Tony Kornheiser suspended from PTI
07-17-02, 12:40 PM
#1
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 2,984
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Tony Kornheiser suspended from PTI
Read in USA TODAY that he was suspended from PTI and his radio gig for criticizing ESPN but it didn't say what the comments were. Anyone heard or read what it was he said?
07-17-02, 01:02 PM
#2
DVD Talk Special Edition
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 1,279
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
...Tony Kornheiser was suspended this week from his ESPN radio show and PTI TV show. The Washington Post, where Kornheiser is a columnist, says suspension came for remarks criticizing ESPN, heard on the radio show's Internet version. ESPN's Mike Soltys, says "we won't comment" but that Kornheiser will return after a vacation ...
07-17-02, 01:19 PM
#3
DVD Talk Hero
Great ... good ol' Di$ney. Most days, they're hard to distinguish from good ol' Nazi Germany.
On another note, even though her feminine bias (wah wah, why don't you like lame women's sports) was a tad annoying, Michelle Tafoya was pretty good yesterday.
das
On another note, even though her feminine bias (wah wah, why don't you like lame women's sports) was a tad annoying, Michelle Tafoya was pretty good yesterday.
das
07-17-02, 03:40 PM
#4
Member
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Southington, CT USA
Posts: 176
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
A member of the talent (Jason Jackson) and several producers were fired after some sort of sexual harassment scandal. Details are sketchy, but it involves dirty emails and trespassing.
Tony was talking about this on his radio show, and management told him to stop. The Internet simulcast doesn't have radio commercials, so they leave Tony's mike on. What I hear is that he said something about this situation during the break of his show, but the Internet audience all heard it.
Tony was talking about this on his radio show, and management told him to stop. The Internet simulcast doesn't have radio commercials, so they leave Tony's mike on. What I hear is that he said something about this situation during the break of his show, but the Internet audience all heard it.
07-17-02, 04:35 PM
#5
DVD Talk Special Edition
ESPN Suspends Post's Kornheiser
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2002Jul15.html
By Thomas Heath
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 16, 2002; Page D02
ESPN has suspended radio and television host Tony Kornheiser for one week without pay for making remarks that were critical of management during his radio program, sources familiar with the situation said.
Kornheiser, a Washington Post reporter and columnist for more than 20 years, said yesterday he did not know the reason for the suspension.
"You should ask them as to why this happened," Kornheiser said yesterday. "I was notified by my agent on Friday afternoon. He said, 'You have been suspended by ESPN and don't go to work.' " The suspension started yesterday.
Kornheiser, whose annual financial package with ESPN is worth more than $500,000, has criticized the network's personnel decisions on his radio show. Sources said ESPN management was unhappy with comments Kornheiser made during commercial breaks that aren't heard on the radio but are broadcast on the Internet.
ESPN spokesman Dan Quinn declined to comment, saying the company does not discuss personnel matters.
Kornheiser is the host of an ESPN sports-talk radio show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each weekday that is broadcast on 243 stations and reaches 1.35 million listeners each week, according to Quinn. The show has been on ESPN since January 1998.
He also co-hosts a nightly half-hour, television sports show on ESPN called "Pardon the Interruption" with Michael Wilbon. Wilbon also writes a column for The Post. Both are on a month-long vacation from the newspaper.
"Pardon the Interruption" first aired last October and has a Neilson rating of .43, which means it reaches about 370,000 homes, Quinn said.
Chris Moore of ESPN radio is filling in for Kornheiser's radio spot, while Miami Herald columnist Dan LeBatard is Kornheiser's temporary replacement on the television show. LeBatard has hosted "Pardon the Interruption" previously. Max Kellerman of ESPN worked with LeBatard yesterday.
Wilbon is on vacation from the show this month.
At least six ESPN radio employees have been disciplined in recent weeks, including two firings for what the network believed was unacceptable conduct in dealing with staff personnel, according to sources.
Rob Ades, Kornheiser's agent, yesterday declined to discuss the reason for the suspension, saying: "I'm still cloudy on this. We're dealing with it."
Kornheiser said he is in the second year of a five-year contract for his ESPN radio show. He said his contract for the television show is less than the length of the radio show, but includes options that could extend the contract.
