Rob Marciano, who exited ABC News in May 2024 over reported “anger” issues has resurfaced at CBS News following several weeks of speculation of his hire.
Marciano returned to TV during the Oct. 8, 2024, edition of the “CBS Evening News” helping with team coverage of Hurricane Milton. He was reporting from Tampa, Florida. Earlier in the day, CBS had Jonathan Vigliotti in Tampa on “CBS Mornings” — he was moved to St. Petersburg Beach, which is near Tampa, by the evening. On Oct. 7, 2024, Tom Hanson handled reporting from the city.
Marciano spotlighted his own return to the airwaves with an Instagram post showing him at his standup location with the caption “Back to work… be safe Florida 🙏.”
ABC fired Marciano earlier this year after sources say “Good Morning America” forecaster Ginger Zee alerted higher-ups that Marciano had engaged in a blowout with producers. There were also reports that he and Zee, who are often seen as rivals on the ABC weather team, didn’t get along and separate reports that Marciano had made others uncomfortable about sharing details about his personal life.
None of those reports were confirmed by ABC or Marciano, nor is it clear why he was fired. It’s not uncommon for TV personalities to struggle with anger or sensitivity issues, especially given the highly-competitive and high-stress nature of the business. Other anchors, such as former CNN anchor Don Lemon, were allowed to keep their jobs after agreeing to attend training (Lemon was eventually fired from CNN, though it wasn’t clear if it was directly linked to his alleged behavior and on-air comment that many saw as ageist and sexist).
It is not clear if Marciano has undergone any sensitivity training, or if that was even a condition of his employment at CBS.
Hiring Marciano gives CBS, which typically ranks last among the “big three” morning and evening newscasts a valuable resource, especially after announcing plans in April 2024 to launch an in-house weather unit.
Since then, CBS has expanded its weather capabilities by opening virtual studios in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and San Fransisco capable of placing forecasters inside of giant 3D environments to deliver forecasts (the studios are also used for other, non-weather purposes). During Milton coverage, WCBS chief weathercaster Lonnie Quinn appeared from the studio.
CBS had also forged a partnership with The Weather Channel to have that network produce immersive virtual weather segments for it.
It is not immediately clear what Marciano’s exact title or place in the network hierarchy is.