WSMV, Seemingly Toxic Workplace, Now Facing Allegations of Age Discrimination Towards Demetria Kalodimos

Share This Post

When this website stood in support of Paul Heggen and Snowbird (what a WWE tag team that would be!), I can’t tell you how many reports we received stating that WSMV is owned/ran by “terrible people.” Some sources even cited incidents that occurred back in the 1970s. The seventies! Can you believe that?

Despite the thousands of people who cried out for Heggen and Snowbird, all the people who e-mailed us, e-mailed WSMV, Tweeted, shared on Facebook, all of that – WSMV stood firm in their conviction. Snowbird was a staple of the Nashville community for decades. Heggen is an award-winning meteorologist. But, none of that mattered to WSMV. None of what the people said mattered – all we got was a canned response saying, “your feedback is appreciated.”

Now, things have gotten much more serious than us talking about our favorite weathermen and birds being the victim of a “budget cuts” or whatever they said. The Tennessean is reporting that WSMV is facing age discrimination allegations. One of the alleged victims? Demetria Kalodimos….

Former longtime reporter Dennis Ferrier, veteran anchor/reporter Jennifer Johnson and longtime weekend meteorologist Nancy Van Camp said they were victims of harassment and ridicule shortly before they were terminated from WSMV.

Channel 4’s owner, Meredith Corporation, issued a statement denying that any employees were mistreated or that age was a reason for any of the plaintiffs leaving the station.

The lawsuit also charges that managers have exposed veteran anchor Demetria Kalodimos — who is not a plaintiff in the suit — to “many acts of age-based discrimination and hostility.”

Those acts include “public berating” and “ridicule,” spreading false rumors that Kalodimos would be retiring soon and referring to the veteran anchor as an “old maid,” according to the lawsuit.

….nah, man. Not Demetria. If these allegations are true (I guess we have to be somewhat responsible “journalists” here – but like I said, if you’ve heard half the stuff about this company from half the people I’ve heard from, you won’t be surprised), this is about as low as it can get for what is obviously a toxic workplace. Again, from everything I’ve gathered (from roughly 30-50 sources), this is indicative of a culture at WSMV. It may be not be laid out clearly, but just look at the number of ~40-year-old on-air talent that has been demoted or outright let go over the past couple of years. Who’s replacing them? Younger people.

Maybe it doesn’t come to light without the advent of social media and the effect its had on society. Hell, it just kept the Vols from hiring Greg Schiano. If the information isn’t at the ready, maybe no one ever knows. Maybe this stuff is swept under the rug, but I firmly believe in the basic principle of karma. You keep doing bad shit to people, bad shit is going to happen to you. I don’t know whether the allegations are true or not, but I will say that there’s an awful lot of smoke surrounding WSMV for there not to be some sort of fire.

We’re a rogue media company – primarily, we’re a sports/humor/entertainment blog. For the most part, we’re talking about football and making dick jokes regularly. Our families read our work and say, “nah, we’re not sharing that with anyone. It’s too much.” But, as inappropriate as we may be, we still feel a strong sense of loyalty to the people who have made our community a better place.

And, I can tell you right now….Demetria Kalodimos is one of those people. She’s one of the few broadcasters I would call “Nashville icons” in my lifetime. This sort of thing is not just inappropriate, it’s infuriating. If the allegations are true, it’s also highly illegal.

Do I hope I’m wrong? Sure. Do I hope we have to write some stupid apology for being rash? Absolutely. But, I will wait to be proven wrong first.

The plaintiffs allege WSMV “transformed into a workplace where veteran on-air personalities were permitted to become the targets of a persistent pattern and practice of age discrimination, harassment, hostility and retaliation,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit said the station started “a station-wide pattern and practice of age-based employment discrimination and harassment that resulted in the reduction, removal and/or replacement of many of its veteran on-air personalities” in 2015.

Who doesn’t think this is plausible? This might seem unfounded if this sort of thing didn’t sound exactly like nearly every other negative tip I received about WSMV throughout the Summer and Fall of this year. I tell you what, if anyone close to this situation wants to reach out and share a positive experience working for this company, I’m all ears. I’ll gladly tell your story. But, I haven’t received one yet.

The fact that several former employees are coming forward and taking a stand against this company should speak volumes.

To me, it just seems like WSMV is out of control, and they need to be held accountable. But, the only leverage we, as Nashvillians, have is with our remotes. I’ve jumped on the WKRN bandwagon in recent months. I recommend you all do the same.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

Buy our shirt. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Listen on SoundCloud. Watch on YouTube. Shop our store on Redbubble.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Get updates and learn from the best

More To Explore