Weasel of the Week: KTBS-TV management

There are things that I just don't get.

In Shreveport, Louisiana, a meteorologist was fired from her TV gig because she had the courtesy to politely respond to a viewer's complaint on the station's Facebook page about her hair. Viewers, including the guy who started this whole fracas in the first place, are demanding that she get her job back.

On October 1, Emmitt Vascocu left a message on KTBS-TV's public Facebook page being critical of the short hairstyle of meteorologist Rhonda Lee. Ms. Lee responded with a very polite message thanking Vascocu for his comments, and even educated him on her African-American heritage, including her hair. Vascocu apologized. Another unenlightened soul left a message and also got a polite response. Ms. Lee's superiors at the station didn't take too kindly to her out-front approach in handling this matter, feeling that such problems should be left well enough alone.

SAY WHAT?

Instead of supporting Ms. Lee, the suits at KTBS fired her for "violating their social media policy", which Ms. Lee contends she was not fully aware of, nor did anyone try to explain it to her ahead of time, on November 14. Instead, these clowns put their heads in the sand, leaving a valued, trusted on-air personality out in the open to deal with this criticism alone. That's tantamount to throwing her under the bus and letting it run over her. Real classy, guys. NOT!!!!

Rhonda Lee demonstrated class, dignity, and respect throughout, and she is rewarded with a pink slip. Let me put it this way. If she wasn't African-American, she might still have her job. Since no one person at KTBS is willing to own up to making this lame decision, the management team gets the Weasel ears this week. Let's see them talk their way out of that.