CBS taps Andrea Parquet-Taylor to run KCBS/KCAL newsroom in LA
CBS has tapped a veteran journalist, Andrea Parquet-Taylor, to run its joint newsroom serving KCBS-TV Channel 2 and KCAL-TV Channel 9 in Los Angeles.
Parquet-Taylor joins the Los Angeles stations as news director Dec. 7, CBS said Thursday. She will try to stabilize a newsroom that has weathered management turnover in recent years, dramatic cuts amid the COVID-19 outbreak and allegations of age and gender discrimination.
The New Orleans native is a newcomer to Los Angeles. She has worked in TV news for more than two decades in Detroit, Baltimore, Houston and Raleigh, N.C. In 2017, Parquet-Taylor joined CBS as news director for its Dallas-Fort Worth stations, KTVT-TV and KTXA-TV. In 2018, she was promoted to station manager in Dallas, the No. 2 role.
Parquet-Taylor becomes the only Black news director at a CBS-owned TV station.
She will be tasked with boosting local news ratings for KCBS, which has perennially trailed its competitors, including the Walt Disney Co.-owned KABC-TV Channel 7, Univision’s KMEX-TV Channel 34 and NBCUniversal’s Telemundo KVEA-TV Channel 52.
“I am grateful for this tremendous opportunity to be part of the CBS Los Angeles family,” Parquet-Taylor said in a statement.
She joins KCBS/KCAL general manager Jay Howell, who arrived in Los Angeles from Pittsburgh in mid-2019.
A Times investigation uncovers claims of discrimination, retaliation and other forms of mistreatment at CBS-owned TV stations, including L.A. outlets.
“She is an outstanding news executive who never rests on her laurels, is highly regarded by the people who have worked with her and is always looking to break big stories,” Howell said in the statement. “I am thrilled to have her join us here in Southern California and lead our news department.”
Parquet-Taylor is the third news director in three years at KCBS and KCAL, replacing Tara Finestone, who stepped down last month.
“I look forward to supporting Jay and Andrea in their efforts to get the most out of the considerable talent and resources we have in Los Angeles,” Peter Dunn, the New York-based president and CEO of the CBS Television Stations, said in the statement.
Last summer, CBS settled an age discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over CBS’ hiring practices in Dallas.
CBS did not say whether it plans to fill Parquet-Taylor’s position in Dallas, but the company has been phasing out such roles in favor of one general manager. In addition, the company is now part of ViacomCBS, which has been making dramatic cuts in personnel following the merger of the two companies controlled by Shari Redstone.
Separately, CBS’ general manager for its Miami stations, Adam Levy, announced earlier this week that he was leaving the company. Levy had managed the Miami stations for 10 years.
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