It appears that two local television stations now have openings for chief meteorologists.

NBC affiliate WHEC-TV (Channel 10) has yet to replace Jeremy Kappell, whom it hired in October 2017 and fired in January after an on-air segment in which he referred to Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park as “Martin Luther coon King Jr. Park.” (Kappell said he jumbled his words; the station characterized the utterance as a racial slur.)

And earlier this week, Nexstar Broadcasting, the Irving, Texas-based company that owns Channel 8, posted an online ad seeking a chief meteorologist.

The ad states that WROC “is seeking an experienced Chief Meteorologist with a compelling on-air presence, possessing excellent story telling capabilities, and a passion to be the best.” It goes on to say that the ideal candidate “will exude personality, intelligence and credibility both on and off the camera in this high-profile position and play a lead role in developing our weather team presence in the marketplace.”

On its website, Channel 8 still identifies Stacey Pensgen as its chief meteorologist. Pensgen describes herself the same way on social media. She delivered the forecast last night on the CBS affiliate.

The Democrat and Chronicle reached out to Pensgen twice about the ad but has not heard back.

We also contacted Nexstar for more information, and a representative directed us to call WROC vice president and general manager Wendy Bello. We did and were told she wouldn’t comment.

Meanwhile, two weeks ago, Kappell filed a lawsuit over his dismissal from Channel 10, saying it violated the terms of his three-year contract and has resulted in lost wages and emotional distress.

This is a developing story, which includesreporting by Steve Orr.

More:Stacey Pensgen moves into new role at WROC-TV

More:Meteorologist Jeremy Kappell files lawsuit over his firing from WHEC

MGREENWO@Gannett.com