Rudy Miller

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission today filed a federal lawsuit against WBAL-TV and its parent company, the Hearst Corp., for alleged sex discrimination against former Channel 11 anchor Ruth Ann "Rudy" Miller.The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, claims WBAL-TV violated the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by paying Miller less than it paid male anchors for "substantially equal work," subjecting her to "different assignments, terms and conditions and privileges of employment" because she is a woman, and retaliating against her by firing her in 1989 when she demanded equal pay.EEOC chairman Evan J. Kemp Jr. said today that the agency found Miller to be "a victim of discrimination -- she was paid less and then fired because she is a woman."

Lots of big names were being tossed around at Share Our Strength's annual Taste of the Nation. However, those names didn't belong to any of the hundreds of guests. They belonged to what those guests were eating. Mushroom gnocchi with a Gruyere fondue and truffle oil, slow-roasted pork rib marinated in lemon grass and ginger with seaweed salad and cucumbers, tenderloin of pork dusted with ground cumin served on a corn and quinoa salad with grilled onion and avocado relish, Kona coffee-crusted sirloin with caramelized shallot butter - those were just a few phrases being bandied about, courtesy of more than 20 local chefs.

Since the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission takes only 1 percent of the complaints filed with it to court, we are a little puzzled as to why Rudy Miller's case has become one of them. We are also more than a little concerned.Ms. Miller charges that WBAL-TV discriminated against her on the basis of sex while she was employed as what is generally referred to as a "celebrity anchorperson." EEOC says she was paid less than male anchorpersons performing "substantially equal work." Not offering "equal" pay for only "substantially equal" work hardly sounds unfair, much less illegal.

Rudy Miller wants you to know - up front - that she is not the belle of Cinderella's ball. True, the former TV anchor is performing in Pumpkin Theatre's production of Cinderella. But, she insists, she is playing only a small part. "She's very cautious about overshadowing some of the people in the show who have bigger roles. She's just one of the gang," Pumpkin producer/director Todd Pearthree says of Miller, who has been vice president of marketing and community relations for LifeBridge Health since 1999.

Anchorwoman Rudy Miller and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have settled their sex discrimination suits against WBAL-TV (Channel 11) and its former general manager Malcolm Potter, the station announced yesterday.The terms of the settlement were not disclosed."All claims have been dismissed . . . without any admission of liability by WBAL or Potter," Channel 11 said in a prepared statement issued late yesterday afternoon."I can't comment beyond that release," Station Manager Joseph Heston said yesterday.

COURT DATES: I just heard that a trial date has been set for Rudy Miller's suits against the Hearst Corporation (WBAL-Channel 11). Rudy said she and her attorney, Pam White, will be armed with tons of depositions when they arrive in Federal Court for the two-week trial, which begins April 20. Actually, there are two suits: one is Rudy's personal equal-pay suit -- she claims Channel 11 paid her less money than her male counterparts for doing equal work --...

Rudy Miller will return as a Baltimore television news anchor, at least temporarily, when Sally Thorner, the co-anchor at Channel 2 (WMAR) goes on maternity leave.Miller, a 10-year mainstay at Channel 11 (WBAL) until an acrimonious parting of the ways in 1989, will anchor Channel 2's weekend newscasts when the current weekend anchor, Mary Beth Marsden, replaces Thorner on weeknights, according to the station's general manager, Arnie Kleiner.Thorner is expecting her baby in about a month, and Kleiner said that she will work as long as possible but that the length of her absence has been left open.

The Dream Homes feature will periodically visit the homes of some of the Baltimore area's notable citizens. "It's like living in a treehouse," said Rudy Miller, WMAR-TV's morning news anchor, describing her Hill Farm home in Lutherville.The spacious contemporary house backs to a small forest dense enough that it's hard to see other houses even with most of the leaves gone.The house is situated on 3 acres on a sloping lot, with a large deck that extends off the kitchen and family room that sits one floor off the ground, with mature trees all around.

Rudy Miller wants you to know - up front - that she is not the belle of Cinderella's ball. True, the former TV anchor is performing in Pumpkin Theatre's production of Cinderella. But, she insists, she is playing only a small part. "She's very cautious about overshadowing some of the people in the show who have bigger roles. She's just one of the gang," Pumpkin producer/director Todd Pearthree says of Miller, who has been vice president of marketing and community relations for LifeBridge Health since 1999.

Rudy Miller is changing careers, if not exactly jobs.A fixture on Baltimore TV for nearly two decades, Miller in recent years has concentrated on health and family issues, both as a magazine publisher and as a consumer reporter for WMAR, Channel 2.Her new position, as vice president for marketing and community relations for LifeBridge Health, which operates three Baltimore-area hospitals, will allow her to concentrate on many of the same issues. She just won't be looking at them from the viewpoint of a journalist.

