When Sean Savoy (left) interviewed LGBT advocate William Kolb (below) for his Reno radio show House of Savoy, he knew he might make some people uncomfortable. He didn’t expect his bosses at Fox News affiliate KKFT 99.1 FM would cancel the entire show because of it.
Airing Sunday evenings House of Savoy has been on since September 2011. The August 12 episode, in which Kolb appeared, covered numerous topics relating to the gay community, from Chick-fil-A to marriage equality.
After the episode aired and Savoy left town for a business trip, his producer informed hims that station owner Jerry Evans wanted Taste of Savoy yanked specifically because of Kolb’s appearance.
“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,” Savoy said. “I am shocked I could be censored in this manner, especially when there has been no prior complaint of the show’s content.”
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You were on a Fox affiliate, Sean—How shocked could you be?
Ironically, Savoy, an ordained minister and public educator, is gay but only came out publicly after the axing.
From LGBTQ Nation:
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.
“Desiring” it is nice, but how about standing up and being counted before you get tossed on your butt and need the LGBT community to support you?
We don’t want to rag on Savoy but it seems like he was content to implicitly endorse the ideology of his station—and force his friends, family and partner to help him stay in the closet—till it all fell apart. We hope he finds a new gig, and a new perspective, very soon.
Below is the first part of the August 12 episode of House of Savoy. You can hear the entire episode on the GLAAD website
Neo
This is republican America. If you wish to be moral, intelligent and free they will silence you, they will put you in jail or disgrace you in the public perception.
Sad that some in the LGBT and extended community will vote for these snakes in November, the saddest people of all.
AS
So much for free speech.
randallreynolds
Another reason to be Atheist.
tazz602
I used to stand with the anti-Outers – the ones that decried personal outing of public officials – but examples like this make me think twice. Yes, it’s an intensely personal decision, but look at the damage he might have caused other gay youth while he stayed in the closet and continued to espouse the far right stance on homosexuality and gay people. Because of people like Savoy I am moving more and more to the point where all of these gay people in private need to come out or be exposed for who they are.
nationalrazor
Comments like the previous one make me sick to my stomach.
Tazz602, your judgements are reprehensible.
Have you ever listened to Savoy’s show? Have you ever once heard Sean Savoy say ANYTHING negative against the LGBT community or “espouse the far right stance” on his radio show?
Oh yeah, that’s right. You haven’t. You’re talking out of your crap hole.
how dare you get on here and judge someone you don’t know about a topic you know nothing about like you’re some sort of expert on the subject.
People like YOU are the reason the coming out process is so hard in this world. This dude loses his job and then comes out publicly after his boss cancels his radio show and then self-loathing faggots who have no friends and no future outside of your mom’s basement or the bath house get on to articles like this one and spew hate.
Good effing lord, people! This man is making a stand for equality and using his hurtful personal journey to shine light on the horrible discrimination that is our reality every of our lives and the best the internet trolls can do is judge him for not doing it their way.
I STAND WITH SEAN SAVOY. It is people like HIM who inspire people like me to stand up and have a voice.
ScaryRussianHeather
Just a minute now. His “bosses at Fox” were NOT “bosses” he has no contract with that affiliate. And the affiliate is in Reno Nevada, a Republican district.
I think “House of Savoy” (Sean Savoy) is a brokered radio show. It is produced by Nevada Matters Media who buys time for you to either be a sponsor of shows or have YOUR OWN RADIO SHOW. That’s why it’s 30 minutes. We have them here, some guys who monopolize the airways with commercial type stuff about vitamins or legal and real estate “programs”, where they advertise THEMSELVES while taking Q&A on air.
Scroll down to Radio Show Rates “Your Own Show”: http://www.ectownusa.net/livelocalrenosparks/mem_nvmatters
Sean Savoy presents himself as an ordained minister and “Spiritual Educator” and none of his previous programming appears to be political in nature. Like it or not LGBT programming can be viewed in Sept 2012 as political. In his own words the interview “covered LGBT rights, gay marriage, the Chick-fil-A incident and other civil rights issues.” And the guest was an LGBT political advocate.
So the affiliate can make a case that he changed the terms of the show that he bought time to present. And they decided to not OFFER HIM TIME on the program schedule.
While it’s a shitty thing to prevent LGBT programming, there’s no foundation for any type of claim of personal discrimination, the station simply opted OUT of his ADVERTISING.
The solution is for Liberal talk radio to garner the same type of success that conservative shows do, but we all know what happened to Air America. THERE ARE NO SPONSORS, WHY? Perhaps the same reason why Joe Biden only donates to charity at the whopping rate of $369.00 per year.
ScaryRussianHeather
I’ve said this myself several times. I’m OVER the cowards who expect the children to carry the heavy weight especially for economic reasons. What about the Trans 5 year old babies exploited by their parents and the media and “movement” instead of allowed to live their journey with some degree of privacy. The last thing I’d think of is parading my kid out on uTube parroting some talking points while in the middle of such a challenge.
Out and proud heroic boy <3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKY0FsUEMyw
ScaryRussianHeather
WHOA I had no idea Queerty changes the links to the actual video now. Sorry it’s so big.