Kornheiser yesterday said he plans to return next week when the suspension is over.
"I have a contract to go back [to]," he said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2002Jul15.html
By Thomas Heath
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 16, 2002; Page D02
ESPN has suspended radio and television host Tony Kornheiser for one week without pay for making remarks that were critical of management during his radio program, sources familiar with the situation said.
Kornheiser, a Washington Post reporter and columnist for more than 20 years, said yesterday he did not know the reason for the suspension.
"You should ask them as to why this happened," Kornheiser said yesterday. "I was notified by my agent on Friday afternoon. He said, 'You have been suspended by ESPN and don't go to work.' " The suspension started yesterday.
Kornheiser, whose annual financial package with ESPN is worth more than $500,000, has criticized the network's personnel decisions on his radio show. Sources said ESPN management was unhappy with comments Kornheiser made during commercial breaks that aren't heard on the radio but are broadcast on the Internet.
ESPN spokesman Dan Quinn declined to comment, saying the company does not discuss personnel matters.
Kornheiser is the host of an ESPN sports-talk radio show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each weekday that is broadcast on 243 stations and reaches 1.35 million listeners each week, according to Quinn. The show has been on ESPN since January 1998.
He also co-hosts a nightly half-hour, television sports show on ESPN called "Pardon the Interruption" with Michael Wilbon. Wilbon also writes a column for The Post. Both are on a month-long vacation from the newspaper.
"Pardon the Interruption" first aired last October and has a Neilson rating of .43, which means it reaches about 370,000 homes, Quinn said.
Chris Moore of ESPN radio is filling in for Kornheiser's radio spot, while Miami Herald columnist Dan LeBatard is Kornheiser's temporary replacement on the television show. LeBatard has hosted "Pardon the Interruption" previously. Max Kellerman of ESPN worked with LeBatard yesterday.
Wilbon is on vacation from the show this month.
At least six ESPN radio employees have been disciplined in recent weeks, including two firings for what the network believed was unacceptable conduct in dealing with staff personnel, according to sources.
Rob Ades, Kornheiser's agent, yesterday declined to discuss the reason for the suspension, saying: "I'm still cloudy on this. We're dealing with it."
Kornheiser said he is in the second year of a five-year contract for his ESPN radio show. He said his contract for the television show is less than the length of the radio show, but includes options that could extend the contract.
Kornheiser yesterday said he plans to return next week when the suspension is over.
"I have a contract to go back [to]," he said.
07-17-02, 04:41 PM
#6
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: east texas
Posts: 5,473
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
so he is really suspended for this week and not on vacation like they said? i hate corporations!! it's not enough that they put the disclaimer on the show about opinions not reflecting the views of the company but then you can't even state your opinion.
also, i agree with das, tafoya was pretty good yesterday. much better then dan lebatard, although i am getting used to him.
also, i agree with das, tafoya was pretty good yesterday. much better then dan lebatard, although i am getting used to him.
I will admit ... windbags like Kellerman and LeRetard do a great job raggin' on "Stat Face"
07-17-02, 05:14 PM
#9
DVD Talk Legend
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 10,059
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally posted by Llama
A member of the talent (Jason Jackson) and several producers were fired after some sort of sexual harassment scandal. Details are sketchy, but it involves dirty emails and trespassing.
A member of the talent (Jason Jackson) and several producers were fired after some sort of sexual harassment scandal. Details are sketchy, but it involves dirty emails and trespassing.
whoa, now who's going to host nba 2nite?
07-17-02, 05:22 PM
#10
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Though I think Kellerman's a hoot I can't wait until Wilbon & Kornheiser are back.
07-17-02, 05:22 PM
#11
DVD Talk Special Edition
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 1,279
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This is why Tony was angry at espn - denis horgan was the producer of his radio show and a very good friend.
ESPN’s Email Policy
ESPN radio recently fired four staffers after searching the company email database and finding offensive material in their outboxes. That’s right, the network that brought you an un-bleeped Bobby Knight is clamping down on the vulgarity in its newsroom. Bob talks to Denis Horgan, Jr., canned after 10 years as a producer at the sports network.
Radio Transcript:
MIKE PESCA: We're back with On the Media. I'm Mike Pesca.