Family The Baltimore Visitor Center celebrates its first birthday this weekend with visits from mascots, street performers, a cooking demonstration and more. page 28 Stage Former TV anchor Rudy Miller (right) is returning to acting -- at least a little -- playing the Queen in Pumpkin Theatre's production of Cinderella. page 13 Outside The running of the stakes isn't for a couple of weeks yet, but the Preakness events kick off tomorrow and run through May 21. page 27 Art Critic's Picks: Just Looking, a lovely exhibition at Maryland Art Place inspired by the gallery's 19th annual critic's residency program, includes an installation by Michele Kong.

Rudy Miller is changing careers, if not exactly jobs.A fixture on Baltimore TV for nearly two decades, Miller in recent years has concentrated on health and family issues, both as a magazine publisher and as a consumer reporter for WMAR, Channel 2.Her new position, as vice president for marketing and community relations for LifeBridge Health, which operates three Baltimore-area hospitals, will allow her to concentrate on many of the same issues. She just won't be looking at them from the viewpoint of a journalist.

A free, monthly magazine aimed at black families will appear at supermarkets, libraries and churches in May, publisher Rudy Miller said yesterday.The magazine, with the working title Jubilee: Celebrating African-American Families, is to be published by Alliance Media Inc., a subsidiary of The Baltimore Sun Co. Alliance also publishes Maryland Family and Fifty Plus magazines.Miller, Alliance publisher and WMAR-TV morning news anchor, said she would soon hire a black editor for the magazine.

The Dream Homes feature will periodically visit the homes of some of the Baltimore area's notable citizens. "It's like living in a treehouse," said Rudy Miller, WMAR-TV's morning news anchor, describing her Hill Farm home in Lutherville.The spacious contemporary house backs to a small forest dense enough that it's hard to see other houses even with most of the leaves gone.The house is situated on 3 acres on a sloping lot, with a large deck that extends off the kitchen and family room that sits one floor off the ground, with mature trees all around.

Each weekday morning at the ungodly hour of 5:30, a red camera light winks on in the newsroom at WJZ-TV, and two men set off to explore the parameters of info-tainment.One has the calm, friendly demeanor of an airline pilot; the other seems to alternate moods between that of the folksy host of a backyard barbecue and a Chihuahua on Dexedrine.For the next 90 minutes, they bring you news, weather reports, traffic updates, school lunch menus, a question of the day ("Does it smell like spring yet?"

Lifestyles of the rich and famous: Margaret (McKay) McManus left for London on the Concorde this week to meet her husband, Jim, who had been in Scotland covering the British Open in Muirfield for ABC Sports. The McKays will stay at Claridge's, their favorite London hotel, before flying to Ireland, where they will tour the country around Shannon."We're going to renew our heritage," said Margaret. "We'll drive leisurely through villages and stop at pubs and inns to talk to people. Sometimes you have to stand still, or even back up, to remember who you are and where you come from."

The general manager of WBAL-TV has decried a federal sex discrimination suit filed by the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission on behalf of Ruth Ann "Rudy" Miller, who was ousted as a news anchor at the station last year.David J. Barrett, the station manager and vice president, said the EEOC ignored "important material facts and disregarded material testimony" from station officials in handling Miller's case in an official "determination" last July and in the suit filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

Lots of big names were being tossed around at Share Our Strength's annual Taste of the Nation. However, those names didn't belong to any of the hundreds of guests. They belonged to what those guests were eating. Mushroom gnocchi with a Gruyere fondue and truffle oil, slow-roasted pork rib marinated in lemon grass and ginger with seaweed salad and cucumbers, tenderloin of pork dusted with ground cumin served on a corn and quinoa salad with grilled onion and avocado relish, Kona coffee-crusted sirloin with caramelized shallot butter - those were just a few phrases being bandied about, courtesy of more than 20 local chefs.

Anchorwoman Rudy Miller and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have settled their sex discrimination suits against WBAL-TV (Channel 11) and its former general manager Malcolm Potter, the station announced yesterday.The terms of the settlement were not disclosed."All claims have been dismissed . . . without any admission of liability by WBAL or Potter," Channel 11 said in a prepared statement issued late yesterday afternoon."I can't comment beyond that release," Station Manager Joseph Heston said yesterday.

COURT DATES: I just heard that a trial date has been set for Rudy Miller's suits against the Hearst Corporation (WBAL-Channel 11). Rudy said she and her attorney, Pam White, will be armed with tons of depositions when they arrive in Federal Court for the two-week trial, which begins April 20. Actually, there are two suits: one is Rudy's personal equal-pay suit -- she claims Channel 11 paid her less money than her male counterparts for doing equal work --...