Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Alan Berg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alan Berg (January, 1934 – June 18, 1984), was a Denver-based, Jewish liberal radio talk show host and former attorney.
Contents |
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Berg attended the University of Colorado at Denver before transferring to the University of Denver. At age 22, Berg was one of the youngest people to pass the Illinois bar examination, but job pressures and increasing alcohol dependence led to a series of neuromuscular seizures. Berg's first wife, Judith Halpern, convinced him to quit his Chicago law practice to seek medical help. They moved to Denver where Berg committed himself at St. Joseph's Hospital.
Alan Berg later opened a clothing store where he met Laurence Gross, a radio talk show host on KGMC, now called KWBZ. Impressed with Berg, Gross made him a special guest on several occasions. When Gross took a job in San Diego, Berg was hired as replacement at Gross's behest.
Unfortunately, Berg continued to be plagued by seizures. In 1976, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which presumably was the source of the seizures as he made a full recovery when it was removed.
In 1978, KWBZ changed to an all-music format; Berg, now unemployed, was courted by an Oklahoma City station, but instead went to Denver's WXYZ. He later moved to KOA, debuting on February 23, 1981.
Listeners in over thirty states heard Alan Berg's opinions about gun control, homosexuality, religion, and other controversial topics. They also heard his abrasive, confrontational debating style. Berg became notorious for upsetting callers who vociferously disagreed with him to the point of being unable to speak lucidly, at which point Berg would typically berate them for being unable to express themselves.
However, in the latter stages of his life, Berg did begin to tone down somewhat. But after he berated Ellen Kaplan on his show, KOA briefly suspended Berg as they feared possible repercussions. Upon his return, Berg was far less antagonistic.
On June 18, 1984, Alan Berg was shot thirteen times in the driveway of his home next to his Volkswagen Beetle. While no one was ever convicted of Berg's murder, a group called The Order, a white nationalist organization spawned by George Lincoln Rockwell's American Nazi Party, was suspected of being behind it. Ultimately, several members of The Order, most notably the getaway driver, David Lane, were convicted of conspiracy, as well as violations of Berg's civil rights and the RICO statutes. Lane was sentenced to what is essentially a life sentence.
During the trial, it was revealed that after receiving death threats from The Order, Berg (a gun control proponent) unsucessfully applied for a handgun permit with Denver Police Chief Ari Zavaras less than a year before his death. [1]
When asked about the assassination, David Lane, considered a hero and a prisoner of war among white nationalists, denied any involvement in Berg's death, but has repeatedly expressed no sorrow over it: "The only thing I have to say about Alan Berg is: regardless of who did it, he hasn't mouthed his hate whitey propaganda from his 50,000-watt Zionist pulpit for quite a few years."
Actor/writer/director Eric Bogosian adapted the story of Alan Berg's death into a play, which was later adapted into the Oliver Stone-directed 1988 film, Talk Radio. Berg's murder is the basis for Steven Dietz's 1988 play, God's Country, as well as the 1988 film, Betrayed.
- Singular, Stephen. Talked to Death: The Life and Murder of Alan Berg. New York: Beech Tree Books, 1987. ISBN 0-688-06154-0