BOB GARFIELD: And I'm Bob Garfield, beginning with this brief digression. The movie Fatal Attraction is a gripping thriller about a married man who's brief affair turns ugly when his lover begins to terrorize his family. Unfaithful men everywhere shuddered when seeing their worst nightmare depicted by Michael Douglas and Glenn Close on the big screen. Well that's approximately the way I reacted when I heard about Denis Horgan, Jr. Horgan was a senior producer at ESPN Radio until the network searched through some of its employees old e-mails and fired him and 3 of his pals for exchanging messages with vulgar content. The news sent a shiver down my spine, as it may be sending shivers down yours at this very moment. Denis, welcome to the show.
DENIS HORGAN, JR: Thank you, Bob.
BOB GARFIELD: All right, tell me what happened.
DENIS HORGAN, JR: There had been a previous incident about a week earlier where a fairly high profile person at ESPN had been let go for unrelated company policy. Apparently when they went through that person's e-mail after, anyone that had ever sent him an e-mail where there was any sort of inappropriate content, they then went into those people's files, and anyone that had sent that person's e--e-mail account anything inappropriate they then went into that person's file. So sort of like a spider web that just sort of expanded into a group of probably 10 to 15 different people.
BOB GARFIELD: And what was their methodology? Were there certain words and phrases? Is that how it works?
DENIS HORGAN, JR: I'm not sure what they went in looking for. What they found was conversations back and forth between male colleagues, inappropriate language may have been used that printed out on an e-mail in a piece of paper sitting on a desk in front of all your bosses looks fairly-- inappropriate, but it was-- [BOTH SPEAK AT ONCE]
BOB GARFIELD: So this was not broadcast. This was not anything that the public ever saw. A communications company firing employees for--communicating.
DENIS HORGAN, JR: That's the great fear here is that e-mail has become such a second language to everybody that I think we all take for granted the fact that you can zip back and forth e-mails and--it's as if you're standing across a room talking to each other. You know, no matter how much you're warned about it or told about it, you, you'd never think that somebody was up there looking down, watching it all. And there had been no complaints from anybody. No one was harassing any other employees. These were conversations between friends, much like took place everywhere else in the company -- just not on the company's e-mail.
BOB GARFIELD: Well in fact on the company's air, because ESPN's brand image, if you will, is a kind of irreverence and a winking acknowledgement that boys will be boys--
DENIS HORGAN, JR: Right. The recent Bobby Knight movie there was graphic language that they-- promoted like crazy and-- you know they have a new comedy show that sort of prides itself on going low brow, not to mention, you know, a lot of the stuff in, in the magazine that comes out--
BOB GARFIELD: Well now that you are a martyr to guy talk, what are you going to do?
DENIS HORGAN, JR: I'm going to look for work. [LAUGHS]
BOB GARFIELD: When they told you that you were fired, did you swear?
DENIS HORGAN, JR: [LAUGHS] I have re-lived that meeting a thousand times, and I have all sorts of fantasies about what I should have done and what I should have said -- and most of it involves picking up the e-mail and saying --come on -- this is funny -- what are you talking about? Look at it -- it's funny! But I, I didn't do any of that.
BOB GARFIELD: You forgot to swear.
DENIS HORGAN, JR: I forgot to swear. Oh, well. Hopefully I'll see 'em on the street. I'll swear at 'em then. [LAUGHS]
BOB GARFIELD: Denis Horgan, thank you very much.
DENIS HORGAN, JR: No problem.
BOB GARFIELD: Denis Horgan, Jr. was the senior producer for the Tony Kornheiser Show on ESPN Radio. Officials at ESPN declined to come on our show. They told us Mr. Horgan was fired for violation of the company's e-mail policy. [MUSIC]
Audio can be found here:
http://www.wnyc.org/onthemedia/otm061402.html
ESPN’s Email Policy
ESPN radio recently fired four staffers after searching the company email database and finding offensive material in their outboxes. That’s right, the network that brought you an un-bleeped Bobby Knight is clamping down on the vulgarity in its newsroom. Bob talks to Denis Horgan, Jr., canned after 10 years as a producer at the sports network.
Radio Transcript:
MIKE PESCA: We're back with On the Media. I'm Mike Pesca.
