Accusations of public humiliation in the newsroom, age discrimination and an abrupt and unexpected firing. These are just some of the allegations listed in a federal lawsuit filed by former WSMV anchor Demetria Kalodimos against the station’s parent company, Meredith Local Media Group.
According to a story in the Tennessean, the longtime Nashville, Tenn. anchor described the working environment as hostile and one that favored men and young female talent.
“Channel 4 and Meredith have a culture of discarding women once they reach a certain age, as if women have some expiration date,” her attorney Kenny Byrd of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein said in a statement to the paper.
Kalodimos, who was 58 when she was let go, says she had a controversial split with the station on Jan. 1. She alleges she got a letter on her desk, which said she was fired.
The station has gone on record saying Kalodimos didn’t give a timely response to its offer of a contract extension. She says the offer wasn’t serious.
You can read more about the allegations and the lawsuit here. The station’s general manager did not respond to a request for comment.
Meredith Local Media Group has released the following statement to TVSpy: “Meredith and WSMV-TV strongly disagree with these allegations. We will vigorously defend ourselves against them.”