7 FEB 05: THE WRBL-ER SINGS

"So what are you going to do? Are you going to have an abortion?" A woman says her former boss in Columbus asked that question when she revealed she was pregnant. You may be surprised to learn this happened at a TV station - and not a Victory Drive nightclub.

BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Last June your blog broke the news of a sexual discrimination lawsuit against the owners of WRBL [23 Jun 04]. Now we can report the case is scheduled for federal trial February 28, with a pre-trial conference planned this Wednesday. Do you think Judge Clay Land set those dates because he knew they're inside a TV sweeps month?

Federal court records show Media General asked Judge Clay Land for "summary judgment" in the sex discrimination suit January 10, and it was denied. It's obvious to me why he made this decision - it's wintertime, not summer.

Depositions taken last summer in the sex discrimination suit are now open to the public - and after a review of them by the blog, we can tell you they're remarkably frank. They blow open the doors on one of Columbus's top TV stations -- showing while WRBL may be "on your side," sometimes staff members can be at each other's necks.

Former WRBL News Director Mark Wildman faced deposition questions in the suit last July. He says on the record he never knew it was for a sex discrimination suit, until he entered that hearing. OK, there's one more person to put on the blog advertising list....

Let's get to that abortion quote we mentioned at the top. Asked whether he said such a thing to plaintiff Melissa Schultz Miller while at WRBL, Mark Wildman answers in the deposition: "Categorically, NO." We should note they're both journalists - so they're equally likely to misquote each other.

Mark Wildman admits signing Melissa Schultz Miller to a two-year contract with WRBL. He called it an "open" position, not specifically either for reporting or producing. Miller claims she was promised a reporting position eventually - but as the "Problem Solvers" would tell you, you need to get these things in writing.

Mark Wildman challenges the plaintiff's reputation in the deposition, quoting a Birmingham TV executive as calling Melissa Schultz Miller a "troublesome employee." The document doesn't give any specifics - so we don't know if Miller threatened to report anyone to Judge Roy Moore for prayers of vengeance.

Mark Wildman told the deposition Melissa Schultz Miller started as a producer at WRBL - but when she taped some on-camera practice items, she sounded "horrible." Of course, this hasn't stopped some people from successful careers. There's our President, for instance....

Mark Wildman claims he heard from WRBL staff members about Melissa Schultz Miller spreading lies, not doing a good job producing - and even that her skirts were too short. This is unusual, considering TV stations normally speak of "three-quarter inch" and "one-inch" in terms of videotape sizes.

Mark Wildman recalled the 2002 Alabama primary, when Melissa Schultz Miller reportedly got into a shouting match over a two-way radio with a woman in the WRBL newsroom. There's obviously a time and a place for this in television news - several hours a night on Fox News Channel.

But Mark Wildman doesn't always speak well of his old employer, either. He told the deposition Media General decided to pay a new WRBL assignment editor $2,000 less than their predecessor, even though the newcomer had more experience. Hopefully that person didn't leave to become a Delta Air Lines pilot....

The deposition record shows Mark Wildman saying when he arrived at WRBL, it had been "a poorly run news department for several years. The morale inside the news department was very low, and the product was terrible." That may explain why Al Fleming's commentaries at the time were so stinging.

Mark Wildman actually told the hearing his predecessor as WRBL "should not have been a News Director." Even at the station with an "Eye on the Environment," staff members can trash-talk.

Mark Wildman now is a news director in Macon -- and he admitted during the deposition he used WRBL news anchor Phil Scoggins as a reference. Ironically, Wildman also says he was ready to replace Scoggins as an anchor in 2001, but didn't. Some friendships truly are earned over time....

WRBL's outside consultant told Mark Wildman in 2001, according to his deposition: "One of the things they said that we could do was replace Phil Scoggins." This may stun Columbus civil rights leaders - as in this case, an African-American employee actually was favored.

So how did Phil Scoggins avoid being dropped by WRBL in 2001? Mark Wildman says of all things, the September 11^th attacks made the difference -- and Scoggins matured as an anchor so rapidly that day, Wildman changed his mind and decided against a replacement. The trouble for Wildman was, hardly any TV viewers seem to have noticed.

Mark Wildman dropped other names of WRBL news personalities during his deposition - so if you're wondering whatever happened to them....

