Live Wire: The Loud Life and Shocking Murder of Alan Berg

Decades after his shocking murder, Alan Berg was mostly forgotten, even among the people of Denver who had fallen in love with his radio show. That tide turned in 2022 when the Denver Press Club finally inducted him into their Hall of Fame. But what took so long? And what could Alan Berg have become had his life not ended so tragically and so abruptly? All that and more is explored in our final episode. 

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After their leader is killed in a violent firefight with federal agents, the remaining members of the Order come together to stand trial in a Seattle courtroom. For the first time, Alan Berg's friends and colleagues are privy to all the details of exactly who killed this titan of talk radio and the lengths they went to in order to track him down. And one particular detail in the prosecution's case truly shocks the staff at KOA radio in Denver, revealing that at one point a member of the Order actually walked amongst them.

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Following the discovery of the weapon used to murder Alan Berg, Wayne Manis and the FBI close in on the Order's leader, Robert Mathews. Their attempt to bring Mathews to justice culminates in a violent and fiery exchange on Whidbey Island, Washington. And the details of that standoff between Mathews and authorities proved just as startling as the decision made by Denver's district attorney, Norman Early.

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Following the shocking murder of popular radio host Alan Berg, local law enforcement in Denver went weeks without much of a lead. But all that changed when an armored car was held up hundreds of miles away in Ukiah, California. A single piece of evidence from that brazen robbery swiftly cracked the case wide open, with FBI agent Wayne Manis uncovering a direct link between Berg's murder and a violent organization no one had heard of up to that point.

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In the wake of the shocking assassination of Alan Berg, KOA staff were forced to balance mourning their friend with the task of reporting his murder. All while the Denver Police Department struggled to find any leads. As station manager Lee Larsen worked to maintain calm and order at KOA, his producers got to work finding out who could have committed this crime. And eventually the case broke wide open in a way nobody could have expected.

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As the biggest name in Denver talk radio, Alan Berg knew a thing or two about which topics got callers and listeners riled up. And nothing got the phonelines buzzing quite like the nexus between religion and race. That realization inspired Berg to invite a number of high-profile white supremacist leaders onto his show. It's a formula that earned Berg plenty of enemies. So many that his shocking 1984 murder left Denver police absolutely perplexed.

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As his show begins to reach a critical mass, heated discussions on race inspire a new level of fury in both Berg and his guests. Particularly when leading figures in the emerging white nationalist movement become frequent guests on his program. It all leads to ratings so impressive that 60 Minutes comes to Denver to interview Alan. But as the discussions grow more fiery, Alan Berg becomes a bigger target.

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Firmly established as the most popular voice on Denver radio, Alan Berg proved to be an incredibly shrewd businessman. Especially when it came to working with sponsors, even if he did occasionally go rogue when reading ads live on the air. Covering topics ranging from politics to sex to his beloved dog, Alan refused to hold back on the radio. But that outspoken nature would slowly make him a target.

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After overcoming alcoholism, epilepsy and a failed legal career to become one of the most popular radio voices in Denver, Alan Berg suddenly needed a job. And he landed in the perfect place at KOA, one of the city's biggest and most prestigious radio stations. But Berg didn't take the awesome opportunity lightly, engaging and antagonizing listeners and callers at every turn. Especially when it came to religion.

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He was the man you loved to hate. A pioneering radio personality who was adored by some, despised by others. And he was poised to become one of the biggest stars in radio before his shocking, violent murder outside his home in 1984. This series tracks the unique origin story and meteoric rise of Alan Berg, along with the unthinkable details that his murder investigation eventually revealed.

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