Five Female Anchors at a Local TV Station in New York file a Lawsuit against the News Organisation alleging Age and Gender Discrimination

Five female anchors at NY1, a local TV station in New York have filed a lawsuit against the news organization, alleging systematic age and gender discrimination.

The suit claims management strongly favoured younger female and male anchors. “Sadly, after dedicating over 100 years of award-winning journalism to NY1, our five clients have clearly been told that their careers are over, as NY1 seems to believe that younger faces, when it comes to women, are a ‘better look’ for the bottom line,” said Douglas Wigdor, an attorney who represents the women.

Maureen Huff, a spokesperson for Charter, which owns NY1, said the company takes the allegations seriously and that it has “not found any merit to them” as it works to complete a “thorough review.”

The lawsuit outlined several areas in which it said NY1 favoured younger female and male talent, while simultaneously casting aside more experienced women, including NY1’s newly revamped daily schedule; fill-in anchoring practices; and promotional opportunities.

The lawsuit specifically contrasted the treatment Torre has received at NY1, compared to Patrick Kiernan, the station’s most recognizable personality.  It noted that Kiernan, 50, was made the star of a newly formatted morning show, which came “complete with a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art studio.” Meanwhile, Torre has seen her on-air time drop and broadcasts her show from a studio which is “completely inferior.”