In Washington, D.C., Adonis Hoffman has been a leading voice on media and communications law and policy, in particular FCC regulatory moves, for years. In February 2008, as SVP and Council for the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4 A’s), Hoffman was one of several key participants in a “No Urban/Hispanic Dictates” meeting held between the FCC and key advertising and marketing associations.
Hoffman would later serve as a former FCC Chief of Staff and as a senior legal advisor to former FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, and is the founder and Chairman of “Business in the Public Interest” and Adjunct Professor of Communication, Culture & Technology at Georgetown University.
As of last month, he was in Fort Lauderdale, speaking to a China-owned news channel as the founder of the “Responsible Technology Initiative.” And, until this morning, an additional role was in the works for Hoffman.
That’s been scratched, TEGNA has announced.
According to a SEC filing, the company on Monday (3/8) sent a letter to its shareholders from the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board, on behalf of CEO Dave Lougee.
It describes, in detail, “a situation that recently came to our attention and which merits our response.”
In January 2021, a TEGNA shareholder nominated four candidates to serve on its Board of Directors. “We offered to interview each of the four candidates and scheduled interviews with them,” TEGNA Board Chairman Howard Elias and Nominating and Governance Committee Chairman Henry McGee explain.
One candidate, Mr. Hoffman, asked to postpone his interview and background check while he considered whether he had actual or potential conflicts that could interfere with service on the Board and whether he wished to move forward with his nomination.
The interview was postponed to allow him to consider such matters further.
As the first week of March 2021 came to a close, Hoffman disclosed in a letter to Elias and McGee that he indeed have conflicts and, as such, he was withdrawing his candidacy for a seat on TEGNA’s board of directors.
Hoffman offered a second reason, however. And, this could send shock waves across an organization that one year ago successfully defended itself from a hostile leadership coup led by Standard General head Soo Kim.
Hoffman was part of a slate of directors nominated in January by Standard General. This could undoubtedly be viewed by some as part of a bigger effort by Kim to oust Lougee.
Hoffman shared in the letter to Elias and McGee his “discomfort,” TEGNA says, in working with CEO Lougee. He pointed to a 2014 incident in which he said Lougee mistook him for a hotel car valet after an industry event that they had both attended.
Hoffman, who is African American, “was understandably offended and upset by this incident,” TEGNA says.
Hoffman also provided an account of his interactions with Lougee in later years, when they had further occasion to discuss the 2014 incident.
Lougee, TEGNA adds, “immediately acknowledged the incident and has stated that he made a mistake for which he had apologized immediately at the time of the incident.”
Some seven years later, TEGNA’s board has approached this 2014 incident “with utmost seriousness,” given Hoffman’s concerns. It led TEGNA General Counsel Akin Harrison to sit down with Lougee to discuss the incident and record his account of the situation. The Board then swiftly hired outside counsel who hadn’t previously worked for TEGNA, Ropes & Gray, to interview Lougee. Chief Human Resources Officer Jeff Newman then conducted a full review of Lougee’s Human Resources file.
What did TEGNA find? “No information has come to our attention in connection with this review or otherwise suggesting Dave has ever been accused of any incident of a similar nature; nevertheless, we care about even one such incident and view this as a reminder of the importance of continuing down the path of our strong commitment at TEGNA to issues of diversity, equity and inclusion.”
DEI, UNDER THE CEO’s DIRECTIVE
With Lougee’s 2014 incident now in the public spotlight, TEGNA made it clear to its shareholders that Lougee, the board, and the entire TEGNA leadership team “are committed to combating racism and ensuring our company reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.”
And, TEGNA’s Board stressed how Lougee “drove and established” the broadcast TV company’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in 2020. He works with the person in the newly created the Chief Diversity Officer position; Lougee also signed the CEO “Action for Diversity & Inclusion Pledge,” TEGNA says.
Further, he directed the creation of a Diversity & Inclusion Working Group, among other things.
TEGNA’s board leaders also provided specific information of just how diverse it thinks it is.
As of Dec. 31, 2020, TEGNA’s workforce is 46.9% female and 25% people of color. Some 33% of TEGNA’s Executive Leadership Team (Dave’s direct reports) are female, and 33% are people of color.
Further, some 22% of Officers and Managers, inclusive of the Executive Leadership Team, are African American. And, 6.8% of Officers and Managers, not including the Executive Leadership Team, are African American.
“Our Board of Directors is 42% female and 17% people of color,” TEGNA adds.
There’s more. In 2020, 37.3% of new hires were people of color and 31.4% of promotions were earned by people of color. In key news leadership positions, 4 of 10 news director positions filled since the beginning of 2020 are diverse hires or promotions, and more than 50% of news directors are female.
The shareholder letter further elaborates on the efforts TEGNA has taken to champion diversity, establishing a mighty defense against any attempts to tarnish it.
“While we are proud of these steps in which TEGNA has shown leadership, we know more remains to be done and our letter today is a reminder of that,” Elias and McGee conclude in the letter to shareholders. “Our diversity, equity and inclusion work is a continuing commitment, and the Board of Directors, Dave and the Executive Leadership Team are devoted to making it a priority and an integral part of the TEGNA culture.”
