Former Shreveport Weather Guesser Pulling Out All the Stops About Getting Canned
Seems former KTBS Met Rhonda Lee is out to..well I am not sure. Anyhow Lee appeared on CNN this morning to talk about her being fired because of comments she posted on facebook in response to a viewers comment about her hair. KTBS defended its action by saying Lee went against station policy of responding to viewers posts. Lee claims she wasn't aware of the policy. Lee told CNN, "I feel like I was being punished for defending myself," Lee says. "Whereas other people are given platforms, I was given a pink slip instead."
posted by ATN @ 9:50 PM
69 comments
69 Comments:
If KTBS doesn't want to come across as anymore of a racist shop they have a reputation of being, they should really be careful in choosing their battles.
Policy or not, George is not Rhonda's slave owner. She has rights that exist beyond the confines of that station, and when it comes to issues like racism, she has every right to defend herself.
It's so obvious, KTBS is totally siding with the racist commenter, and that is pretty freaking pathetic.
KTBS has a reputation. Just saying.
As for her, some things need to be fought for. Even though she lost her job, she will get another in no time.
Props to her for standing up.
She seemed to hurt her case rather than helping it.
She's not hurting her case at all. She just has a reputation for noticing racism and speaking up when she see it.
Racism and homophobia are two things that a very thick in vast geographical areas of the United States. Shreveport is one of those places.
The issue is, people don't speak up enough out of fear(losing job, public criticism, etc).
Standing up takes courage. And, I have lots of black friends who go through a lot of hell in their life for the color of their skin and the texture of their hair.
I am sick to death of racism and homophobia in this country. It makes me want to puke.
I will say this. There is more racism and homophobia out there than people who 'play the race card' and 'shove their agendas down other people's throats.'
It's the 21st century. KTBS sided with racism instead of what was right.. and that is messed up.
Get off the racism crap. She broke policy. And in doing so was a smart ass to the viewer. Leave Rhonda and get u another job!
'[She] was a smart ass to the viewer.' How? She was very nice and polite.. the viewer was very rude and racist.
And, you side with the racist viewer and use 'policy' when it is convenient for you.. like many people use the bible when it's convenient.
Smooth.
It's amazing to me that anytime a black person doesn't like a response from a white person, the white person is supposedly a racist.
The sky is falling, the sky is falling, etc........
"Get off the racist crap."
"anytime a black person doesn't like a response from a white person, the white person is supposedly a racist."
Reminder:
It was racist comments that sparked the whole argument(comments that stayed, while she was canned).
Oh, and I'm a white guy by the way, just fyi.
Rules are rules whether you are white or black or an idiot or all the above. The end.
And like all the other rules at this station they are selectively enforced.
As for anyone who thinks the e-mail / memo from the KTBS Mktg Director was "official station policy"... I can tell you from experience that it won't hold water. It was posted as "guidelines". Corporations with competent HR staff always issue policies in comprehensive documents and require employees to formally acknowledge these policies usually in writing or initials. KTBS seems to have a history of making things up on the fly, thinking they're covered. Seems that KTBS's management style is run by the seat of the pants and gets in crisis mode. Ask anyone who used to work there and they'll confirm as much.
11:54 AM and 11:55 AM are dead on. I am a former long time KTBS employee, and that is exactly how they operate. It is about time someone calls them out on their bulls#!t. I hope Rhonda wins and wins big. Bigger then the settlements KTAL had to pay out in recent years.
Uhhhhhh...So what are the "guidelines" for posting on this blog ?..........
KTBS is the typical small-minded family run business. The folks at the top are only concerned with their social-standing and paychecks. They have a GM who basically has carte blanche to run things as he sees fit with no regard for others and simply focused on the revenues, his take and how to keep the Wray family off his back. Whenever you have one person calling all the shots and not hiring competent managers who aren't afraid to tell him he's wrong, you have the recipe for a major FU like this is apparently turning out to be. Looks like any new hires at the station will be paid less, if hired at all because next year's budget will have a negative line-item either under legal defense or settlement. Looks like the Wrays have ignored a lot in this case and now those chickens will come home to roost.
After all these years still a shocker blacks still play the race card in anything that doesnt go there way. NOT! good riddance
If the truth were to be known, blacks are much more prejudice than whites.
You stay classy Shreveport.
1:16 is totally right. People are sick of the race card being played every time someone doesn't get their way. Most of the black on-air talent is only employed because of their race.
