Jerry Bader cites Trump coverage for loss of WTAQ radio show

GREEN BAY – Conservative radio talk show host Jerry Bader was let go by Midwest Communications on Thursday. Bader said in a email it was because of his coverage of President Donald Trump.

Bader's show was broadcast on WTAQ-AM from 8:40-11 a.m. daily in Green Bay. The station also carries conservative hosts Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin and Sean Hannity, none of whom are as critical of Trump as Bader sometimes was.

Bader recently changed the tagline of his program from "Close captioned for the reality impared" to "Truth over tribe."

"Following my show today, management at Midwest Communications informed me that I was being let go. It was made clear to me that the reason was the manner in which I covered President Trump," Bader said in his email.

"I have always tried to tell what I believed is the truth and more recently to comport my behavior, on and off the air, with my Christ-following faith, after I was saved in 2016. I've always known it was MWC's microphone that I used each day. I have no regrets on how I've handled the show the past two and a half years."

WTAQ in a press release Thursday said Bader was no longer with the station, but provided no explanation for the departure. By Thursday afternoon, Bader's presence had been mostly removed from WTAQ's website.

"We wish Jerry nothing but continued success with his career at MediaTrackers.org and we are thankful for his years of service to the Northeast Wisconsin community and other in our state," operations manager Jason Hillery said in the release.

Bader also is communications director for MediaTrackers.org, which its website says is "dedicated to media accountability, government transparency, and quality fact-based journalism." He will continue in that role, which is not related to the radio job.

Charlie Sykes, who hosted a longtime conservative radio show in Milwaukee and who also has been critical of Trump and the far right, tweeted about Bader Thursday.

"Bader was a courageous, principled voice, who refused to join other talkers on Trump train despite threats from management. #Respect," Sykes wrote.

Bader joined WTAQ in 2004 after Midwest Communications parted ways with Bill LuMaye, who joined the station in 1998. Bader's show also was broadcast on Midwest Communications-owned stations in Sheboygan and Wausau. He worked in Sheboygan before coming to Green Bay.

Midwest Communications suspended Bader for two weeks in 2009 after an inaccurate report about Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton dropping out of the governor's race. Bader took responsibility for the mistake and apologized. "One person is responsible for what happened here, and that is me," he said when he returned to the air.

The WTAQ press release said the search for a replacement is underway.