10/27/2004
HALIFAX - Former Newcap broadcasting president Bob Templeton is suing his former employer for about $2 million.
According to a report in the
Halifax Chronicle-Herald, Templeton, 53, is claiming wrongful dismissal and is seeking $1.2 million he believes is owed to him under a supplemental retirement plan agreement with Newfoundland Capital Corp., the broadcaster's parent company.
He also wants $200,000 in punitive damages and 24 months' remuneration in lieu of notice. At the time of his abrupt departure last February, Templeton's base salary was $240,000 a year, according to the statement of claim, says the newspaper.
Back then, the two sides told broadcastermagazine.com that Templeton had resigned and that the parting was an amicable one.
"The notice states that since Templeton's hiring in 1993, Newcap - a radio station chain controlled by Harry Steele - grew from relatively small beginnings to become an industry leader, with 42 stations across the country," says the Chronicle-Herald, recounting Templeton's filing.
The statement of claim alleges that Newcap "purposely terminated" Templeton's employment to avoid payments on the supplementary retirement plan, which required that he remain with the company until Oct. 1, 2024, to qualify, which, constitutes a breach of contract, says the report.
Templeton is also seeking repayment of $210,000 in losses he incurred from not selling, at Steele's request, shares in Iceberg Media Inc., once a Newfoundland Capital subsidiary.
None of these allegations have yet been proven, or responded to by Newcap.
Templeton is a respected radio exec with a long history in the industry. He was with Newcap for 10 years and prior to that was a long-time executive with Telemedia. He had been active in the industry as a member of the executive board (vice-chair, radio) and was on the radio board of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.
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