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Tracy Vedder sues Sinclair & KOMO

As we've discussed on this board quite a bit over the last year about the influx of seemingly very young talent into the market, note that Tracy Vedder was 38 when she joined KOMO 22-years ago.

How many reporters pushing 40 have been hired into the market in the last five years? 2 or 3?

Age discrimination is a tough thing to prove in these kind of cases. I believe the outcomes have been about 40-60 in favor of the stations overall. Usually, there needs to be proof that management decidedly made it clear that the plaintiff was fired due to age and/or gender. A paper/email trail is a must. A grey area indeed, but difficult to prove.
 
Age discrimination is a tough thing to prove in these kind of cases. I believe the outcomes have been about 40-60 in favor of the stations overall. Usually, there needs to be proof that management decidedly made it clear that the plaintiff was fired due to age and/or gender. A paper/email trail is a must. A grey area indeed, but difficult to prove.

There is another case being reported today, where the EEOC is filing suit against KTVT in Dallas-Ft Worth. In that case, the station hired a younger traffic reporter who didn't even meet the job qualifications over an experienced traffic reporter with years of experience. The Dallas case seems more straightforward than Vedder's case.
 
Another thing TV groups are probably factoring into their employment strategy is tenure. You take a street reporter who has been with a station for 30 years, and through tenure alone, is making twice or three times what a street reporter would make from three or five years tenure. Not that I'm saying it's right-minded thinking; but when you have a group of stations in large to mid markets, those salaries can add up on the balance sheet, not too mention become a problem for the next generation of street reporters that are expected to file a report for TV and digital. "Hey, why is it that the old-timer who only does TV, is making twice what I make, and I'm expected to do twice the work?"
 
Another thing TV groups are probably factoring into their employment strategy is tenure. You take a street reporter who has been with a station for 30 years, and through tenure alone, is making twice or three times what a street reporter would make from three or five years tenure. Not that I'm saying it's right-minded thinking; but when you have a group of stations in large to mid markets, those salaries can add up on the balance sheet, not too mention become a problem for the next generation of street reporters that are expected to file a report for TV and digital. "Hey, why is it that the old-timer who only does TV, is making twice what I make, and I'm expected to do twice the work?"

This is true, but is not just a TV issue. In fact, radio and many industries are dealing with the problem of experienced employees who either can't or won't accept new technology. Of course, this doesn't apply to all experienced employees, but it is a problem. Bottom line if you are over 50, you either adapt or else. Technology is shutting many boomers out of the workforce, but all hope is not lost for those who can adapt.
 
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