Kansas Public Radio won’t count on Salina lawmaker for radiothons

It’s doubtful Rep. J.R. Claeys has sent a donation check to Pyongyang recently, but watching his words more closely would be advisable after saying last week he’d give money to North Korea before supporting Kansas Public Radio.

The Salina Republican responded to a KPR fundraising tweet by tweeting he’d sooner give to “DPRK News” because its propaganda is “under duress.” DPRK is an acronym for North Korea.

Claeys later expressed surprise that anyone would question his statement, calling Kansas Public Radio a “taxpayer-funded communications arm of the Democrat Party.”

Kansas Public Radio is made up of stations in six eastern Kansas cities. It started as KANU on the University of Kansas campus in 1952.

Public radio such as NPR and KPR are often thought of as left-leaning, but a look at KPR’s schedule offers something for everybody. That includes “KPR Presents,” a series of interviews and lectures that has featured Republican notables Donald Rumsfeld and Nancy Kassebaum Baker.

Next time Claeys wants to troll Kansas Public Radio, we suggest chilling out by listening some of KPR’s soothing jazz or classical sounds.

This story was originally published September 11, 2017 at 10:17 AM with the headline "Kansas Public Radio won’t count on Salina lawmaker for radiothons."