Ray Appleton suspended for saying editors should be ‘hanged,’ says parent company of KMJ
Fresno talk radio host Ray Appleton has been suspended and has issued a formal apology following violent comments he made on-air this week, the parent company of station KMJ said Friday.
The longtime KMJ talk show host on Thursday said “certain news editors should be hanged. Maybe” while addressing media coverage of the invasion of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump.
KMJ is owned by Atlanta-based Cumulus Media.
“Cumulus Media operates from a clearly-defined set of programming principles and there is no question that Ray Appleton’s comment is a direct violation of those principles,” the company said in a statement Friday. “As a result, we have suspended him.”
The statement did not say how long the suspension would last. Appleton’s regular show did not air on Friday and was subbed in with a re-run.
A spokesperson for the media company said Appleton issued the following apology:
“I realize that my reckless choice of words was irresponsible and I would never condone violence toward anyone,” the statement said. “I want to specifically apologize to my colleagues at KMJ and all who serve in the media. After 50 years in broadcasting, I understand that my choice of words matters and I made a mistake that won’t happen again. I humbly ask for your forgiveness.”
Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias said earlier in the day he was going to ask the City Council to pull any money the city spends on Cumulus stations if they did not issue an apology.
