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Dan Bongino Challenges Cumulus Media’s Vaccine Mandates

Bongino said CEO Mary Berner addressed the company by saying that “regretfully because of public health, we had to let some people go because of the vaccine mandates.”

Ryan Hedrick

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A photo of Dan Bongino

Radio host Dan Bongino challenged the validity of Cumulus Media’s vaccine mandates, railed against CEO Mary Berner, and reiterated his desire to leave the company during a diatribe that was brought on by Cumulus firing more employees because of vaccine requirements Thursday. 

The rant began at the top of the second hour with Bongino discussing an email that was sent out by Berner regarding the termination of unidentified employees who were let go in the name of “public health.” 

Bongino said Berner addressed the company by saying that “regretfully because of public health, we had to let some people go because of the vaccine mandates.”

“I don’t understand what the public health component is,” said Bongino. “The vaccine is entirely ineffective against stopping transmission from Omicron and that’s been scientifically proven.” 

In October, Bongino issued an ultimatum to Cumulus Media, demanding that they get rid of their vaccine requirements or fire him. 

Thursday, Bongino became furious when the company not only fired more employees over mandates but also notified its employees that “vaccine misinformation” was being broadcast over the radio. Bongino then proceeded to invite Berner on the show multiple times to defend the company’s policy. 

“You want to come on the show?” Bongino asked several times. “Let’s have a little debate. I hope you’re not talking about this show [broadcasting vaccine misinformation] because if you did, and you had any guts, you would say don’t come back tomorrow.”  

Bongino told his audience that “he doesn’t work for Berner and that Berner works for him.” 

“I don’t need you, you need me,” he said. “Nobody is listening to the Mary Berner show. I don’t need you for anything.” 

Bongino admitted that he is double vaccinated and also said that he was not going to get the booster shot citing a battle with COVID-19 following the vaccination process. 

Cumulus Media is not the only broadcasting company to require its employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Most, if not all,  major radio companies like Audacy and iHeartMedia have mandates in place. 

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1 Comment

  1. Kathy Hockman

    January 17, 2022 at 12:49 pm

    I stand with Dan. Will not listen to that time slot if he’s not there.

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News Radio

Megyn Kelly: Don Lemon Made ‘Absurd’ Demands During Negotiations With Elon Musk

“Nobody in history has asked to be the first person in space and for full editorial control for news decisions made.”

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(Photo: SiriusXM)

Don Lemon recently saw his contract with the Elon Musk-owned X platform canceled after a contentious interview with the billionaire. Megyn Kelly alleges there was more to it than the interview conduct, however.

According to various reports, Don Lemon asked Elon Musk for an $8 million annual salary, with $5 million paid upfront. He also reportedly asked for an equity stake in the company, veto power over its news policies and hirings, a free Tesla Cybertruck, and the option to host the first podcast from space. Lemon initially denied that he made the demands, before admitting they were all part of the negotiation.

While discussing how far Lemon’s new digital video program has fallen after his initial interview with Musk on The Megyn Kelly Show, she shared that the contract demands made by the former CNN host were ridiculous, in her opinion.

After playing a clip of Don Lemon appearing on The Tamron Hall Show where the pair agreed that you make outlandish demands while negotiating contracts, Kelly decried the practice.

“That is absurd! Trust me, as somebody who actually has negotiated several contracts in cable news and broadcast news, it’s exactly the opposite of what you do. You make a demand that is reasonable — that you think you could get…but you don’t want to make yourself look like an a–hole. You’re off on a new foot with your employer, you don’t want to make yourself look like an a–hole,” Kelly reiterated.

“Nobody in history has asked to be the first person in space and for full editorial control for news decisions made. Like, maybe Rachel Maddow has that at MSNBC, ’cause she appears to be running the joint. But Don Lemon at Twitter?! When (Elon Musk) is resurrecting him from the dead?! The hubris!”

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Ben Shapiro Addresses Exit of Candace Owens From The Daily Wire

“She’s free to do whatever she wants to do, and to be wherever she wants to be.”