@12:53
"now those chickens will come home to roost." Reverend Wright, is that you?
Nope, not rev wright. Just a white female who used to work there. Oh and yes I voted for Romney if anyone really cares.
1:16pm:
Wow...what a comment. I'll admit some folks get a closer look at times because of race but not all of them are employed because of it, much less keeping their jobs. I hear that Michelle White Lafitte just got canned, if that's any indication.
Michelle White Lafitte got fired because she can't talk. It wouldn't matter if she was black, white, green, or red.
@3:40
No we don't care but we all know you are a RHINO now. It is obvious by your comment at 12:53 that you blame small business for wanting to make a profit and not treating subordinates as equals. The world is not all milk and cookies. You can bet that any business is going to focus on profits or there will be no business. Pretty simple. Boo hoo, where's my tissue?
I am soo glad I don't live in Shreveport anymore
4:35pm
Are you on crack? Your comments make no sense at all.
@4:50 PM Same here. I had forgotten just how toxic Shreveport is until I started reading this blog again. Good luck Rhonda.
Rhonda was just on Th Ed Show on MSNBC.
im sick of seeing her face. y dont she just go away.
KTBS was probably trying to just get rid of her. They chose a terrible way. Now, they are stuck. The leadership at KTBS walks around like his stuff doesn't smell. I'm glad he's finally being held accountable. Welcome to the real world. You can't just treat people who work for you like dogs.
That said, I have a problem with how Rhonda has handled this. Other than identifying her as a "black lady," the short hair comment says nothing about race. Rhonda (and many others) are all of a sudden saying that the comment was racist. That comment wasn't racist. It was a guy telling her he didn't like short hair on a woman. He even said he wouldn't like long hair on a guy. I feel bad for her having to deal with it being on the facebook page, but that shouldn't be called a racist comment. (Sexist, maybe.)
Now, the OTHER comment about the 3 Minute Smile, could be considered racial, but it wasn't directed at Rhonda. She should have stayed away from it and let station management deal or follow policy and put the contact information down for whoever it was they were supposed to contact in such matters.
I wish people could find a way of dealing with problems other than playing the race card. Also, please stop bashing the south. Rhonda admitted that a news director in Sacramento didn't like her hair either. Not the south.
I really feel bad for Redford in all of this. He was probably fired along with Rhonda so the station would have proof they weren't just firing the African American.
Someone told me Redford really set the tone with management when he first came to work at KTBS. Something about riding on a KTBS Mardi Gras float and being Sh--faced
and shouting rude things to people along the parade route. Looks like they were just tired of him and found an excuse. Funny though, he has been really quiet on this blog whereas in the past he would be all over it, ranting about comments directed at him. Why so quiet now? Seems the horse has already left the barn.
There is a lot about Redford that has not been brought up. He has been on thin ice for years at KTBS.
Chris is not getting the national media attention that Rhonda is.
But,if Redford were black and Rhonda were white, then we would be hearing all about Redford being the victim and nothing about Rhonda being the victim.
Think so?
No, Redford is laying low for good probably for good reason. Some details could hurt and not help.
In Rhonda's case, she really has nothing to lose and a lot to gain by doing what she's doing. And given the circumstances and history of management capriciousness at KTBS, I'd say she has some strong footing.
Did KTBS want Rhonda Lee gone as far back as October? KTBS did not name her as the weekday morning weather person after Alexandra C. left in early October. It was in mid-October when Rhonda Lee replied to a Facebook post about her hair.
Rhonda will have a hard time getting a job in the industry again. No one wants a trouble maker. Also I don't think she did a great job with the weather. Why can't they keep Skip around.
Skip only works part time there as far as I know. He works a full time job (or was) in the medical field, cardiology I think, so I doubt he needs that kind of grief on a full time basis.
@2:56 PM I totally disagree.
Skip is making more money at his full time job, and does not have all this drama to contend with.
I think Skip is a medical imaging tech / radiology-X Ray. He does the weather PT because he can and it's easy money on the side.
I would think that at the end of the day, Rhonda will come out okay in all of this. She has a case pending in San Antonio and she may very well have one coming here in S'port. My guess is that that both will be settled out of court to avoid costly legal fees.
As for becoming employed in the TV industry, maybe and maybe not. Maybe she has received enough national exposure to pursue other opportunities which could be far more lucrative than weathercasting.
You know the saying, when one door closes another one opens.
