Obama critic censored

Pro-Obama comment is ALWAYS welcome in the media. Anti-Obama comment not so much

A talk-radio host was reprimanded on air by his executive producer Wednesday after he received complaints about his coverage of Sen. Barack Obama. KDKA-AM 1020 host Kevin Miller was silenced when executive producer P.J. Kumanchik read a CBS statement accusing Miller of being unfairly biased against Obama. "We want to apologize to listeners who have found your show offensive," Kumanchik said to Miller on the air.

Kumanchik referenced phone calls and e-mails from listeners who criticized Miller for his statements about Obama. In a move considered by some to encourage "fairness," he also offered Obama a three-hour spot on the Pittsburgh, Penn., station in place of Miller's regularly scheduled noon to 3 p.m. program.

The executive producer of the CBS affiliate said Miller, a Marconi Award nominee and former Army Reserve journalist, had featured guests who were not objective when reporting information about Obama. Miller had recently conducted an Oct. 9 interview with "The Obama Nation" author and WND senior staff reporter Jerome Corsi about his investigation of Obama's connections to opposition leader Raila Odinga in Kenya. He called Corsi "a true patriot" upon his return from detention by Kenyan immigration authorities.

In the interview with Corsi, Miller revealed his personal concerns about efforts to silence Obama critics. "Well Dr. Corsi, what scares me is, we've seen this from the Obama campaign, that they clearly target people such as yourself, talk radio stations - whether it's WGN or others or people like myself - that speak out," he said. "And if [Obama is] elected, we're going to have a different chorus when it comes to discourse in this country."

Another one of Miller's recent shows featured John Murtagh, a man who survived Weather Underground firebomb attacks on his home, to discuss Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers.

This week, after Kumanchik finished his statements condemning Miller's coverage, people began calling to criticize the station, suggesting it was censoring the talk-radio host. Others remain confused and wonder whether the broadcast was simply a publicity stunt. Some online rumors even suggest Miller could be taken off the air.

On Thursday, Miller apologized for his comments concerning censorship of his show following airing of the CBS statement, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. The station has not released a transcript of the show.

The on-air incident occurred in the wake of a campaign coverage study that revealed the "big three" networks - ABC, NBC and CBS - have routinely favored Obama in their election coverage. Findings released by the Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University show 61 percent of the networks' reports aired between Aug. 23 and Sept. 30 cast the Democratic Party candidate in a favorable light - leaving Sen. John McCain with only 39 percent of positive coverage.

KDKA program director Marshall Adams declined to comment on circumstances surrounding the talk-show segment or indicate whether McCain had been offered a three-hour spot as well.

Source

Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your roundup of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH (2). Email me (John Ray) here