Michelli to Colorado Media Matters: "[I]t's been really good for my career ... So I thank you guys"

Summary: News Radio 740 KVOR host Joseph Michelli thanked Colorado Media Matters for monitoring his broadcast, saying it "create[s] national interest in the show." Colorado Media Matters has documented instances in which Michelli has spread misinformation or made offensive remarks on his show.

On the April 4 broadcast of News Radio 740 KVOR's The Joseph Michelli Show, a frequent caller informed host Joseph Michelli that Colorado Media Matters recently noted the homophobic remarks of another frequent caller. Michelli responded by saying, "Good. He needs all the publicity he can get," then added, "It's always nice when the watchdog groups on the left or the right actually record this show, play it back, create national interest in the show. It's been, you know, it's been really good for my career. So I thank you guys for putting that up there on the Web."

The Colorado Media Matters item to which the April 4 caller referred had noted that Jeff Crank, a Republican who ran for Congress in the 5th District in 2006, failed to challenge a frequent caller's statement that homosexuality is "a mental illness" when Crank was guest host of Michelli's show on March 23.

As Colorado Media Matters documented, Michelli on repeated occasions has dispensed false information or made offensive remarks on his show.

• On September 5, 2006, Michelli, who was arguing against a minimum-wage increase, falsely claimed that "the unemployment rate is somewhere around 40 percent in France." In fact, France's unemployment rate was 8.9 percent, 78 percent lower than Michelli claimed it was.
• Discussing a Colorado ballot initiative (Amendment 42) to increase the state's minimum wage, on his August 29, 2006, show, Michelli referred to minimum wage earners as "dumb and incompetent."
• On October 3, in response to a caller who claimed "blacks have been holding a grudge since they were shipped over here," Michelli replied:

MICHELLI: And what a terrible thing, to trade human people, you know, to be so unenlightened to think that some humans are lesser than others and to use them as animals. But, you know what? I say this, and I know I'm going to take some grief from it: Would you rather be in Africa right now? Some -- I think some would. But the lifestyle in Africa is not so great relative to the lifestyle here.

From the April 4 broadcast of News Radio 740 KVOR's The Joseph Michelli Show:

MICHELLI: All right, let's go over to [caller]. [Caller], you're on 740 KVOR, Colorado Springs' talk station.

CALLER: Yeah, my buddy [previous caller] said that these illegals are taking jobs from Americans and driving down wages, and that's absolutely true. And if you go to Colorado Media Matters, you can hear [previous caller] talking on your, your show from March 27th. So just to give him some publicity.

MICHELLI: Good. He needs all the publicity he can get. It's always nice when the watchdog groups on the left or the right actually record this show, play it back, create national interest in the show. It's been, you know, it's been really good for my career. So I thank you guys for putting that up there on the Web. Anyway, go ahead.

—C.H.