 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
WTSP's new sports director has DUI record© St. Petersburg Times, published March 24, 2001 John M. Nugent, newly hired sports director at WTSP-Ch. 10, was sentenced to seven days in a prison work-release program and nearly a year of probation in 1997, after his conviction on charges of driving under the influence in Pennsylvania. It was the third DUI conviction for the sportscaster, who was also found guilty of driving while intoxicated in 1980 and 1982 in New York state, according to records at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles obtained by the St. Petersburg Times. Nugent, now 42, was arrested in 1996 while working at WYOU-TV in Scranton, Pa. He could not be reached for comment. Jim Church, news director at WTSP, declined to say whether the station knew of Nugent's DUI arrests when interviewing him for the sports director's job. WTSP announced Tuesday he would replace 12-year veteran Al Keck, whose contract was not renewed. Church said that Nugent performed community service following the 1997 conviction, adding that WTSP continues to support the sportscaster, who starts work there April 4. "(He) says there is absolutely no problem (currently) related to the incident in 1996," the news director said. "People that have things in their past, and they do what's appropriate, they should have an opportunity for it to remain in their past." Nugent's current employer confirmed the sports anchor has had no problems at WYOU since the 1996 arrest. "John was a good sports director for us here," said Larry Herbster, general manager of WBRE-TV in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., which manages news operations for WYOU under a shared services agreement. "He was a good employee for us." Nugent spent 15 years at WYOU. He started his career at WCJB-TV in Gainesville after graduating from Plattsburgh State University in New York. - Times researcher John Martin contributed to this report.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the wire |
