Gantz denies meddling after Army Radio moves Netanyahu-backing anchor

Responding to a firestorm over Army Radio removing pundit Jacob Bardugo from a primetime slot, Defense Minister Benny Gantz denies meddling and indicates he’s more interested in removing Army Radio from the army.

“I’m working on advancing getting Army Radio out of the army,” he says of a push he has spearheaded to transfer the popular station out of the Defense Ministry, which currently owns and operates it with partially civilian staff. “I don’t touch the scheduling or assigning reporters or anchors.”

Gantz also points to the fact that he has not been interviewed on Army Radio for a year to prove that he is not using the station to advance political ends.

He describes the push to transfer the station as “complicated.”

On Thursday, Army Radio announced that Bardugo, a vocal supporter of opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, would stop hosting the daily 5 p.m. news show. Co-host Yaron Vilensky will continue to helm the broadcast, with more detailed reports during the time slot.

Bardugo, who was offered a different slot, instead resigned live on-air after reading a statement accusing the station of trying to silence him.

His removal has infuriated Netanyahu’s supporters, who see it as political meddling. The Knesset opposition announced that it will boycott the station.