STATE HIGH COURT TO HEAR FIRED DISC JOCKEY APPEAL

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, February 23, 1993                   TAG: 9302230155
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: PULASKI                                LENGTH: Short
STATE HIGH COURT TO HEAR FIRED DISC JOCKEY APPEAL
The Virginia Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday over whether a Pulaski County radio station should pay $15,000 in damages to a disc jockey it fired.
When Collins Knighton was fired by WPSK-FM Station Manager Mike Gummer a little more than a year ago, Gummer persuaded Knighton to agree that he would not work for another area station for a year, in return for $2,000.
Knighton was hired at another county station, WRIQ at Fairlawn, six weeks later and returned the uncashed check to Gummer.
WPSK got a court injunction to keep Knighton from working at another station until matters could be resolved at a trial. Knighton said he had been coerced into signing the agreement and it was too vaguely worded to be enforceable.
Circuit Judge A. Dow Owens threw out the agreement and a jury awarded Knighton $15,000 in damages. The decision allowed Knighton to return to work at WRIQ, but his former employer appealed.
Arguments on the appeal will be heard Wednesday at 9 a.m.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB