Audrey Dahlgren out?

[Formerjourn]

I’ve heard some rumblings from a few sources that Audrey Dahlgren was let go from WLNS. Her bio is no longer on the web site.

[Graham Wellington]

If true - she was involved in a Twitter dustup the other day regarding Mel Tugger and Brenda Tracy. Essentially she was being blasted for appearing to take Tugger's side by stating that Tracy had lied. This was in response to the release of the text messages. Not sure if related, but it wasn't a good look for her.

[Formerjourn]

That’s what I heard as well…

[OneBigFan]

Was told her tweeting about the Tucker/ Tracey was the reason from an acquaintance who works at the station. No details but her Twitter account was the reason.

Dahlgren from Potterville, MI, MSU grad who became the station’s sports director after Fred Heumann. Was a local kid made good story.

[sinklair]

More like a local kid who made good only to throw it away because of her out of control ego: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sport ... 132175007/

Lansing TV station apologizes to Mel Tucker's accuser over reporter's social-media posts

Tony Paul
The Detroit News

A Lansing-based television station has apologized to Brenda Tracy, the woman who has accused fired Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker of sexual misconduct, over social-media posts made by the station's sports director.

Marci Daniels, general manager for WLNS, personally apologized to Tracy following a series of social-media posts from sports reporter Audrey Dahlgren last Thursday, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Among the posts that drew criticism, including from fellow journalists, was one in which Dahlgren said, "She did lie," speaking of Tracy, after text messages released by Tucker's attorneys claimed to show Tracy was out for a money grab in bringing her allegations against Tucker, who was fired last month.

Dahlgren, who reports regularly on Michigan State athletics, particularly football and men's basketball, has not posted on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, about Michigan State since the series of posts that drew criticism. Thursday. Her bio was removed on WLNS's website Friday, and on Tuesday, Dahlgren removed any mention of her being sports director at WLNS on her bio on X. She hasn't been on the air at WLNS since the posts Thursday, and she hasn't been at Michigan State football media availability this week.

The Detroit News has reached out multiple times to Dahlgren over the last several days for comment. In a direct message to The News, she said "all correspondence" with the media will go through her attorney.

Dahlgren's attorney, Bloomfield Hills-based Joseph Bellanca, hasn't responded to multiple messages from The News. Daniels, general manager at WLNS, has declined to comment in multiple phone calls with The News. Daniels didn't respond to multiple requests for comment Tuesday.

Dahlgren also works for Big Ten Network, and she was at Wisconsin on Saturday, working the game against Rutgers. A message sent to the Big Ten Network wasn't immediately returned Tuesday afternoon.

Last Thursday morning, Tracy and her legal team participated in a virtual Title IX hearing, amid her allegations of sexual misconduct against Tucker, whom she befriended after the football coach contracted her to come to the East Lansing campus and talk to athletes, in her role as a rape survivor and sexual-assault victims advocate. Tucker's legal team, shortly into the hearing, released a lengthy letter to MSU interim president Teresa K. Woodruff and the MSU Board of Trustees, saying Tucker nor his lawyers would participate in the hearing because of a medical issue, details of which are unknown to the public, involving Tucker.

In the letter, Tucker's lawyers released excerpts of text messages they say were taken from the cell phone of Ahlan Alvarado, Tracy's assistant and good friend who died in a car crash earlier this year. The cell phone, Tracy's lawyers believe, was acquired illegally from Alvarado's husband, Agustin. An Ingham County Circuit Court judge granted a temporary restraining order Friday, prohibiting Tucker's legal team from releasing any more text messages. The lawyers for Tucker say those released Thursday were just a snapshot of 20,000 new documents they've obtained.

Dahlgren wrote numerous posts on X about the developing story, including the post claiming Tracy "lied," and then acknowledged adding a follow-up post on X to say, "They claim," regarding Tucker's lawyers. She got into a back-and-forth with USA Today reporter Kenny Jacoby, who first broke the story about Tracy's allegations that led to Tucker's suspension and eventual firing.

"Yet you are accusing me of being one-sided?" Dahlgren wrote in response to a post from Jacoby. "Harassing another journalist in this situation is not the answer. Do better."

At least 13 of Dahlgren's posts on X about Tucker and Tracy remain on her page.

Late last week, though, Dahlgren changed her profile pictures on X, to remove any ties to Michigan State. She took down a photo in which she was interviewing MSU men's basketball coach Tom Izzo. Currently, she has a profile picture of a Big Ten Network microphone, and another in which she is interviewing a player from Iowa.

