NRA shuts down future production of NRATV: report

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has shut down production at NRATV, according to The New York Times.

The influential gun rights group also cut ties with Ackerman McQueen, its estranged advertising firm that operates the organization’s broadcasting media arm, according to interviews and documents reviewed by The Times.

{mosads}The NRA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

NRATV may continue to air past broadcasts, but its live programming and its on-air personalities will no longer be the NRA’s public faces. It was not immediately clear if the NRA may try to hire some employees over from NRATV.

“Many members expressed concern about the messaging on NRATV becoming too far removed from our core mission: defending the Second Amendment,” NRA chief Wayne LaPierre said in a message to members expected to be sent out by Wednesday. “So, after careful consideration, I am announcing that starting today, we are undergoing a significant change in our communications strategy. We are no longer airing ‘live TV’ programming.”

Ackerman in its own statement to The Times said it was “not surprised that the NRA is unwilling to honor its agreement to end our contract and our long-standing relationship in an orderly and amicable manner.”

The closure comes after a messy legal clash between the NRA and Ackerman McQueen that leaked into the public sphere and resulted in a divorce.

Tensions began to boil when Ackerman McQueen claimed in a letter to the NRA board that NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre charged the agency nearly a quarter million dollars in expenses relating to international travel. 

The NRA responded with a lawsuit against Ackerman McQueen in April, saying the agency refused to provide records to support its billings and seeking details regarding the agency’s contract with then-NRA president Oliver North. 

Beyond the battle with Ackerman, the NRA was struggling with a behind-the-scenes leadership clash between North and LaPierre. North later left his post after the feud with LaPierre and legal battle with Ackerman were publicized.

The NRA media arm had also faced fiscal difficulties, laying off several employees last year following a $55 million revenue drop.