Mike Miletich, State Capitol Bureau Chief for Gray TV’s Illinois stations says he is no longer employed by WGEM or other Gray Stations.
According to the Illinois Broadcasters Association, WGEM general manager Ben Van Ness said the station doesn’t comment on personnel matters, but when asked about why Miletich’s bio is off the station website, he told the organization, “You can draw your own conclusions as to what that means.”
We reported earlier that the station apologized after Miletich commented about a loud car disrupting his live shot in Southern Illinois by saying, “and of course cars are driving past right now because we are in Downstate Illinois where they hate the media.”
FTVLive, which first reported the story said the Gray owned station issued a statement:
If you were watching our Wednesday WGEM News at Six report on the Illinois assault weapons ban lawsuit filed by attorney Tom DeVore, we owe you an apology.
Reporter Mike Miletich ad-libbed while reporting live from Effingham to say in part, ‘…we are in downstate Illinois where they hate the media.’ That is not a fact. The facts show we have many loyal viewers who are very supportive of this television station.
Mike chose to express his opinion, which is not acceptable for a journalist working for this news organization. Our news division is disappointed by what was said, and our leadership team is addressing the matter.
Miletich said he isn’t allowed to talk about the situation.
On his LinkedIn page, Miletich is listed as a board member of the Illinois News Broadcaster’s Association, which is not affiliated with the IBA.