Mike Francis, who left 11 Alive earlier this year as chief meteorologist under murky circumstances, wrote a Facebook post last Friday that suggests he is done with TV news:
A source of mine said he heard Francis might be going into real estate. He didn't respond to a text related to his Facebook post above.
UPDATE July 2: Francis posted a blog entry at wxgeeknation.com where he confirmed what my source told me. He is indeed going into real estate after 17 years in TV news:
He said in the blog that he was a successful home-builder in Arkansas, where he worked before coming to Atlanta in 2012.
Given the rules in Georgia, he said it would be easier to become a real estate agent here. He said Keller Williams with Denise Buchanan and Kate Boccia at the office in Roswell "have taken me under their wing and as of last week I am a fully licensed Realtor beginning the process of building my real estate business." He even posted his new business card:
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
He still plans to chase tornadoes in the plains, he wrote. "Who knows, I might land back on the air in Atlanta because I will not be leaving this city anytime soon. You will most likely see me on the air in Atlanta in some capacity one day, I will let you know the second I do."
Francis was let go from the NBC affiliate in January after about 18 months at the job. Sources at the time told me the last straw was when he didn't respond to calls on a Saturday morning in early January when a major storm was coming through. It took him about six hours to get back to managementand by then, the bosses were fed up. They suspended him, then released him, multiple sources told me at the time.
He describes himself on his Twitter page as " hardcore meteorologist, I am obsessed with severe weather and tornadoes. I have turned that obsession into saving lives."
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