Former KLAQ morning show co-host suing Buzz Adams, Townsquare Media
A former KLAQ morning show co-host is suing her former employer, Townsquare Media Broadcasting, and the show’s host, Michael Whitt, who’s known on the air as “Buzz Adams.”
Stephanie McMaster-Berning claims her rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 were violated when the station fired her. She alleged the station failed to issue any disciplinary action before firing her and that she felt her co-host was biased against women who missed work after giving birth.
“While we can’t comment on pending litigation, the statements made by Stephanie McMasters are untrue,” Townsquare of El Paso’s Vice President/General Manager Brad Dubow told ABC-7 in a statement. “The truth about Ms. McMaster’s termination will be fully revealed in court. Townsquare Media, and KLAQ-FM, absolutely support working mothers and care about providing them with the time they need to care for their newborn as well as continued support for raising their children while working.”
The lawsuit states McMaster-Berning enjoyed a “good work history” during her time at Townsquare Media in New York City. It says in August 2015, McMaster-Berning accepted a promotion to work as co-host of the KLAQ morning show. The suit states she relocated to El Paso with her family, including two children, ages 12 and eight. The lawsuit states McMaster-Berning learned she was pregnant after accepting the job offer and advised KLAQ Operations Manager Kevin Vargas, who said her maternity leave would coincide with the station’s Spring ratings book.
According to the complaint, Vargas climbed onto a chair to straighten out a sign on his office wall. When McMaster-Berning offered to help, Vargas allegedly “joked about knocking her off the chair so he would not have to worry about her maternity leave.”
The complaint states Townsquare Media was aware of the plaintiff’s need for future leave and failed to provide her with the FMLA’s Notice of Eligibility and Rights & Responsibilities within five business days, as required by federal law.
McMaster-Berning
When McMaster-Berning began co-hosting the morning show, Whitt (a.k.a. Buzz Adams) allegedly made comments on more than one occasion “displaying an animus or contempt towards employees who took time from work to care for a new-born child.”
Whitt allegedly responded to a corporate e-mail regarding paternity leave by telling McMaster-Berning, “I don’t respect a father who takes time off for a new baby and would not hire a man who would take the time off.” According to the document, Whitt further stated, “I wouldn’t hire women because of the possibility that they could get pregnant.”
On a third occasion, Whitt allegedly told his then co-host he disliked the concept of maternity leave so much, that if he was a hiring manager he would never hire a woman.
According to the lawsuit, Townsquare Media’s Vice President of Human Resources, Alyssa Goldberg, traveled to El Paso to investigate complaints Whitt and other male employees were discriminating McMaster-Berning and other female employees. According to the court document, it is unclear if any disciplinary action was taken.
McMaster-Berning was terminated on March 7, 2016, 46 days before she would have commenced her FMLA Leave, according to the document. During the termination meeting, Goldberg allegedly told McMaster-Berning “Whitt did not feel comfortable working with her.” Goldberg allegedly went on to say, “It’s the Buzz Adams show … Buzz has been doing this for a long time and he’s an integral part of the show.”
The plaintiff received no written disciplinary action prior to her termination, the lawsuit states.
ABC-7 reached out to Vargas, who declined to comment on pending litigation.
The El Paso Times reports Whitt denied the allegations during Friday morning’s Buzz Adams show.
