February 25, 2020 – Long-time reporter Sheryl Raines, whose on-air traffic coverage for the station spanned nearly three decades, is suing KCBS Radio, which is owned by Entercom Communications Corp. Raines alleges the San Francisco radio station terminated her in retaliation for repeatedly reporting that a male radio engineer was sexually harassing women working in the newsroom. The complaint [Sheryl Raines v. Entercom Communications Corp.] which was filed in San Francisco Superior Court earlier today, alleges that KCBS told Ms. Raines that she was being terminated because the station wanted a “different sound,” but then replaced her with another woman “whose on-air voice is startlingly similar to that of Ms. Raines.”
“Anyone who has driven in Bay Area traffic trusts Sheryl’s voice. In this case, she used her voice to speak up for women in her workplace. We intend to prove that instead of listening and taking action to stop the harassment, KCBS fired the messenger and protected the harasser. That’s against the law,” said Sharon Vinick of Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams LLP, one of law firms representing Ms. Raines.
Ms. Raines, who began working for KCBS as an on-air traffic reporter in 1993, says she was devastated by the termination. “I devoted my whole career working for KCBS and I loved the work and bringing the news to our listeners every day. Then the newsroom turned into hostile territory for women and I tried to get management to do something. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would get fired for making these reports,” Raines explained.
Ms. Raines is represented by Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams LLP and the Law Offices of Jeannette A. Vaccaro, two law firms devoted to representing employees in workplace disputes. For further information regarding the lawsuit, visit www.levyvinick.com or www.jvlaw.com or call Sharon Vinick at 510-318-7700.
A copy of the lawsuit is available below.
