JURY RULES FOR REPORTER
Mike McPhee (Denver Post)

A Denver federal jury ruled Wednesday that Channel 7 fired news reporter 
Dave Minshall four years ago because of his age, awarding him $562,152 in 
damages.

The jurors, three of whom are under age 40, took six hours to reach a 
verdict after listening to 6 1/2 days of testimony.

The jury not only found for Minshall, who was fired at age 53, but also 
ruled that KMGH's actions against Minshall were willful, which 
automatically doubled his back pay.

The jury gave Minshall the amount he had asked for - $212,326 in lost back 
pay, which was doubled by the willful finding, and $137,500 in lost future 
earnings. Channel 7 must also pay Minshall's attorneys' fees, which will 
total roughly $150,000, said his lawyer, David Lane.

"All the media need to understand that age does not mean ineffectiveness," 
Lane said. "Age can mean experience and wisdom. Walter Cronkite was the god 
of all television newscasters. Why was Channel 7 thinking it needed to get 
rid of a guy just because he's been around a long time?"

Minshall said he had been vindicated.

"The jury didn't buy any of the lies," said Minshall, who now runs his own 
public relations firm, Minshall Media Strategies. "This was nothing but a 
corporate coverup."

Gregg Sindici, an attorney representing Channel 7, declined to comment.

Cindy Velasquez, general manager of Channel 7, said the verdict would be 
appealed.

"We stand by our decision to fire him," she said. "We didn't renew his 
contract because of his job performance. The testimony showed that his 
performance was inconsistent and his behavior was not always professional."

Jurors who spoke to the media said they initially were divided.

"As we started deliberating, the issue of age just kept coming up and 
coming up," said Toni Watson, 39. "All the things that (former manager) 
Melissa Klinzing said referring to old people. I also thought (anchor) 
Bertha Lynn's testimony was very credible."

Paul Romero, 42, said he was struck by the fact that Klinzing never 
testified at the trial. Her remarks were conveyed by others.

"It was also the innuendoes that kept coming out about old people," he 
said. "And the comment she made about Ron Allen being a good weatherman but 
too (expletive) old."

Minshall was a veteran broadcaster with more than 24 years in the Denver 
market, the last 17 with Channel 7. He won eight Emmys, four Star awards, 
and a dozen community and professional plaques.

The station brought in a new management team led by Klinzing in the summer 
of 1996, when Channel 7 had the lowest ratings of three network affiliates 
for news broadcasts in Denver.

Klinzing decided the station needed a younger audience and began making 
changes.

Anchors Lynn, 43 at the time, and Ernie Bjorkman, 46 at the time, were 
demoted to the 5 p.m. newscast. Klinzing was later fired.