[ad_1]
Bohnak is therefore no longer the beloved meteorologist of WLUC-TV.
He was fired in mid-September after refusing to be vaccinated. WLUC owner Gray Television of Atlanta told his employees in an August memo that effective September 15, “as a condition of employment, every employee who occupies a” manager “position in our company is “fully vaccinated” against the Coronavirus. “
The company followed up with a note stating that all full and part-time employees, contractors, tenants and guests entering Gray workspaces must be “fully vaccinated” as of October 1. .
In a Facebook post telling viewers he was fired for refusing To get the shot, Bohnak touched on familiar anti-vaccine themes like personal choice and mistrust of vaccine safety. He criticized the federal government and private companies for mandating vaccines.
“Our way of life, our freedom and our freedom, is collapsing before our very eyes,” Bohnak wrote, according to the Washington Post. “Those who love America and the freedom and freedom it represents need to speak up. I hope it is not too late.”
Interesting, you say. But why does the fate of a Michigan meteorologist have anything to do with North Dakota?
Mike McFeely
Valley News Live television station happens to be owned by Gray Television. Valley News Live is under the same mandate as the Michigan station, as are the 150 or so other American stations owned by Gray.
So what is a strident right-winger who loves freedom and liberty and constantly speaks out against the efficacy of COVID vaccines, and who also happens to be an employee of Valley News Live, owned by Gray, to do ?
We’re watching you, Chris Berg.
Several sources say that the host of conservative talk show “Point of View” runs into Valley News Live over the company’s vaccination mandate and plans to leave the station rather than vaccinate. Sources say at least a few employees have already left Valley News Live because of the policy, including the longtime creative services director and brand director who spent more than 20 years at the station.
The person in that position, Wendy Bernier, declined to comment on this column when reached by text message. But Valley News Live posted a job posting for a creative services manager on September 23. Among the terms of employment outlined in the announcement: “Gray Television will require that newly hired employees, whether part-time or full-time, be fully immunized. against coronavirus by the first business day to the extent permitted by applicable law, unless you are entitled to medical or religious accommodation. “
The most visible employee who could be affected by the warrant is Berg. The half-hour “6:30 Point of View with Chris Berg” has aired weekdays at 6:30 p.m. on KXJB for about nine years. He is loudly right-wing and follows conservative North Dakota orthodoxy in his support for former President Donald Trump and false conspiracy theories for the 2020 election, opposition to COVID mandates and reluctance to vaccines .
Berg’s Facebook and Twitter accounts are littered with messages questioning the effectiveness and necessity of COVID vaccines.
Reached by text Tuesday, Berg declined to comment.
Valley News Live chief executive Ike Walker did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
It is not known whether Berg has applied for or would be eligible for a medical or religious exemption, but his stance on COVID vaccines leaves him in an awkward position.
If he chooses not to be vaccinated, which is unmistakably his right, he will lose his job at Valley News Live, which is unmistakably Gray Television’s right. Sources say Walker is trying to find a way to save Berg’s job if he refuses the vaccine.
If Berg gets the hit, his credibility as a right-wing anti-vaxxer will be shot. If you spend months telling your audience on TV and social media to resist vaccines and COVID warrants, and then get vaccinated to save your job, your role as a conservative brandon is almost irreparably damaged.
For what it’s worth, Berg announced on social media Monday that he would be launching a new talk show on local right-wing radio station The Flag starting October 4. It will air from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
It’s only an hour, so is it just a part-time gig? Or is that a gateway to full-time employment if he chooses not to get the shot and loses his job on Valley News Live? Asked by text, Berg declined to comment.
Stay tuned, as they say.
Readers can contact columnist Mike McFeely at [email protected]
[ad_2]
Source link