WADL has “abruptly fired” general manager Matt Uhl, the Detroit independent station announced Friday in a press release.
Uhl was fired for violating corporate policy, including “manipulation by a programmer,” according to WADL. The controversy revolves around the syndicated show “Ask Dr. Nandi,” which airs weekly on WADL. According to WADL, The station’s CFO recently informed Keven Adell, the station’s owner, that the show was 90 days and $12,000 past due in payment. Questioning the low figure, Adell asked Rich Mazzari, a former FBI agent, to investigate the show’s finances, according to the station:
This investigation uncovered that Dr. Nandi received $1.2 million dollars in film credits based on $4 million dollars in film expenses; in which WADL only received a potential $26,000 for the year. Dr. Nandi’s application showed over 12 editors for an hour show. Mr. Adell’s network and TV station that runs twenty four seven doesn’t have 12 editors. Mr. Adell questions how a full time doctor at Beaumont Hospital can have 12 editors, 39 employees, and spend $4 million dollars to run a one hour television program on WADL.
Advertisement
In the wake of the investigation, WADL has cancelled “Ask Dr. Nandi.”
Uhl was hired by Kevin O’Brien, who was hired as a consultant to “aggressively make changes” to the station. O’Brien was fired after two months after an investigation by Mazzari uncovered “violations of numerous corporate policies,” according to a WADL announcement. O’Brien maintains that press release was “defamatory” and says no formal reason was given for the termination of his contract.
The full press release from WADL is after the jump.
WADL TV DETROIT ABRUPTLY FIRES MATT UHL AND CANCELS THE DR. NANDI SHOW
DETROIT, MI – WADL TV Detroit abruptly fires Matt Uhl for violating corporate policy and cancels the Dr. Nandi Show. Matt Uhl, a Kevin O’Brien hire, stayed on as General Manager after O’Brien was disgorged from WADL. Matt Uhl succeeded veteran Steve Antoniotti, who was General Manager of WADL for about a year.
One of the corporate violations was manipulation by a programmer. When the CFO of WADL informed Mr. Adell that the Dr. Nandi Show was 90 days past due in payment, approximately $12,000, Mr. Adell questioned how this show, in a prime time spot, could only be $12,000, it should have been a lot more. Mr. Adell began looking at the time period, how this show interrupted purchased syndicated programming, the low rate and the show itself. Mr. Adell asked Mr. Mazzari, a retired former special agent of the “FBI” that works for Mr. Adell, to conduct a full investigation on the Dr. Nandi Show.
This investigation uncovered that Dr. Nandi received $1.2 million dollars in film credits based on $4 million dollars in film expenses; in which WADL only received a potential $26,000 for the year. Dr. Nandi’s application showed over 12 editors for an hour show. Mr. Adell’s network and TV station that runs twenty four seven doesn’t have 12 editors. Mr. Adell questions how a full time doctor at Beaumont Hospital can have 12 editors, 39 employees, and spend $4 million dollars to run a one hour television program on WADL.
Mr. Adell wants to make it perfectly clear, since his name and call letters were used in the application, that his station made no representation to the State of Michigan regarding film credits.
Special Agent Mr. Mazzari’s findings will be turned over to the State of Michigan.
WADL TV Detroit is a full power commercial broadcast station serving the metro Detroit Market. Mr. Adell also owns The Word Network, the largest African American religious network in the world.