Citique of Rather/forged memos gets radio personality fired

fintstone · fintstone's Garage

Host Says Rather Criticism Got Him Fired

PEGGY ANDERSEN

Associated Press

SEATTLE - A radio talk-show host said Saturday he has been fired for criticizing CBS newsman Dan Rather's handling of challenges to the authenticity of memos about President Bush's National Guard service.

"On the talk show that I host, or hosted, I said I felt Rather should either retire or be forced out over this," said Brian Maloney, whose weekly "The Brian Maloney Show" aired for three years on KIRO-AM Radio, a CBS affiliate here.

Maloney says he made that statement on his Sept. 12 program. He was fired Friday, he said.

"What they have expressed is essentially that my show went in a direction they're not comfortable with," Maloney said.

KIRO Radio's general manager, Ken Berry, did not return a call seeking comment. A staff member at the station said Berry would not comment because it is a personnel matter.

Rather cited the memos, purportedly written by Bush's late squadron commander, in a Sept. 8 "60 Minutes II" segment. The memos indicated the commander was pressured to "sugar coat" Bush's performance and that Bush ignored an order to take a physical.

Several document experts have said the memos look suspiciously like they were written on a computer, not a 1970s-era typewriter. Rather said Sept. 10 that there was no definitive evidence of forgery.

On Wednesday, the network said it would work harder to address concerns about the memos.

Maloney said he had felt free to comment on the controversy and on Rather.

"I really felt he was taking the network's credibility down with him," Maloney said in a telephone interview.

"Talk-show hosts have generally had a lot of independence in these kinds of issues," he said. "Nobody's ever said, 'You can't criticize CBS News.'"

KIRO Radio is affiliated with CBS but owned by Entercom, a national radio

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

knowing the radio biz, there isn't necessarily a connection between the two. But it does make for a good story though...but would the "liberal media" actually print such a story?

tabs · 09-19-2004, 09:46 AM

Oh yes they would....if it bleeds it leads.

Yesterday on the news I saw a couple of reporters chasing Rather trying to get him to say something while walking through a airport....I just love the dogs chasing one of their own....turn about andd all that rot U know...

island911 · 09-19-2004, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nostatic
knowing the radio biz, there isn't necessarily a connection between the two. But it does make for a good story though...but would the "liberal media" actually print such a story?

whoa . .. Hell yes there's a connection between the two.

KIRO is local here (BTW)

Not only is KIRO Radio is affiliated with CBS, but, more imporatantly Mary Mapes used to work at KIRO. . . and still has those connections.

Mary Mapes is the 60-min's II producer responsible for PUSHING the hit piece.

tabs · 09-19-2004, 01:13 PM

Oh wellllll now we know!

cegerer · cegerer's Garage

I'm sure it's all just an innocent coincidence .......

pwd72s · 09-19-2004, 04:42 PM

"to blame Dan Rather for what appears on his program would be like blaming Susan Lucci for the plot of 'All my children'"
-Ann Coulter

island911 · 09-19-2004, 06:48 PM

yeah, I'm calling BS on Ann Coulters remarks there. It's not like Ra^ther is bopping around town saying "hey, I just read what they put in front of me."

fintstone · fintstone's Garage

I suspect that he is not smart enough to write the stories...but I imagine he could probably get out of reading anything he was not enthusiastic about.