Michigan Radio & TV Buzzboard

Just want to walk down memory lane for a minute to talk about when Carolyn Clifford and Monica Jackson got into a fight on the morning news. Was anyone on here there that day? Any interesting perspectives of this? So crazy this actually happened on the air

TRTV wrote: ↑Wed Jun 26, 2024 5:54 pm............talk about when Carolyn Clifford and Monica Jackson got into a fight on the morning news. Was anyone on here there that day? Any interesting perspectives of this? So crazy this actually happened on the air

I was working at Channel 7 at that time and that day. I was positioned in the control room and via my headset detected that something was amiss but didn't know what. In the control room we are hearing the current air audio as well as the director next to me calling out directives which I respond to. After the show I talked to two people that were in the studio and witnessed this adventure as well as attempted to keep the two women apart. One of them was a camera operator and the other as I recall was Erik Smith. If I remember the event as told to me the two women were primarily involved in hair pulling and yelling at each other. Remember this has been several years ago and I am sharing what I remember as best I can. What kind of action the management took I don't recall.

What actually sparked the incident in the first place I would have to investigate. Common sense would indicate that this event happened during a commercial break. The camera operator sometimes comes to our annual Christmas party for all us retirees and I maybe able to get him to refresh my memory but that is the gist of it.

I think I remember watching in and out and seeing them come back after comercial and Erik smith segway like “ ok..:we’re back”

Who the hell is Monica Jackson?

The Detroit Free Press had a lot of fun with this story.

Tuesday, July 30, 2002

OFF-AIR FISTFIGHT SHAKES UP NEWSCAST AT CHANNEL 7

Where was Howard Cosell when we really needed him? WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) morning co-anchor Carolyn Clifford and traffic reporter Monica Jackson got into a major fistfight off camera Monday for the station's very unofficial boxing championship.

The scrap drew blood and required co-anchor Erik Smith to referee the brief but reportedly energetic bout over a festering personality conflict between the pair.

Only keen morning viewers, who might have noticed that Smith carried on alone during the late morning newscasts, suspected something was amiss.

News director Bill Carey said he couldn't comment on personnel matters.

So who got the decision?

Award Clifford a technical knockout. Jackson was placed on indefinite administrative leave...


Wednesday, July 31, 2002

Second opinion on TV fight

WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) now contends no blood was drawn during that push-pull, hair-pulling off-camera battle Monday between morning anchor Carolyn Clifford and since-suspended traffic reporter Monica Jackson.

What first appeared as blood on referee Erik Smith's cuff was actually lipstick from the battlers. No toxicology report is expected.


Friday, August 2, 2002

TV battler off for awhile

Nope she wasn't at training camp for her next fight, wisenheimers! WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) morning anchor Battlin' Carolyn Clifford was off Thursday and will be again today. Reapplying her lipstick after Monday's battle with suspended traffic reporter Monica Jackson? Nope she's in Milwaukee taking part in the National Association of Black Journalists convention, something arranged before the big tussle. Mary Conway—we're guessing boxer Leila Ali was unavailable—sat in Thursday.


Tuesday, August 6, 2002

Jackson's back on air but not talking traffic.

Monica Jackson, the WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) traffic reporter who was TKOed by morning anchor Carolyn Clifford in last week's newsroom pushing-and-hair-pulling match, was back on the station Monday.

Jackson turned up on the noon news doing a feature story and news director Bill Carey said "they'd be exploring other ways of using her." Jackson would probably replace the departed Kim Adams on the gardening spots sponsored by Bordine's, he said. (Adams is trying to shorten a non-compete clause in her expired Channel 7 contract so she can appear on WDIV-TV, Channel 4.)

But Carey said Jackson will not be doing morning traffic anymore on Clifford's early newscasts, effectively preventing a rematch; Dennis Neubacher will continue that task.

Technically, Carey placed her on administrative leave after the fight. Asked why she was back on the air, Carey said "I don't know how to answer that question."

But hey, ratings sweeps are on and the masses love a circus.

Jackson's Channel 7 pact expires in October and there was speculation Monday that she may have pursued legal counsel to get back on; she didn't return a call for comment.


Wednesday, October 16, 2002

Miffed traffic reporter all done at Channel 7

Monica Jackson, the WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) morning traffic reporter who drew lipstick (not blood) and some notoriety in a push-me-pull-you, off-camera fight in July with budding star anchor Carolyn Clifford, cleaned out her desk Friday at the Scripps-Howard station.

Bottom line? She was down for the 10-count after her 4-year run there.

Jackson was off the air for a couple of days after the Erik Smith-refereed spat—Jackson reportedly was miffed that Clifford bypassed her for the morning anchor post—then returned to do some light reporting. But she never again did morning traffic with Clifford.

News director Bill Carey confirmed Tuesday that her contract had expired and he was happy with the post-fisticuff decision to handle traffic reports differently.

Monica Jackson is lucky Carolyn did not press charges for assault, the whole altercation lasted 5 seconds and it is a miracle Jackson ever worked in TV again, but she went on to a 14 year stint on the anchor desk in Las Vegas at the Fox Station there. Work place violence is no joke.

Editorcj wrote: ↑Sun Jun 30, 2024 11:41 pm Monica Jackson is lucky Carolyn did not press charges for assault, the whole altercation lasted 5 seconds and it is a miracle Jackson ever worked in TV again, but she went on to a 14 year stint on the anchor desk in Las Vegas at the Fox Station there. Work place violence is no joke.

To be a fly on that wall.