Alycia Lane | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 10, 1972 (1972-05-10) (age 52) Lake Grove, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University at Albany, SUNY (BA) Medill School of Journalism (MA) |
| Occupation | Television journalist |
| Title | Newscaster |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Alycia Lane (born May 10, 1972) is an Americantelevisionjournalist. Until October 2013, she served as weekday morninganchor atKNBC-TV inLos Angeles. From September 2003 until January 2008, she was co-anchor of the weekday eveningnewscasts onKYW-TV inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania. Lane's contract with KYW-TV was terminated shortly after being arrested for allegedly striking a New York police officer and calling her a homophobic slur.
Lane, a native ofLake Grove, New York, is ofPuerto Rican descent on her mother's side andWelsh descent on her father's. She has amaster's degree in Broadcast Journalism from theMedill School of Journalism atNorthwestern University, and anundergraduate degree from theState University of New York at Albany, where she graduated with honors. She is a member of theNational Association of Hispanic Journalists and speaks fluent Spanish.[1] Lane has been married twice and gave birth to a daughter in June 2014.[2]
Lane's televisioncareer began while completing her master's degree atNorthwestern University, serving as aWashington, D.C.–based reporter forKSNT inTopeka, Kansas.[1] After completing her studies, she returned to her native New York and joinedCablevision-ownedNews 12 the Bronx, where she served as an anchor andreporter.[1] Among the stories she covered there was the 1999 shooting ofAfricanimmigrantAmadou Diallo, who was shot to death by fourNew York Citypolice officers.
In 2000, Lane moved toMiami, after being hired as a reporter forFox affiliateWSVN. She joined a rival station,NBC-ownedWTVJ a year later and spent two years there before moving to Philadelphia andCBS-owned KYW-TV in September 2003.[1] KYW-TV paired her withLarry Mendte on their 11:00 p.m. edition ofCBS 3 Eyewitness News. Mendte had been wooed away from rivalWCAU-TV where he led the station to #1 in the ratings in some newscast slots for the first time in 30 years. By early 2004 KYW-TV had experienced "an amazing 61%" rise in the show'sratings.[3] In 2005, she was awarded a localEmmy Award for co-hosting the annual "Holiday Traditions"special.[1][4]
After her stint at KYW-TV, Lane moved toLos Angeles in July 2009 and was hired by NBC-ownedKNBC on August 18. She debuted on the air on August 29 as anchor of the weekend editions of theChannel 4 News where she replacedKim Baldonado.[5] In February 2010, Lane became co-anchor ofToday in L.A. on KNBC. In 2011, Lane received a National Edward R. Murrow Award for Writing on a special story about a mysterious disorder called 'Angelman Syndrome'. In addition, she has won multiple Emmy Awards at KNBC, along with two Golden Mic Awards.
In October 2013, KNBC announced that Lane was no longer employed by the station.[6]
In May 2007, Lane became the center of a national media story when reports surfaced that she emailed pictures of herself and friends, inbikinis, to theNFL Network'sRich Eisen, via an account that he shared with his wife,Suzy Shuster. Shuster's email response became public.[7] Lane insisted that the pictures were harmless[8] and that she and Eisen have been "purelyplatonic" friends "for almost 10 years", and that they "regularly exchange e-mail and photos".[9] In June 2010, CBS released emails between Lane and Eisen that suggested something more than a friendly relationship. The emails were released as part of a pre-trial motion in Lane's wrongful termination suit against CBS.[10]
Lane wasarrested in the early morning hours of December 16, 2007, in New York City, accused of physically and verballyassaulting a female police officer, as well as makinghomophobic comments, calling the officer a "fucking dyke".[11] Lane was charged with onefelony count of assault on a police officer.[12][13][14] The criminal case was effectively closed on February 25, 2008, when a New Yorkjudge dropped the felony assault charges against her and reduced Lane's charges tomisdemeanors. The case was thenadjourned, with an additional provision that the charges against Lane would be dropped on the condition that she is not arrested, at any time, over the next six months.[15] A New York City Police Association expressed "outrage" over the reduction and dismissal of charges against Lane.[16]
On January 7, 2008, while suspended from KYW-TV for the assault on a New York police officer, the station announced that Lane had been released from hercontract. In astatement, the station explained the decision toterminate Lane, stating:
After assessing the overall impact of a series of incidents resulting from judgments she has made ... we have concluded that it would be impossible for Alycia to continue to report the news as she, herself, has become the focus of so many news stories.[17]
Lane'slegal counsel, Paul Rosen, subsequently released a statement which challenged the station's reasoning:
The termination comes at a time when there has been absolutely no determination that Alycia isguilty of any wrongful conduct, and after KYW-TV has aired her categorical denial of the alleged charge that is pending against her. The termination is unfair because Alycia has never had an opportunity to defend against this charge, and tell her side of the story publicly, before KYW-TV has taken this unusual and unwarranted step to terminate her employment.[18]
On January 30, 2008, Lane's lawyers filed awrit of summons on her behalf, a preemptive move towards alawsuit against KYW-TV in connection with her dismissal.[19][20] On February 19, 2008, lawyers for CBS, KYW-TV's parent company, sought to move Lane's state court writ to theU.S. District Court in Philadelphia, though a provision in Lane's contract stated that employment disputes were to be handled in New York, where the network is headquartered.[21]
On June 19, 2008, Lane filed suit against KYW-TV and station manager Michael Colleranalleging that she was exploited anddefamed. On December 12, 2013, Lane's lawsuit against CBS was dismissed after a hearing determined that Lane purposely destroyed evidence in the case. Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Alan Tereshko ruled that it would be impossible for CBS to defend itself without Lane's laptop. In March, Tereshko also dismissed Lane's lawsuit against Mendte for the same reason.[22]
On May 31, 2008,The Philadelphia Inquirer reported thatLarry Mendte, Alycia Lane's former co-anchor, was under investigation by theFBI for allegedly reading Lane's private e-mail, and for feeding her private information to gossip columnists over the years includingDan Gross of thePhiladelphia Daily News.[23] On July 21, 2008, Mendte was charged with one felony count ofintentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization. In August 2008, Mendte pleaded guilty and in November 2008 he was sentenced to three years' probation and six months' home confinement.[24] Alycia Lane sued Larry Mendte,CBS, and the former general manager of KYW-TV over the incident. In December 2012 the suit against CBS was thrown out after the judge found that Alycia Lane had destroyed evidence. The suit against Mendte was settled in 2016.[25]
| Preceded by | CBS 3 6pm & 11pmEyewitness news anchor 2003 – 2007 (withLarry Mendte) | Succeeded by Larry Mendte &Susan Barnett |
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