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DJ to apologize for on-air comments about girls from Winooskie

W

WhiskeyRobber

Burlington Free Press:

Local radio personality Jon Brooks, a morning host with WKOL-FM, is set to apologize on air Thursday for comments he made this morning concerning Winooski girls.

The comments were made at 7:40 a.m. when Brooks was talking about having donated blood recently. He mentioned that there is a list of reasons potential donors cannot give blood and cited a few reasons adding at the end: “or if you’ve dated girls from certain parts of Winooski,” said Rod Hill, program director.

The comment was out of character and not in the spirit of the show, said Dan Dubonnet, senior vice president for Hall Communications, owner of the classic hits station...We are not in the shock jock category.


http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070613/NEWS/70613024
 
Ouch! I was just up in Winooski on Sun & Mon., as a matter of fact...Donny's NY Pizza; the
relatively new park just to the left of the Champlain Mill, etc. Good luck getting recep of various stations
on a portable with WVMT and WXXX-FM (WJOY and WCAT too) bouncing all around the dial.
 
I often wonder if a controversial remark...concerning women or some other "hot topic"...is said by a male jock for one of 2 reasons:

1. He...or they if they're part of team...are out to get a hostile reaction from the opposite sex? :p

OR

2. They have such low-self-esteem that picking on anyone and anything miraculously makes themselves feel better? ???

argytunes
 
Man, are we getting a little over-sesnitive these days? That's actually one of the funniest things to have been uttered on a Hall Station in a long time....they are way too vanilla over there(Hall).

For Brooks to say that is kind of surprising, wow, a jock spoke off the 'cuff...it's the day of the robotic DJ....


Hall, live and local, all the way from Florida......
 
argytunes said:
I often wonder if a controversial remark...concerning women or some other "hot topic"...is said by a male jock for one of 2 reasons:

1. He...or they if they're part of team...are out to get a hostile reaction from the opposite sex? :p

OR

2. They have such low-self-esteem that picking on anyone and anything miraculously makes themselves feel better? ???
Click to expand...

But what if he's right, Argy? Does that mean that he must present that information in a newsworthy piece? Would that not also open up the station to criticism anyway?

The way you present things, it's as if you can't say anything bad about anyone because it just isn't kosher. Now, that being said, was it truly informative or enlightening to the target audience? Thankfully, that's not for me to decide.

Can anyone make fun of anything that is a potentially sore subject? Wouldn't that effectively kill comedy in general? Isn't that why we laugh in the first place because it is normally such a hot topic that it feels good to laugh at it once and a while?

So in answer to your questions, I would say "Not necessarily". I have an oddball sense of humor that sometimes either gets me in trouble or often ignored. But it is the way I see things, and it doesn't mean I have a low self-esteem or I'm trying to get a rise out of someone. And for the record, because I wasn't intentionally trying to do that sort of thing, an apology would come quite easily because it would take me by surprise that someone may have been put off by what I had to say.
 
Argytunes - I think you may have something there. I vote for your number 2 reason. I know someone on-air just like that ... and he bought the station ... as well as a job. Now, he can say anything he wants...
 
Simply put, a classic hits station with more-or-less Oldies heritage doesn't really qualify as an "attitude" format. Perhaps if such a thing were uttered on Champ or The Buzz, the reaction might have been different.
 
God I Can Not Stand This Anymore People Want To Hear On Air Poeple But Just Say The Name Of The Station And The Song And The Once An Hour Traffic Report.
I Wish People Would Just Grow Up.
Thats Why Alot Of Station Use Computers, Voice Tracking So No One Complains.
Please Stop!!!! :'(
 
Dr.Pepper said:
Hey Johnanthony, take your ritalin...
Click to expand...

Most jocks are good at self deprecating and tongue-in-cheek humor. I see this as the latter, nothing more, nothing less. Angry equating a one-liner to low self esteem is a bit of a strech!?!
 
he has to apologize for that? that was a funny line, and i know nothing about Winooski.

