SEATTLE – A radio station Sunday denied a talk show host’s claim that he was fired because he criticized CBS newsman Dan Rather’s handling of challenges to the authenticity of memos about President Bush’s National Guard service.

KIRO-AM Radio, a CBS affiliate here, canceled “The Brian Maloney Show” because of scheduling conflicts, the station’s general manager said Sunday.

“The primary reason Brian Maloney’s show was canceled is because KIRO’s broadcasts of the Seattle Seahawks football games significantly reduces our Sunday talk lineup, and we felt the remaining time slots would be better filled by other hosts,” Ken Berry said in a statement.

He said several hosts at the station “have criticized and continue to criticize Rather and CBS with no interference from management.”

Mr. Berry initially declined to comment, saying the issue was a personnel matter.

Mr. Maloney, whose weekly show aired for three years on KIRO-AM Radio, said he was fired Friday after telling listeners on September 12 that “Rather should either retire or be forced out” over the memo controversy.

“What they have expressed is essentially that my show went in a direction they’re not comfortable with,” Mr. Maloney said Saturday.

Mr. Rather cited the memos, purportedly written by Bush’s late squadron commander, in a September 8 “60 Minutes II” segment. The memos indicated the commander was pressured to “sugar coat” Mr. Bush’s performance and that Mr. Bush ignored an order to take a physical.

Several document experts have said the memos look suspiciously like they were written on a computer, not a 1970s-era typewriter. Mr. Rather said September 10 that there was no definitive evidence of forgery.

On Wednesday, the network said it would work harder to address concerns about the memos.

KIRO Radio is affiliated with CBS but owned by Entercom, a national radio broadcasting company based in Bala Cynwyd, Pa.