Last year, FTVLive put up our annual list of the Best and Worst people in TV news and KCBS/KCAL General Manager Steve Mauldin was one of those featured on our worst list.

“Talent talk about their experiences behind closed doors with Mauldin where he bullies and belittles them….” we wrote at the time.

Now, a blistering article in the LA Times, which includes a link to FTVLive, says that while the CBS Network has tried to clean up its act after ousting CBS CEO Les Moonves, there is still work to do at some O&O’s.

The Times story which is titled, “One year after Moonves’ exit, CBS TV stations also face harassment and misogyny claims” takes a hard look at Mauldin’s reign at KCBS/KCAL and it is not pretty.

Back in August of last year, FTVLive was the FIRST to tell you that KCBS had cut ties with popular Sports Anchor Jill Arrington.

Arrington claims that while working at KCBS/KCBS she asked Mauldin for a raise, citing the fact that she was making $60,000 less than the man she replaced.

The Times writes, "Oooh, isn't she tough," Arrington recalls the former general manager of CBS' L.A. stations, Steve Mauldin, saying during a March 2018 meeting. She said Mauldin turned to his lieutenant and said: "This one talks more than my wife."

The meeting ended with no assurance of a raise. But as Arrington started to leave, she said her boss told her: "Put on a tennis dress and meet me at the golf club. We'll put you on tape, and you can make some extra money."

Not long after that meeting, Arrington was called in and told that her position was being eliminated.

Mauldin denied that he said such a thing to Arlington. "That didn't happen," he told the Times.. “That’s the most absurd thing. I would not talk to women that way."

But, CBS insiders tell FTVLive they have no doubt he did say it and they say he has made a number of similar comments before.

The Times story also talks about the culture at WFOR in Miami and the recent settlement by CBS with former WFOR Reporter Michele Gillen, who sued CBS last year. The company admitted no liability in the agreement. In her court filings, Gillen called CBS a "good ole boys club" that "protects men despite bad behavior." 

Discrimination complaints have also surfaced at CBS-owned stations in Chicago, Dallas and Miami. 

At KTVT in Dallas, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against CBS after investigating allegations that station managers in Dallas denied a full-time position to a 42-year-old traffic reporter and instead hired a 24-year-old former NFL cheerleader who didn't meet the job's requirements. CBS denied that it engaged in discrimination.

Managing a nationwide television station group with thousands of employees is challenging, CBS Television Stations President Peter Dunn said in a statement. But, he added, "the vast majority enjoy where they work every day and take great pride in serving their local community. At the same time, I am very mindful that in a large company we have people who are unhappy at times. We respect all voices who express workplace concerns to us."

CBS has a history of complaints, particularly in its treatment of women. In 2000, the company paid $8 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the EEOC, the government agency that polices workplace law compliance. The agency found that women at seven CBS TV stations, including KCBS, endured a hostile work environment that included sexual harassment and retaliation for complaining. About 200 female technicians at CBS stations — camera operators and engineers — were paid less than men and passed over for promotions, the EEOC found.

KCAL anchor Leyna Nguyen complained to KCBS management about inappropriate comments and unwanted touching by a male colleague, according to several people familiar with the matter. CBS spent months investigating the allegations but concluded there was insufficient evidence of wrongdoing, according to a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity.

As for Arrington, she was pushed out and despite being very good at her job, she has yet to land another job in TV news.

"My takeaway from my experience at KCBS is that they were more concerned with protecting political alignments rather than the quality of their on-air broadcasts," she said.

As for Mauldin, after making it on FTVLive’s Worst list, he “retired” months later and claims he did nothing wrong.

Many former and current employees at KCBS/KCAL say he surely did.