Remembering the way Hollywood remembers Alan Berg

Twenty-five years ago today, KOA talk-show host Alan Berg was murdered in his driveway by members of a white-supremacist group called The Order -- and as the Denver Post points out in a front-page story today, the act feels all too resonant thanks to this month's slaying of a security...

By Michael Roberts

June 18, 2009

Audio By Carbonatix

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Twenty-five years ago today, KOA talk-show host Alan Berg was murdered in his driveway by members of a white-supremacist group called The Order -- and as the Denver Post points out in a front-page story today, the act feels all too resonant thanks to this month's slaying of a security guard at Washington D.C.'s Holocaust Memorial Museum by an elderly, gun-wielding anti-Semite.

Judging by the trailer on view above, 1988's Talk Radio, the 1988 Oliver Stone film inspired by Berg, isn't nearly as current. Based on a play by star Eric Bogosian and Stephen Singular's book Talked to Death: The Life and Murder of Alan Berg, the movie features Alec Baldwin a good many suit sizes ago, as well as a pre-Scrubs John McGinley, as employees at a radio station that smacks of opulence and prosperity -- a golden era compared to the tough times being experienced by the industry today. Look back by clicking above.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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