Milwaukee Radio: Sponsor Pulls Ads After WISN Rant

Vicki McKenna

A Madison health care firm has decided to pull the plug on talk radio host Vicki McKenna. Her show airs on WISN 1130 AM in Milwaukee and WIBA 1310 AM in Madison.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin said Friday that it is dropping all of its funding from McKenna's Madison radio station in response to her comments about the protests in Kenosha.

"There should be some consequences," said Allan Wearing, chief business development officer of Group Health Cooperative. "This was over the top."

On her Wednesday show, McKenna came to the defense of Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch, Illinois, who was charged Thursday with intentional and reckless homicide in shootings at a Kenosha protest Tuesday that killed two people and injured a third person. The 17-year-old was charged as an adult under Wisconsin law.

McKenna said Rittenhouse was acting in self-defense.  Beyond that, the veteran talk show host also encouraged "patriots" and "militia" members to get their guns and ammo and head to Kenosha to defend life and property.

"By the way, where are all the patriots who brag on Facebook, 'Hey, bring it, baby! Lock and load!' Where the hell were you last night?" McKenna asked. She continued, "Have you cleaned your guns lately? Do you have enough ammo?"

Group Health Cooperative has a package deal with iHeartRadio to air ads on its AM and FM stations in Madison, Wearing said. He said he informed the station owner that it wanted to pull all of his firm's advertising from WIBA.