Mark Hayes leaving Fox 5’s ‘Good Day Atlanta’
Loading ...Mark Hayes, a fixture on Fox 5’s “Good Day Atlanta” since 2002, is voluntarily leaving the show, according to a Fox 5 spokeswoman. Friday is his final day.
The station would have liked him to have stayed on if he had chosen to.
He will make his official announcement Friday morning during the 7 a.m. hour.
UPDATE: At 8:55 a.m. Friday morning, Fox 5 played a tribute video of light-hearted moments from Hayes’ ten years with the show, laughing with a lizard, the Rock, Ryan Seacrest and Terry Bradshaw. He’s seen singing K.C. & the Sunshine Band, dancing Irish Riverdance and cleaning a barbecue.
“This has been an incredibly fast ten years,” Hayes said. “I can’t believe how fast it’s gone by. It’s been an honor and privilege to work with all you guys because you guys are the best in the business. I’m going to miss you guys truly. You guys are friends and family. We’ve done graduations together… My guys were babies when we got here. Now they’re grown and gone. Kenny’s in the Navy and Malcolm is just about grown up. He’s graduating high school in a couple of years. Where does the time go?”
“I leave with a heavy heart but I leave with no regrets, no complaints. This was not an easy decision,” he added. He did not indicate what his future plans are.
Hayes was co-anchor with Suchita Vadlamani for much of that time until she left in late 2010 after some management shifts. (Vadlamani has not returned to TV.). Last year, Hayes was moved to the 5 to 7 a.m. anchoring hours and does reporting from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Buck Lanford took his place from 7 to 9 a.m., with Vadlamani’s replacement Gurvir Dhindsa.
“He brought a lot of energy to the mornings,” said Jan Hickel, who was the guest coordinator for several years and left last year. “They had great chemistry. They had fun on air together.”
Brett Martin, the former Fox 5 “Road Warrior” and a friend of Hayes, said he thinks Hayes wants to branch out and do other things. “He wants to grow,” Martin said.
The most recent “Road Warrior” who was let go last year, Stacey Elgin wrote to me that she loved working with him: “Mark was very professional on air and had a huge fan base. He will be missed by so many in the community!”
Bill Schneider, the Fox 5 general manager, released this statement:
“We have enjoyed working with Mark over the past 10 years. He has always demonstrated tremendous enthusiasm for his work and it has resonated well with our viewers. We will miss Mark’s passion and wish him the best of luck in his future.”
Ratings have generally been on the upswing for “Good Day Atlanta,” which battles “The Today Show” for the No. 2 slot in the mornings.
Hayes did not respond to a call and text.
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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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240 comments Add your comment
bali high
April 6th, 2012
6:24 pm
Some post on this site are very cruel, Remember, Some of your co-workers and family members feel the same way about you
michelle
April 6th, 2012
6:29 pm
Enter your comments here
Doris
April 6th, 2012
8:33 pm
Mark, Suchita, and Jeff made the show. They are the reason why I the show. They all compliment each other. I guess I’ll have to watch GMA now that they’re gone.
KJill
April 6th, 2012
8:42 pm
Fox5, in letting Mark Hayes get away you have lost the best morning show man in the business. I have a feeling good ol’ Fox News had something to do with that supposed ‘trial’ that reduced Mark’s airtime and put Buck Lankford in the chair from 7-9 thus causing Mark to make the decision to leave(no disrespect intended Buck, but 7-9 was just not the same without Mark). Shame on you Fox5 – pre Fox5 WAGA would not have treated him this way!! Mark is the total package – he knows when to be the consummate professional and when to play, and there are not many around with that natural talent. I will miss his bright smile and silliness, but mostly I will just miss seeing him daily. Best of luck to you Mark. Happy trails to you, until we see you again – soon, I hope, in Atlanta …
Nicole
April 6th, 2012
9:01 pm
Mark you will truly be missed, we were dedicated fans of the morning show, but after today I really don’t know. Hopes and wishes for a brighter future God Bless you and your family.
Eric
April 6th, 2012
9:10 pm
IMO, this isn’t Jim Axel’s WAGA-TV 5. Even though I don’t watch Good Day Atlanta all that much… It seems that Mark, Suchita, and Jeff were the Good Day dream team… FOX pretty much squandered it.
I’m not all that crazy about channel 2’s news… despite the presentation being sort of bland and repeatative… 2 must be doing something right.
46 seems like they’re getting better. Many are mixed about 11’s news.
