KGO fires Bernie Ward

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KGO fires Bernie Ward

Postby radiofan » Wed Jan 23, 2008 1:33 pm

Bernie Ward was fired from KGO radio
Jim Doyle, Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

San Francisco -- Bernie Ward has been fired from his job as a talk show host on KGO-AM Radio, but his fans are lobbying for his return to the air.

Ward, a former Catholic priest, was yanked from the airwaves soon after his indictment in December by a federal grand jury in San Francisco on two counts of child pornography using the Internet. His contract with KGO was terminated at the end of the year.

"I'm still hoping they're going to rehire me," said Ward, 56, who has pleaded not guilty to the felony charges. "I just keep hoping people will see that this is about something that happened three years ago and that I had a reason for doing it. I showed some very bad judgment, but I'm hoping that common sense will prevail."

Ward hosted two shows for KGO, including a Sunday morning show called "God Talk." He also served as an investigative reporter who worked on a 10-part series that explored allegations of financial and sexual misconduct by the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco.

He insists that the federal charges stem from a few days in 2004 when he looked at and exchanged pornographic images with other adults as part of research for a book on hypocrisy.

His business attorney, Jeannette Boudreau, said there has been an outpouring of public support in favor of Ward's return, including endorsements from some of KGO's advertisers, but others have lobbied against his return.

Boudreau said today that she has been in talks with KGO general manager Mickey Luckoff.

"I think Mickey would very much like to put Bernie back on the air, especially during the campaign season because he excels at this kind of discussion," she said. "But it's not only his decision. The station is owned by Citadel ... It's being explored."

Luckoff could not be reached for comment.

E-mail Jim Doyle at jdoyle@sfchronicle.com


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