By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Sunday, March 29, 2015, updated Tuesday, March 31, 2015, again April 13, 2015
UPDATE Tuesday March 31: On Monday night, Fisher returned on air after several days' absence. She also began posting news-related items again on her social media accounts. I'm told her contract had ended and for a time, a new one had yet to be signed, which may have been why she was off air. I am not sure if not being on air was Fisher's call or management's decision. Larry Perret, the news director, emailed me today, writing, "She's under contract and continues to work." When I asked why she was off air for a few days last week, he said she was taking vacation days. That may be true, but why would she take vacation in the middle of March Madness when CBS is airing the highly-rated basketball games?
Fisher has not been anchoring the 11 p.m. since she returned - just the 4, 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts. I'm not sure why.
UPDATE: 4/13/15: I'm now being told Stephany is just riding out her current contract but I don't think she is signing a new one. I don't know when her final day would be if this were the case.
A reliable source told me Saturday night that CBS46's longest running anchor Stephany Fisher is out. [UPDATE: Said source wasn't 100% reliable in this case, as noted above. She was off air for a time but she was not 100% out.]
Fisher has been with CBS46 for 12 years anchoring the evening newscasts. Her current duties are 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m..
One sign that my source may be right: she changed her Twitter handle Saturday night from @fishercbs46 to @stephanylfisher, which has 1,864 followers. Her Twitter description: "Evening news anchor at CBS46. Being wife to my college sweetheart, mother to our teenage daughter and spoiler of 2 dogs is my life."
As of Sunday morning, her public CBS46 Facebook page remained. She hasn't updated it since March 24. (I checked in on her on her private FB page this morning but nothing yet.)
Her public FB page has 498 likes compared to 25,296 for Channel 2 Action News' Jovita Moore, 3,936 for 11 Alive's Brenda Wood and 5,952 for Cynne Simpson on Fox 5.
Her page on CBS46 also remained as of Sunday morning.
She wasn't on air Friday night. Scott Light anchored solo on Fred Kalil's second night there as new sports anchor.
Fisher had been one of the few stabilizing forces on air for CBS46, which has been in fourth place for much of the past two decades. Over her tenure, she has worked with least five general managers and five news directors.
Only three other CBS46 on-air staff have been at the station more than a decade: Rebekka Schramm, Renee Starzyk and Adam Murphy. Presuming she's out, Tracye Hutchins would be the station's veteran anchor at eight years.
This is potential good news for Kayrn Greer, recently departed from 11 Alive. But Perret said a replacement for Michelle Burdo is forthcoming.
Before joining CBS46 in 2003, Fisher was an anchor/reporter in Yakima, Wash. (1992-1994), WYFF-TV Greenville (1994-2000), and KPTV-TV Portland (2000-2003).
Stephany was born in Dallas and grew up in San Angelo and Spokane,. She graduated from Washington State University's Edward R. Murrow College of Communication in 1991.
Here are some stories I’ve written about CBS’s changes since spring, 2013:
1/9/14: Adam Murphy gets his "Restaurant Report Card" back (but it was gone again by the end of the year.)
8/13/13: Tracye Hutchins moves to evenings, replaced by Michelle Burdo
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