Cleveland Jock Quits. Accuses CBS Radio of Censorship.

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In January CBS Cleveland (92.3 The Fan) host Kevin Kiley got himself in hot water for saying there’s “no place for a woman in professional sports, in football, coaching men,” after the Buffalo Bills hired Kathryn Smith as an assistant coach. Kiley is now saying he’s quitting – at the end of the month – because CBS Radio sent him a letter threatening his job if he didn’t tone down his rhetoric.

The Washington Times reports that Kiley said he was handed a written edict from CBS and they threatened his job twice in the letter. Kiley said he actually resigned from WKRK in early November for unrelated reasons, effective at the end of this month. here’s what the Times is reporting Kiley said, “My principles, their principles of doing business, they don’t match. And it was tough for me to work there. So I have resigned and I’ll be ending, I think at the end of the month. Maybe at the end of this show. We’ll find out.”

“Throughout the history of radio and broadcasting, from Orson Wells to Howard Stern, people have stood up for the right to say and the right to argue and the right to make points. I have no right to accept censorship. I’ve never been censored. In 35 years, I’ve never been censored, and I shouldn’t have been censored for this. And I have no right to accept censorship based on what broadcasting is. And nor should you accept censorship, ever.

“You should make sure that the people on the radio are telling you the truth as they see it. Now, you’re gonna argue with them and you can disagree with them, but don’t let the program director there, don’t let the general manager, don’t let some clown in New York tell them what to say, and then you think it’s their opinion, or what not to say. That’s what happened here, and I’m not accepting it. So, demand the truth. We’ll see how they feel about the truth, trust me, if I’m on the air tomorrow morning.”

Radio Ink has reached out to CBS Corporate for a comment.

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