BOB GARFIELD: And I'm Bob Garfield, beginning with this brief digression. The movie Fatal Attraction is a gripping thriller about a married man who's brief affair turns ugly when his lover begins to terrorize his family. Unfaithful men everywhere shuddered when seeing their worst nightmare depicted by Michael Douglas and Glenn Close on the big screen. Well that's approximately the way I reacted when I heard about Denis Horgan, Jr. Horgan was a senior producer at ESPN Radio until the network searched through some of its employees old e-mails and fired him and 3 of his pals for exchanging messages with vulgar content. The news sent a shiver down my spine, as it may be sending shivers down yours at this very moment. Denis, welcome to the show.
DENIS HORGAN, JR: Thank you, Bob.
BOB GARFIELD: All right, tell me what happened.
DENIS HORGAN, JR: There had been a previous incident about a week earlier where a fairly high profile person at ESPN had been let go for unrelated company policy. Apparently when they went through that person's e-mail after, anyone that had ever sent him an e-mail where there was any sort of inappropriate content, they then went into those people's files, and anyone that had sent that person's e--e-mail account anything inappropriate they then went into that person's file. So sort of like a spider web that just sort of expanded into a group of probably 10 to 15 different people.
BOB GARFIELD: And what was their methodology? Were there certain words and phrases? Is that how it works?
DENIS HORGAN, JR: I'm not sure what they went in looking for. What they found was conversations back and forth between male colleagues, inappropriate language may have been used that printed out on an e-mail in a piece of paper sitting on a desk in front of all your bosses looks fairly-- inappropriate, but it was-- [BOTH SPEAK AT ONCE]
BOB GARFIELD: So this was not broadcast. This was not anything that the public ever saw. A communications company firing employees for--communicating.
DENIS HORGAN, JR: That's the great fear here is that e-mail has become such a second language to everybody that I think we all take for granted the fact that you can zip back and forth e-mails and--it's as if you're standing across a room talking to each other. You know, no matter how much you're warned about it or told about it, you, you'd never think that somebody was up there looking down, watching it all. And there had been no complaints from anybody. No one was harassing any other employees. These were conversations between friends, much like took place everywhere else in the company -- just not on the company's e-mail.
BOB GARFIELD: Well in fact on the company's air, because ESPN's brand image, if you will, is a kind of irreverence and a winking acknowledgement that boys will be boys--
DENIS HORGAN, JR: Right. The recent Bobby Knight movie there was graphic language that they-- promoted like crazy and-- you know they have a new comedy show that sort of prides itself on going low brow, not to mention, you know, a lot of the stuff in, in the magazine that comes out--
BOB GARFIELD: Well now that you are a martyr to guy talk, what are you going to do?
DENIS HORGAN, JR: I'm going to look for work. [LAUGHS]
BOB GARFIELD: When they told you that you were fired, did you swear?
DENIS HORGAN, JR: [LAUGHS] I have re-lived that meeting a thousand times, and I have all sorts of fantasies about what I should have done and what I should have said -- and most of it involves picking up the e-mail and saying --come on -- this is funny -- what are you talking about? Look at it -- it's funny! But I, I didn't do any of that.
BOB GARFIELD: You forgot to swear.
DENIS HORGAN, JR: I forgot to swear. Oh, well. Hopefully I'll see 'em on the street. I'll swear at 'em then. [LAUGHS]
BOB GARFIELD: Denis Horgan, thank you very much.
DENIS HORGAN, JR: No problem.
BOB GARFIELD: Denis Horgan, Jr. was the senior producer for the Tony Kornheiser Show on ESPN Radio. Officials at ESPN declined to come on our show. They told us Mr. Horgan was fired for violation of the company's e-mail policy. [MUSIC]
Audio can be found here:
http://www.wnyc.org/onthemedia/otm061402.html
Last edited by ten41; 07-17-02 at 05:28 PM.
07-17-02, 11:38 PM
#13
Member
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Southington, CT USA
Posts: 176
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Everyone's correct about hypocrisy and stuff like that.
But...
I really don't think that company email is the place to forward dirty jokes. There are all sorts of warnings that they can and do read the mail. Would you send intimate thoughts on a postcard, for everyone in the postal system to see?
