Ray Appleton says he’ll be off radio for weeks for saying some media should be ‘hanged’
Fresno talk radio host Ray Appleton said early Sunday that his suspension from KMJ will be for a “few weeks without pay” following his on-air comments Thursday that some members of the media should be “hanged.”
In a Facebook post on his page, the conservative commentator called his suspension “a first in 51 years of broadcast.” He also shared concerns about being unable to take a COVID-19 vaccine soon during his show as planned because of his suspension.
“I better not get Covid between now and this new delayed day of my vaccination!” Appleton wrote after sharing he has “lung failure,” needs heart surgery and has a rare spinal disorder.
Appleton was suspended for saying during his show Thursday that “certain news editors should be hanged ... maybe” while addressing media coverage of the invasion of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.
Appleton didn’t express remorse for those comments in his latest Facebook post, ending it by writing, “I love you. I have no more to say......for a while. OUT.” By late Sunday morning, that previously-public post was no longer visible on his page.
On Friday, a spokesperson for Atlanta-based Cumulus Media, which owns KMJ, shared an apology from Appleton that started, “I realize that my reckless choice of words was irresponsible and I would never condone violence toward anyone.”
Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias said earlier that day he was going to ask City Council to pull any money the city spends on Cumulus stations if they didn’t issue an apology.
A previous statement Appleton shared on his Facebook page, where he described his comments as a tongue-in-cheek joke, was deleted Thursday.
Appleton’s comments have been met with widespread criticism.
“In the current environment, it is very dangerous to suggest that members of the media should be ‘hanged’ for reporting news that you don’t like,” said Jim Boren, executive director of the Institute for Media and Public Trust at Fresno State and former executive editor of The Fresno Bee. “I have no problem with people criticizing the media, but don’t suggest violence even if you are joking to make a point.”
This story was originally published January 10, 2021 at 12:04 PM.
