Posted by chicagomedia.org on September 09, 2008 at 20:34:27:
Chronic Payne
WGN�s ailing news anchor hopes to find answers and get some rest
With just five days to go before the launch of WGN-Channel 9�s new 5:30 p.m. newscast, ailing news anchor Allison Payne is checking into the Mayo Clinic.
Payne, who�s taking this week off from her duties as 9 p.m. news anchor at the Tribune Co.-owned station, said Tuesday she�s going to the world famous medical center in Rochester, Minn., to have her case reviewed and undergo a battery of tests.
Whether she�s back in time for the debut Monday of the new newscast with co-anchor Mark Suppelsa will depend on how she feels and what she learns about a variety of ailments that sidelined her for much of this year.
�Hopefully, I�ll be able to get some rest up there,� Payne said. �I�m tired. I�m just tired.�
Channel 9 bosses say they have a backup plan just in case.
Payne, 44, disclosed here last January that she was battling back from a series of ministrokes � or temporary blockages of blood to the brain � affecting both her speech and movement.
She returned to air in April, but continued to struggle with fatigue and performance issues.
Her slurred speech and erratic behavior one night last month so alarmed and disturbed viewers that she was prompted to issue a public apology. �I was not drunk,� she told the Tribune.
During some of her reports from the Democratic Convention in Denver, Payne acknowledged that she occasionally appeared �giddy or silly on the air.� But she said she was just in a good mood and having fun with Suppelsa.
Payne later said she believed many of her problems were the result of a protein deficiency in her blood and a lack of sleep.
Payne said she was grateful to the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, who used his influence to get her an immediate appointment at the Mayo Clinic. �If he hadn�t called, I know I would have had to wait months to get in,� she said
(FEDER/st)