WASHINGTON — Conservative radio host Michael Graham was fired Monday by a Washington station after he refused to apologize for calling Islam "a terrorist organization."
WMAL-AM had suspended Graham after his July 25 broadcast drew protests from the Council on American-Islam Relations. Graham, who had a daily three-hour talk on WMAL, had said, "We are at war with a terrorist organization named Islam," according to CAIR.
On his Web site Monday, Graham said WMAL had asked him to retract his comments about Islam and deliver an on-air apology.
"I refused," he said. "And for that refusal, I was fired."
WMAL president and general manager Chris Berry told the industry publication Radio & Records: "Some of Michael's statements about Islam went over the line — and this isn't the first time that he has been reprimanded for insensitive language and comments. I asked Michael for an on-air acknowledgement that some of his remarks were overly broad and inexplicably he refused."
CAIR executive director Nihad Awad said Monday, "Although we are saddened that Michael Graham would not take responsibility for his hate-filled words, we do welcome WMAL's action as a step toward removing some of the harmful anti-Muslim rhetoric that fill our nation's airwaves."
Graham blamed the Muslim group for his firing. "As a fan of talk radio, I find it absolutely outrageous that pressure from a special interest group like CAIR can result in the abandonment of free speech and open discourse on a talk radio show," he said.
al_bundy
08-23-05, 02:53 PM
probably had weak ratings
kvrdave
08-23-05, 02:56 PM
If he was bringing in ratings, they wouldn't fire him.
uberjoe
08-23-05, 02:57 PM
I bet his ratings weren't very good.
mosquitobite
08-23-05, 02:59 PM
This isn't a free speech issue. I don't like it when liberals proclaim stuff like this is, and I don't like it when conservatives do it either.
The government didn't ban him, his employer did. Employment at will.
I don't AGREE with him being fired over his comments; I agree with his comments, but like the others have said if he had enough listeners to bring in the money, he wouldn't have been.
After rising slightly during the months preceding the presidential election last year, WMAL's audience ratings have fallen precipitously. Exact ratings for Graham's 9-11:45 a.m. time slot are unavailable, but WMAL's morning programming, which includes part of Graham's program, are off 25 percent since last year. The station overall has lost 41 percent of its core 25-to-54-year-old audience in the past 12 months, dropping from 158,200 individual listeners per week to 116,600.
dick_grayson
08-23-05, 03:01 PM
he's a panelist on a show I watch called "Inside Washington" and he's pretty good. I disagree with a lot of what he says, but he's pretty fair and makes some good points. He's one of the few conservatives that can explain the differences between the right and left without all the juvenile attacks and rhetoric I've seen on some of, say, Fox News' shows. I wonder if he'll remain a panelist.
Myster X
08-23-05, 03:03 PM
He will probably have no trouble finding a job for another radio station.
RoyalTea
08-23-05, 03:05 PM
I think he should have waited until his ratings were higher before saying what he said.
then, he might not have been fired.
jdodd
08-23-05, 03:33 PM
Does anyone know what the guy's ratings were like? They probably weren't very good if they fired him over something like this.
leepyswetr
08-23-05, 03:51 PM
He might not have had very good ratings.
Red Dog
08-23-05, 03:54 PM
The station overall has lost 41 percent of its core 25-to-54-year-old audience in the past 12 months, dropping from 158,200 individual listeners per week to 116,600.
Yeah, it's no secret that WMAL is lagging around here. Pretty interesting since they are the DC home of Rush and Hannity.
General Zod
08-23-05, 04:07 PM
After posting this i'm starting to wonder if ratings might have had something to do with this issue. Why must I always come up with the answers myself?
Giantrobo
08-23-05, 04:35 PM
Yeah, it's no secret that WMAL is lagging around here. Pretty interesting since they are the DC home of Rush and Hannity.
As you know I work in Radio. Just the other day a co-worker was telling my how both Conservative and LIBERAL radio shows were ALL down in the ratings.
