Suit Charges Philly Station With Racial Bias

RADIO ONE Urban WPHI (100.3 THE BEAT)/PHILADELPHIA weekend host JANITA JONES STYLES is suing her former employer, crosstown BEASLEY Top 40/Rhythmic WRDW (WIRED 96.5), for racial discrimination, reports the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS' DAN GROSS.

STYLES did middays at WIRED from DECEMBER 2003 through SEPTEMBER 2006 and alleges that she was both the only African-American full-time on-air host at the station and the lowest-paid; she alleges that she was fired for using the station logo on her MYSPACE page and a party flier despits white colleagues having done the same and not being fired for it. She also claims that the station decided not to use "urban" personalities at high-profile events to try and cater to "non-urban" advertisers.

BEASLEY has responded in a legal brief, denying STYLES' allegations and saying she was fired for plugging club appearances and a cell phone ring tone website without permission.

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