Bernie Ward was silenced by the Feds
photo by Gary D, Brune copyright 2007
Radio talk show host Bernie Ward, a long-time critic of the George Bush administration and the uber-rich, was fired tonight from his position, according to KGO-TV. Ward dominated the late-night radio airwaves for KGO 810AM until the Federal Government filed an indictment of child pornography against him on December 7, 2007.
After the indictment was filed, Ward was immediately removed from the airwaves and the legal department of KGO's parent company MediaSpan Network immediately sent word down to the radio staff that any discussion of the Ward case would lead to suspension from the air. As a result, there is no mention of Ward whatsoever.
KGO Radio General Manager Micky Luckoff said to the television arm of their station “Technically, it’s against the law (what Ward did).. He admitted what he did. There’s no reason to believe he’s a pedophile.”
The text of Ward's indictment is available on the KGO television website, and it is based on an investigation that began in 2004,according to the San Francisco Chronicle. He admitted to downloading a few images of child pornography as research for a book he was working on. Federal investigators talked to him soon after the event, and he fully cooperated with the authorities.
As a life-long listener of KGO radio, this action disturbs me. The Feds have won by silencing one of their more ardent critics by using a technical violation of the law. He has been excised from the airwaves, and even though Luckoff said he would rehire him in a heartbeat, it is likely that Ward will be permanently replaced, and a chill will come across the airwaves as a warning.