Beat The Press Will Discuss DePetro's Suspension on Friday Night Ch.2

[Casablance]

Emily Rooney announced tonight that Friday's "Beat The Press" will discuss John DePerto's suspension from WRKO for calling Matt Amarillo a F-* -G.

Still, say he is giving Entercon exactly what they want as did Dennis and Callahan with the "Metco Monkey" remark.

Wonder how Dennis or Callhan would have reacted if they had been called any number of derogatory names for people of Irish decent or DePetro for people of Italian decent.

Wonder how fast any of them would have taken to hit the delete button.

 

[Nik2.0]

Well the difference between the two in my mind is this; And bare in mind I am a proud black man yet I dont think that D & C actually REALIZED that when they said "he's a Metco gorilla" where it would lead. I doubt that they were fully aware of the racial conotation involved there, white people have become so bored with claims of racism by certain groups that unless it's so over the top thatit cannot be ignored then it is difficult for many white people to acknowledge.meaning, that is just not the way that most white people think sad but true, they dont usually see something as "racist" unless it's patently racist like the "N" word. I have friends on air who i would consider quite liberal when the D and C thing happened said things to me like " what they said wasnt that bad though was it? I dont see it" not because they're bad people or insensitive... it's just that they dont understand how that would be considered racist because it's not "the N word" and Dennis and Callahan neither being rhodes schollars,......I truly dont think they were even conscious of it being as deeply racially tinged as it was, I say this not because I think they're good guys but because I dont think they're very sharp to the nuances of most things outside of their blue collar bubble.

Depetro on the other hand, well "f*G" is generally known to be offensive but there has been a softening of the word in recent years, Eminem citing it as his interpretation of "taking away someone's manhood" rather than there being any conotation of one's sexual orientation connected to it. I doubt that would fly with most of the gay community but not being Gay I cant speak for them, however it's a pretty obvious slur as opposed to Dennis and Callahan who made what I and most blacks see as an obvious racial slur but most whites not being aware of the long history of prejudice where blacks were likened to apes and sub human species,...I guuess if you're not of a certain age you probably dont know about those comparisons because they've died down A BIT and are really part of the old guard of the racist agenda. Emily Rooney should bring her father in for this discussion, anyone remember a few years ago when Andy Rooney on "60 minutes" listed the things that hhe thought were weakening the fabric of American culture and most were pretty harmless and indicative of what an old codger he is, things like women weraing denim blue jeans and high heels, but in the middle of his litany of things he felt were destroying America he blurts out "Homosexual unions" etc,..........YIKES! You just go "my god how did his producer let that get on the air"? he's just joined the all star team with Jimmy The Greek and Al Campanas!. Yet a brief apology a few weeks later and old Andy is still on air every Sunday night basically bitching for a huge living.... what a great gig for an old man!

So while the debate rages on, the coverage will do nothing more than increase RKO's cume, probably a decent number of Gay people will tune in out of curiousity to see what the hub bub is about. EIther way Depetro is not going anywhere and tthe added pub will no doubt help the station overal in the long ruun, unless any advertisers pull then that is the only problem that they may encounter but I think if you advertise on RKo you know what you're getting into. If you're a lumber yard you know who you're trying to reach, guys who use Lumber in their work who probably use the word "f*g" like most people use "hello", or if you're Gold bond powder for example you're trying to get to an older demo, so you're going to go to rko.

 

[Casablance]

Sad but true. As Gene Burns says.' you learn your prejudices at the dinner table'. Chances are if your parents were bigots or racially insensitive you will be too. I already hear the undercurrent, mostly from white Irish Catholic men who might usually be considered liberal or at least not conservative that they would not vote for Deval Patrick because he is Black. Pure stupidity. A few weeks ago a neighbor stopped me as I was driving by to tell me that he thought an "African American Family" had moved in a block or two away. Knowing he fit the above stereotype I said to him, 'Well, yes, I see many African Americans in our church now.' We both go to the same Roman Catholic church. That was not the response he was expecting and he just walked away befuddled that I did not respond in kind to his covert , or not so covert racism. Guess I really would have knocked him down if I told him that Jesus was a practicing Jew...

 

[Nik2.0]

Gene Burns is right more often than most. There is always a bit of a disconnect where most black people realize that on the whole white people dont want to see racism a lot of the time, sometimes it's because it's uncomfortable, none of us want to imagine that those that we care about could be "racist" so it's tough to acknowledge, and tiresome to a good many who Im sure are tired of hearing those minorities whine about everything. Conversely Im sure most white people think Blacks see racism EVERYWHERE, even when it's not there, when it may be an instance of simple misunderstanding, or if there are situations where you didnt get the job becasue YOU JUST WERENT GOOD ENOUGH, they werent even thinking about your being black you just werent the guy, but history has taught us that it's not always about that, in fact it's not often about that its more about people hiring those who they are most comfortabele around and that tends to be those who remind them of themselves.

Now the gay community has shown itself to be a little over sensitive as well at times, while their lifestyle tends to appear to be very foreign to most red blooded hetero sexual Americans that does not mean that they're disliked BECAUSE of their lifestyle. the problem is that if youre a member of a group that is used to being persecuted for being part of that group, that tends to thicken your skin yet also heighten your sensitivity to any sort of attack on that front. I remember one time Mark Parenteau (who was so detatched from reality) accused me of saying something homophobic to him once, this after he would constantly show me Playgirl and say things like "Nik admit it if he was naked in front of you, you'd do him"... I just said Mark, I grew up in cambridge, I studied acting at NYU, I lived in Grenwhich Village for five years, trust me the gay thing doesnt phase me, Ive also been hearing mark Parenteau stories since I was 14 and nowhere near a career in radio, you've done a lot of funky things and Boston is a small town and people talk. IF you call someone a "F*g" you cant really argue if you're called on the carpet for it and if there are consequences for it. This then goes to the paranoia of the gay community, annyone who thinks that this would be pre planned and sanctioned by management is steeped in that idea that " they're all out to get us" and while it's an uncomfortable coincidence there is no way that Wolfe said " yeah call him a f*g and we'll get lots of press and your numbers will spike" It simply did not happen. This was a bonehead play of Depetro's own making, let's not turn it into the Kennedy conspiracy. He was wrong, period, you cant even argue the point. He wont be fired but now the listener knows where he's coming from so it's their own fault if they continue to listen.