We concluded that people are probably getting burned out on both sides shilling for their Party's Agendas. I mean we can talk about Red States and Blue States but I think the majority of Americans are actually more towards the center with certain issue tipping them one way or the other. ie. Black are generally Liberal, but when it comes to Gay Marriage they swing Conservative. Anyway, it's the loud mouth pain in the ass Conservtives and Liberals who spew party mantras that make it seem otherwise.
With that said, the people who radio are full of shit and like others have said, it was probably more about ratings than anything else. I tend to go with mosquitobite on this one.
Duran
08-23-05, 05:20 PM
I'm not sure what source you're using, but here's more of what he said:
from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/22/AR2005082201255.html
According to WMAL, Graham said "Islam is a terrorist organization" 23 times on his July 25 program. On the same show, he also said repeatedly that "moderate Muslims are those who only want to kill Jews" and that "the problem is not extremism. The problem is Islam."
And he was fired for not "apologizing":
The station had conditioned his return to the midmorning shift on reading a station-approved statement in which Graham would have said that his anti-Muslim statements were "too broad" and that he sometimes uses "hyperbole" in the course of his program. WMAL also asked Graham to speak to the station's advertisers and its employees about the controversy.
Also:
In 1999, Graham was fired from a Charlotte station for saying that the killing of athletes was a "minor benefit" of the Columbine shootings. He apologized the next day.
dick_grayson
08-23-05, 05:26 PM
yikes :whofart:
Duran
08-23-05, 05:32 PM
I don't AGREE with him being fired over his comments; I agree with his comments, but like the others have said if he had enough listeners to bring in the money, he wouldn't have been.
Still agree with his comments, now that I've posted the rest of them? And he wasn't fired for the comments, he was fired for refusing to apologize.
This guy wasn't fired because of ratings. He was given plenty of opportunity to come back. He was fired because he doesn't know where the line is, and refuses to apologize when he crosses it.
chess
08-23-05, 06:51 PM
free speech and open discourse on a talk radio show
rotfl
General Zod
08-24-05, 09:09 AM
Looks like he's been hired by KFI AM 640 here in Los Angeles. KFI is the #1 talk show radio station in the country acording to Arbitron. So his ratings couldn't have been THAT bad...
Duran
08-24-05, 09:43 AM
What kind of radio station hires a guy who says "Moderate Muslims only want to kill Jews" and refuses to apologize or even temper his statements?
Red Dog
08-24-05, 09:50 AM
What's more amazing is that he went from a market with a sizeable Muslim population to a market with an even larger Muslim population.
Duran
08-24-05, 09:56 AM
Well, good riddance. When I first heard him, he sounded a bit libertarian, but lately he has been rabid right-wing. Now that I think of it, I think Chris Core went a little further right lately, too. I think it was after Reagan's death WMAL decided to go hard core conservative.
Talk radio isn't for open discourse. It's for zealots on both sides to call in and pat each other on the back for being so right. The only time you hear an opposing view point is when the producer lets through an obvious nutjob so they can mock him.
bhk
08-24-05, 10:47 AM
I've heard that moderate muslim joke/statement before.
I don't agree with his firing but agree that the station had a right to do it.
johnglass
08-24-05, 10:57 AM
The station overall has lost 41 percent of its core 25-to-54-year-old audience in the past 12 months, dropping from 158,200 individual listeners per week to 116,600.
41% of 158,200 is 64,862.
158,200-64,862=93,338
Where am I making the mistake in my math?
dick_grayson
08-24-05, 11:02 AM
perhaps they gained some new listeners as they lost old ones?
General Zod
08-24-05, 11:50 AM
The thing about this story, as it turns out, is that CAIR completely lost. At first it looked good and they celebrated his getting fired. However, now, he's got a much much bigger audience - and the legal backing of clear channel who is going to pretty much let him say what he wants to say. Clear channel actually did issue an apology to CAIR a few months ago when the morning drive show did a "special" on the Iraqi constitution. Even though CAIR demanded that the host (Bill Handel) be fired, he didn't. Then they demanded and on-air apology, and didn't get it. However, Clear Channel did send a written apology. That's all they got for this (and I think you'll agree it's a lot more offensive than just calling Islam a "terrorist organization"):
KFI-AM Bill Handel Show : With us is that great constitutional scholar -- the Iraqi constitutional scholar -- Muhammad Barak Farud Kaffi: (phonetic spelling) Mr. Muhammad, would share with us some of the provisions in that constitution that very few of us are aware of.