+ Weathercaster Mitzi Oxford was NOT fired. As Mark Wildman put it: "we decided not to renew her contract." I don't hear sports teams use that sort of "corporate speak" with head coaches.

+ Reporter Jenna Maloney told Wildman she needed to leave her contract early because her mother had cancer in New Jersey. Then she turned around and took a TV news iob in Phoenix. So much for her doing a special report on "The Honesty Test."

+ Reporter Devon Doers was let out of his contract to return to the upper Midwest, because his "girlfriend" had a "troubled pregnancy." There are some places in Columbus where that also would be a sign of troubled employment.

+ Reporter Anna-Marie Gregory reportedly told Mark Wildman she was pregnant, one month after she was hired. When her contract was up, apparently it was "not renewed" -- which could leave a jury wondering if Roslyn Giles is the only woman at WRBL allowed to have babies.

Mark Wildman admitted at the deposition he replaced Mitzi Oxford and Jill Henriksen with males in the WRBL weather department. So does this show a pattern of sex discrimination? Or did Jillian Barberie simply refuse to return his phone calls?

The deposition hearing last July also turned to Mark Wildman's health - and he admitted under oath he's bipolar. But he says he keeps it under control by taking medication. So why don't WRBL newscasts have commercials for this medicine? There are so many others I'm supposed to ask my doctor about....

The bipolarity issue apparently became up because of other items submitted in the sex discrimination suit. Papers reviewed by the blog show Mark Wildman was reprimanded at least once for using rough language around WRBL co-workers. Talk like this, of course, should be left for a station bowling team.

Exhibits in the lawsuit also mention a day when a female WRBL employee claimed Mark Wildman touched her on the (ahem) derriere with some papers. Wildman calls it an accident in the deposition. By comparison, no one seems upset about this behavior on the "Hee Haw" infomercial NBC-38 shows.

Mark Wildman was fired by WRBL in November 2003. Exhibits reviewed by the blog suggest the last straw may have come two weeks before at a management meeting. Someone from the United Way spoke - then Wildman claimed he didn't care a thing about the United Way. In "corporate Columbus," you don't dare say that aloud in a public meeting.

The sex discrimination suit against Media General was filed one week before Mark Wildman's dismissal - but a review of the exhibits now suggests the timing was only coincidental. One paper says the News Director was hurt by a "tendency to exaggerate." For instance, about how good WRBL news was?!

Plaintiff Melissa Schultz Miller actually spoke first in the deposition process last June. She testified when she joined WRBL in the fall of 2001 (apparently after September 11th), Mark Wildman promised to make her a full-time reporter in July 2002. That never happened - thus depriving Columbus of a regular "Miller time."

Melissa Schultz Miller claims the provocative statement about having an abortion came in April 2002, on the day she told Mark Wildman of her pregnancy. He supposedly considered pregnancy a detriment to a TV news career. If it happened to Katie Couric, we might see the delivery on live television.

Melissa Schultz Miller says she was moved to "News 3 This Morning" after giving birth. She explains she considered it a demotion because "a morning show is typically a beginner spot in almost every market across the country." Oh really? Wait until a friend of mine reads that -- as he produces a morning show, and he's about 60.

But a Mark Wildman e-mail submitted in the case tells Melissa Schultz Miller her move to mornings was "only temporary" - and he added: "No show is below another." Aha, he DOES exaggerate things! WRBL's Noon news is the highest-rated one they have.

At last report, Melissa Schultz Miller lived in Huntsville. I'm not sure if she's working in television news or not. If she wins this discrimination suit, her next job may be as an analyst for Court TV.

We'll keep you posted on this case -- and now let's post some other items from a Super (in terms of weather) Sunday:

+ The Spectrum station at North Lumpkin Road and Victory Drive offered milk on its marquee - in Spanish! I hope the "La Leche League" doesn't misunderstand this, and try to hold a meeting there.

+ "Cathy" of comic strip fame finally became married, after more than 25 years of singleness. Oh no! Now my relatives will be on my case more than ever....

+ Instant Message to the Phenix City Wal-Mart: I'm glad you post pictures of your automotive staff members, and list all their areas of expertise. But when you misspell Courtesy Technician "Courtesey," maybe you also need a technician in SpellCheck.

COMING TUESDAY: Our own e-mail version of a "Super Bowl," on all sorts of topics....

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