Jerry Springer's news career has come to an abrupt end. The talk show host resigned on Thursday from his new role as a commentator on WMAQ-TV in Chicago, saying the controversy surrounding his appointment had grown too personal. In a letter to WMAQ general manager Lyle Banks, Springer said that his new job is "probably not worth the flak." Banks issued a statement of his own, saying, "We regret Jerry's decision to stop his commentaries on NBC 5, and we sincerely regret the personal attacks he has endured." Springer's hiring prompted an outcry of criticism, and WMAQ's popular veteran news anchor, Carol Marin, quit in protest. She told Tom Snyder on Monday that Springer was the "final straw . . . in what I fear is the dumbing down of news." Springer's resignation followed the airing of his one and only commentary, a piece that did not go over very well. Springer used his new platform to talk about free speech, and said that when he was Mayor of Cincinnati a neo-Nazi group sought a permit to march in the city. He said he was torn between his Jewish background and "my constitutional obligations as mayor." He says he sought out the advice of his parents, who told him to uphold the laws of this country and sign the permit. There's just one problem with that story. As mayor, Springer never actually had any authority to sign the permit. "So it wasn't my signature on the permit," he admitted. "This whole thing has gotten so out of hand. Now it's gotten into character assassination." Actually, it's more like ratings assassination: WMAQ's numbers have taken a nosedive since Springer came onboard.