A Fan from Indiana
April 6th, 2012
9:13 pm
I have been living in GA for 7 years and FOX5 has been the News channel for me. I loved the chemistry between Mark, Suchita, and Jeff….so when Suchita left, I was upset but OK because Mark and Jeff was still there. Then management shift Jeff to nights..(uggg). Sometimes I wonder if the managment team of any organization THINK before they make decision (NOPE)/ Mark & Jeff always had me laughing before starting my 14 hour day. Mark if this was truly YOUR decision, I wish you the very best in that life has to offer. Your smile and personality is a winning combination. God Bless you and your family.
BobInATL
April 6th, 2012
11:02 pm
Mark will be missed. He’s why i still watched Fox 5 in the morning. No more. I’ll find another morning show.Best wishes.
Steven
April 7th, 2012
11:37 am
It’s a wrap….first Suchita….then Jeff (to another time slot) and now Mark. I’m out. Good luck Fox 5. You just dismantled the most entertaining morning news crew. Had to write it again. Too bad. And that new check can’t read the monitor properly. So sad.
Kim
April 7th, 2012
4:08 pm
Mark you will be tremendously missed.
th
April 7th, 2012
8:20 pm
Nooooo!! First Jeff Hill and now Mark!!! So sad. My mornings won’t be the same.
Sally
April 8th, 2012
8:09 am
How could you! You just took the sunshine out of Good Morning Atlanta. We will no longer be watching.
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April 8th, 2012
8:39 am
[...] Atlanta, “Mark Hayes, a fixture on Fox 5’s ‘Good Day Atlanta’ since 2002, is voluntarily leaving the show, according to a Fox 5 spokeswoman. Friday is his final day,” Rodney Ho reported Thursday for [...]
A Commenter
April 8th, 2012
12:40 pm
My goodness. I loved watching Suchita, Mark, and Jeff in the mornings. They were hilarous. Like another poster said, they made hearing the bad stuff more bearable. Once Suchita left and Mark played musical time slots, I stopped watching as much. Cheryl and Joanne are great but Gurvir and Buck? Really? Seriously? They have zero chemistry. They’re like stepford anchors reading the news complete with “insert laughter” here instructions. I’ll just assume they have personalities outside of work because it does not come through during the show. I do like Lisa and actually prefer her over Karen who seems to be gone a lot. I finally stopped watching a couple of months ago. Mark, thank you for making my mornings so funny. You are an awesome talent and I truly hope to see you on another show here in Atlanta.
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April 8th, 2012
1:59 pm
[...] Atlanta, “Mark Hayes, a fixture on Fox 5’s ‘Good Day Atlanta’ since 2002, is voluntarily leaving the show, according to a Fox 5 spokeswoman. Friday is his final day,” Rodney Ho reported Thursday for [...]
deedee
April 8th, 2012
5:11 pm
Mark, Jeff and Suchita together is what drew me to FOX 5 in the morning. They had great chemistry and you could tell they loved working together. Whatever the situation was with Suchita, I don’t know, but that was the beginning of the end for FOX 5 in the morning…….. just not the same.
deedee
April 8th, 2012
5:21 pm
Mark i hope you will take time to read these comments and know that you will be missed by the majority. Also please know that the: bless you, love you,and miss you are sincere and from the heart.
Not Sad
April 8th, 2012
5:41 pm
He always sounded like he was talking while eating. All that smacking was so unnecessary.
BadMove Fox5
April 8th, 2012
8:18 pm
WOW. Fox 5 what were you thinking!? I guess that’s the problem….you wasn’t!! I watched to see him and Suchita, and Jeff and Brett. That was a GREAT combination. Gurvir seems like she has a Napolean complex. I wouldn’t want to work with her. Good luck in all your future endeavors Mark! I hope another Atlanta network pick you up!
Veruca Salt
April 8th, 2012
9:26 pm
Hal Suit and Guy Sharpe = Best Morning Team EVER!!!!!
Atlanta Resident
April 9th, 2012
2:39 am
I won’t insult the other Fox5 morning show team members, as many have in these comments, but I will state that Mark Hayes was a professional reporter that added personality and humor, where appropriate to GDA. If I knew where he was going, I’d watch that news program. Since I don’t, I’ll have to find another morning news show to watch. Bad move Fox5. Best wishes to you MH!
T Mitchell
April 9th, 2012
3:11 am
First it was Suchita now Mark. I would say racially motivated, but they also moved Jeff to evenings. Those three together were an asset to Fox by adding such joy and humor to the early mornings. With those three gone from the AM I will be watching channel 2. Fox sucks. Best of luck to Mark and Suchita. When God closes one door, he always opens another. In these hard times the people needed uplifting broadcaster. What a great loss to the media. I will miss Mark, been missing Suchita. Good day is now Bad day. Goodbye.