"Muhammad": Yeah, I brought a couple of pages to read to you.
Handel: Okay.
"Muhammad": We, the people of Iraq, in order to form a more perfect union, promote injustice, ensure domestic anarchy, provide for a radical religious fundamentalist theocracy, promote the subjugation of women and secure the blessing of the almighty Allah for ourselves and our prosperity, do ordain and establish this interim constitution of the new Iraq. Sounds very familiar, doesn't it?
Handel : It does. I'm surprised. You took a lot of it from the United States, didn't you, sir?
"Muhammad": Yes, and we will take more of your money.
Handel: Yes, thank you.
"Muhammad": Article One, Section One: All legislative powers are herein granted and shall be vested in Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, who will personally see to it that personal freedom and civil rights be set back 1,000 years.
Section Two: Death to the Jews, death to the Jews, death to the Jews.
Section Three: The House of Representatives shall be composed of [unintelligible] of American-hating terrorists who shall conduct a war of attrition for one thousand years or until the infidel is eradicated from the planet entirely, whichever comes first.
Section Four: Kill all Jews, death to Israel, kill all Jews.
(pause) Handel: Thank You.
"Muhammad" : Section Five.
Handel: Oh, there's more? Go ahead, yes, go ahead.
"Muhammad": Section Five, every martyr in the name of Allah will be given 72 virgins upon entry into heaven. The virgins, however, will not be hairy Iraqi women but lovely Japanese schoolgirls. This will be personally guaranteed in the name of Allah.
Section Six: The Hebrew must die, free Palestine, the Hebrew must die.
Section Seven: All western teachings shall be from this day banned throughout Iraq, especially the infidel custom of bathing on a regular basis.
Section Eight: Death to the Zionist conspiracy, death to the Zionist conspiracy, death to the Zionist conspiracy.
Section Nine: All homosexual marriages are expressly prohibited and are punishable by death; however civil unions between consenting Iraqi adults and loving camels and goats will be recognized.
Section Ten, See Sections Two, Four, Six, and Eight.
(LAUGHTER)
Red Dog
08-24-05, 11:54 AM
Talk radio isn't for open discourse. It's for zealots on both sides to call in and pat each other on the back for being so right. The only time you hear an opposing view point is when the producer lets through an obvious nutjob so they can mock him.
That's why the only political talk show I listen to is Live from 125 on ABC News & Talk (available on Sirius and XM) from 1-3 everyday. They rotate hosts (frequently having libertarian hosts) every few weeks so it is not the same thing over and over.
Giantrobo
08-24-05, 01:44 PM
Looks like he's been hired by KFI AM 640 here in Los Angeles. KFI is the #1 talk show radio station in the country acording to Arbitron. So his ratings couldn't have been THAT bad...
:eek:
really?
Duran
08-24-05, 01:51 PM
The thing about this story, as it turns out, is that CAIR completely lost. At first it looked good and they celebrated his getting fired. However, now, he's got a much much bigger audience - and the legal backing of clear channel who is going to pretty much let him say what he wants to say. Clear channel actually did issue an apology to CAIR a few months ago when the morning drive show did a "special" on the Iraqi constitution. Even though CAIR demanded that the host (Bill Handel) be fired, he didn't. Then they demanded and on-air apology, and didn't get it. However, Clear Channel did send a written apology. That's all they got for this (and I think you'll agree it's a lot more offensive than just calling Islam a "terrorist organization"):
While what you posted also has what I would consider questionable content, at least it was done in the context of humor. Michael Graham was dead serious.
