Bernard McGuirk
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Bernard J. McGuirk (October 26, 1957 – October 5, 2022) was an American radio personality. He was host at WABC in
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alongside
Sid Rosenberg Sidney Ferris Rosenberg (born April 19, 1967) is an American radio personality. He is currently the host of ''Sid and Friends in the Morning'' and "Sid Sports Sunday" plus sports reporter on 77 WABC in New York City. Career Rosenberg is known f ...
. He was born and raised in the
South Bronx, New York The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Mott Haven, Melrose, and Port Morris. In the early 1900s, the South Bronx was ori ...
, where he worked in his younger years as a taxi driver."Imus Producer Bernard McGuirk Speaks Out"
FOXNews.com, April 27, 2007.


Background

McGuirk was an alum of Cardinal Hayes High School. He worked in radio and television since 1986 after he graduated from
College of Mount Saint Vincent A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering v ...
in the Riverdale section of the
Bronx, New York The Bronx () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York. It is south of Westchester County, New York, Westchester County; north and east of the ...
. He was best known for his long run as the
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
of ''
Imus in the Morning ''Imus in the Morning'' was a long-running radio show hosted by Don Imus. The show originated on June 2, 1968, on various stations in the Western United States and Cleveland, Ohio before settling on WNBC radio in New York City in 1971. In Octob ...
'', a show that was nationally syndicated from 1993 until its end in 2018.


Controversies


Tim Cook "religious bigot" controversy

On April 1, 2015, during the ''Imus in the Morning'' show on Fox Business, McGuirk called Apple CEO
Tim Cook Timothy Donald Cook (born November 1, 1960) is an American business executive who has been the chief executive officer of Apple Inc. since 2011. Cook previously served as the company's chief operating officer under its co-founder Steve Jobs. ...
a "bigot hypocrite" for "running his mouth" about the subject of the religious freedom Indiana law passed the month prior.
McGuirk: There is a lot of hypocrisy. First of all, Governor Cuomo tells all his state employees don't go to Indiana but he's going to Cuba where gay marriage is illegal and they maybe throw you in jail. You have this hypocrite, this bigot hypocrite, Tim Cook, who is running his mouth about the whole thing.
McShane: The Apple CEO?
McGuirk: Yeah. He sells products to Iran. He sells products to Saudi Arabia where they execute people if they're gay.
McDowell: A hypocrite maybe, but a bigot?
McGuirk: A religious bigot, yeah. He won't allow these religious people to exercise their freedom.
McShane: That seems too strong to me.
McGuirk: It does seem strong but in my opinion it happens to be accurate. If he doesn't allow this Orthodox Jewish guy to refuse service...the point of the law is to allow him to exempt himself from a certain situation.
McShane: This will end up back in the Supreme Court somewhere.
McGuirk: And the governor of Connecticut. Meanwhile the state has the same law.
McShane: But I think there is a difference in the law in terms...there are small differences in these laws. Some of these state laws are just to protect you against the government not against another person. So there are differences in those state laws.
McGuirk: Gay rights and religious freedom are not mutually exclusive. They both can exist in the same universe and compromises have to be made. That's just the way we work things out in this country. Tim Cook has to put his money where his mouth is. If he really feels that way, stop marketing Apple products in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Nigeria where they not only dump on women and treat them as second class citizens but as I said they would execute gay people.


Jill Carroll

On the ''Imus in the Morning'' show, McGuirk was not known to shy away from saying whatever was on his mind, and always in a heavily accented "Brooklyn cabdriver" deadpan that seemed both to amuse and horrify Imus in equal measure. Imus's sidekick,
Charles McCord Charles McCord (born c. 1942 in Joplin, Missouri) is an American former news anchor and radio personality most notable for his association with ''Imus in the Morning'' for over three decades. Career In his early career, McCord worked as a copy writ ...
, often played the role of the instigator, doing his best to egg on McGuirk. For example, after the release of ''
The Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles in electronic format as well as a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 as a daily newspaper ...
'' reporter
Jill Carroll Jill Carroll (born October 6, 1977) is an American former journalist who worked for news organizations such as ''The Wall Street Journal'', MSNBC, and the ''Christian Science Monitor''. On January 7, 2006 while working for the ''Monitor'', she wa ...
, who was kidnapped in Iraq, McGuirk stated: "She strikes me as the kind of woman who would wear one of those suicide vests. You know, walk into the tent or try and sneak into the Green Zone.


