In the footage embedded below, Korean news anchor Cho Chang Beom drawls his way through a segment; Ron Burgundy would be appalled! If his station felt obliged to put him on air, it might be time for some crew resource management, as a stiff fine resulted.
An internal disciplinary committee was also held, and the station imposed sanctions. Cho Chang Beom received a three-month suspension and was excluded from news production for a year. Additionally, a warning was issued to the news director.
However, the KCSC pointed out that "the follow-up measures were not timely." They added, "Drunk broadcasting is absolutely unacceptable for any station. Legal sanctions are inevitable."
Cho at least finds himself in good company. "News anchors gone wild" is in a fine tradition in broadcasting. Mark Mester, fired from KTLA after an on-air rant, was maybe just angry. On the other hand, Heather Kovar of WRTV in New York was perhaps just happy. But A.J. Clemente's expletives on his first day at KFYR were specifically attributed by him to drink—he immediately lost the gig. New Year's Eve broadcasts, in the U.S., all but require hosts to have a tipple: Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon have been seen drinking on-air.
Previously: Drunk toddler taken to ER after restaurant served her wine in a juice cup