Duran
08-24-05, 01:52 PM
That's why the only political talk show I listen to is Live from 125 on ABC News & Talk (available on Sirius and XM) from 1-3 everyday. They rotate hosts (frequently having libertarian hosts) every few weeks so it is not the same thing over and over.
I can't bring myself to pay $12/month or whatever for radio, so I am just stuck with iPod and Sportstalk 980.
dick_grayson
08-24-05, 01:59 PM
I can't bring myself to pay $12/month or whatever for radio, so I am just stuck with iPod and Sportstalk 980.
:up: me too
Dimension X
08-24-05, 02:00 PM
41% of 158,200 is 64,862.
158,200-64,862=93,338
Where am I making the mistake in my math?
I don't think it's your math, I think it's the Washington Post story that needs work. The number of listeners stated in the second part of the sentence you quoted does not appear to be directly related to the percentage mentioned in the first part. It appears to relate to the previous sentence: "Exact ratings for Graham's 9-11:45 a.m. time slot are unavailable, but WMAL's morning programming, which includes part of Graham's program, are off 25 percent since last year."
Exact ratings for Graham's 9-11:45 a.m. time slot are unavailable, but WMAL's morning programming, which includes part of Graham's program, are off 26 percent since last year, dropping from 158,200 individual listeners per week to 116,600. The station overall has lost 41 percent of its core 25-to-54-year-old audience in the past 12 months.
Fixed.
Red Dog
08-24-05, 02:04 PM
I can't bring myself to pay $12/month or whatever for radio, so I am just stuck with iPod and Sportstalk 980.
With the suck-ass radio in DC (Kornheiser and Sports Reporters on 980 are the only thing worth listening to), it was an easy decision for me.
Duran
08-24-05, 02:23 PM
With the suck-ass radio in DC (Kornheiser and Sports Reporters on 980 are the only thing worth listening to), it was an easy decision for me.
What, no John Thompson? ;) Korheiser and Sports Reporters are all I listen to as well. I ride the train into DC, so I'm not in my car very often anyway.
General Zod
08-24-05, 02:27 PM
:eek:
really?
Yep. He's filling in for people right now until they find him a more permanent spot but he'll be on Friday night at 7pm PST filling in for John Zeigler.
KFI always has a live internet stream: http://www.kfiam640.com/interactive/streaming.html
B.A.
08-24-05, 02:44 PM
Hooray Radio!
VinVega
08-24-05, 03:00 PM
Hooray Radio!
:lol:
You're really liking the Red Stripe kick we've been on lately.
Tracer Bullet
08-24-05, 03:20 PM
Graham is a dumbass. Apparently WMAL didn't want a dumbass working for them any longer. KFI seems to want dumbasses, because they bring in the ratings.
Fokker's Feint
08-24-05, 03:24 PM
Looks like he's been hired by KFI AM 640 here in Los Angeles. KFI is the #1 talk show radio station in the country acording to Arbitron. So his ratings couldn't have been THAT bad...
Not necessarily. With all the press this incident has been getting you can be sure that he's going to start his new gig with much more fanfare than his last one.
A parallel might even be drawn to Jim Rome's taunting of Jim ("Chris") Everett that led to Everett attacking Rome on the air. If that doesn't happen, Rome is nowhere near the sports radio personality he is now.
Ben86
08-25-05, 12:07 AM
I can understand the whole hoo-ha about being anti-political correctness but making blanket statements only makes things worse.
gcbrowni
08-25-05, 10:51 AM
CAIR is an interesting group. It's about as close to the 'illegal' line as you can get without going over. It's close enough that I ignore everything they say; I'm suprised people pay any attention to them at all.
Goldblum
08-25-05, 12:04 PM
I hate to say it, but some of that Iraqi Constitution bit was pretty funny, especially:
"Muhammad": Sounds very familiar, doesn't it?
Handel: It does. I'm surprised. You took a lot of it from the United States, didn't you, sir?
"Muhammad": Yes, and we will take more of your money.
Handel: Yes, thank you.
and
"Section Nine: All homosexual marriages are expressly prohibited and are punishable by death; however civil unions between consenting Iraqi adults and loving camels and goats will be recognized."
