FROM THE ARCHIVES: Larry Mendte and Alycia Lane, the Early Years
CBS 3 anchor Larry Mendte is under investigation by the FBI for allegedly snooping in his former co-worker Alycia Lane’s Yahoo e-mail. In this excerpt from our February 2008 story “The Very Public Self-Destruction of Alycia Lane,” we take a look back at the tone of the newsroom in the early days of their time on the air together.
On September 15, 2003, Team Mendte and Lane debuted on Eyewitness News. Lane’s main role at CBS 3 was quickly apparent: to look gorgeous and fix the troubled station brand. At first, she was flattered by being called “the hottest story in local TV.” But it didn’t take long for viewers to e-mail CBS 3 and call her snooty and impersonal. Most of the e-mails were from women — not a good sign, since TV stations vie for a coveted demographic of females ages 25 to 54. And she wasn’t exactly making friends with everyone in the newsroom. In front of several people, she screamed at a production assistant who was fresh out of college, causing the woman to cry at her desk; another time, while shooting a promo, she got so angry she hurled her earpiece, which ended up hitting a staffer in the forehead.
This is where the station bosses made their first Alycia Lane mistake. They seemed to give her a pass after the incidents, worried about their star anchor’s feelings. Plus, they figured some staffers were jealous of the new girl, who was pretty much a sensation before she even walked in the door. This sent a very clear message to those around Lane: She was special; don’t mess with her. It also sent a very clear message to Lane: You can do as you please.
Read the full story in our archives.
June 12th, 2008 at 5:26 am
Ukee and Liz would make great evening Anchors. But I thing they both love the Morning spot. Liz also lives in the Lehigh Valley which makes for a long commute. These are both intelligent, attractive, and responsible people. Take Maria with them