[ad_1]
Two of CBS’s two top local television executives were placed on administrative leave Monday evening after the Los Angeles Times raised concerns about their conduct over the weekend in a two-part report examining their treatment of women and people of color on specific TV channels, among other allegations.
Peter Dunn, president of CBS television stations, and David Friend, senior vice president of news for the stations, were on leave “pending the results of a third party investigation,” CBS said in a statement. “CAS is committed to providing a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace where all voices are heard, complaints are investigated and appropriate action taken if necessary.”
The Times report, based on interviews with female employees at local CBS stations, alleged that Dunn and Friend “cultivated a hostile work environment that included intimidating female executives and blocking efforts to hire and retain journalists. black. The National Association of Black Journalists said on Monday that some of its executives met with CBS executives on Sunday evening, including CBS CEO George Cheeks and Marva Smalls, the company’s executive vice president and global head of inclusion, to discuss what the organization called the problem among the stations owned and operated by CBS. “
The Times report raised allegations that Dunn used the word “jive” to describe the work of Philadelphia anchor Ukee Washington, and used phrases describing the reporter as “dancing” on the air, and claimed that Friend had used inappropriate behavior in the workplace. NABJ demanded that both executives be fired.
The issues raised are sensitive for CBS which, prior to its merger in late 2019 with Viacom, was struggling with treatment issues for its employees. Former CBS chairman Leslie Moonves was ousted from the company in 2018 after being accused of sexual misconduct. He denied the allegations. Allegations of inappropriate behavior and treatment were also raised to CBS News, which ousted former “CBS This Morning” co-host Charlie Rose in the fall of 2017 after allegations of sexual harassment were raised. Rose has denied the allegations.
In August 2018, the former CBS Corp. hired two law firms to investigate the claims against Moonves as well as other allegations regarding the company’s culture. The CBS board of directors said in a statement that the investigation of the companies “found that harassment and retaliation are not pervasive at CBS.”
Dunn is a television veteran who has worked for CBS since 2002. He first oversaw the KYW and WPSG outlets of CBS Philadelphia before moving on to overseeing the company’s New York flagship store, WCBS and president of CBS. sales for local stations. Friend joined CBS in 2006. Both executives have held leadership positions at NBCUniversal in previous roles, overseeing business news programming at CNBC.
CBS parent company ViacomCBS told The Times that senior executives raised allegations with Dunn in early 2019 and that “the company has not received any complaints about his conduct since then.” Friend told The Times in a statement that the comments he made about staff members “were based only on performance or qualifications – not on anyone’s race or gender.”
“We are not lip service satisfied. We don’t want any promises that things will change, ”Roland S. Martin, NABJ vice president of digital, said in a statement. “We are encouraged by our discussion with George and Marva that there will be real, substantial and substantial changes at CBS to make it a welcoming place for Blacks and other journalists of color to work,” to rise and succeed.
[ad_2]
Source link