CTV executive director quits station under pressure CTV executive director quits station under pressure (February 18, 2005)

Bruce Goddard faced employee harassment charges
by Jeb Bing

The executive director of CTV30, faced with employee harassment and poor management complaints, resigned this week under pressure by the Community Television board of directors and the four cities that control and subsidize the system.

The board said a search will be started shortly to find a new station manager. In the meantime Jeff Eorio, Parks and Recreation director for the city of San Ramon, was appointed as the interim executive director to oversee the CTV staff and the day-to-day running of the studio.

Bruce Goddard's resignation came just six weeks after he was placed on administrative leave following a series of complaints to city officials and CTV board members. In e-mails, letters and telephone calls, current and former employees and volunteers at CTV30 accused Goddard of poor management and employee harassment. Some of these complaints were later shared with the Weekly, which investigated Goddard's absence from the station.

The resignation came just before a special meeting Wednesday at the Dublin Civic Center to consider the complaints. CTV had continued paying Goddard his $47,000 annual salary until the effective date of his resignation, Tuesday, Feb. 15. He did not have an employment contract.

Under a franchise agreement with Comcast, the cities of Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin and San Ramon share responsibility for handling fees Comcast collects from cable subscribers to fund CTV. Each year, one of the cities takes responsibility for handling financial and other needs for the community television system, which includes Channels 30, 29 and 28. The system is legally governed by the 11-member CTV board. Eight of its members are appointed by the mayors and city councils of each of the four cities, with the CTV board, itself, appointing the other three.

Goddard, who for 12 years had served as the Public Affairs Director of the Alameda County Waste Management Authority, was hired by the CTV board last February with the approval of the four cities. He replaced Darla Stevens, a founder of the community station. Soon after taking over and during the rest of 2004, Goddard fired key station employees, including long-time on-air personality Dawn Gordner, and a number of other on-air reporters and producers left the station.

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