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(Photo: The Daily Wire)

Last week, Candace Owens departed The Daily Wire after a high-profile back-and-forth with the outlet’s co-founder, Ben Shapiro. He’s now speaking out about the end of the relationship.

While appearing on The Rubin Report with Dave Rubin, Shapiro agreed with Owens that she’s “free,” from The Daily Wire, he just disagrees with her sentiment that she was somehow muzzled at the company.

“She’s free to do whatever she wants to do, and to be wherever she wants to be,” said Ben Shapiro. “A platform should have a very broad range of speech that it allows, including speech that maybe even the creators don’t believe is inside what they would consider to be the Overton window.

“It’s a very different thing than direct subsidization of particular opinions. So The Daily Wire would not have a host — would not pay a host — who was staunchly pro-abortion, and would have no obligation to pay a host who is staunchly pro-abortion. So when it comes to the hosts on The Daily Wire, obviously, everyone was able to say what they want. Nobody ever comes to me and says, ‘You can’t say x,’ nobody ever says it to (Matt) Walsh and no one ever said that to Candace.”

He continued by noting there was a “non-meeting of the minds” that led to the exit of Candace Owens, but insisted there isn’t an issue with the outlet’s hosts ability to say what they wish.

“There’s no free speech problem with The Daily Wire. And we don’t wish to pay a particular host or that host saying ‘I don’t wish to work here anymore,’ because, again, there’s a parting of the ways that is not really open for discussion at this point.”

Ben Shapiro added that hosts at the outlet don’t have to worry about their jobs simply because they disagree with his opinion on a particular topic. He shared an anecdote that a similar situation recently arose with Matt Walsh.

“I can safely say (the departure of Candace Owens) is not about disagreements over Israel,” he said. “Matt Walsh has taken the position that America ought not be involved in the Middle East at all. Now his position so far, as I understand it, and I’ve talked to him about it, is that in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Israel is obviously a more moral party than the genocidal terrorist cause, but also it’s very far away. He doesn’t care, and it doesn’t involve America.

“That’s just a pure isolationist position. I disagree with that. I think it’s wrong, and I think that is short-sighted, but again, he’s on our platform that is well within the range of acceptable discourse at the Daily Wire. So the notion that you have to mirror my exact perspectives on what Israel is doing in Gaza is obviously not true based on the roster of hosts that we currently have. There are a lot of other factors obviously at play.”

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Dana Loesch: Like Ronna McDaniel, ‘I Like to Go Where the Fight Is’

“Sometimes it’s not about winning the battle, but planting the seed is the victory, right? So that’s how I look at stuff.”

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(Photo: Dana Loesch)

Former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel is no longer a contributor at NBC News after intense internal backlash. Dana Loesch believes that while McDaniel wasn’t a successful political leader, she had the right intentions with her media aspirations.

During The Dana Show, Loesch argued that she was upset about the reactions from MSNBC hosts that ultimately led to McDaniel’s departure, saying she never wanted to be in a position of supporting the former RNC chair.

“I’m mad because I feel like these people are putting me in a position where I’m defending her,” said Loesch. “And that makes me mad because I don’t want to defend her. I think that she was an incompetent RNC head.”

However, she pushed back on the idea that Ronna McDaniel made a mistake by partnering with a liberal cable outlet like MSNBC to begin with.

“People are like, ‘Well, her first mistake was going to MSNBC.’ I disagree. I like to go where the fight is,” Loesch revealed. “I was one of the first token conservative contributors at CNN back in this was like 2011, 2012, 2013. Yeah, you kind of know that most of the people hate you. But you do have a couple of allies.

“I like to go where the fight is. Because sometimes it’s not about winning the battle, but planting the seed is the victory, right? So that’s how I look at stuff. I’ve never shied away from — clearly — going into any arena, literally or anywhere else. So I don’t fault her for going to MSNBC.”

Dana Loesch concluded by positing that the money for McDaniel’s contract — reported to be $300,000 per year — was an impressive figure because most contributors are only paid around $75,000.

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