CNN: Salem Radio Pressured Hosts On Trump Criticism

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Executives at Salem Media Group, which syndicates some of the country's most recognized talk radio hosts and operates a batch of popular commentary websites, pressured some of their radio talent to cover Donald Trump more favorably during the 2016 presidential campaign, emails obtained by CNNMoney show.

One former radio host employed by Salem is now speaking out on the record, claiming the company fired her because of her refusal to play along.

Elisha Krauss

According to CNN, it might not be unusual that a conservative-minded media organization would aim to support the Republican nominee. But the former host, Elisha Krauss, said she feels it's disingenuous to ostensibly hire hosts to be open about their views, only to pressure them behind the scenes to change.

For months, Krauss said, Salem executives explicitly pressured her to change how she treated Trump. Though Krauss said she praised Trump when she felt he deserved it, it ultimately wasn't enough. In January 2017, Krauss said, she was shell-shocked when a casual meeting with a company executive turned into her dismissal.

Krauss declined to discuss the details of her severance, but said the rest of her contract had been settled.

Phil Boyce

Krauss said Salem executives sat her down several times, including twice during the 2016 Republican National Convention, trying to encourage her to change her tone and questioning why she couldn't find anything positive to say about Trump. She believes her firing was "ideological," though she noted executives never explicitly told her that was why she was let go.

In a lengthy email, Phil Boyce, a senior vice president at Salem who was one of the executives in the emails urging Krauss to be more favorable toward Trump, told CNNMoney that Krauss was not let go because of her position on Trump. He said that "it should not surprise anybody" that Salem radio hosts often "support conservative candidates in elections" and explained that the company, which also operates the conservative Regnery publishing house, does "a lot of research on what our audience wants."

Ben Shapiro

"That research shows that our listeners want our hosts to support the President when he does well, and criticize him if and when he does or says something wrong," Boyce said.

One of the emails CNNMoney obtained was sent by Boyce in June of 2016, responding to what he said was Shapiro's request for guidance on the company's position on Trump.

Boyce wrote that "Salem has not taken an official position," but noted that the company's chief executive officer, Edward Atsinger, had made the case that supporting Trump was necessary to beat Hillary Clinton.

Shapiro, who remained intensely critical of Trump throughout the election, declined to comment.

Krauss now works with Shapiro at his podcast and website, "The Daily Wire."