After more than 30 years on the anchor desk, local news icon Demetria Kalodimos is out at WSMV. After the station made the announcement this morning, Kalodimos responded with a statement to the Scene.
"I have spent more than half of my life at WSMV, working long and unpredictable hours, winning awards and ratings, serving and understanding the community and building trust. It is quite sad to end a nearly 34 year career the way this company chose to end it, with a letter left on a desk, no conversation, no face to face meeting, no thanks."
The station made the news official — after weeks, if not months, of buzz in media circles about Kalodimos' future — with a short post on its website this morning. Note the first paragraph, where the station includes information about its negotiations with Kalodimos, and the second where the station says it does "not believe it is appropriate to comment further on personnel matters."
Demetria Kalodimos' contract with the station expired on December 31, and as a result she is no longer a daily part of the Channel 4 broadcast team. Channel 4 offered an extension of her contract for the purpose of discussions, and hoped to continue supporting her journalistic work. However, we received no timely responses from her.Nevertheless, we expect to enjoy and applaud her future creations through her production company and other endeavors. Out of respect for our employees, we do not believe it is appropriate to comment further on personnel matters.
Kaladimos said the extension offered by the station was just for appearances.
"To be clear … the 'extension' offered to me was for 2 weeks (Jan. 19) so that the station could create the illusion that I retired," she says. "The only offer made to me was an offer to leave, under WSMV’s 'terms.' Longtime and loyal viewers need no explanation of what’s been happening at WSMV, a once lauded 'legacy' television station."
According to the announcement, Tracy Kornet "will be expanding her role at the station to include anchoring duties."
Kalodimos' exit follows weeks of drama surrounding her status at the station where she's worked for more than three decades. In December, The Tennessean reported that she'd cleaned out her desk. That news prompted WKRN's Bob Mueller to publicly defend Kalodimos and criticize WSMV in a Facebook post he later took down. Shortly before all that, a lawsuit filed by ex-WSMV reporters alleged that Kalodimos had been subject to age-discrimination and hostile treatment by station managers.
Kalodimos said she isn't done reporting the news, though.
"I love my work, I respect my colleagues and I am very skilled at my profession," she says. "I have absolutely no intention to retire at this point in my life. There is no reason for me to cease earning a living in the field I have studied and trained for. I hope to remain a journalist people can depend upon in Middle Tennessee. Stay tuned."
As they say in television, this is a developing story.
This post has been updated.