Rhonda shouldn't count her chickens before they hatch!
she sounds like a cumplete drama queen. along with redford good riddance
she sounds like a cumplete drama queen. along with redford good riddance
That is nothing new. Broadcasting is full of drama queens. And so is Shrevesburg.
I'm sure Rhonda will come out okay after all this is over.
I am sure she will and hope she lands a much better job and a HUGE settlement.
Here's to the career of Rhonda Lee
Recently fired at KTBS Three
Though her time in Shreveport was short,
No doubt she's headed back to court.
Looks like she's still making the rounds on network cable shows & the web:
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/12/20/louisiana_tv_station_fires_black_meteorologist
Wow! Pretty strong presentation. This program has audio from KTBS management. And Rhonda really fills in some of the blanks. Sounds like she got the Sirven treatment alright.
Yeah she did. And hundred's of us have also gotten the ole Sirven treatment to.
Wonder how the Sirven treatment differs from the Edwin treatment?
;)
Their about the same. They both break it off in you.
Except with one you might wind up preggers with twins. ;)
Oh gross, I was just about to have lunch and now I can't eat.
Ewe gross, I threw up a little just thinking about it. Hope I am never that desperate to have sex with that dwarf or fossil.
yet a scarier thought,Chris Redford has applied for work at the police department in Bossier City.
As if the BPD doesn't already have its quota of whack-jobs on the force already.
Allegedly the dwarf can't have sex, his wife took care of that. The fossil allegedly had his pee-pee whacked for employee indiscretions. That's why the dwarf is running things.
Isn't that the truth. Most of the BCPD can not pass the psyc tests for SPD and Caddo.
Well you wonder why Redford hasn't applied for SPD or CSD? Isn't that where all his buddies are?
After all he has done,I can't imagine Redford being able to get a job in TV and certainly not in law enforcement.That picture with the tape over his mouth did him in more than anything.The future really doesn't look good for him.
I hope the judge sees her pattern of just throwing the race card out there. I think she's out just to screw anybody she can. She is what's wrong with this country.
@11:50 That's not going to happen. Rhonda has a valid case and if it does make it to court she will win.
@5:21 Redford can continue working in broadcasting but he will have to move to another market. That taped mouth picture that seems so disturbing to you was taken for the No on 8 campaign. Hundreds of well know people have participated in that campaign including John McCain's wife Cindy and daughter Megan.
1438o11:50 PM:
You're pretty clueless about the facts. KTBS management has always been capricious in their dealings with employees and Rhonda reacted to the lack of social-media policy with her news director who took it to the GM and he really stepped in it big-time by firing her by selectively enforcing a policy that was not properly administered at the very least. If you really knew what took place and even had a minor understanding of common HR practices, then you would've never posted your inane remark.
Yes, some racial overtone is involved but it is because an employee (who happens to be black) politely responded to two comments, one involving a statement that only black kids were selected for a station Christmas promotional event and the other was from some viewer commenting directly on her hairstyle and how she looks.
There was a white TV anchor woman in Wisconsin who responded to viewers who called her "fat" and she's a hero. So yeah, maybe race does play into this, and not just Rhonda sticking up for her looks but comments like yours. Think about it.
11:50pm must be referring to Rhonda's anti-discrimination suit against KXAN in Texas where she used to work. Well in case anyone's interested, the ND involved at that station had a history of discriminatory issues from when that ND worked in Arkansas too.
Let's face it, the TV news biz has a lot of people in manager positions that are a___hole bullies, they get away with it until someone stands up to them and gets them sued and the station forces them to resign or fires them. She did that at KXAN and she's doing it at KTBS. Most people are like sheep and they don't want the hassle and the rep following them around. In this biz it seems that if you're a manager and an a___hole who gets away with stuff, you're promotable.
4:35 PM brings up valid point. It seems that TV owners seem to hire managers who have personality deficits when it comes to people-skills. I've worked for my share of ND's and GM's who would create such negative energy and foster a hostile work environment to the point they would either resign under pressure or get fired. Yet they show up working for some other TV group and repeat the process.
Seems that the TV owners are negligent in hiring such individuals to run their operations and would make potential employees think twice about working for such a company.
Exactly, and that is why many of us have gotten out of the business.
Anyone have an update on Rhonda Lee?
Seems things have been very quiet on this and Chris Redford. Can't imagine this whole thing has been swept under-the-rug.
Let the litigation being.
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