Meredith Corp. fired the head of its broadcast group last fall after documenting his repeated comments criticizing blacks, including: “We’ve got to quit hiring all these black people,” according to a company memo filed in a lawsuit against the executive.
The Des Moines-based media company, which publishes specialty books and magazines including Ladies’ Home Journal and Better Homes and Gardens, fired Kevin O’Brien in October, citing violations of its equal opportunity policies.
Meredith reaches 10 percent of TV households in the country and earned almost $2 million last year. The group includes KPHO in Phoenix, WFSB in Hartford and KPDX and KPTV in Portland.
An internal investigation confirmed that he also said, “You shouldn’t hire old black guys. These guys don’t listen, they have attitudes, and you can’t control them.”