Conservative Radio Host: I Was Fired For Criticizing CBS, Rather

SEATTLE, WA (Talon News) -- A conservative radio talk show host says he was fired last week for speaking out against Dan Rather and the CBS News scandal involving forged documents related to President George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard.

Brian Maloney, an 11-year broadcast veteran who had been on the air at KIRO 710 AM in Seattle, Washington since October 2001 as the host of the "The Brian Maloney Show," was highly critical of Rather and CBS News and openly questioned the way they were handling the doubts that many were having regarding the authenticity of the documents presented during a "60 Minutes" episode.

On September 12, his final show at KIRO-AM, Maloney said on the air that Rather "should either retire or be forced out" at CBS News over the document controversy.

Maloney said he believed it was "important to distance" himself from Rather's misguided attempt to defend the forged documents.

"[I]t isn't a crime to make a mistake in journalism," Maloney exclaimed. "But to cover it up, to constantly change sources when they don't back up your contentions, is embarrassing."

The conservative radio talk show host went on to express concern that Rather's defense of the fake documents could "bring down every local [CBS] news affiliate with him."

In fact, this concern by Maloney has already come to fruition as many local CBS affiliates across the United States have been fielding correspondence from their viewers and CBS News has been rapidly losing market share in the major media markets since the CBS scandal erupted.

Maintaining that it is important for people in the media to "maintain credibility," Maloney believed he was doing a service to his listeners to inform them of the truth regarding CBS and the forged documents about Bush.

"[W]e normally expect to have the ability to make these types of criticisms, even when it hits this close to home, and the audience comes first," Maloney noted.

Giving an example of how there is a double standard in place at KIRO-AM, Maloney said another radio talk show host made even more incendiary comments about President George W. Bush earlier this year and was not reprimanded at all.

"What's most astounding is that earlier this year, one of my co-workers openly called for the execution of the President, Vice President, and Defense Secretary and was not even suspended from the air," Maloney recalled. "It was captured on tape and reported in the news media. So apparently you can call for the President's death but not the retirement of Dan Rather."

What Maloney is referring to is a story that was exclusively reported on by Talon News in May regarding liberal radio talk show host Mike Webb from KIRO-AM.

Talon News obtained at the time an audiotape copy of Webb calling for the death of President George W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld for "war crimes."

The Iraqi prison abuse controversy was a big story in the news at the time and Webb used that as a springboard into his tirade against Bush.

"[The prison abuse in Iraq] is a war crime, committed by the president of the United States," Webb declared on his show at the time, according to the audiotape evidence obtained by Talon News. "And do you know what the punishment for that is? Death!"

Additionally, the audiotape reveals that Webb declared that administering the death penalty to the president "is constitutional" and named Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney as "war criminals" who should be put to death.

Then in the most shocking revelation caught on audiotape, Webb asked, "[S]hould George Bush get the death penalty? I say yes."

Since Talon News was one of the only news media outlets reporting on this story, Webb continued his verbal assault by attacking Talon News and its reporters personally.

Also, another KIRO-AM radio talk show host, Dave Ross, created controversy earlier this year by running as the Democratic candidate for Congress in Washington's 8th Congressional District while still remaining on the air at the radio station and getting free political air time.

"Ross continued on the air as KIRO's talk host for two months after announcing his candidacy," Maloney revealed, stating Ross has received tons of free promotion by the radio station.

Neither Webb nor Ross have received any punishment for what they have done at the station because station manager Ken Berry shares their liberal world view, Maloney contends.

Nevertheless, although he initially said he had no comment about the firing, Berry finally came up with a reason why Maloney was fired to the Associated Press.

"The primary reason Brian Maloney's show was canceled is because KIRO's broadcasts of the Seattle Seahawks football games significantly reduces our Sunday talk lineup and we felt the remaining time slots would be better filled by other hosts," Berry said in a statement.

Attempting to debunk Maloney's contention that his comments about the document controversy led to his dismissal, Berry said it is not true.

"Several hosts on the station have criticized and continue to criticize Rather and CBS with no interference from management," Berry added in the statement, although he never mentioned who these other radio talk show hosts are.

Although he was the only "conservative" radio talk show host at KIRO-AM, Maloney has since been replaced by liberal radio talk show host Carl Jeffers.

In an exclusive interview with Talon News about his firing, Maloney said Berry simply "created a work environment where liberals are rewarded and the few conservatives around are punished for having differing views."

"Like many leftists, Berry takes it personally when people disagree with him politically," Maloney told Talon News. "He wants KIRO to be a station that expresses his views about the issues."

When this story first began getting national attention earlier this week, Maloney said Berry quickly "changed his story as the situation became more difficult for him."

"[Berry] claims that several KIRO hosts criticized Rather when really only one other did, a host locked into a safe, long term contract. He claims he is comfortable with the topic on the air and yet most KIRO hosts pretended it wasn't going on at all for the better part of two weeks. Then he switched to this silly and untrue football pre-emption story," Maloney exclaimed.

Noting that although he does not have a "smoking gun" that proves he was fired over comments about Rather and CBS, Maloney said he will let the facts surrounding KIRO-AM letting him go prove he is right.

"It boils down to who you believe, a talk show host or a firm defender of the liberal media establishment" in Berry, Maloney concluded in his interview with Talon News.

"wrongful termination"

I don't know what the law is, but I think broadcasters can be fired for any comments that management thinks are offensive. A few years ago KVI fired a guy for spreading rumors that then-Mayor Norm Rice had been involved in a sleazy gay sex scandal. As for Maloney, he also used to be on KVI before he was (I think) let go because of low ratings. I've never much cared for him; he has a lispy, annoying voice and often tries to make a big issue out of small things. Unusual for conservatives, he seemed kind of "whiney."

I live in Seattle, and know kiro well. They called the other night and asked me to take an opinion poll, I told them that I was not interested in any thing kiro had to offer. This may have come about because of my letter to them about their carrying Dan Rather-gates news cast.

Welcome to Seattle Washington I feel your pain
I live in liberalland WA up north of Seattle in Bellingham
I deal with stuff everyday at school work tv community so I feel your pain

KIRO is the home of some of the most rabid anti-Bush Socialists on talk radio. Erin Hart and Mike Webb lead the league in ad Hominum attacks on any Bush supporter that calls in. Webb is an active homosexual that promotes his lifestyle on the air and Erin is a witty, intelligent and entertaining host that hates GWB with a passion.

An intriguing notion written in a sports column, but bears on CBS's "holier-than-thou" problem:

Dr Z of SI.com
Steve of Hickory, NC,... wonders why the bad network announcers seem to stick around forever while the good ones fade away. Because the network executives' idea of what constitutes a good announcer, and the opinions of you and me, are diametrically opposed. They want them to keep puffing the super stars, to promote, to stick with the storyline. They think that's the way to hold the fans. I want analysts to really analyze, which is a very low priority among the brass. When I mention this to them, they call me a "purist," and tell me I don't really represent what fans want. I tell them, in rebuttal, that fans are smarter and more sophisticated than they think, and how would they know what fans think, anyway, since they've never done any surveys? Then the conversation usually gets ugly, and that particular person joins the ever-expanding list of people who keep as far away from me as they can.

CBS producer Mary Mapes was a KIRO TV reporter (A CBS affiliate in Seattle) before moving to CBS headquarters in 1989. The liberal Seattle media (namely the CBS affiliates) has always had strong ties to Mary Mapes and CBS!!! You can bet on that! Having a few token conservative talk show host or not, talk of Dan Rathers removal IS threatening to the Old Seattle media. Plain and simple!

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