:lol:
General Zod
08-26-05, 01:10 AM
I hate to say it, but some of that Iraqi Constitution bit was pretty funny, especially:
"Muhammad": Sounds very familiar, doesn't it?
Handel: It does. I'm surprised. You took a lot of it from the United States, didn't you, sir?
"Muhammad": Yes, and we will take more of your money.
Handel: Yes, thank you.
and
"Section Nine: All homosexual marriages are expressly prohibited and are punishable by death; however civil unions between consenting Iraqi adults and loving camels and goats will be recognized."
:lol:
They are probably the most offensive morning news group you could imagine.. but extremely informative. Listen tomorrow morning at 6am for "Handel on the News" using the streaming audio link.. You'll enjoy it. If you get offended easily - do something else ;)
Giantrobo
08-26-05, 11:29 AM
Graham is a dumbass. Apparently WMAL didn't want a dumbass working for them any longer. KFI seems to want dumbasses, because they bring in the ratings.
No. Disney, the ones who own the station that fired him....are P*ssies. I'm listening to Bill Handle and Graham talking about what happened and Disney simply caved to CAIR. They suspended him but that wasn't enough. CAIR wanted him fired and Disney, deathly afraid of being sued for looking like Racists, gave them what they wanted.
Tracer Bullet
08-26-05, 11:45 AM
No. Disney, the ones who own the station that fired him....are P*ssies. I'm listening to Bill Handle and Graham talking about what happened and Disney simply caved to CAIR. They suspended him but that wasn't enough. CAIR wanted him fired and Disney, deathly afraid of being sued for looking like Racists, gave them what they wanted.
Doesn't change my opinion that he's a dumbass :p
Duran
08-26-05, 12:04 PM
No. Disney, the ones who own the station that fired him....are P*ssies. I'm listening to Bill Handle and Graham talking about what happened and Disney simply caved to CAIR. They suspended him but that wasn't enough. CAIR wanted him fired and Disney, deathly afraid of being sued for looking like Racists, gave them what they wanted.
That is completely counter to what the station said, which is that they said he could come back if he apologized, which is SOP in these matters. When someone gets on the radio and says moderate Muslims only want to kill Jews, CAIR or not, an apology is warranted. Michael Graham fired himself.
General Zod
08-26-05, 12:41 PM
That is completely counter to what the station said, which is that they said he could come back if he apologized, which is SOP in these matters. When someone gets on the radio and says moderate Muslims only want to kill Jews, CAIR or not, an apology is warranted. Michael Graham fired himself.
According to Graham he was expressing his opinion, which is what he was hired to do. This wasn't a news broadcast, this was a talk show. How the hell do you have a talk show without expressing your opinion? And everyone who has an opinion on something is going to offend someone else. Anyhow, according to Graham everything was fine until CAIR complained and he met with the studio management and he agreed to go on the air and put out a statement that he was expressing his views and his views only, etc. Basically - sort of a calm the waters sort of statement. CAIR said it was not good enough, and the company suspended him for a month without pay while they looked into it. Then they told him if he came back and issued an on-air apology about what he said, he would stay on. He refused. And refusing was the right thing for him because that's how he really feels and he should be allowed to voice his opinion - that's what he's being hired to do.
The fact is Disney should not be in the talk-radio buisness if they are going to cower everytime someone is offended. It's bad enought they change rides, videos (alladin), etc everytime someone sees something they don't like.
Duran
08-26-05, 01:21 PM
According to Graham he was expressing his opinion, which is what he was hired to do. This wasn't a news broadcast, this was a talk show. How the hell do you have a talk show without expressing your opinion? And everyone who has an opinion on something is going to offend someone else. Anyhow, according to Graham everything was fine until CAIR complained and he met with the studio management and he agreed to go on the air and put out a statement that he was expressing his views and his views only, etc. Basically - sort of a calm the waters sort of statement. CAIR said it was not good enough, and the company suspended him for a month without pay while they looked into it. Then they told him if he came back and issued an on-air apology about what he said, he would stay on. He refused. And refusing was the right thing for him because that's how he really feels and he should be allowed to voice his opinion - that's what he's being hired to do.