Cardinals O'Connor and Egan

The son of Irish immigrants and an altar boy in his youth, McGuirk did impersonations of
John Cardinal O'Connor John Joseph O'Connor (January 15, 1920 – May 3, 2000) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of New York from 1984 until his death in 2000, and was made a cardinal in 1985. He previously served as a U. ...
and Edward Cardinal Egan (both Archbishops of New York) in which he "fashions an oversize FedEx envelope into a cone on his head ... Using a high-pitched Irish brogue ... the producer-as-cardinal said on the March 16 installment of the show that 'the only thing
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
has in common with the late great President
John Fitzgerald Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
, God rest his soul, is that they both enjoyed extramarital affairs with women.'"


U.S. President Barack Obama

Regarding Presidential aspirant
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
, McGuirk stated: "He's a neophyte, no experience. It's all because he's half black, it's patronizing, he's Oprah's guy." After Imus tried to interrupt him, McGuirk went on again to say it was patronizing to support Obama, and referred to him as a "jug-eared neophyte".


Satanist controversy

On January 9, 2014, during a debate on ''
Imus in the Morning ''Imus in the Morning'' was a long-running radio show hosted by Don Imus. The show originated on June 2, 1968, on various stations in the Western United States and Cleveland, Ohio before settling on WNBC radio in New York City in 1971. In Octob ...
'' about a group erecting a statue of
Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...
next to a sign of the
Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
, McGuirk advocated that "They should be able to put the statue up, and then they should be shot right next to it, and then we take it down." McGuirk subsequently apologized, claiming that his comments were "rooted in ignorance".


Rutgers basketball controversy

McGuirk played a role in an on-air incident on April 4, 2007 that caused a nationwide controversy and ultimately led to both him and Imus being fired. During a discussion of the
Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
women's basketball team, Imus characterized the players as "rough girls with tattoos". McGuirk responded in his familiar "urban-speak" vernacular by referring to them as "hardcore hos". The ensuing "urban-speak" conversation involved Imus describing the girls as "nappy-headed hos" and McGuirk wondering if Imus meant to imply that the two teams looked like something out of
Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...
's film ''
School Daze ''School Daze'' is a 1988 American musical comedy-drama film, written and directed by Spike Lee, and starring Laurence Fishburne (credited as Larry Fishburne), Giancarlo Esposito, and Tisha Campbell. Based in part on Spike Lee's experiences a ...
'', the "jigaboos versus the wannabes"; apparently referring to the two teams' differing appearances. Imus said "Yeah." On April 11, 2007, MSNBC announced that it would immediately stop simulcasting the show. Originally, both CBS and MSNBC had announced a two-week suspension of the program. The next day, CBS fired Imus and canceled ''Imus in the Morning'', effective immediately. CBS President and Chief Executive Officer
Leslie Moonves Leslie Roy Moonves (; born October 6, 1949) is an American media executive who was the chairman and CEO of CBS Corporation from 2003 until his resignation in September 2018 following numerous allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and ...
stated:
From the outset, I believe all of us have been deeply upset and revulsed by the statements that were made on our air about the young women who represented Rutgers University in the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship with such class, energy and talent. There has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society. That consideration has weighed most heavily on our minds as we made our decision.
The day before, CBS chairman
Sumner Redstone Sumner Murray Redstone ( Rothstein; May 27, 1923 – August 11, 2020) was an American billionaire businessman and media magnate. He was the founder and chairman of the second incarnation of Viacom which was dissolved in 2019 (a year before Redsto ...
said he trusted Moonves would "do the right thing", but didn't elaborate. McGuirk was noticeably absent the following week when other Imus contributors, including newsman Charles McCord and sportscaster Chris Carlin, were on the air with the WFAN replacement team of
Mike Francesa Michael Patrick Francesa (born March 20, 1954) is an American sports-radio talk-show host. Together with Chris Russo, he launched ''Mike and the Mad Dog'' in 1989 on WFAN in New York City, which ran until 2008 and is one of the most successful s ...
and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo. McGuirk was fired by WFAN on April 19, 2007.


