Rogers Media says radio host fired after ‘deeply hurtful’ transgender comments
Posted Jul 18, 2018 9:00 am.
Last Updated Jul 18, 2018 9:40 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WINNIPEG – A Winnipeg radio host has been fired following on-air comments about the transgender community.
Rogers Media says Dave Wheeler is no longer with the company, effective immediately.
Spokeswoman Andrea Goldstein says that despite “multiple disciplinary incidents, and in spite of numerous conversations, he has continued to offend our audiences. As a result, we have ended our relationship.”
Wheeler was initially suspended from his popular morning show on 92.1 CITI FM on Tuesday, the day after he compared transgender people to actors who “pretend to be different things.”
The comments were followed by backlash on social media, while several advertisers said they would pull their advertising from the station.
Goldstein said Wheeler’s comments were “deeply hurtful and damaging, and we sincerely apologize.”
“This type of behaviour contradicts our standards and our core values, where diversity and inclusion are paramount,” Goldstein said in a Rogers Media statement.