Dahlgren has faced criticism from some in the media of her coverage of the Tucker saga over the last month. He was suspended Sept. 10, and fired Sept. 27 for cause by MSU, after signing a 10-year, $95 million contract extension in November 2021. The university has said publicly that he breached his contract by embarrassing the school. Tucker's lawyers have indicated they plan to sue the university for wrongful termination.

Since Tucker's arrival as MSU head coach in 2020, Dahlgren hosted a coaches' show with him, often getting behind-the-scenes access, like touring his home and riding along on a drive in a Polaris Slingshot.

Dahlgren is a native of Potterville in mid-Michigan, and studied communications at Michigan State. She was hired by WLNS as weekend sports anchor in October 2018, and was promoted to sports director in October 2019, replacing longtime mid-Michigan media staple Fred Heumann, now at WILX.

Dahlgren worked at a TV station in St. Louis from 2015-18, and did some previous work for WNLS, mid-Michigan's CBS affiliate owned by Nextar Media Group, before that.

Tracy's Lansing's based attorney, Karen Truszkowski, declined to comment.

[Graham Wellington]

I'm just an idiot viewer, but I'm getting the impression others in the industry weren't fond of her. Noticed Kellen Buddy from WILX liking numerous tweets errrrr X's that were critical of her, including the X from the USA Today reporter announcing her firing.

Fred Heumann was kicked out of there a few years ago under vague circumstances....and Audrey took right over....

[Sholmes]

https://deadspin.com/audrey-dahlgren-wl ... 1850918503

Another story about the dismissal

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

[Trophyhead]

This is mildly off-topic, but what are the odds Potterville (2020 pop. est. 2,730) produces a leading MLB PBP guy in Joe Davis, and a regional sports network contributor in Dahlgren?

[Graham Wellington]

This is mildly off-topic, but what are the odds Potterville (2020 pop. est. 2,730) produces a leading MLB PBP guy in Joe Davis, and a regional sports network contributor in Dahlgren?

Considering the people that inhabit that town, it is almost unfathomable that these two came from there. They were probably shunned from town because they like them fancy learnin' books.

[JTinJXN57]

I remember watching the segment with Tucker and Audrey in his Polaris……was very awkward to watch. Very much “fan girl” esque……

[sinklair]

WLNS posted its Sports Director position:
https://nexstar.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/e ... 593?q=WLNS

Does this mean they will bypass Dr. Teeth for the promotion? Seems like a pretty crappy move that they wouldn’t look internally to fill Audrey’s spot.

[Graham Wellington]

That posting is gold. Let me break down one paragraph:

WLNS-TV, the top-rated CBS affiliate in this sports-crazy Big Ten town, has a rare opening for a job leading our sports department, which includes a weekend anchor/reporter and two sports reporters. We've got the biggest broadcast sports team in the market and the state.

"The top-rated CBS affiliate" - I suspect that by throwing "CBS" in there is their creative way of making them look like the top rated station in the market. Yes, being the only CBS affiliate in town, they probably are the top rated CBS affiliate in Lansing.

"We've got the biggest broadcast sports team in the market and the state" - By my count, losing Audrey they currently have a three person sports team, including some new kid they added during the last week. WILX currently has three, and I believe is hiring a fourth. At most, they are the same size as WILX. So yes, I guess they are the biggest in the market, but as a tie. In the state? LOL

[gotigers]

"We've got the biggest broadcast sports team in the market and the state" - By my count, losing Audrey they currently have a three person sports team, including some new kid they added during the last week. WILX currently has three, and I believe is hiring a fourth. At most, they are the same size as WILX. So yes, I guess they are the biggest in the market, but as a tie. In the state? LOL

Kind of laughable that they're trying to make it seem like they have the greatest sports team ever when their sports department is basically a bunch of recent college graduates. (I'm not knocking that. They have to start somewhere, but quantity of people doesn't equal quality.) Meanwhile, WILX's sports department is led by two iconic long-time mid-Michigan sportscasters with nearly 100 years of combined experience, both of whom were previously sports directors at channel 6.

[Colonel Flagg]

Fred Heumann was kicked out of there a few years ago under vague circumstances....and Audrey took right over....

I worked with Fred years ago. He's a great talent, and by all rights, he should still be in Detroit. I'll never understand how he ended up back in Lansing.

I like your observations about Potterville.

[paul8539]

Where did she go to?