LAWSUIT ROUTE: Karen Fuller, a popular former anchor at Little Rock's KATV, Channel 7, is used to delivering the news.
Recently, however, she's been the news.
After nearly a decade with the Little Rock ABC affiliate, the Arkansas native worked 12 years as an anchor for the Kansas City CBS affiliate. That is until February of 2015 when, at age 47, Fuller's contract was not renewed.
According to the Kansas City Star, Fuller filed suit against the station's parent company in June of 2017, saying she was terminated without cause and alleging age discrimination: "In the eyes of Meredith Corporation, women news anchors like Ms. Fuller, unlike their male counterparts, simply become too old to deliver the news."
The case, scheduled for trial this month, was settled in December; details remain confidential.
We reached out to Fuller who graciously responded but didn't have enough time to consult her lawyer about a statement before our deadline.
Fuller, a graduate of Iowa's Drake University who worked for stations in Des Moines and Mason City before working at KATV, has since returned to the Hawkeye State where she's been an anchor for the Cedar Rapids CBS affiliate since September of 2015.
Fuller did make a brief appearance on Little Rock television recently. Like other former colleagues, she contributed an on-air goodbye message to longtime KATV chief meteorologist Ned Perme who retired in December.
FORECAST CAST: And speaking of KATV and Perme, the station has named a replacement chief meteorologist.
KATV last week announced Barry Brandt -- "the single most-experienced meteorologist on the Arkansas airwaves, having covered the natural state for more than three decades" -- will fill the role. Brandt, who will handle the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts, has been with KATV since 1997.
Meteorologist Todd Yakoubian will move to weekdays, providing forecasts for 11:30 a.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. shows. Meteorologist Melinda Mayo will continue to work mornings.
A new member of the weather team will work weekends: storm chaser James Bryant, a North Little Rock native with a meteorology degree from Mississippi State.
We put chief meteorologist Brandt to work and asked for his winter weather predictions.
He says, "We are about 40 percent of the way through climatological weather already (Dec. 1-Feb. 28), and we are running above average temperature-wise so far. ... I believe our coldest days this winter are ahead of us. It doesn't mean it will be bitterly cold, but we should start to turn colder and we will have several chances for precipitation. Odds tilt to above normal precipitation anyway during January and February.
"So, I'd say at least one round of wintry precipitation is a good bet."
Email: jchristman@arkansasonline.com
SundayMonday on 01/06/2019