Former Fox News and Fox Business host Melissa Francis says she was fired seconds before she was supposed to go on the air. Francis appeared Friday with her attorney on The Megyn Kelly Show to talk about her 2020 departure from Fox. Francis, who joined Fox Business in 2012 and later became a host on Fox News, said she brought up the issue of pay disparity with the then-general counsel at Fox, Dianne Brandi.
“You have to understand that at the time there were two screeners from the Screen Actors Guild – Bombshell and The Loudest Voice – and they had actors playing Dianne Brandi behaving illegally towards women in the Roger Ailes situation,” said Francis.
“At the time I assumed she no longer worked at the company,” Francis continued. “When I said I wanted to do my own negotiation, [Fox] sent me an e-mail back saying ‘you’ll be meeting one-on-one with Dianne Brandi. I was shocked because I thought ‘wow, you’re gonna put her in a room alone with a woman to negotiate. I wasn’t even aware she was still here.’ We ended up having a voice conversation. I had actually scripted out exactly I wanted to say because my math and my points – I felt like I wanted to be crystal clear. I didn’t want to misspeak any portion of it at all.”
“We started to small talk. She’s very nice. ‘How are your kids? What’s going on?’ Then she segued right into ‘Are you going to hand this off to somebody else? It’s not common for talent to do this for themselves,’” Francis recalled in the conversation with Brandi. “I said look, there’s this disparity and basically I laid it out. [Dianne] said ‘whoa, I’m gonna stop you there. This is not the way you want to do this. You do not want to compare yourself to other people.’
“I said ‘no, I’m not comparing myself to other people.’ I’m saying that I’ve collected all this data — basically how I just explained to you – I went through how I did all the comparisons I came up with and finally she broke in and said, and I wrote down verbatim, ‘that’s how the world works. Women make less than men. That’s just a fact.”
Months after her firing, Francis sued Fox for pay discrimination. It was settled in June. Fox paid Francis $15 million.
Earlier this summer, a Fox News spokesperson said “We parted ways with Melissa Francis over a year and a half ago and her allegations were entirely without merit. We have also fully cooperated with the New York State Department of Labor’s investigation and look forward to the completion of this matter.”
Before asking Francis about the details behind her negotiations, Kelly brought up her final dealings with the company before turning down a lucrative offer to join NBC.
“I will say of my own personal experience was that they were always very generous,” Kelly said. “And this is during the Roger era. And my final contract was offered to me by the Murdoch’s, not Roger, but it was always very generous. And I actually know for a fact that I was making more than most of my male colleagues, and that my last contract that was offered to me was definitely bigger even than O’Reilly’s, because as soon as I left, he went and begged them for it, and they gave it to him and he wouldn’t last much longer. But in my experience with them was my being a woman was in no way an impediment to them paying me very, very well.”
“It does seem impossible that a lawyer would say such a reckless thing,” Kelly responded before quoting a statement from a Fox News spokesperson. “Melissa Francis’ version of that conversation is untrue and patently absurd.”
“It is absurd,” Francis said. “I agree with that. It is totally absurd that she would say something like that. I 100% with the fact that it was absurd, and that’s how I felt at the time.”
Later, Francis said she learned of her dismissal from Fox during the pandemic when she was prepared to go on the air from her studio at home.
Joe Salzone is a news media writer for Barrett News Media. He’s a native of Long Island and has been involved in the radio industry since he was 16 years old. Currently, he serves as the News Director for the Cayuga Radio Group and hosts Ithaca’s Morning News on WHCU. His radio career has included stops at SiriusXM, Galaxy Communications, WGBB, WNYG, and the Finger Lakes Radio Group. He can be found on Twitter @JoeSalzone.
After what has been labeled a “disastrous” profile with The Atlantic, CNN CEO Chris Licht has reportedly “lost the room”, according to CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy.
He added that after speaking with more than a dozen colleagues, one feeling was nearly universal.