After WFAN

On April 26, 2007, McGuirk appeared on the
Fox News Channel The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
program ''
Hannity & Colmes ''Hannity & Colmes'' was a live television show on Fox News in the United States, hosted by Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes, who respectively presented a conservative and liberal perspective. The series premiered on October 7, 1996, and the final epi ...
'' to discuss his dismissal. On May 14, 2007, he reappeared on the program to debate
Al Sharpton Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights activist, Baptist minister, talk show host and politician. Sharpton is the founder of the National Action Network. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic ...
on the events that led to the cancellation of the ''Imus in the Morning'' program. On May 2, 2007, McGuirk made a guest appearance on
Jay Severin James Thompson Severino III (January 8, 1951 – July 7, 2020), known professionally as Jay Severin, was an American political talk radio personality and Republican political consultant. Severin worked mostly in Boston, at WTKK (now WBQT) and a ...
's radio program. Although there was some speculation in the media that the sometimes controversial station might be auditioning McGuirk for a job, executives of
WTKK WTKK (106.1 FM), known as "106.1 WTKK, More Stimulating Talk Radio", is a radio station that is licensed to Knightdale, North Carolina and serves the Raleigh-Durham media market (also known as the Research Triangle). WTKK airs a talk radio f ...
denied that this was the case.
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
talk radio station
WRKO WRKO (680 AM) is a commercial news/talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly ho ...
scheduled McGuirk to appear as a co-host with
Thomas Finneran Thomas Michael "Tom" Finneran (born January 27, 1950), is a radio talk host and former Massachusetts Democratic politician who served as Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from April 1996 to September 2004. He represented the ...
from May 23, 2007 to May 25, 2007, but canceled the appearance reportedly due to public criticism. McGuirk was also a weekly guest on ''
The O'Reilly Factor ''The O'Reilly Factor'' (originally titled ''The O'Reilly Report'' and also known as ''The Factor'') is an American cable television news and talk show. ''The O'Reilly Factor'' first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7 ...
'', appearing on the segment ''What the Heck Just Happened?'' with
Greg Gutfeld Greg is a masculine given name, and often a shortened form of the given name Gregory. Greg (more commonly spelled " Gregg") is also a surname. People with the name *Greg Abbott (disambiguation), multiple people *Greg Abel (born 1961/1962), Canadi ...
.


Return to WABC

McGuirk returned to the airwaves with Imus on December 3, 2007. Along with serving as the executive producer, he also had an on-air role. The program was heard on WABC in New York as well being nationally syndicated on stations owned by or affiliated with the
ABC Radio Network Cumulus Media Networks was an American radio network owned and operated by Cumulus Media. From 2011 until its merger with Westwood One, it controlled many of the radio assets formerly belonging to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which w ...
and was also seen on the
Fox Business Network Fox Business (officially known as Fox Business Network, or FBN) is an American business news channel and website publication owned by the Fox News Media division of Fox Corporation. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios at 1211 Avenue ...
. McGuirk was one of several people who rotated hosting of the post-Imus midday slot from May to October 2010 on WABC, a job that eventually went to
Joe Crummey Joe Crummey is a conservative American talk show host. He hosted a local political talk show on WABC radio in New York City, in the 10 a.m. to noon slot between the syndicated Imus in the Morning and Rush Limbaugh programs, from October 11, 201 ...
. In early 2016, McGuirk partnered with Sid Rosenberg to host a morning radio talk show on WABC, called ''The Bernie and Sid Show'', which became the replacement show when Imus retired on March 29, 2018. The show aired for more than four years, until McGuirk's death.


Personal life and death

McGuirk was married with two children and resided in
Long Beach, New York Long Beach is an oceanfront Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County in New York (state), New York, United States. It takes up a central section of the Long Beach Barrier Island, which is the weste ...
. In 2021, McGuirk was diagnosed with advanced
prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...
. According to WABC personality
Curtis Sliwa Curtis Sliwa (; born March 26, 1954) is an American activist, radio talk show host and founder and chief executive officer of the Guardian Angels, a nonprofit organization for unarmed crime prevention. Sliwa was the Republican nominee for the 2 ...
, McGuirk continued to work despite going through
chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...
, and dealing with bouts of
appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...
and
pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
. McGuirk died on October 5, 2022, of cancer which had metastasized to his brain.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McGuirk, Bernard 1957 births 2022 deaths American radio personalities American impressionists (entertainers) People from the Bronx Comedians from New York (state) College of Mount Saint Vincent alumni American taxi drivers