Fargo TV political talk show host leaves before station vaccine mandate goes into effect
A longtime conservative political commentator at a Fargo-based TV station is out of a job after apparently refusing to accept the station's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Chris Berg, the host of KVLY's "Point of View," is no longer with Valley News Live. Valley News Live officials have not commented, with a manager telling Forum News Services that "we can't comment on staffing matters."
But the timing of Berg's departure aligns with the station's vaccine mandate, which was implemented by parent company Gray Television in August. The mandate gave managers until Sept. 15 to be fully vaccinated, while all other employers and guests were required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1.
"If you are making a decision about your own DNA, I am pro-choice, NOT anti-vaxx," Berg wrote in a tweet this week.
While Berg is out at Valley News Live, his voice will still be on the marquee in the Fargo-Moorhead market as he's accepted a job with local radio station 1100 AM The Flag, where he will host "The Chris Berg Show" weekdays from 4-5 p.m.
Off the air, Berg has an impressive history that includes being the starting quarterback for Fargo South High School, where he led the team to back-to-back state championships in 1989 and 1990. He went on to play football at Stanford and later Northern Iowa.
According to the Forum, Berg earned a degree in psychology from Stanford and wound up working with motivation speaker Tony Robbins, later taking his acting skills to appear "on a number of TV shows."
He had been hosting "Point of View" at Valley News Live since 2012.
Berg was also a sideline reporter for NDSU football TV broadcasts until he lost the job in 2012 after comparing U.S. House democratic candidate Pam Gulleson to Adolf Hitler.
"It's unfortunate to see such inappropriate rhetoric surrounding this debate, but I remain just as committed as ever to fighting to preserve Social Security and Medicare," Gulleson responded. "I will not be silenced on this issue that matters to so many North Dakota seniors and their families. Our greatest generation fought Hitler and his ilk, so I won't stop fighting for the programs that make sure that our greatest generation can retire with dignity."