“Licht has lost the room,” reported Darcy. “In the eyes of so many at CNN, there isn’t anything Licht can do at this point to win over their support. They’ve hit the wall with him.”
A report from The Daily Beasts’ Lachlan Cartwright specifically named Jake Tapper, Wolf Blitzer, and Erin Burnett as those who have “lost confidence in the boss”.
Many have questioned Licht’s future with the organization after the profile called into question his decision-making and professional acumen to lead the brand forward. Darcy reported that Warner Bros. Discovery chairman David Zaslav “had the same reaction that everyone else did to that article, a person familiar with the WBD chief’s thinking told me. A second person familiar with Zaslav’s thinking said the WBD boss was not happy about The Atlantic story and that he is not blind to what is transpiring at CNN.”
The reporting from Darcy comes after Licht apologized to CNN employees during a Monday morning editorial call. He told staffers his goal should only be in the news if he is “taking arrows” for reporters, hosts, and the network. He admitted he had failed that goal and would “work like hell” to restore their trust in him.
ABC News has announced significant appointments within its organization, with Bonnie McLean taking on the role of Director and Los Angeles Bureau Chief, Dimitrije Stejic as Director and London Bureau Chief, and Andrea Owen assuming the position of Executive Director and Deputy Washington, D.C., Bureau Chief.
Katie den Daas, the VP of Global Newsgathering at ABC News, informed the staff about the promotions.
Bonnie McLean, who has been a part of ABC News for nearly 25 years, previously served as the Deputy Bureau Chief and will now report to Michael Kreisel in her new role. “Bonnie has been instrumental in our news coverage on the west coast, championing stories from everywhere between Los Angeles and Dallas, and helping to grow our L.A. bureau,” said den Daas. Previously, David Herndon held the position of L.A. Bureau Chief.
Dimitrije Stejic, who joined ABC News in 1992, has been appointed as the London Bureau Chief and will report to Kirit Radia, the Director of International News at ABC News. Den Daas described Stejic as an integral part of the international news team for over 30 years and highlighted his expertise in planning and executing coverage for 13 Royal events. Katie den Daas previously held the position of London Bureau Chief.
With a tenure of 30 years at ABC News, starting as an intern in London, Andrea Owen has been promoted to the role of Executive Director and Deputy Washington, D.C., Bureau Chief. She will report to Jonathan Greenberger. Den Daas acknowledged Owen’s consistent contributions on both the editorial and operational fronts.
“I am confident that Bonnie, Dimitrije and Andrea will continue to bring immense value to our coverage, as we continue to collaborate across shows and platforms each and every day,” den Daas said.
Maddy Troy serves as a writer and editor for Barrett News Media, with a specific focus on media business, advertising, and podcasting. You can find her on Twitter @Troy_Maddy.
Dan Abrams: Chuck Todd ‘Almost Certainly’ Lying About Leaving Meet The Press Voluntarily
“That a news operation that is supposed to be seeking out the truth and providing its viewers and readers with accurate information, calling out fact from fiction.”
Meet The Press host Chuck Todd will step aside in September, calling the decision a voluntary one. NewsNation host Dan Abrams isn’t exactly buying that.
During Dan Abrams Live Monday, the eponymous host argued that it’s like both Todd and NBC News are lying about the circumstances behind Todd’s departure.
“That a news operation that is supposed to be seeking out the truth and providing its viewers and readers with accurate information, calling out fact from fiction,” said Abrams. “And yet, they are almost certainly creating a fictionalized version of what happened.”
“They had already canceled Todd’s daily show on MSNBC, and NBC was probably under pressure to replace a White male host of a show that was both suffering in the ratings and which was blasted by many on social media.”
He added that while he likes Todd, he doesn’t believe the host would voluntarily “relinquish his highest profile role with the 2024 election around the corner”.
Abrams’ opinion is backed up by previous media reporting that claimed as far back as last August that Todd would be replaced by Kristen Welker, who was simultaneously announced as his successor.
Dale Moog
September 26, 2022 at 3:37 am
they canceled her show 30 before air. That is so petty