Two CBS executives fired for alleged racism and abuse

Post Reply New Topic

CBS has ousted two powerful TV station executives following allegations of racist and abusive behavior that rocked the storied media giant.

Peter Dunn, who served as president of the TV Stations group since 2009, and David Friend, senior vice president of news for more than a decade, are no longer part of CBS, the company’s chief executive, George Cheeks, announced Wednesday in an email to staff.

The move comes two months after an investigation by the Los Angeles Times alleged that the pair cultivated an environment that included bullying female managers and blocking efforts to hire and retain Black journalists. The Times’ series shined a harsh light on an often overlooked corner of the company that lacks the prestige of the CBS television network but remains a vital source of local news for millions of Americans.

Dunn, who was based in New York, maintained a tight grip on operations of the 28 CBS-owned TV stations, including KCBS-TV Channel 2 and KCAL-TV Channel 9 in Los Angeles, according to interviews and court testimony. Dunn in 2010 promoted Friend, a veteran news executive who oversaw news operations at WCBS-TV Channel 2 in New York, to head of CBS’ local newsrooms across the country.

Dozens of current and former staff members in Los Angeles, Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia and New York have complained of a hostile work environment. Journalists in New York alleged that managers often made news coverage decisions that neglected communities of color. The flagship WCBS station in New York — one of the nation’s most diverse cities — lacked a full-time Black male reporter until March 2020, the same month that Cheeks, who is biracial, took the reins at CBS.

Allegations that Dunn made racist comments about Ukee Washington, a beloved Black anchor at the CBS-owned television station in Philadelphia, struck a chord. Former CBS station managers alleged that Dunn called Washington “just a jive guy” and that Dunn ridiculed the dance moves of the popular anchor, who is a distant cousin of actor Denzel Washington.

The series also raised questions about a $55-million purchase of a TV station on New York’s Long Island — the only station acquisition during Dunn’s 11-year tenure overseeing CBS’ station group. The 2011 deal came with privileges for Dunn and other high-level CBS executives at an ultra-exclusive golf club in the Hamptons, where they hobnobbed with billionaires, including the owner of the Miami Dolphins, Stephen Ross.

In January, CBS called the Long Island station purchase a “strategic acquisition” that created value by giving the broadcaster two stations in New York, the nation’s largest media market, and that Dunn’s membership was disclosed in advance to senior management and legal counsel.

On Wednesday, Dunn’s attorney, Larry Hutcher, said his client was a victim of “cancel culture,” and that Dunn expects to remain on CBS’ payroll until the investigation concludes.

Dunn and Friend have not yet been interviewed by investigators, according to their attorneys.

CBS, late Wednesday, defended its decision to terminate the two executives while the investigators were still gathering evidence.

So far, dozens of current and former executives have met with Gray and her colleague at Proskauer Rose as part of that investigation and more interviews are scheduled throughout April. Several people told The Times they have complained about the alleged abusive work environment inside the TV stations group beyond Philadelphia and New York.

The Times’ series documented that multiple people came forward to complain about their treatment in the TV station group in 2018, and that CBS internal investigators looked into the conduct of Dunn and Friend in 2019. Among the accusations, Dunn allegedly asked whether a candidate for an anchor role was “too gay for Philadelphia.”

A former Philadelphia news director, Margaret Cronan, said that Friend belittled her during a meeting of senior executives, asking whether she was “a [expletive] idiot.” She said her efforts to hire Black male reporters were thwarted. Cronan left CBS, saying she didn’t want to be part of a culture that she perceived as racist and sexist.