This from a BBC report later the same day:
Talksport host Jon Gaunt has said he is "bemused" by the radio station's
decision to sack him for calling a local councillor a "Nazi" live on air.
A clue as to why they sacked him might well be the fact he called someone a Nazi and an "ignorant pig" ON AIR...
Gaunt has been called a "shock jock" by just about every station he's worked for - although this mis-uses, misunderstands and vitally discredits the value of "shock jocks". He isn't one at all, he's a rude, arrogant bully how shouts at his guests if they disagree or try to express another view. I've heard some appalling views expressed on TalkSport over the years, and the fact that listener complaints prompted the station to sack him really says something... "Shock jocks" get sacked for pushing boundaries too far... not for intimidating people with abusive language.
Even the hundreds of supporters that he says have been in contact - or even the "national celebrities" that have expressed support (his book has a nice comment from Anthea Turner on it, so maybe that's the level we're looking at) couldn't save him. And rightly so.
Supporting local causes on local radio - airing the public's views and allowing debate on these subjects is what he, rightly, came to fame for - he deservedly won a Sony Gold for coverage of Vauxhall's decision to close their factory in Luton while he was at BBC Three Counties Radio. Not this - controversial broadcasting is one thing - and shouldn't be discouraged. But there's a far better way than to initimdate, bully and scream.
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