(What the…? — Promoted by Colorado Pols)
UPDATE: KNUS management has canceled Bonniwell’s radio program, called the Chuck and Julie show, and removed all archived audio from past shows from the station’s website. “Given the history of school violence that has plagued our community,” a statement released Wednesday evening by 710 KNUS Denver reads, “710 KNUS confirms that an inappropriate comment was made on the Chuck and Julie show by co-host Chuck Bonniwell. A programming decision was made to end the program immediately.” In response to the backlash against his comment, Bonniwell stated on Twitter, “I made an inappropriate comment meant as a joke. I’m sorry it was not received that way.”
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Denver radio host Chuck Bonniwell began a segment of his afternoon radio show Tuesday by lamenting the “never-ending impeachment of Donald Trump,” and then saying, “You know, you wish for a nice school shooting to interrupt the monopoly.”
“No, don’t even say that! Don’t call us! Chuck didn’t say that,” said Julie Hayden, who’s Bonniwell’s co-host on the KNUS 710-AM show.
I called anyway, and Hayden told me Chuck regretted the comment.
“It was something he immediately wished he hadn’t said,” Hayden told me.
Bonniwell hasn’t apologized on air yet, but immediately after Hayden’s response to his comment, he told his audience that he meant shootings in “which no one would be hurt.”
Bonniwell’s comment came as KNUS is facing accusations that a staffer is a Nazi. KNUS management is reportedly conducting an internal investigation. and the producer has denied posting pro-Nazi comments on social media. The results have not been announced.
Bonniwell, who publishes the Cherry Creek/Glendale Chronicle, has a long track record of comments that draw media scrutiny.
Last year, during Jared Polis’ successful race to become Colorado’s governor, Boniwell said Polis has the support of the “gay mafia.”
During the same election, he called state Sen. Faith Winter of Westminster, “an overweight, unpleasant, vicious, amoral human being.”
A few years ago, Bonniwell told his listeners that Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs, who was body slammed by Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-MT), was a “little jerk” and a “metrosexual.”
And, since the holiday season is upon us, you might want to know that Bonniwell once said Obama “doesn’t like Christmas.”
Colorado talk radio host Chuck Bonniwell of @710KNUS said he wished for “a nice school shooting” to interrupt coverage of President Trump’s impeachment. #copolitics #9NEWS pic.twitter.com/cgrsIftwD7
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) December 18, 2019
Well, it's not like he was going to make light of a radio station shooting.
I moved to Denver after Alan Berg, but even I know that white supremacists react unpredictably to radio hosts talking sh** about them.
I mean the current production staff may feel differently, but I'm talking about on air personality.
I kinda’ thought that was the reason Negev showed up around here again this morning ???
Negev is Chuck Bonniwell?
True, doesn't he only come out when there is some type of mass shooting somewhere?
Usually. He's afraid the Government is going to come for his manhood, er. guns.
I am certain all of us stumble through talking about things without being fully aware of what we are saying. I know I've said things which went badly awry, and required apologies.
But it is hard to imagine being oblivious enough to say we should have the distraction of a school shooting.
If you've never listened to the pair of on air hosts referenced- it would be hard to describe how this is both not surprising and could feel like a dog whistle.
Well, saying he was wishing for a nice school shooting in which nobody got hurt makes it all OK, I guess? And I'm sort of disappointed that listeners couldn't figure out his true intent in the first place, because people normally don't get hurt in school shootings, which makes it a wonderful and safe topic to joke about.
That'll get him a promotion with Salem/KNUS….
In a sense – show is cancelled. Out.
At least no one has recently accused either of them of being nazis. As far as I know.
“Removed all archived audio from past shows from the station’s website” is a bit 1984ish.
Sieg Heil!
They obviously expect their Nazi listeners to all have really good memories? . . .
And nothing of value was lost. Bonniwell is a skid mark on the tighty whities of humanity. Good riddance.
Just don't call them "Deplorables", 'cause that's mean.
Bring back Silverman. He wants to talk a lot so this should be great. Oh, this is not NPR, a profit necessary in the private sector.
Silverman?
Midday on 710 (no nazis allowed) and then drive time on 630 ?
Whatever – it's all the same anyway.
KNUS firing Bonniwell and deleting all their archived audio is a tribute to what Jason Salzman does with BigMedia – he and his interns listen to all of that toxic radio talk show crap so we don’t have to, and he holds them accountable to the public for their worst excesses.
Take a bow, Jason.👏🏼
good point.