WDJT-TV (Channel 58) news director Genie Garner has reportedly been fired. Her departure was announced to staffers Monday. She had just returned from vacation last week.
Garner joined the station in August of 2012 from KITV-TV, in Honolulu.
Prior to that she worked at WHAS-TV in Louisville.
Her firing came after the station’s 10 p.m. newscast moved up to third place during the February sweeps, after having been in fourth place 22 times since February of 2010.
The station underwent a certain amount of turmoil during Garner’s tenure.
In 2013 the Weigel Broadcast Co.-owned station was hit with a bias complaint by Carlos Vergara who alleged he was passed over for promotion in favor of Anglo anchors.
His complaint alleged that Garner referred to the Hispanic community as “illegal aliens.” Another staffer filed a gender based bias complaint at about the same time. Garner was hired by then station manager Jim Hall.
In January of this year the station demoted veteran 10 p.m. anchor Paul Piaskoski to weekends.
This week the station announced that starting March 30 it would add a 4 p.m. newscast, to be anchored by the same team – Bill Walsh and Michelle McCormack – that anchors the station’s 10 p.m. newscast.
WITI-TV (Channel 6) and WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) already have 4 p.m. newscasts.
Mark Strachota, who became station general manager in February 2014, said he had no comment.
Tags: Genie Garner, WDJT, Weigel Posted by
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