WDEF-TV 12 anchor John Mercer died Tuesday night at Erlanger after fighting a “heart-related condition” for about six days.
Mercer came to the station in 2003.
News Director Dutch Terry said Mercer was a mentor as well as a newsman who knew “what being a journalist was all about.” That extended even to the point of canceling vacation to cover the current COVID-19 pandemic, Terry said.
“John was an amazing leader in the newsroom,” Terry said. “He was well loved and a mentor to 17 years worth of young journalists who came through this building. He knew instinctively how to react in a crisis. He understood what it meant to be a journalist.
“He was an amazing co-worker, an amazing teacher and a good friend.”