It Happened Again!

It seems that lightning really does strike twice in Western Pennsylvania.

WTAE has decided not to renew the contract of meteorologist Jeff Verszyla. His final on-air appearance was the noon newscast on Thursday, and according to Verszyla, he didn't even know it was his swan song until a few hours later.

Verszyla took to Facebook to break the news to his followers: "At 4:30 p.m. today, I was informed that my contract with WTAE is not being renewed. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the noon broadcast today was my last. I will no longer be seen giving you my trusted forecast on WTAE."

If this story sounds a bit like deja vu, that's because it is. This marks the second time Verszyla has been kicked to the curb by a major player in the Pittsburgh market.

Back in 2018, Verszyla was abruptly let go by CBS-owned KDKA after spending 23 years at the station. He eventually resurfaced at Hearst's WTAE as a freelancer in 2020 before locking down a full-time weekend spot and eventually moving to weekdays.

But the writing was on the wall last summer that history was about to repeat itself when Channel 4 demoted him from his weekday slot back to weekends.

WTAE News Director Baylor Long did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Verszyla declined to dive into the messy details of his second market exit, telling local media he is going to let it settle before assessing his future.

In the meantime, Pittsburgh is down one veteran weather anchor, and Verszyla is left looking for another chapter—inside or outside of the TV business.

H/T Tribune Review