Code Red: WCIS Fires Meteorologist Joe Crain

State-Journal-Register photo

The same day a spokesman for Sinclair Broadcasting’s WICS-TV in Springfield IL confirmed that meteorologist Joe Crain had been “let go” from the station, a group of about 150 of his supporters gathered at the Illinois Products Farmers’ Market at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

Most of the protesters on Thursday afternoon were wearing red shirts with messages like “I Support Joe Crain” and #coderedisdead, mocking the station’s controversial “Code Red” weather alerts that Crain criticized on the air June 5, the last day WICS viewers saw him on TV.

WICS news director Michael Truett showed up at the fairgrounds to field questions from the crowd, though many were left unimpressed, as chants of “Sinclair puppets” rose up.

Earlier Thursday, Robert Ford, a Sinclair spokesman confirmed for the first time that Crain had been “let go,” although there were indications over the past week he wasn’t coming back. Crain’s picture and biography were removed from the station’s website on June 6, and a want ad for the morning meteorologist job was posted to the Sinclair website on Tuesday.

Truett said it was “inappropriate (for Crain) to come out and speak about your employer on the airwaves that employer controls without permission. There are internal ways to go about (discussing) what you disagree about the station.”



Asked about the backlash WICS has taken, with about a dozen advertisers pulling commercials from the station, Truett said, “Channel 20 has been a staple of the community for years. We intend to do our best to report the news and the weather in the future.”