ASHEVILLE “” A local radio show host was suspended after questioning the sanity of the popular syndicated radio and television political personality Glenn Beck.
Matt Mittan, host of the show “Take A Stand “”on WWNC 570-AM, was taken off the air Thursday after a Wednesday show in which he made “inflammatory remarks about another host,””said program director Brian Hall. “He’s been suspended for 24 hours “¦ he’s had his hand slapped,””Hall said.
Transcripts or podcasts of the comment were not available on the station’s Web site, but a podcast that began shortly after Mittan’s initial remarks was. “I’ve never attacked Glenn Beck. I voiced concern about his mental stability based on what I heard on a show this morning and what I see as a deterioration of his cognitive capacity over the last few weeks or the last couple of months,””he said. Mittan could not be reached for comment. Co-host Agnes Cheek responded to a Facebook message saying the omission of the podcast with the comment was unintentional.
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Beck gains popularity
Beck has gained a burgeoning national conservative following for political commentary blasting liberals, the Barack Obama administration and what he deemed government excesses. Mittan, who espouses what fans call libertarian-leaning views on his popular show, said he was trying to “express a true compassionate concern””for Beck, who has admitted to struggling with addiction and mental illness. He also berated critics for flooding the station with e-mails and calls, saying they should be concerned with more important issues.
One said the host was being condescending and that “raising concerns about Glenn Beck’s mental state is only a righteous way to sland er or smear him,””according to an e-mail Mittan read on the air and said was signed “non-Kool-Aid-drinking Brian.”” Some fans though said it was wrong for the station to punish Mittan who is a “valuable community resource.””Joseph Howard, an Arden psychotherapist who practices in A
