A news director for KCTV Channel 5 allegedly wore a T-shirt reading, "Fuck Women, Fuck Hispanics, Fuck Gays, Fuck Blacks," to one of the station's meetings in 2004.
That's one of the allegations contained in a lawsuit filed in Jackson County Court on May 29 by Francelle R. Watson, a former news operations manager at KCTV 5, which is owned by Iowa-based Meredith Corporation. Watson, a 49-year-old African American woman, was a 21-year veteran of the station until she was fired on June 10, 2008.
Watson's lawsuit calls the atmosphere at KCTV 5 "hostile and permeated with threats, intimidation and disrespect," and notes that in Watson's two decades there, only 14 of the approximately 150 employees at the station were African American. It also notes that Kevin O'Brien, KCTV's head of broadcasting from 2002 until 2005, was eventually terminated for repeated comments criticizing blacks.
Jayson Ford, Watson's lead attorney, says, "One of the disturbing things about this is apparently we have
here ... a very pervasive environment of, You're too old, you're not of
the correct racial profile that we're looking for, and we're going to
shuffle you out the door."
According to the lawsuit, "Firings or non-renewal of minority reporter
and anchor contracts during the last several years include on-air
personalities Sharita Hutton, Robert Lyles, Michael Scott, Ty Chandler and Ty Wilson." Hutton, the lawsuit states, also filed a claim of discrimination against the station.
Watson
alleges that after she complained about Regent Ducas' offensive T-shirt, Ducas
"suddenly and without explanation" demoted Watson to a 2:30 to 10:30
p.m. shift, blocking her from attending the morning meetings. Ducas left KCTV 5 in March 2007 to become vice president of news for KTVT in Dallas-Fort Worth. He's now with a company called Talent Dynamics as director of business development/sports. We left a message for Ducas and will update with his comments if he calls back.
Watson also
complains that she was not allowed to count the days she attended the
2007 National Association of Black Journalists Convention as paid work
days. In April 2008, she was told in a routine employee evaluation that
she should "think about doing something else" and work on training a
successor. At the meeting in which she was officially terminated,
Watson asked Kirk Black, vice president and general manager of KCTV,
whether she could be considered for another position at the station,
and was told that she could not.
Black is named as a defendant
in the lawsuit, along with human resources director Laurel Berenguer,
KCTV and the Meredith Corporation. Watson claims she's suffered loss of
past and future income and benefits, humiliation, embarrassment, mental
distress, harm to reputation and severe career disruption, and seeks a
jury trial to recover an unspecified amount of damages.
"It's a
very disturbing situation when you see the background
information," says Ford, Watson's attorney, citing the positive
evaluations Watson received from her bosses during her time at the
station. "Things start happening behind the scenes
where people like Fran are being separated, being treated differently,
being marginalized. When that doesn't lead them to quit on their own
and they've tried everything possible to marginalize the person and to
scare into quitting, then they just go ahead and let the hammer fall."
We left a message for Black at KCTV -- we'll update this post if he returns the call.
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God Bless you Fran. I really hope you win this. KCTV5 has treated their employees like crap for far too long. Meredith Corp. is low on ethics.
If 100 people of color told 10 people not to watch KCTV-5 because we know how you all really feel about us as a people. What effect would it have on this station ?
Every African American should get this book called, " Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome " to start the healing process. We're a great race of "God's" children and smart and very dependable, and the strongest of all races . That is why we are able to hang in our places of employments and still put up with this racist b------it!! By the way you all had gone over to Africa to get those smart people you call ni--er to help and still building, shaping this racist country.
George Brett, or whatever fake ass name you came up with, you're an idiot. There are professional organizations for every race in media. NABJ, NAHJ, AAJA, etc. Whites have NAB and RTNDA. So quit your bitching and get on with life. Oh, to piss of your hood wearing racist ass some more, all of the minority journalists get together for Unity conferences too! Oh, I see white people at all these conferences. You go fuck yourself you cunt cow!
Well, this looks like the old Kansas City shuffle, where everyone looks right and you go left.
I'm a African American I.B.E.W. L.U. 124 union joureneyman electrician, with over eight years of electrician work experience, completion of five year electrician apprenticeship, and I.B.E.W. union journeyman electrician card.
I've applied over eighty (80)times for electrician position with Union Pacific Railroad, over eighty(80) times with Norfolk Southern Railway; over 100 times with BNSF Railway; over ten (10) times with Amatrak Railroad; over forty (40) times and forty (40) times with Canadian National Railway all for electrician poistions, so discrimination has not been eliminated its just gotten more sophisicated where once you couldn't get in the front door, now they greet you at the front door just to kick you out the back door!-MICHAEL E. MCKINZY, SR-07/08/2009
George Brett, you're a racist idiot. Put on your Klan hood and shut the hell up.
It's funny. The same pattern is happening at WGCL in Atlanta. You wouldn't believe the countless number of employees that have been itimidated and forced out because they do not match Meredith's profile. There's not race card in Atlanta, but this includes age discrimination, weight discrimination. One in employee was called a "f&^%$ idiot" after only being employed by the station for a few months. I sinced left the company.
Funny, I work in the same newsroom and had a completely experience. Fran stood up for us and put herself on the line when we were attacked for no reason by other managers. Guess everyone has their own stories. strange how they have several people tagged to do her job now.
The News Room at KCTV5 has had a revolving door for at least the last 7 years. Yes there have been some black folks cut loose, as well as many white folks. Just last month the perfectly talented "white" Lindsay Shively was cut loose for no good reason. So what.. That's life. Of all the examples listed Ms. Hutton (Luv ya Sharita!)is the only one that holds any merit. Aside from Sharita, 2 left on their own, one was canned for Harassment, and one just plain sucked and had no business in this market anyhow. As for Ms. Watson.. She is an evil, vile human being. Myself and many others had at times been on the receiving end of her unwarranted verbal abuse and blatantly belittling character. Her position here was an unnecessary one. No one has replaced Fran since her departure. Once times got tough, KCTV5 eliminated 3 positions. Her job function was flat out ELIMINATED! Knowing her vile nature, I can't really blame KCTV5 for not finding a place for her.
Unless you have worked at KCTV 5 and are a minority, I believe that you cannot fully appreciate her point of view. This was a 20 + year employee who witnessed a lot of questionable if not downright racist behavior. As a minority and someone who is now in management it is never acceptable to wear a t-shirt like that out in public, let alone to work if you are someone's boss. It is also not helpful to show a lack of intelligence by calling people that you don't know out of their name. If KCTV5 is not guilty, a trial will clear things up. Let's just wait and see what facts come out of this brave action by a former loyal employee.
this place was a pit. about time someone stood up. newsroom employees complained about this for years and tried to change it. they continue to band together. we need more like sharita h and francelle w.
Sounds like someone who wasn't capable of doing their job and who is now relying on the race card to ensure her entitlement. These sort of lawsuits amount to nothing more than commercial terrorism. "I'm not going to do my job and you can't do anything about it because I'm entitled by being (black, female, asian, gay, over 40, etc...)
Fuck Francelle Watson, too.
I'm so tired of this fucking nanny state bullshit. Who gives a fuck what someone else allegedly did or didn't do when it's this fucking petty? Go cry in your fucking beer, you fucking racist bitch.
You're attending something called the National Association of Black Journalists Convention. I wonder how many white or hispanic journalists were there. How about asians? Indians?
Go fuck yourself, you ignorant, spiteful cunt cow.
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