CNBC stands out with appeals that brought allegations against the CEO of NBCUniversal
CNBC said Tuesday it was parting ways with Hadley Gamble, an anchor and senior correspondent who accused the former CEO of NBCUniversal, the network’s parent division, of sexual harassment.
In a brief and effusive statement, CNBC called Mrs. Gamble, who worked at the corporate news network for more than a decade, “a distinguished journalist” who had developed “deep experience in the Middle East and beyond.”
“Her initiative and drive have secured valuable interviews with several world political leaders. We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavours, the statement said.
CNBC and Ms. Gamble has negotiated a financial settlement worth more than $1 million in connection with her exit, according to a person familiar with the decision.
In late March, Gamble filed a complaint accusing Jeff Shell, who was the CEO of NBCUniversal, of sexual harassment. It also raised allegations of bullying and discrimination at CNBC. The complaint, which ran to more than a dozen pages, also named executives at CNBC’s international division.
That complaint set off an investigation that led to Mr. Shell’s firing last month, and reverberated across NBCUniversal’s sprawling global operations. Michael Cavanagh, Comcast’s president, has stepped in to oversee NBCUniversal.
Comcast is still investigating aspects of Gamble’s discrimination complaint at CNBC.
Gamble did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Shell has said Gamble’s complaint “wildly misrepresents the facts of what happened.”
Mr. Shell’s abrupt resignation placed CNBC at the center of its own dramatic corporate history. A hugely profitable global company with bureaus in financial capitals including London and Dubai, CNBC is navigating many of the same challenges as other cable channels, as viewers abandon traditional television for streaming services.
The network is trying to compensate for this decline, in part by attracting subscribers to products such as the CNBC Pro service and the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer.
Gamble filed her complaint after the network decided not to renew her contract. Last June, CNBC told her it was investigating a complaint against her and an executive at CNBC who had supervised her.
CNBC investigated, among other things, whether she used a romantic relationship with Tom Barrack, a private equity investor, to secure an interview with Jared Kushner, according to Gamble’s complaint. The investigation concluded that Gamble had a relationship with Mr. Barrack, but determined that the relationship was disclosed and there was no evidence of impropriety, according to her complaint.
