Referring to KPRC as “the fourth-place TV station in Houston,” local conservative talk radio host Michael Berry lashed out at the NBC-affiliate during his show on Tuesday for a series of reports the station aired last week about his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run outside of a gay bar.
“It’s a smear campaign on me,” Berry said, before addressing KPRC directly. “I am your rival in the media… you will not smear my name and me go down without a fight.”
Last week, KPRC began reporting on Berry’s alleged involvement in an accident that occurred outside of a local gay bar. The station’s coverage was bolstered by surveillance video showing Berry having a beer at the bar and then leaving alone.
“Saying ‘gay bar’ and ‘conservative talk show host’ is too awesome for a news station to pass up because conservatives hate gays–or so we are told,” Berry told listeners.
A bouncer at the bar is accusing Berry of bashing into his parked car on January 31st, leaving a significant dent. The bouncer wrote down Berry’s license plate number but didn’t contact police until days after the accident.
Berry has not been charged in the incident, although Houston police continue to investigate.
“The allegations have people talking, not only because of the alleged crime, but also because Berry, a conservative, was inside a gay bar at 11 p.m. on a Tuesday,” KPRC reported last week (video here).
Here’s a recording of Berry’s Tuesday radio show, in which he addresses the allegations for the first time publicly and attacks KPRC…
Following the show, Berry posted a photo on his blog of KPRC’s Stephen Dean, who has been covering the incident, along with a YouTube clip from “Anchorman” in which Steve Carell’s character admits to being “mentally retarded.”
[h/t Houston Chronicle]