3 Black Groups Assail KCBS, Threaten Boycott

Three black community groups took KCBS to task Wednesday, threatening to organize a viewers’ boycott to protest the CBS-owned television station’s “inexcusable” dealings with blacks in hiring and promotion, news coverage and entertainment, and criticizing the station for not hiring a black anchor on a weeknight news show.

The press conference was called to focus public attention on heretofore private negotiations with Frank Gardner, vice president and general manager of KCBS. It was timed to coincide with announcement of threatened boycotts of CBS-owned stations in St. Louis, Philadelphia, New York and one under way in Chicago.

But attorney Melanie Lomax, although speaking for the group PUSH (People United to Save Humanity), which called for a boycott in Los Angeles as well as the other cities, said a local boycott would be “premature,” since negotiations with KCBS are continuing.

“We’re not calling for blacks and minorities and people otherwise sympathetic to this cause to turn off Channel 2. What we are saying is that there are serious concerns that have been articulated by PUSH,” and if KCBS does not make commitments in those areas--including hiring a black anchor--”we are prepared to organize a boycott,” said Lomax, who stressed that the groups “want commitments to black anchor and employment opportunities. . . . We’re not out to damage CBS.”

Lomax was joined by Barry Thomas of the African Collective, a Long Beach-based economic coalition.

Thomas said his group had studied KCBS for four months and was “shocked” that two black reporters, Pam Moore and Tony Cox, had to find anchor jobs elsewhere “when they were told they were not qualified.” Moore now anchors a noontime show in Boston and Cox is a weekend anchor at KTTV here.

“It’s a matter of fairness and we believe it is a racial situation,” Thomas said. “Nobody is above the action; all (network stations) are in blatant violation when it comes to anchor spots.”

His colleague, Douglas Roddy, added: “We’re saying these practices of discrimination in employment and representation must stop and they will stop, and until CBS can get their act together in representing our people, they will become the focal point” of action.

At KCBS, across the street from the press conference, Gardner said in a prepared statement:

“These issues are being addressed. KCBS-TV has a continuing dialogue with all groups in Southern California interested in minority participation in broadcasting. These discussions have all been very positive. . . . “

Una VanDuvall of the National Black Media Coalition in Los Angeles said that as of May, 1985, her research showed that 49 blacks were working full time at KCBS out of 417 employees. Of the 49, 15 worked in managerial, production, professional and technical-level jobs.