Christian Anchorman Accuses TV Station of Religious Discrimination

c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Frank Turner had it all _ a great salary, a swanky lifestyle, a successful job as a TV anchor. But when he was outed as a cocaine and phone sex addict, he lost it all. Two years later, Turner experienced what he calls a miracle. He became a born-again […]

c. 2006 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Frank Turner had it all _ a great salary, a swanky lifestyle, a successful job as a TV anchor. But when he was outed as a cocaine and phone sex addict, he lost it all.

Two years later, Turner experienced what he calls a miracle. He became a born-again Christian, cleaned up his act, and returned to his job at WXYZ-TV, a Detroit-based ABC affiliate.


But Turner’s religious beliefs, and his request to express them in another job, have now become an issue. Turner wants to host a morning radio show on Detroit Christian station WEXL before he begins his workday with the TV station.

When the TV station said no, Turner filed a complaint March 17 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming discrimination for the station’s denial of what he called “a reasonable accommodation for religious practice.” Turner contends his employers are violating his rights under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which forbids religious discrimination.

“I can no more stop being an evangelist than I can change the color of my skin,” Turner said in an interview. “I’m doing what the Lord is calling me to do.”

David Giles, associate general counsel for WXYZ, said it’s company policy not to comment on litigation issues in which it’s involved. “Even though we’re in the media, we don’t believe this is an instance where we are at a forum to try this in the media,” he said.

But Grace Gilchrist, the station’s vice president and general manager, told The Detroit News that “we spend millions of dollars a year promoting our on-air talent and we want to have them working exclusively for Channel 7.”

Turner’s religious beliefs are well known in the Detroit area and beyond. The anchor has appeared on Christian radio and television programs. He speaks at Christian churches and events. His Web site, http://www.frankturner.org, features videos and articles about his conversion and faith, describing Turner as “America’s first evangelical anchorman” and an “evangelist.”

Turner has proclaimed his religious beliefs in editorials on his 7 p.m. news show, but Giles said Turner has not editorialized for WXYZ for at least two years.


Kelly McBride, who teaches journalism ethics at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., said Turner’s behavior, on and off the air, casts doubts on his journalistic objectivity.

“Already this anchor is compromised in his ability to cover the news because he has already been so vocal in his personal beliefs,” McBride said in a telephone interview.

“There is this standard in the industry that you forgo much of your personal First Amendment rights so that the (news) corporation can exercise its First Amendment rights,” she said. “Had this station come to me years ago and asked my advice, I would have said, `You need to attend to this now before it grows bigger.”’

Jeffrey D. Wilson, Turner’s lawyer in Southfield, Mich., also points to the anchorman’s history with the station, saying it has “known about it and promoted and benefited from (Turner’s) ministerial activities.”

“So the question I have is: Why are they drawing the line here? Why are they standing in the way when frankly this is a win-win for them? (Turner) has the opportunity to expand his ministry and they have the opportunity to benefit from Frank’s ability to speak to a larger audience.”

Wilson said that since Turner made his request, his hours have been changed and he must report to the TV station at noon. That would conflict with the radio show, which would run from 10 a.m. till noon. So Turner has filed an additional complaint with the EEOC, charging the schedule change is retaliatory.


The EEOC would not comment on an ongoing case. Typically the EEOC assesses the claim and declares whether it has found any merit in the case. No matter what the findings, the matter may still be pursued in court.

According to the Civil Rights Act, an employer can deny a religious accommodation only if it can be proved that it creates a hardship. Wilson argues that the radio station is not a competitor, therefore there is no hardship. But Eugene Volokh, a law professor at UCLA, disagrees. He said WXYZ probably can prove hardship.

“Employers want to make sure that its news employees are not seen as spreaders of opinion and therefore potentially biased,” Volokh said.

“An employer might conclude that it’s willing to relax prohibition in some manner. But when a person has a steady, constant other program that may affect his reputation and the public perception of him, it makes him not look like an anchor that occasionally expresses his opinion but as an evangelist who occasionally does anchoring.”

Nevertheless, Turner will not budge.

“Who I am as a born-again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ … is the essence of who I am as a news anchor, a broadcaster, a husband and father,” he said. “It cannot be separated and my life cannot be segregated. We’re talking about the totality of who I am as a person.”

MO/PH END RNS

Editors: To obtain a photo of Frank Turner, go to the RNS Web site at https://religionnews.com. On the lower right, click on “photos,” then search by subject or slug.


Donate to Support Independent Journalism!

Donate Now!