Anchor Spun From Job for O'Reilly Protest

May 23, 2008 — -- Barry Nolan's opinion of Bill O'Reilly spun him right out of his job.

The fed-up TV newsman lost his anchor seat after protesting a decision by a New England media association to bestow its top journalism award on the Fox News anchor.

CN8, the television network owned and operated by Comcast, confirmed Thursday that Nolan -- a former "Hard Copy" host whose career in television spans decades -- will no longer co-anchor the network's program "Backstage."

"It could have been career suicide," Nolan said, convinced he'll land on his feet one way or another. "But I'm 61. A strong breeze could have ended that."

Beth Bacha, a CN8 spokeswoman, declined to comment on the circumstances of Nolan's firing. "As a matter of policy, CN8 cannot share detailed information on employment matters," she said.

But Nolan said he had an inkling the end may be near when he attended the May 10 New England Emmy Awards banquet, where he was nominated in the commentary category, armed with six-page handouts.

The handouts were a compilation of controversial quotations from the brash anchor along with salacious pages from a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against him.

Nolan said his protest began when he heard that the New England chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences was going to present its Governor's Award to O'Reilly, a graduate of Boston University who spent part of his early career in Boston. He has since gone on to national prominence with his show "The O'Reilly Factor," which draws millions of viewers nightly as the highest rated cable news shows -- on top of O'Reilly's radio and book success.

"I just thought it was appalling," Nolan told ABC News. "It had nothing to do with his political beliefs. He's entitled to his opinions. But to give the highest honor that this organization that I belong to can bestow strikes me as something that shocks the conscience."

Nolan said he objects to the commentator's bullying style, claiming that O'Reilly frequently bends the facts in order to get across what he described as venomous opinions. It's not the type of journalism that should be recognized in the profession for excellence, he said.

A Fox News spokesman said that O'Reilly is on vacation and was unavailable for comment.

Nolan started lobbying the board of governors in the New England chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and it let him know that it was not going to change course on the decision to honor O'Reilly.