E Maloney
April 9th, 2012
7:28 am
Sorry to see the shifting of personality. Unfortunately the best and brightest many times leave for better oppurtunities while those who remain should have been booted years ago. Cheryl is a waste of time. What is with her clothing selection and please sometimes do something whith the hair other than pulling brush before waddling onto the set. I assume she’s there to attract the obese viewers
.
jack a carvalho
April 9th, 2012
9:08 am
Seems to me if had been treated well he would not have left after 10 yrs.
Big mistake!!!
He was a valuable asset to the morning show.
I dont care care to watch anymore and it its on i just tune it out.
J.R. Reeves
April 9th, 2012
10:15 am
The changes Fox 5 are making are taking away the enjoyment from the viewers. I enjoyed the morning inviews and guest entertainers. The humor balanced off the sad stories that the news has to cover. Fox 5, don’t stray too far off or you will lose the dedicated viewers!
Vickie
April 9th, 2012
12:27 pm
Mark will be missed. You were always happy and like a ray of sunshine in the morning. I loved watching you, Suchitha, and Jeff. Fox5 need to realize what is working for them and what’s NOT. Now I will probably only watch the news in the evenings when Jeff is on…or will he be leaving as well?
Rhonda
April 9th, 2012
4:20 pm
Not sure why Fox 5 is making so many changes I really hate to see Mark go. If for any reason Jeff Hill leaves I will never watch Fox 5 again!
Sandra Williams
April 9th, 2012
4:45 pm
I will not watch fox5 news…will miss Mark…..CAN’T STAND KAREN…..I WILL NEVER WATCH HER……
Marlo's other new name?
April 9th, 2012
5:44 pm
*Local* traffic and weather can be found on AM 750!
Jackie
April 10th, 2012
2:42 pm
Mark will be miss!!! He & Suchita were good together. Gurvir I worry about her she is so thin. I wish Mark the best, I will not be watching Fox 5 anymore GMA here I come.
gwennie
April 10th, 2012
3:50 pm
I will miss Good Day Atlanta! I’ve switched to GMA already.
peace keeper
April 10th, 2012
5:05 pm
Mark,Suchita,and Jeff were a WINNING TEAM!!!!! BADDD move FOX 5. First Brett, now look at what happened! Such a sad time for fox 5 watchers.
PJ
April 10th, 2012
8:01 pm
I am going to have to find another station for the morning news!!! The chemistry of the morning show has not been the same since Suchita was let go and Mark was moved. I love the way they were able to feed off of each other. Mark was the main reason that I watched because he was funny and very professional at the same time. He will truly be missed!!!
Big mistake Fox5! From reading these comments, you might lose several viewers.
DISGRACEFUL
April 10th, 2012
11:40 pm
This is ashame about Mark Hayes. I saw it coming also. I agree they have not treated him right for sometime. I WAS an dedicated Good Day viewer from 6-9, I will NOT be watching anymore. Back to GMA. Hopefully another station will pick him up and treat him with the respect he deserves. Mark Hayes is a GREAT news anchor ( as Suchita was). Gurvir and Buck are BORING!!!!!!!!!!!! Fox 5 you screwed up again!!!!!!!!!!!
T. Ward
April 11th, 2012
7:24 am
I will miss you Mark. I always liked when him & Ken would say its pay day today. They were all so funny. I new something was up when I turned on news a Buck was sitting in his spot. Mark I will miss you. Just like I miss Shacita. You both will land on you feet. Strong cats always do.
Oliver & Alice Davis
April 11th, 2012
10:32 pm
Mark, Mark, Mark, what on earth are you going to do now. My husband and I will miss those animal visits on the show, especially the “BIRDS” (smile). Good luck on whatever you plan to do and May God Continue to Bless You and Your Family.
kathy
April 11th, 2012
11:20 pm
Don’t want to watch Good Day anymore, I am really sad, Mark is one of the reason I watched, guess I will change channels..
No Longer A Fox 5 Fan
April 12th, 2012
8:45 am
I slowly began to not watch Fox 5 these past two years after the axe of Brett Martin, and over time the show began to get worst and worst with the shifting of others. The station already has poor programming and Good Day Atlanta was the only thing I really was dedicated to watch on the station, but now… “Good Day” to you too!!!
Denise
April 12th, 2012
10:45 am
I loved the show for so many years. When Gurvir left the first time I cried. But then Suchita, Mark, Jeff, and Cheryl were what I looked forward to every morning–that was the best team, then when Suchita left, Jeff went to evenings, and now Mark is gone. Not worth watching without the fun in the mornings the chemistry is gone. I like the guys that are still there and will probably continue to watch for a while.
L. H.
April 12th, 2012
1:27 pm
All of my favorites are now gone, so I’ll be watching channel 46 from now on and sometimes GMA, it’s so sad what management has done, use to be one of the best promgrams.