Cheese sets record straight on rumor

April Fools! Or was it?

That was the question Thursday after George Knapp, investigative reporter for KLAS Channel 8's "I-Team," said on a morning radio talk show that KVBC Channel 3 anchor Rikki Cheese had been suspended indefinitely for throwing attitude around in the newsroom.

While Knapp admitted that it was an unconfirmed rumor, he continued to tell listeners of KXPT 97.1-FM that "Rikki has a reputation in the newsroom as a Queen Bee over there. ... She's known to berate and belittle co-workers."

Under contract with KXPT, Knapp calls the morning radio show three times weekly to discuss local and national issues with hosts Mike O'Bryan and Gregg Hodges.

"I was surprised," O'Bryan said. "George is usually not a gossip-monger."

According to Knapp, Cheese had an outburst and told a female reporter that "she'll never lead in our newscast again."

Knapp said a few frustrated Channel 3 employees threatened to walk out if action wasn't taken toward Cheese.

"So Wham! Last night at 11, Rikki had the night off," he said.

Knapp said his sources were Channel 8 co-workers who have friends at Channel 3.

A sleepy Cheese called the radio show 30 minutes later, saying she was awakened by a friend who told her that some "bad information" had been put on the air.

"We're going on reports that you have an attitude in the office," she was told on the air by one of the disc jockeys.

Lightheartedly, Cheese said there was an incident on Monday involving a reporter who set someone up and convicted them on the air without checking the facts. This, she added, put the station in a difficult position -- legally, morally and ethically. Cheese said that she wasn't suspended and her absence from Wednesday's 11 p.m. broadcast was a result of sinus problems.

"I surely intend to be at work today," Cheese said. "Hopefully everyone's watching at 5 and 11."

Cheese said she wanted to give Knapp the benefit of the doubt, adding that he might not have been able to reach her to check the facts. She said she was glad the issue was raised on the air because "at Channel 3, we think the truth is important."

"She wasn't suspended," Channel 3 News Director Mike George said.

No hard feelings from Cheese, who was on the air Thursday.

"I respect George as a journalist," she told the Sun. "I think he's a great guy. I just hope this is his idea of an April Fools' joke."

Knapp declined to address that possibility directly.

"It's not an 'I-Team' report. I'm talking to a couple of DJs on a radio station," Knapp said, adding that on the radio show, he normally talks about prominent people in the community.

"There was nothing negative intended," he said. Officials at Channel 8 declined to comment.

When repeatedly asked if he thought his on-air comments about a rumor concerning an anchorwoman at a competing station were unethical, Knapp responded: "That's your question?"

"It's kind of weird," O'Bryan said about Knapp's comments on the radio. "I've known George a long time and I don't understand his motive behind that."

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