johnson!” the fan wrote.
“I still love my News5 Family. Some great people,” Johnson replied.
While he may no longer be employed at WEWS, Johnson still took to Facebook Sunday night, asking residents in Ashtabula County if they felt a small 2.5 magnitude earthquake in the area.
The veteran meteorologist graduated from Kent State University in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and media studies, according to his LinkedIn.
In 1993, Johnson started working for News 5 and spent more than three decades delivering weather forecasts to residents in Northeastern Ohio, Cleveland.com reported — adding that his biography page on News 5 Cleveland’s website had already been taken down.
The outlet reported that he was the first Cleveland-area forecaster to hold both the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and the National Weather Association (NWA) Seals of Approval.
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