Back in February, prominent local television anchor Reginald Roundtree was fired from 10News WTSP after nearly 30 years of service. Roundtree claims the termination was due to age discrimination and is now suing the station.
Earlier this year, the parent company for WTSP, TEGNA, claimed they fired Roundtree in response to poor professional ethics used during the high-profile Michael Drejka case. Roundtree obtained an exclusive interview with Drejka through a close friendship with a local criminal defense attorney.
Shortly after his termination, Roundtree and his lawyer Wil Florin joined PM Tampa Bay to discuss the situation. Roundtree maintained that the firing was a cover-up for the age discrimination happening at the station. "You can see all the young faces that they advertised that they have, and then there's Reggie, and he was the last one," Florin said, "and if you look back over the years, one by one the older folks got replaced by younger folks."
Roundtree filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where he detailed the instances of age discrimination he witnessed at WTSP. One particularly shocking piece of evidence was a "hit list" found on the desk of former WTSP General Manager Elliot Wiser. The list contained names of anchors and reporters, including Roundtree, that were either already terminated or scheduled to be soon. Next to Reginald Roundtree, there was a note that said, "2018... Bye Bye." All individuals on the list were over the age of 40.
He also recalls an incident where an individual in management said during a staff meeting, "I don't want old guys with ties on my news set." Roundtree and Florin both say that age discrimination is not only an industry-wide problem but one that stretches throughout the United States and affects countless older Americans.
We reached out to TEGNA for comment on the lawsuit. Anne Bentley, a spokesperson for the organization, said, "Mr. Roundtree's allegations are baseless."
According to the suit, Roundtree is seeking back pay with interest, forward pay with interest, and compensatory damages from the station.
You can find the podcast of the exclusive PM Tampa Bay interview with Reginald Roundtree and attorney Wil Florin below. After the interview, PM Tampa Bay legal correspondent Felix Vega offers up his analysis of the lawsuit and explains what likely happens next.