 

[johnwas5]

Nik - thanks for stating the obvious so clearly for those who are so confused about how BUSINESS works.

<<there is no way that Wolfe said " yeah call him a f*g and we'll get lots of press and your numbers will spike" It simply did not happen. This was a bonehead play of Depetro's own making, let's not turn it into the Kennedy conspiracy. He was wrong, period, you cant even argue the point. He wont be fired but now the listener knows where he's coming from so it's their own fault if they continue to listen.>>

Fear of a boycott would be any managers concern in this situation. 5 minutes of interest while people tune in to hear Depetro be humiliated today does not convert to ratings spike. You could argue this was good for D&C because what they said was reflective of who they are and what their show is about, and people like that edge that they have. It promoted their strength.

On the other hand, I can't believe that anyone with half a brain would have any problem understanding that the D&C line was over the top. No one wants to be called a gorilla. But what D&C said was funny and was spontaneous, what Depetro said was stupid and seemed to be considered before being spoken. Because of this, I see his mistake being worse. Deptro's line empasises his weakness, that he is crude and nasty and doesn't really add much value to the public discourse.

 

[weee]

Of course Wolfe didn't say "Yeah, go on the and say that, it's cool"

However, the way he (Wolfe) has handled various situations in the past (ya know, by doing nothing) It's almost like you can't fault Depetro for thinking "I can say this, and nothing will happen to me"

 

[johnwas5]

what would do if you were Wolfe? Talk hosts are paid to entertain, frequently by dancing around the cliff. If they occasionally go too far and offend a few people, I don't think its right for a radio station to cut them loose. That would be an easier road to go for Wolfe - fire Depetro, hire someone new, he's a hero and he unloads a host who doesn't perform in the ratings.

 

[jane grant]

I accept DePetro's apology and hold WRKO responsible.

 

[Nik2.0]

Of course Wolfe didn't say "Yeah, go on the and say that, it's cool"

However, the way he (Wolfe) has handled various situations in the past (ya know, by doing nothing) It's almost like you can't fault Depetro for thinking "I can say this, and nothing will happen to me"


Well that's what was suggested in an earlier post that he was in on it and behind it. HIGHLY UNLIKELY he even heard it as it happened, contrary to opinion most pd's arent hearing every moment of their air. he probably heard about it after the fact as the situation began to bubble over.

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

Fear of a boycott would be any managers concern in this situation.

Any manager who has worked in radio for more than five minutes understands quite well that the number of people driven to complain about anything aired on the station is the tiniest fraction of those actually listening. The vast majority DON'T CARE. Fear of a boycott is approximately the last thing on their minds.

 

[johnwas5]

they care only when it affects the bottom line, which could impact their jobs. Activist communities getting pissed off is the only reason PD's react when a line crossing takes place.

 

[Lucylu]

True, radio management knows that about the listeners, but were a large advertiser to grumble, given the current state of advertising dollars in radio, that same manager would cave like Big Dig Tile (even before his GM came to whine at his door).

Why would an advertisers grumble? They either heard the show (unlikely, if his ratings are to be believed) or if they got a couple of phone calls/letters/emails complaining about a show they support with their ad dollar (see, more often than not, they are not as wise to ways of the world like a all power full 'radio guy' with only five minutes experience, so they still care about what people say to them. I know, I know: it is a shame that everyone can be as brilliant radio people, but I guess that is just the cross you'll have to bare).

Personally, I think calling for boycotts is lame; but I know Hairbox is a stickler for the facts, and this is a reality in radio today.

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

True, radio management knows that about the listeners, but were a large advertiser to grumble, given the current state of advertising dollars in radio, that same manager would cave like Big Dig Tile (even before his GM came to whine at his door).

I have almost 40 years in the radio business, in markets large and small, and I have yet to either see it or hear of it happening even once, from ANY advertiser. FWIW.

 

[Lucylu]

Dear Hair:

There was a very small show here in Boston (a 13 share in it's hay-day) called The Duane Glasscock Show that drew it's last breath when AT&T threatened to pull their ads off of BCN.

Old people often have 40 years, or more, behind the wheel. It just means they've been around a long time; it does not mean they know what they are doing. :

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

There was a very small show here in Boston (a 13 share in it's hay-day) called The Duane Glasscock Show that drew it's last breath when AT&T threatened to pull their ads off of BCN.

It also had no ratings, and that's more of a reason to pull a show than the loss of one sponsor.

 

[Lucylu]

Now you have proved you have no idea what you are talking about. The box of hair should sue you for slander.

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

Now you have proved you have no idea what you are talking about. The box of hair should sue you for slander.

I looked up the ratings for that show. Did you?

 

[Lucylu]

No you didn't. You are a bald faced liar. What was the date?

Also, using your logic: they would have fired Charles Laquidara at the same time. Please stop pretending, while it is not beneith you, it is boring for the rest of us.

I see T-moble pulled their ads off RESCUE ME because of viewer complaints, but according to Hair, complaints would never have that effect on radio. What a joke.