Ex-CIA vs KNBC
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**UPDATE** Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephen Moloney denied NBC's motion for summary judgement in this case. The judge ruled there's enough evidence raising issues for a jury to consider claims of age discrimination by NBC.
It's not unusual to have lawsuits flying around in our industry. Most of the time they come and go without much interest outside the courtroom. But in the age discrimination, wrongful termination lawsuit between Frank Snepp and Comcast/KNBC, it's a little different.
Snepp is a former CIA Intelligence officer turned broadcaster. He worked for KNBC as a content producer. During the Osama bin Laden operation, Snepp was asked to go 'on-air' to do commentary about the operation. One of the legal declarations say he was probably the first to identify SEAL Team Six as the group responsible for bin Laden's capture. Shortly after his appearance was over, then ND Vicki Burns ordered him to be taken off the air. Some time later, Snepp was terminated.
There's a hearing this morning in California Superior Court claiming Snepp and several others, were terminated by NBC because they were old. The briefings read like a who's who of KNBC and NBC O&O executives. It also serves as a stark example of how shallow and cut-throat this business is.
