CBS suspended two of its top local TV executives on Monday night after allegations that they cultivated a “hostile” workplace, first raised by the Los Angeles Times over the weekend, according to reports.
Peter Dunn and David Friend, two heads of their TV station group, reportedly “cultivated a hostile work environment that included intimidating managers and blocking efforts to hire and retain black journalists,” reported the LA Times.
In a statement late on Monday, the company said that Dunn, the president of CBS television stations, and Friend, the senior vice president of news for the stations, were placed on administrative leave “pending the results of a third party investigation “.
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The main entrance to the CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) headquarters in New York City on January 10, 2020. (Photo by Erik McGregor / LightRocket via Getty Images)
“CBS is committed to a diverse, inclusive and respectful work environment, where all voices are heard, complaints are investigated and appropriate actions are taken when necessary,” according to the statement.
CBS did not immediately respond to an e-mail from Fox News.
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) reportedly met with CBS officials on Sunday night “about the LA Times’ disturbing revelations and allegations about the company’s racism and toxic work environment, specifically CBS television stations. “
The NABJ called this “a major problem between stations owned and operated by CBS” and recommended the dismissal of Dunn and Friend.
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The organization said the issues raised in the Times report were consistent with several workplace concerns expressed by CBS employees and brought to the attention of NABJ and CBS executives during two meetings in the past 18 months.
Dunn, who has been with CBS since 2002, also served as president and general manager of CBS’s KYW and WPSG stations in Philadelphia. Since 2005, he has served as president and general manager of WCBS-TV, the company’s flagship in New York.
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Friend has served as News Director for WCBS-TV, the company’s flagship in New York, since June 2006.
He told the LA Times in a statement that his comments about employees or job seekers “were based only on performance or qualifications – not on anyone’s race or gender”.
“I believe that I – and our stations – have a strong record of hiring, supporting and placing women and journalists from BIPOC in important roles as anchors, reporters and news directors,” he said.