A talk radio company employing some of the country’s most popular right-leaning hosts is cracking down on narratives that suggest the 2020 election was stolen from President Trump.
Cumulus Media, which employs Mark Levin and Dan Bongino, said in an internal memo last Wednesday that its hosts must try and calm down listeners and that any talk of election fraud will end in potential termination.
“We need to help induce national calm NOW,” Brian Philips, executive vice president of content for Cumulus, said, according to the Washington Post. Philips added that Cumulus, along with its program syndication arm, Westwood One, “will not tolerate any suggestion that the election has not ended. The election has been resolved and there are no alternate acceptable ‘paths.'”
The memo also reads, “If you transgress this policy, you can expect to separate from the company immediately.”
The memo came shortly after a chaotic riot on Capitol Hill, which followed a pro-Trump rally near the White House. Protesters were able to smash in and take over the Capitol last Wednesday, clashing with law enforcement. Lawmakers and press were escorted into a safe location while police tear-gassed intruders. Five people, including a Capitol Hill police officer, died in the wake of the chaos.
Following the riot, lawmakers eventually were able to meet, certifying President-elect Joe Biden‘s victory. President Trump later promised a peaceful transition of power on Jan. 20.
A day after the memo was sent, Levin pushed back on the idea that he helped incite any kind of violence.
“I’m not stirring up a damn thing,” Levin said Thursday on-air. “Everything I say is based on principle and mission. Everything is based on liberty, family, faith, the Constitution. … My enemies and my critics can’t say the same.”
Cumulus, based in Atlanta, owns 416 radio stations in 84 regions across the country.
