Corus Classic Rock “Q107” CILQ Toronto has placed morning host John Derringer on hiatus pending an external investigation after multiple former co-workers alleged gender discrimination against him.
Jennifer Valentyne, who was part of Derringer’s show from 2017 to 2019 released a video over the weekend documenting the issues she faced during her tenure on the show and that she had filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission alleging gender discrimination. Valentyne’s public appeal would lead to other former co-workers coming forward as logged by TorontoMike.com. Those comments indicate that CILQ and Corus Toronto leadership were aware of the issues and did nothing.
Derringer has hosted mornings at CILQ since replacing Howard Stern on the station in 2001. He previously worked there from 1984 to 1993 and also hosted mornings in the market at Sports “590 The Fan” CJCL from 1995 to 2000.
As of this afternoon, all references to Derringer’s show have been wiped from CILQ’s website and social media platforms. In a statement attributed to the station sent to multiple Toronto publications including Broadcast Dialogue, the company commented on the hiatus: “We are aware that Ms. Valentyne has voiced concerns about her time in the broadcasting industry, including from her time with us. A few years ago, Ms. Valentyne shared certain concerns and we took action to review at that time. There is also a process underway with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. We have had mediated conversations with her, been responsive to proceedings, and we are waiting determination of next steps. We take these matters seriously and look forward to a resolution. Over the past two days we have received new information about workplace concerns in our station. We have referred these to our ethics and conduct team and will be conducting an external investigation. Effective immediately and during the course of the investigation the show Derringer in the Morning will be on hiatus pending the conclusion of the investigation. Any concerns involving employee experience are of the utmost importance to us and we are committed to listen, learn and take any appropriate action.”
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com