St. Louis station settles with fired broadcaster

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis radio station KMOX and radio personality Charles Jaco have reached a settlement that frees him to work for another station within a few months.

Jaco lost his job at KMOX-AM last month over behavior that the station described as "gross misconduct."

Jaco had contested his firing and disputed the misconduct claim, saying it had tarnished his reputation. But Jaco, 52, has agreed to leave KMOX, which had paid him $122,500 a year.

On Friday, KMOX released Jaco from a contract provision that would have kept him from working at another radio station for six months.

As part of the settlement, KMOX agreed to issue a statement that Jaco's behavior at the station was neither immoral nor illegal.

KMOX described the phrase in its statement as "a legal term ... that permits immediate termination of employment."

KMOX management never explained why it dismissed Jaco. However, Jaco acknowledges he wrote rude e-mails to some listeners. He also had a confrontation with another KMOX employee in the newsroom.