In a stunning, clean-breast confessional, the anchor/star-turned-felon admitted to a yearlong "unprofessional and improper relationship" with Lane, his 15-years-younger co-anchor at CBS 3.

In the post-Bill Clinton 21st century, it sounded like an affair. What does "unprofessional and improper relationship" mean - they used each other's pancake makeup?

An "affair" was furiously denied by Paul Rosen, Lane's attorney, in a news conference that followed Mendte's.

Michael Schwartz, Mendte's attorney, later declined to clarify "improper," even after Rosen had insisted that "there has never been an affair" and that Mendte's statement was an attempt to "take down" Lane and to "manipulate" the press.

Earlier Friday, in U.S. District Court, Mendte pleaded guilty to hacking into Lane's e-mail accounts. He invaded her privacy and snooped in her e-mail a minimum of 537 times - even after she was fired and was no longer a "threat" - and that was despicable. When U.S. District Judge Mary McLaughlin accepted his guilty plea, the 51-year-old Mendte became a felon, a record he will have for life. He will be sentenced a few days before Thanksgiving, on Nov. 24.

By cracking her e-mail, Mendte betrayed Lane, his co-worker and alleged "improper-relationship" playmate. If he did stray, he betrayed his wife, Dawn Stensland, a Fox 29 anchor whose station requested she not comment.

By owning up to his spectacular legal and moral failures, Mendte started the painful process of repairing his tarnished image. Rosen saw it as an attempt to "hurt Alycia Lane."

The jaw-dropping disclosure presented a new angle through which to view the agonizing soap opera. As it unspooled, mostly in print, neither of the wealthy, celebrity anchors could see that they were steering their careers toward the edge of a cliff.

Some of the commentary surrounding Mendte's creepy-peepy e-mail hacking suggested that Mendte was jealous because relative newcomer Lane was paid more than the veteran Mendte. Knowledgeable insiders tell me that Mendte was making close to $800,000 when he was released. Lane was paid about $100,000 less. Was he jealous of her rising star? Most likely yes, but there was more to it than that, according to his statement.

Mendte accused Lane of trying to undermine him with management. His spying began in earnest after he had seen an e-mail on Lane's newsroom computer screen that bad-mouthed him to management, he said.

That came after Stensland found evidence of the "improper relationship" in e-mails from Lane that Mendte had left on his desk. Mendte broke off the "improper relationship" with Lane and claimed a "feud" was born, suggesting a scorned-woman scenario. For her part, Lane, who arrived in Philadelphia in 2003, went from CBS 3 asset to liability in record time for her penchant for drawing the wrong kind of attention.

Unlike some of the instapundits writing about the saga, I have known Mendte and Lane for some years. I like them both, but each is needy.

The Anchor War - with ruined careers, snarled accusations and court appearances - defines "tragedy," the downfall of characters because of their own flaws.

In TV-land, egos are as big as the moon and fragile as butterfly wings. Made-up faces mask massive insecurity about receiving bloated salaries for looking good and being able to read out loud. The celebrity status can evaporate when ratings dip, or when a new GM comes in and yearns to put his or her stamp on the station.

The combustible cocktail of ego and insecurity can result in the kind of brass-knuckle infighting and remorseless back-stabbing usually found in backroom politics or skyscraper boardrooms. Anchors have thrown hissy-fits over the height of on-set anchor chairs, salaries, TV face time, even wardrobe budgets. These are people more committed to showbiz than the news biz.

I believe that Mendte's repentance is sincere, even if it came after he was caught. That's when repentance usually comes. I think he mentioned the "improper relationship" to explain the motivation for his illegal acts, for which he apologized - to viewers, his wife and Lane.

The 36-year-old Lane was the victim in this case, but has she accepted responsibility for all the weird stuff that surrounded her? OK, she's made some bad romantic choices, dumping one husband while moving here and marrying and divorcing a North Carolina businessman in short order. Involvement with a hunky New York TV anchor who later reconciled with his estranged Playboy Playmate wife. E-mailing bikini shots to a married man. Claiming CBS 3 "forced" her to make tearful appearances on Dr. Phil's set. The infamous cop incident in New York City. The woman's baggage bulges with questions about maturity and judgment.

Since TV anchors are irresistible prey for the print press, smart ones keep their heads down and do the right thing.

Neither Mendte nor Lane did that. Whatever his motives, Mendte has accepted responsibility. Lane hasn't.

E-mail stubyko@phillynews.com or call 215-854-5977. For recent columns:

http://go.philly.com/byko.