The fact is Disney should not be in the talk-radio buisness if they are going to cower everytime someone is offended. It's bad enought they change rides, videos (alladin), etc everytime someone sees something they don't like.
So, by virtue of the fact he was hired to express his opinion, any opinion he expresses should be okay? If he goes on a white power tirade, you don't think he should be let go if he refuses to apologize because he was hired to give his opinion?
If not, then you agree that there is a line. In my opinion, he crossed it. And regardless of what the bigot himself might tell you, it seems he was fired after advertisers started pulling ads, not when CAIR started bitching.
General Zod
08-26-05, 01:25 PM
So, by virtue of the fact he was hired to express his opinion, any opinion he expresses should be okay? If he goes on a white power tirade, you don't think he should be let go if he refuses to apologize because he was hired to give his opinion?
If not, then you agree that there is a line. In my opinion, he crossed it. And regardless of what the bigot himself might tell you, it seems he was fired after advertisers started pulling ads, not when CAIR started bitching.
There is a line, but I don't agree he crossed it. Apparently for Disney, he did - but for "real" talk radio stations he didn't come close.
According to him not a single ad was pulled (he was asked that this morning).
Duran
08-26-05, 01:45 PM
From http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/22/AR2005082201255.html
The protests led several advertisers to ask WMAL to stop airing their ads during Graham's weekday show, although the station says it didn't lose any advertisers amid the controversy.
So, either the Washington Post is lying, or Michael Graham is.
Goldblum
08-26-05, 02:42 PM
So, by virtue of the fact he was hired to express his opinion, any opinion he expresses should be okay? If he goes on a white power tirade, you don't think he should be let go if he refuses to apologize because he was hired to give his opinion?
If not, then you agree that there is a line. In my opinion, he crossed it. And regardless of what the bigot himself might tell you, it seems he was fired after advertisers started pulling ads, not when CAIR started bitching.
The problem I have with this case is that several days or weeks went by before anyone piped up about it. Seems to me like CAIR was scouring old talk show broadcasts looking for dirt. And when they found it, BAM!
Of course, I agree that the station should be able to hire and fire who it chooses, but it's a bit scary to have an interest group whose sole purpose appears to be getting people fired.
Red Dog
08-26-05, 02:43 PM
The problem I have with this case is that several days or weeks went by before anyone piped up about it. Seems to me like CAIR was scouring old talk show broadcasts looking for dirt. And when they found it, BAM!
Of course, I agree that the station should be able to hire and fire who it chooses, but it's a bit scary to have an interest group whose sole purpose appears to be getting people fired.
That's exactly what the PTC does when it comes to perceived filth.
Duran
08-26-05, 03:01 PM
The problem I have with this case is that several days or weeks went by before anyone piped up about it. Seems to me like CAIR was scouring old talk show broadcasts looking for dirt. And when they found it, BAM!
Of course, I agree that the station should be able to hire and fire who it chooses, but it's a bit scary to have an interest group whose sole purpose appears to be getting people fired.
According to the Washington Times (http://www.washingtontimes.com/business/20050822-100712-5353r.htm)
His first comments were made July 21. Additional comments were made July 25. He was suspended July 28.
Giantrobo
08-26-05, 03:34 PM
That is completely counter to what the station said, which is that they said he could come back if he apologized, which is SOP in these matters. When someone gets on the radio and says moderate Muslims only want to kill Jews, CAIR or not, an apology is warranted. Michael Graham fired himself.
The point is still that they caved to CAIR. Plus, an apology wouldn't have been enough for them.
Duran
08-26-05, 03:58 PM
The point is still that they caved to CAIR. Plus, an apology wouldn't have been enough for them.
An apology was enough for the station. I doubt WMAL gave a rat's behind about CAIR. If they did, they wouldn't have offered to take Graham at all. What they do care about are advertisers.
Buy: