Matt Jones is off Kentucky Sports Radio for the foreseeable future. The decision comes after a complaint from the Republican Party of Kentucky, accusing Jones of violating regulations by accepting campaign contributions from corporations. The owner, founder and host of Kentucky Sports Radio has been considering a run for senate as a Democratic candidate against Republican Mitch McConnell in 2020.
“Matt Jones must be held accountable immediately for misusing multiple platforms paid for by his corporate sponsors to unlawfully promote his US Senate candidacy,” said RPK Chairman J. McCauley Brown. “RPK’s complaint is an important first step in stopping Jones’ flagrant failure to comply with federal regulations, and we urge the FEC to deliver a swift and strong penalty.”
“The complaint is absolute nonsense and very disappointing from someone as powerful as McConnell,” Jones responded via his KSR blog. “I have said repeatedly in public and in filings with the FEC that I am not yet a candidate and I haven’t used the show to raise money or talk about my Exploratory Committee in any way. Nevertheless Senator McConnell has complained that having me on air is unfair and the man who speaks often about the importance of free speech and the exchange of public ideas has decided to cut off mine.”
In response to the Republican Party complaint, iHeartMedia, which owns KSR’s more than 35 affiliates, asked Jones to take a radio sabbatical.
Jones planned on stepping away from KSR within the next few weeks to make a decision on whether or not he should run against McConnell, but the Republican Party complaint sends the radio host off-air sooner than expected. If Jones chooses not to run, he plans on returning to KSR and extending his partnership with iHeart.
This isn’t the first time politics got in the way of a media gig for Jones. During the summer, Jones was removed from his evening TV show on WLEX, Hey Kentucky! Part of the reason for Jones’ TV dismissal was a book he’s currently writing, Mitch, Please! How Mitch McConnell Sold Out Kentucky (and America too), taking aim at Kentucky’s Senior United States Senator as he bids for his seventh term.
Last week, while the demise of Deadspin was in full force, many KSR listeners reached out to Jones, questioning if he could continue to intersect sports and politics.
“The difference is I still own KSR,” Jones responded while talking about Deadspin “Part of the reason 15 years later we haven’t sold [KSR] is because I don’t want, on that, to have a boss. I want to be able to do what we want to do. It’s the one thing we have where we can do whatever [we want].”
“As soon as you go to your corporate overlords, all of a sudden the entire thing that made that website what it was, they might take it away,” Jones added. One week later, Jones’ radio show was taken away from him.
The situations are different, but Jones being forced to go radio silent one week after he expressed the importance of keeping the brand’s editorial control is interesting timing.
KSR will continue as a syndicated radio show with their regular co-hosts and contributors, less Matt Jones. Ryan Lemond, Drew Franklin and Shannon The Dude are expected to continue KSR for the interim.
As Jones continues to ponder a run for Senate, another media member, former college football coach and ESPN analyst Tommy Tuberville is in the midst of a campaign. Tuberville entered the 2020 Republican primary for the U.S. Senate in Alabama earlier this year.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.
