Rene Knott's character should solve any mysteries around KSDK breakup
If you know the guy, you know.
Last week, like a lightning bolt of news out of the sky, STL Magazine reported that Rene Knott, a 21-year veteran of the station, was out of a job at KSDK. He resigned according to the well-written story, but there were questions remaining.
In a follow-up story from author Sarah Fenske, Knott was brought in for a pair of meetings--with the second one ending in him leaving the station. Rumors of gun-related comments and behavior changes from multiple sources filled in the blanks for the reasons of a sudden breakup. Knott, who played college football, reportedly made comments about potentially dealing with C.T.E., the disease most associated with football players.
Here’s the thing. If you know Rene, you’d immediately know the comments were in jest or humorous. The “I’m gonna get my AK-47” claim is preposterous, especially since Knott is popular for his anti-gun opinions. Public speakers for up to 20-30 events per year don’t make those kinds of comments. Everything else comes off as a normal Rene joke.
No tolerance policy my ass, Tegna. You don’t fire a 21-year veteran who has done news for over three decades without letting him tell his side or produce a better reason than what comes off as gathered-over-time feedback.
Ask Jeanie Smith, who worked at KSDK for years in the same newsroom as Knott. My mentor, Jordan Palmer, worked with him for 15 years before departing. Both of them weren’t included in the sources from JC Corcoran, who claims that the rumors are true according to top sources.
With all due respect to JC, who I call a friend, I have my own sources and this all stinks of a contract drop. It’s no secret that Tegna is being shopped and most likely sold in the next calendar year. Knott’s contract being up adds more spice to the fire. Also, he was being groomed to take over Mike Bush’s spot on the evening news, leaving the 5-7 a.m. morning slot that he made special. This is like Joe Pesci walking into that room in Goodfellas, if you know what I mean.
While I obviously wasn’t there for the rumored behavior, the only guy I saw in my two handfuls of time spent in that newsroom as a contributor and short-lived segment co-host on Show Me St. Louis was a lovely human being. Granted, when I saw Rene moving through the studio like a love tornado, he had been up for a very long time. He wasn’t nervous, agitated, or rude. He was hugging everybody, including me.
That. Is. Rene. Any idea that he would snap suddenly doesn’t add up to the people who know him. Why weren’t Smith and Palmer included in the sources?? Maybe due to their take opposing the popular party.
Here’s the truth. KSDK and Tegna lose in the end. While I love Michelle Li and other morning hosts, Knott was the glue that made it special. He took to the streets to tell stories, supported local businesses (cheeseburgers were a must), and promoted the GOOD in St. Louis. Him breaking character would require a script, one he would never read, just like Ron Burgundy.
Most times, if not nearly all, it’s about money. That’s what this is about. Dropping a big contract to make the company look sexier for sale. It’s just like the Blues auctioning off every piece of player value when they were up for sale way back when. Chris Pronger and company being pawned off like stocks. That’s what’s happening here.
No more. No less. If you know Rene, then you know his character. If you know that, you know what’s true and what’s for others to believe. Once again, the real loser here is Tegna and the local news station. Knott will find work elsewhere and thrive. I’ll be tuning in.
We need people like Rene Knott. Like James Earl Jones’s speech at the end of Field of Dreams when speaking of baseball, he reminds us that all was good and could be again.
That’s my take and I’m sticking to it. Thanks for reading.