Should people lose their jobs over harmless but inappropriate conduct? Not unless there's a history of doing this. It's sad that careers were lost.
Everyone trying to minimize the damage - the "wink wink" system, the "boys will be boys" claim - none of this is appropriate for a workplace! People outside of the "boys club" are forced to endure things that they shouldn't have to in order to earn a living. The other arguments about ESPN's broadcast product is hogwash as well - people who work at the Spice channel presumably keep their clothes on at work. If HBO shows Fargo, it doesn't give the employees the right to put annoying people in a wood chipper.
Sorry... had to vent a little.
But...
I really don't think that company email is the place to forward dirty jokes. There are all sorts of warnings that they can and do read the mail. Would you send intimate thoughts on a postcard, for everyone in the postal system to see?
Should people lose their jobs over harmless but inappropriate conduct? Not unless there's a history of doing this. It's sad that careers were lost.
Everyone trying to minimize the damage - the "wink wink" system, the "boys will be boys" claim - none of this is appropriate for a workplace! People outside of the "boys club" are forced to endure things that they shouldn't have to in order to earn a living. The other arguments about ESPN's broadcast product is hogwash as well - people who work at the Spice channel presumably keep their clothes on at work. If HBO shows Fargo, it doesn't give the employees the right to put annoying people in a wood chipper.
Sorry... had to vent a little.
07-17-02, 11:42 PM
#14
DVD Talk Hero
Originally posted by Llama
Sorry... had to vent a little.
Sorry... had to vent a little.
das
07-18-02, 11:09 AM
#15
DVD Talk Special Edition
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 1,279
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
ESPN disarray
An astonishing upheaval at ESPN Radio included the suspension of host Tony Kornheiser, the long-time Washington Post columnist, plus suspensions or dismissals of more than 10 producers and on-air personalities.
Host Jason Jackson was fired for "allegedly making unwanted and suggestive comments to a female colleague."
ESPN Radio general manager Eric Schoenfeld was suspended for allegedly threatening a co-worker.
Profane e-mails resulted in other suspensions.
Kornheiser was given a forced vacation for complaining on the air about the dismissal of his producer, Denis Horgan.
An astonishing upheaval at ESPN Radio included the suspension of host Tony Kornheiser, the long-time Washington Post columnist, plus suspensions or dismissals of more than 10 producers and on-air personalities.
Host Jason Jackson was fired for "allegedly making unwanted and suggestive comments to a female colleague."
ESPN Radio general manager Eric Schoenfeld was suspended for allegedly threatening a co-worker.
Profane e-mails resulted in other suspensions.
Kornheiser was given a forced vacation for complaining on the air about the dismissal of his producer, Denis Horgan.
07-24-02, 05:08 PM
#16
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: MN
Posts: 5,949
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
wow I was wondering what happened thanks for all the info. Also I was surprised to hear about the size of TK's contract I really didn't think he was making that kind of money for PTI and the radio show. I was kind of under the impression that they just did PTI to supplement there income from writing.
07-25-02, 04:46 PM
#17
DVD Talk Legend
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: The People's Republic of Boulder
Posts: 24,713
Received 567 Likes
on
409 Posts
Originally posted by Llama
I really don't think that company email is the place to forward dirty jokes. There are all sorts of warnings that they can and do read the mail. Would you send intimate thoughts on a postcard, for everyone in the postal system to see?
Should people lose their jobs over harmless but inappropriate conduct? Not unless there's a history of doing this. It's sad that careers were lost.
Everyone trying to minimize the damage - the "wink wink" system, the "boys will be boys" claim - none of this is appropriate for a workplace! People outside of the "boys club" are forced to endure things that they shouldn't have to in order to earn a living.
I really don't think that company email is the place to forward dirty jokes. There are all sorts of warnings that they can and do read the mail. Would you send intimate thoughts on a postcard, for everyone in the postal system to see?
Should people lose their jobs over harmless but inappropriate conduct? Not unless there's a history of doing this. It's sad that careers were lost.
Everyone trying to minimize the damage - the "wink wink" system, the "boys will be boys" claim - none of this is appropriate for a workplace! People outside of the "boys club" are forced to endure things that they shouldn't have to in order to earn a living.
