Alan Berg
From Free net encyclopedia
Alan Berg was a liberal Jewish talk radio host in Denver, Colorado, who broadcast his program on KOA 850 AM. The station's powerful signal allowed listeners in over thirty states of the United States to hear Berg's opinions on gun control, homosexuality, religion, and other controversial topics. Berg had a dedicated audience, and was known for his often abrasive, confrontational debates with those who participated in his program via telephone.
On June 18, 1984, Berg was gunned down in the driveway of his home, allegedly by three members of The Order, a white supremacist group. No one was ever convicted on murder charges, although several were convicted of violating his civil rights.
When asked about the assassination, David Lane, a member of The Order who had called Berg's KOA show, responded: "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."
Lane, the getaway driver, was not convicted of murder, but for violations of Alan Berg's civil rights and racketeering. Lane's sentence was 40 years for the racketeering charges and 150 years for the civil right violations. Lane is considered a prisoner of war by white supremacists.
The events were later dramatized in multiple ways. Eric Bogosian adapted the story of Berg's death into a play and later a film made by Oliver Stone titled Talk Radio. Berg's assassination and the consequent trial form the core of Steven Dietz's 1988 play God's Country.