Former Salem Host Alleges She Was Pressured To Support Trump, Fired After She Didn't

Krauss

A former host at SALEM News-Talk KRLA-A (AM 870 THE ANSWER)/LOS ANGELES is claiming that she was pressured to support President TRUMP on the air and fired when she did not sufficiently do so for executives' tastes, and has gone to CNN with e-mails from executives to that effect. The company has responded by denying hosts were ordered to support TRUMP, but rather were advised that research showed listeners want hosts to support him.

Former KRLA host ELISHA KRAUSS, who hosted mornings with another conservative critical of TRUMP, BEN SHAPIRO, and liberal TRUMP critic BRIAN WHITMAN in 2016-17, told CNN that she was e-mailed by GM TERRY FAHY in JULY 2016 with a complaint that the show "has not been in the spirit of 'supporting the GOP nominee' ... In fact, it seems that the show gets into negative minutiae of the TRUMP campaign and the GOP convention."  She said that she was told several times to change her tone and find positive things to say about TRUMP, although she added that when she was fired, she was not told specifically that her position on TRUMP was the reason.

SVP PHIL BOYCE responded to KRAUSS' allegations by noting that "it should not surprise anybody" that SALEM hosts support conservatives in elections and that the company researches its audience and found that "our listeners want our hosts to support the President when he does well, and criticize him if and when he does or says something wrong,"  One of the e-mails KRAUSS gave to CNN from BOYCE to SHAPIRO pointed out that SALEM "has not taken an official position" on TRUMP but that CEO ED ATSINGER had made a case that beating HILLARY CLINTON required supporting TRUMP, and suggested that SHAPIRO approach the issue like a trial lawyer, suspecting that his client is guilty but being paid to get him off.  And other emails from SALEM executives criticized TRUMP but repeated the argument that supporting TRUMP would help defeat CLINTON and listeners did not like anti-TRUMP positions.

WHITMAN continues to host "THE MORNING ANSWER" with conservative JENNIFER HORN and remains a critic of TRUMP, as does SALEM-syndicated MICHAEL MEDVED. Another SALEM host, HUGH HEWITT, changed from a TRUMP critic to a supporter; HEWITT, also a host at MSNBC and a columnist at THE WASHINGTON POST, is presently under fire for not disclosing his role in facilitating a meeting between EPA chief SCOTT PRUITT and HEWITT's law firm over the cleanup of a toxic waste site near HEWITT's CALIFORNIA home, drawing admonishment from MSNBC and a promise to the POST that he would not write about PRUITT again. SHAPIRO's podcast is now syndicated as a radio show by WESTWOOD ONE, and KRAUSS works with SHAPIRO's THE DAILY WIRE website.

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