REPORTER GETS WRITTEN OFF

January 8, 2008

A Philadelphia anchorwoman from Long Island who has been off the air since she was charged with striking a New York City police officer has been fired, the station said yesterday. Lake Grove native Alycia Lane "has been released from her contract, effective immediately," KYW-TV said in a statement the day the telegenic brunette had been due back on air, reports The Associated Press. Lane, a passenger in a taxi involved in a Dec. 16 traffic dispute, is accused of using a sexual slur against a plainclothes female officer and hitting her. Lane, 35, has denied the allegations.

KYW, a CBS affiliate, had Lane start a previously scheduled vacation the day after the incident, a week early, and pulled her from station promotions during her absence. "After assessing the overall impact of a series of incidents resulting from judgments she has made, we have concluded that it would be impossible for Alycia to continue to report the news as she, herself, has become the focus of so many news stories," station president and general manager Michael Colleran said in the statement.

Lane, who joined the station in 2003, reportedly earned $700,000 a year as co-anchor of the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. One of her attorneys, Paul Rosen, accused KYW of violating her contract, which he said had an unspecified number of years remaining. Lane has not been convicted of any crime, he noted. "The termination is unfair because Alycia has never had an opportunity to defend against this charge and tell her side of the story publicly," Rosen said in a statement.