News (USA)

Radio station cancels public affairs program over interview with LGBT advocate

Radio station cancels public affairs program over interview with LGBT advocate

RENO, Nev. — A Fox Radio affiliate in Reno, Nev. has cancelled a public affairs program because the show’s host conducted an interview on Aug. 12 with Dallas-based social commentator and LGBT advocate Will Kolb.

According to Eddie Floyd, producer of the “House of Savoy” program hosted by ordained minister Sean Savoy, KKFT-FM (99.1) station manager Jerry Evans informed him of the cancellation, citing the Kolb interview as the basis for his decision.

Debbie Torres McCarthy
Sean Savoy

The interview with Kolb touched on a variety of topical issues related to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, including same-sex marriage and the recent controversy over the statements by Don Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A.

Savoy, an ordained minister with the International Community Of Christ, Second Advent Church, said he was “shocked” that he “could be silenced in this manner, especially when there has been no prior complaint of the show’s content.”

“I have always appreciated the variety of viewpoints expressed on my program. To think I could be removed for having a conversation about the LGBT community in America baffles me. I have conducted a variety of interviews with a wide range of people over the past year, and yet this was the topic that got my show cancelled,” said Savoy.

“Mr. Evans and his company certainly have the right to control their opinion,” Savoy told LGBTQ Nation. “But censoring any message that benefits the LGBT community is wrong and detracts from basic human rights. It means that he is gate keeping and not allowing the public to make their own informed decisions.”

Until his show was cancelled, Savoy had not been open about being gay himself, but the incident has prompted him to be more open about his sexual orientation.

Savoy had not made the decision to come out until earlier this year, and said there was considerable “soul searching,” as well as intense discussions with his inner circle, including his family and his partner.

At the time he was sacked, Savoy acknowledged that he was still hiding the fact that he is gay.

Savoy added that while he lived as a straight man, he found himself desiring a much more fulfilling life that wasn’t based on deception and was true to his sexual orientation.

The 30-minute broadcast, which aired on Sunday evenings, was produced by Nevada Matters Media, Inc., and had aired since September, 2011.

Savoy told LGBTQ Nation that he and his producer are currently looking for a slot on another local radio station.

Savoy, a Reno native, is also an author and public speaker who has lectured in the United States and abroad. In 2005 he was named “Indiana Jones, Jr.” by Men’s Journal. His interview with Will Kolb is here.

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