L-A Times Report Details Alleged Racism At CBS

The Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists is calling for “immediate changes” to CBS3’s managerial practices, culture and vetting after a Los Angeles Times article described a hostile working environment filled with racism, misogyny and homophobia created by executives at parent company CBS. according to The Philadelphia Business Journal.

The article, published Sunday, alleges that CBS Television Stations President Peter Dunn frequently referred to veteran CBS3 Philadelphia news anchor Ukee Washington as “just a jive guy,” said that the station’s choice for morning anchor was “too gay for Philadelphia” and that he “hated” the face of former anchor Rahel Solomon, who is also a Black Journalist now working at CNBC.

“A newsroom that racially degrades one of its hardest working Black journalists is a newsroom that mocks the integrity and trust of the communities it aims to cover," president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists Ernest Owens said in a statement. “CBS3 and other news stations should not only aim to pander to Black audiences with inconsistent gestures, but actively work to make their actions speak louder than racist rhetoric.”

The Los Angeles Times story notes alleged hostile work environments at other CBS-owned news affiliates. The accusations in the article were based on court filings and interviews with 24 former or current CBS employees, including two identified former CBS3 executives:

• Former CBS3 President and General Manager Brien Kennedy, who joined the station in from the CBS affiliate in Minneapolis in April 2015 and engineered a massive personnel turnover, which included parting ways with longtime news director Susan Schiller, sales director Bob Fein as well as three-fourths of the station’s night time anchor team— news anchor Chris May, meteorologist Kathy Orr (now with Fox29) and sports anchor Beasley Reece. Kennedy was terminated in 2019 and now works at a station in Buffalo, New York.
• Former News Director Margaret Cronan, hired by Kennedy in September 2015 only to leave the station less than two years later.

CBS released the following statement to the Los Angeles Times:

“CBS is committed to ensuring an inclusive and respectful work environment for all its employees. In response to a CBS investigation in early 2019, senior management at the time addressed the situation with Mr. Dunn, and the company has not received any complaints about his conduct during the period since then.”

Peter Dunn

Dunn is president of the 27 owned-and-operated television stations CBS television stations, a position he has held since November 2009. He got his start at CBS by serving as president and general manager of KYW from 2002 to 2004.

The story emanates from the 2018 sexual misconduct scandal that led to the ouster of CBS Chairman and CEO Les Moonves and then longtime anchor Charlie Rose. CBS hired two outside law firms to investigate the claims against Moonves and to examine the company’s overarching culture. The law firms invited CBS employees to report any untoward behavior. The Times said Cronan was one of several women who sought the help of investigators to end alleged mistreatment at CBS-owned stations, largely created by Dunn and another senior executive, David Friend, but were ultimately disappointed by its outcome — and the fact that Dunn has not been removed from his position.