Traffic reporter Denise Johnson says she left WXIX-TV Wednesday because she refused to accept the station's 90-day contract extension.
Johnson was hired by Channel 19 to replace Stephanie Woods in August 2013, after being let go by WCPO-TV. She said that when her contract came up for renewal, the station offered her a 90-day extension "to see if I can improve my traffic reports."
She told her bosses Wednesday that she would not accept the extension through November.
"Within the past week, I decided I wasn't going to stay and train my replacement," she says. "I think the whole thing is a joke. I know I was good at what I did... Who wants to start looking for a job in December, right before Christmas?"
Debbie Bush, Channel 19 vice president and general manager, confirmed Friday that "she has left. We are posting the position. In the meantime, you'll see Jordan (Vilines) and Robert (Guaderrama) filling in."
Johnson, a Fort Thomas native and Erlanger resident, says she's enjoying sleeping in and looking for a full-time job off the air. She has a one-year "non-compete" clause preventing her from working for another TV news department. Johnson also is "owner/manager of Double D Erectors Fence Contractors," according to her Facebook page.
"A new beginning will start with my days of sleeping in past 2:15 a.m. Ah, to have a normal life again," she wrote on Facebook Wednesday, Aug. 30.
"Sometimes we are not given many choices… Sometimes choices are made for you. It is all for the best. I can have a normal life. 2:15 comes earlier every day," she wrote.
