Livingston

        Nate Livingston's boss at WDBZ-AM (1230) disputed his claim that the African-American talk station cut deal with Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken that meant talk hosts would not criticize the mayor.

        “It didn't happen. I was at the same meeting that Nate was, and that was never said — that there's any type of a deal,” said Lincoln Ware, WDBZ-AM program director and talk host.

        Mr. Livingston, 32, a local African-American activist, made the allegation after he was fired as the 3-5 p.m. weekday talk host on Friday.

        According to Mr. Livingston, WDBZ-AM owner Ross Love held a staff meeting in April, after Timothy Thomas was killed by a Cincinnati police officer, and said he was working on an agreement with Mr. Luken not to criticize the mayor, who is up for re-election. The meeting was before the mayor announced the Cincinnati Community Action Now (CAN) race commission, to which Mr. Love was appointed.

        “The meeting was before the formation of CAN. That's what led me to believe this is a bribe, but I don't have the actual notation,” Mr. Livingston said Monday.

        At that April meeting, according to Mr. Livingston, talk hosts also were told not to criticize African-American members of Cincinnati City Council. When Mr. Livingston later criticized the Rev. Damon Lynch III on the air, the list was expanded to include “all black leaders,” he said.

        Last Tuesday, Mr. Livingston wrote a memo to Mr. Love threatening to present the deal allegation to law enforcement. He was fired three days later. Over the weekend, he said he would file a suit against the station, citing the Ohio Whistle Blower's Act, under which an employee can't be fired for bringing improprieties to an employer's attention.

        On Monday, he seemed to back down from his threat to sue. While “still pulling together” information for a suit, he also was contemplating seeking a third party to negotiate his reinstatement at “the Buzz.”

        Steve Love, WDBZ-AM general manager and brother of owner Ross Love, said Monday: “We had the opportunity to terminate his contract at any given time, and that's what we did Friday. I can't make any further comments.”

        Mr. Livingston signed a one-year contract in October. It contained a “no compete” clause that prevents him from working at another station.

        But he can be a guest on talk shows, which he will do twice today — at 11 a.m. on rival WCIN-AM (1480) and at 12:30 p.m. with Bill Cunningham on WLW-AM (700). He plans to discuss his Cincinnati City Council candidacy, not his firing. Mr. Livingston said he has 125 signatures on petitions as an independent council candidate. He also revealed Monday that he “had some conversations with the Charter Party committee” about his candidacy before being fired.

        During his 10 months on WDBZ-AM, Mr. Livingston was very critical of black and white city leaders: Mayor Luken, Police Chief Thomas Streicher; Assistant Police Chief Ronald Twitty; City Councilwoman Alicia Reece; and the Rev. Mr. Lynch, president of the Cincinnati Black United Front.

        “Nate has had it in for Luken ever since (Mr. Luken) came back into politics,” Mr. Ware said. The mayor was Channel 5 news anchor from 1995 to 1999. Other incidents involving Mr. Livingston:

        • In September, he was arrested for jumping onto the Fountain Square stage during Mr. Luken's speech opening Oktoberfest.

        • In October, he was suspended for several days by WDBZ-AM for personal attacks on the Rev. Mr. Lynch.

        • Last winter, Ms. Reece complained to the station about Mr. Livingston's “personal vendetta” after he broadcast her home address. “For three weeks, he said that Roger Owensby died on my porch step,” said Ms. Reece, referring to the man asphyxiated in Cincinnati Police custody as officers tried to arrest him last November.

        • In May, he marched with protesters at Taste of Cincinnati, while WDBZ-AM broadcast from the festival. “He was protesting against us,” Mr. Ware said.

        Mr. Livingston was known as a loose cannon before WDBZ-AM hired him. In 1997, while guest hosting on WLW-AM after two Cincinnati police officers were killed, Mr. Livingston told listeners to “go kill” Joe Deters, then Hamilton County prosecutor.

        “If people have a beef with Joe Deters and they choose to use violence, which we don't advocate, don't kill a police officer, go kill the prosecutor,” he said on WLW-AM on Dec. 19, 1997.

        After that, he was “banned from 700 (WLW-AM),” he said. “They wouldn't let me be on (as a host), and wouldn't let me call in.”

        When “the Buzz” was launched in August, Mr. Ware offered Mr. Livingston his first paid radio job.

        “You give a guy a shot when nobody else would, and he turns around and bites you,” Mr. Ware said. “In my 28 years in radio, I've never seen such disrespect for management and ownership.”

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