WPRO’s Parent Company Cracking Down on Radio Hosts Pro-Trump Election Fraud Talk
Monday, January 11, 2021
The word is that Cumulus -- the owners of WPRO AM and a host of other stations in the Providence market -- has ordered its talk show hosts to mute election theft talk.
In the Providence market, hosts include Gene Valicenti, Tara Granahan, Matt Allen, Dan Yorke, and Jon Loughlin — all right of center leaning hosts.
Valicenti has come under fire by progressives for comments he made about recently elected women members of the Rhode Island General Assembly. He is an anchorman on WJAR-10, which is owned by Sinclair Broadcasting Group -- the company has had close ties to the Trump administration.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe Washington Post reports, "After months of stoking anger about alleged election fraud, one of America’s largest talk-radio companies has decided on an abrupt change of direction.”
“Cumulus Media, which employs some of the most popular right-leaning talk-radio hosts in the United States, has told its on-air personalities to stop suggesting that the election was stolen from President Trump — or else face termination,” reported the Post.
“A Cumulus executive issued the directive on Wednesday, just as Congress met to certify Joe Biden’s election victory and an angry mob of Trump supporters marched on the Capitol, overwhelmed police and briefly occupied the building, terrorizing lawmakers and leading to the deaths of five people,” according the Post.
GoLocal secured a copy of the Cumulus internal memo signed by executive vice-president Brian Phillips, which states in part:
"Cumulus and Westwood One will not tolerate any suggestion that the election has not ended. The election has resolved, there are no alternate acceptable “paths”. Please inform your staffs that we have ZERO TOLERANCE for any suggestion otherwise. If you transgress this policy, you can expect to separate from the company immediately.
There will be no dog-whistle talk about “stolen elections”, “civil wars” or any other language that infers violent public disobedience is warranted, ever. Through all of our communication channels, including social, we will work to urge restoration of PEACE AND ORDER."
The first to break the story was Jerry Del Colliano of Inside Music Media who writes in a story called “Cumulus Censors 416 Stations,” that the internal company memo threatens to terminate those who don’t comply.
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