Monday, August 12, 2013

St. Louis Radio: Lawsuits Expected To Fly Over Pujols Comments

Kevin Slaten
Baseball star Albert Pujols isn’t the only one vowing to take legal action regarding a radio program on which the former Cardinals slugger was accused of using steroids.

According to Dan Cesar at stltoday.com,  so is Kevin Slaten and possibly Jack Clark, who were ousted early Saturday as co-hosts of the afternoon drive-time program on WGNU 920 AM. This follows Clark saying twice recently on the air that Pujols’ personal trainer had told him in 2000 of the player’s steroids use.

The story, first reported Friday in the Post-Dispatch, soon made national news. Late that night Pujols, now with the Los Angeles Angels, issued a lengthy statement denying the allegations and indicated he’ll sue Clark and the station to set an example for others whose names have been brought up in what he said is a "reckless" manner.

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That led the company that owns the show, insideSTL Enterprises, LLC, to issue a statement shortly after 12 a.m. Saturday that said Clark and co-host Kevin Slaten in essence had been fired. (Technically the show was cancelled because inisdeSTL, which buys WGNU’s weekday airtime, says Clark and Slaten aren’t direct employees).

Slaten said Saturday afternoon that he’ll sue over his termination. Clark said he’ll make a decision on Monday.

“I don’t know what Albert Pujols’ damages are, but there are a lot of damages for me,” said Slaten, who left KQQZ 1190 AM to join WGNU. “Albert Pujols didn’t even mention my name. Why does this fall on me?”

Jack Clark
Clark wasn’t backing down.

“I stand by what I said,” he said Saturday. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but I’m doing something for sure.”

Slaten said he got the termination call from insideSTL president Tim McKernan around midnight.

“I said ‘What?,”’ Slaten said. “He said, ‘We have to do what’s in the best interest of the company.’ I said, ‘You tell me how firing me is in the best interest of the company when you and (WGNU boss Burt Kaufman) said (earlier) that I did nothing wrong.”

Slaten said McKernan told him, “‘I know that, but everybody associated with the show has to go.

“I said, ‘Did you fire the producer? Did you fire yourself, you’re the one who paired us, did you fire yourself?’”


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