CBS 3’s Alycia Lane — beautiful, smart, hardworking — once seemed destined for network greatness. Then came a tangle with an undercover cop on a cold New York morning.
In her upcoming story “The Very Public Self-Destruction of Alycia Lane” — on newsstands January 29th — Philadelphia magazine editor at large Vicki Glembocki reveals the Alycia the television audience never got to see.
• Lane’s newsroom outbursts: 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. “If she perceives you to be above her, you get tears and doe eyes,” says one co-worker. “If you are perceived to be below her, you get threats and cursing.”
• The station’s hands-off attitude toward Lane’s temper: 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.
• Her best friend’s reaction to the infamous bikini photos: Elizabeth Flores did think it was a big deal. If someone sent photos like that to her husband, she would flip. “I would have responded like anyone would,” Flores says. “You’d be like, ‘Um. Okay. Your friend is in a bikini? Why?’”
• Lane’s private defense of the pictures: She wanted Suzy Shuster to know she wasn’t that kind of girl. In fact, defending herself, she later told people that she hadn’t lost her virginity until she was 23.
Get the full story in “The Very Public Self-Destruction of Alycia Lane.”
Illustration: Jason Holley