This Just In ...

THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2010: #10

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Dec. 22, 2010

TODAY WE BEGIN A SERIES COUNTING DOWN THE TOP TEN FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2010.

In October, National Public Radio's Juan Williams, not a conservative by any stretch of the imagination, made one of his many appearances as a guest commentator on the Fox News Channel.





Williams made the mistake of not being political correct enough for his liberal employer NPR. He was fired almost immediately. Just as immediate was the backlash against NPR.

Fox hired Williams to a contract worth $2 million. Theroot.com reports, "According to an e-mail sent by the American Program Bureau to clients and obtained by POLITICO, since his NPR dismissal 'the demand for Juan Williams as a speaker has been unprecedented: APB's phones have been ringing off the hook with calls from associations, corporations and universities looking to secure Mr. Williams as a keynote speaker at their next event." Yeh, NPR really showed him.

Theroot.com also reported, "Williams' status as the only African American staff voice on the air throughout most of his NPR career gave the episode racial implications. Some black staffers asked whether a white employee would have been treated as Williams was and wondered aloud whether African Americans were disappearing one by one."

Now, Republicans in Congress, never enamored with NPR's programming are seriously threatening to defund taxpayer-supported NPR. 

What does all this have to do with Franklin?

Franklin resident Dave Szychlinski, known as Dave Edwards, General Manager of WUWM-FM Milwaukee Public Radio is the new Chairman of the Board of Directors at NPR. Somehow, he must now deal with the most serious challenge the network has ever faced: the complete loss of government funding. He's got his work cut out for him.

It's a mess. NPR CEO Vivian Schiller admits the firing of Williams was bungled. An independent law firm is examining what happened. 

Meanwhile, NPR listeners and supporters could care less.

And Nina Totenberg, thanks to the NPR double standard, keeps her job.





The latest.


THE TOP 10  FRANKLIN STORIES OF 2010

1) ?
2) ?
3) ?
4) ?
5) ?
6) ? 
7) ?
8) ?
9) ?
10) NPR IN BIG TROUBLE....THE LOCAL ANGLE