Wow. Why is KMOV so unwilling to allow Conners the opportunity to explain? If we were talking about a partisan hack, that’d be one thing and I’d get it, but Conners’ body of work in my hometown is untouchable—especially from the leftist hacks trying to nip at his ankles now.

Longtime KMOV (Channel 4) anchorman Larry Conners is “off the air” until further notice.

The station is examining Conners’ recent allegations that he was targeted by the Internal Revenue Service after interviewing President Barack Obama.

“He’s not suspended. We just all thought it made sense (for him) to take a few days off,” news director Sean McLaughlin said.

“We take this very seriously, and we don’t expect this to drag on. We’re still looking into the situation and weighing our options,” he said.

 As I’ve written previously, I got the impression that Conners suggested his problems intensified after the interview. KMOV and its parent corporation demanded Conners read a pre-written statement and wouldn’t allow him to expound on what was a short Facebook post. Absolutely bizarre. Their overreaction continues to make this a story—and is the story.

*THOUGHTS: The rumor mill says that KMOV has been wanting to oust Conners for awhile due to his age. If so, this could be used as an excuse. It makes me think this may be more of KMOV wanting to force Conners out than covering for politics—though Belo’s former director being a giant Democrat who left to work for the admin doesn’t help that optic. KMOV & Belo’s handling of this actually makes it look like a bigger scandal, given the news environment. Who is making decisions over there?