WNEP Personalities Tangle On-Air BY GERI ANNE KAIKOWSKI Staff Writer MOOSIC - What started off as a friendly exchange between two TV staffers on a WNEP early morning newscast Friday took a nasty turn, sparking a debate among viewers over the rights of working mothers.
WNEP morning anchor Kim Supon was chided by meteorologist Joe Snedeker for having called off the previous day when her 9-month-old son was sick. His comments that she should choose between being a working mother or a career woman got the ire of many viewers who called the station in protest. "I'd rather try to take the high road on this, work through it and try to put it behind us," said Ms. Supon, when reached at her home late Friday afternoon. "It was just something taken out of context and blown out of proportion," said Mr. Snedeker, declining further comment. Neither WNEP General Manager C. Lou Kirchen nor News Director Dennis Fisher would comment. More than 100 people used WNEP's Talkback 16 phone and Internet lines to voice their comments about the disagreement. Before the start of his weather forecast, Mr. Snedeker, known for his sense of humor, at first joked about staffers taking days off. He then told viewers that Ms. Supon used up all her 10 allocated sick days for the year. The meteorologist, whose wife stays at home with their three small children, said he still had eight of his days left. Ms. Supon explained that her son, Quinn, had been up sick three times during the night and she only had 15 minutes of sleep. She also has a daughter, Campbell, 2½. Mr. Snedeker then told Ms. Supon that if he were her boss, he would have her choose between being a mother or having a career. The anchor responded by telling him: "Joe, you've stepped over the line." Ms. Supon, who was visibly upset on the air, finished the rest of her news report before breaking to a commercial. After several ads, "Newswatch 16 This Morning" came back with reporter Ryan Leckey finishing the newscast at the anchor desk. Co-anchor Tom Williams was off Friday. Ms. Supon never returned for the rest of the morning show. . Mr. Snedeker, who does weather reports on radio stations WKRZ and WILK, told one morning talk show that Ms. Supon left the TV show abruptly because she was ill. He attributed her tears to having something in her eye. WBRE News Director Paul Stueber hired Mr. Snedeker as a full-time meteorologist when he was news director at WNEP, and worked with Ms. Supon. Mr. Stueber, who did not watch the show but heard what happened, said the pair has been on friendly terms for many years. "If I was still in charge over there, I would get them both together and have them talk it out like brother and sister," he said. "They really do get along. They have been like brother and sister for years. It's a big misunderstanding and I'd hate to see their friendship end because of this." Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _______________________________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list medianews@twiar.org To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
