NY1 news anchors sue Charter for age, gender discrimination

Five female news anchors sued Charter Communications Inc., claiming rampant age and gender discrimination at the company’s popular New York One news channel has rendered their decades of experience meaningless.

“NY1 has blatantly marginalized them and cast them aside in favor of younger women and men, in a transparent effort to reshape the appearance of the on-air talent,” their lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, said in the complaint.

The suit was filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court by Roma Torre, Kristen Shaughnessy, Jeanine Ramirez, Vivian Lee and Amanda Farinacci, who claim their careers began to wilt after NY1 was taken over by Charter in 2016.

Charter does business as Spectrum and is the second-biggest cable company in the U.S.

“We take these allegations seriously, and as we complete our thorough review, we have not found any merit to them,” Maureen Huff, a Charter spokeswoman, said in a statement. “NY1 is a respectful and fair workplace, and we’re committed to providing a work environment in which all our employees are valued and empowered.”

Wigdor said Charter’s own website highlights gender discrimination because it shows that only two women are among the 19 people considered to be “company leadership,” while its 14-member board has only one woman. The top three leaders in the news department are also all men, he said.

The women were paid less than men who performed the same or similar work, Wigdor said. The complaint also includes images of younger women who the plaintiffs claim have been given higher profile anchoring slots at their expense.

Related: 

• Banks, retailers paying out the most for discrimination and harassment
• Former Geico lawyer claims racial bias in new lawsuit
• Google class action alleges bias against conservative applicants

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.