Winooski is a funny word, whether you live there or not. it's a beverage. it's a watercraft. it's probably a nice little town. and like every little, and big, town or city in the world, there are parts of (name of place) that one is pleased to be from - far far away from.

and for the sake of argument, as was somewhat alluded to earlier in this thread - what if it's true? what if there are certain parts of Winooski that are truly toxic or lethal to the point where coming into contact with anyone or anything from that part of town would preclude one from donating blood, not unlike (as it says on the Red Cross form) visiting certain parts of the world or having unprotected sex with (pick one of several).... not saying i know anything or that i or argytunes had anything to do with the mid-50's late-night chemical dumping.

as to the management statement that they "are not shock radio." good lord above... if that's shock radio, then Dr.Johnny Fever would be paying a 9 digit fine for his pilot-episode utterance.

booger. (typed that out for shock value)

having worked in formats that range from really vanilla to (ooh-la-la) French Vanilla, that is what one would call a double-entendre. it's only dirty or offensive if the listener has a dirty or easily-offended mind. Winooskians - take note and lighten up. or is it Winooskites? Winooskinamarinkadinkians? (sorry - Winooski - the one to have when you're having more than one)

now, i have to go help the Winooski public works department (George) roll up the sidewalks for the night before 9pm curfew. oh - apologies if the Winooski public works crew has more than one person employed. wouldn't want to offend anyone else from Winooski.
 
My response to Mr. Microphone...and a few others:

There's nothing wrong with good humor that's slightly controversial. Unfortunately, a good portion of what's coming out of the radio speakers during a stop set is C-R-A-P!

This isn't an issue of venting on my part. It's a matter of programming...pure and simple! There are jocks who would rather entertain themselves FIRST!
Should the audience decide to come along for the ride (aka LISTEN for an hour or less)...that makes the station owner happy and potentially increases advertising revenue.

But what seems to be happening is that some on-air personalities....and I use that term VERY LOOSELY...think "shock humor" is funny? So they beat the joke or point their trying to make to the ground and take the station down with them!

Maybe listeners enjoy beginning their day with humor that really isn't funny?

Many people who are currently in the business or cover an occasional weekend shift...TAKE A PASS...and seek out a format and personalities who are more entertaining? Or find a more entertaining diversion in the form of CDs or MP3's?
:(

argytunes
 
Hi Josh, nice second post.

Yes, I heard you (and some chick as well) last weekend. I can't tell you how good you are, because your boss is making you read liner cards. Those backsells are brutal too...don't really need to be told that I heard "Heartache Tonight", but I appreciate the thought.
 
Jon should have also mentioned the Milton girls (equal time).
 
Let me start by saying that normally Agry is pretty close to spot on, but misses the mark here...

Not having heard the remark, I am sure that it was delivered in a tounge in cheek fashion that would make "personality" broadcasters of old proud. Making a quip about something local is called RELATING to an audience.

If there is a common stereotype that is urban legend or not, people have heard it. By bustng out with something only known to locals, it shows that YOU ARE LOCAL, rather that phoned in another market for $500.00 a month. Humor is not always rolling around on the floor holding our side in from the pain of laughing too hard. It can be underlined. It can be subtle.

I don't think that making a comment about Winooski girls is particually "shocking" unless it was delivered with some sort of overt graphic statement. "Winooski girls are all hookers and give it up at the pizza place just off main street for 5 bucks..." might be a little shocking to hear. If you can say something on the air that the adults get, can relate to, and chuckle a little, all the while the kids have no idea, it is a winner of a bit. Even it is ruffles some feathers. When the radio station drops it's pants and bends at the waste becuse of a few angry folks, and serves up the jock all it does is send a message to the few of us left that actually still love the job enough to try, to simple give up. It's not unlike making a Kentucky joke, or the great one in the prep service this moring about mothers who have lots of kids loosing their teeth, followed by an Arkansas line. Is it shocking? No. is it offensive? Not really. True or not, is it something everyone can chuckle to themselves about becuase of the backwoods stereotype of Arkansas? yes. Relatable? yes.

All that having been said, Agry does make a good point that all to often these days, the jocks entertain themselves, making the focus outward in rather than the other way around. I think that this comes from the simple fact that actaully being a personality is quickly becoming a lost art.

Either way, I am proud that one of us actually took the time to engage the mind rather than just reading a card. They can't all hit the mark. Let me ask you "real" programmers out there (not the corperate yesman programmers) wouldn't you rather have to reel yours guys in a little rather than constantly trying to motivate them to be creative, seeking ways to relate to your audience??

If we want listeners to join us through the 1/4 hour, and continue to grow the TSL, (do some of you programming midgets even know that is??) we have to give them a reason to stay. Simply playing music doesn't do it. If they want music, why not just listen to a CD and avoid those pesky ads? What is going to keep us all or at least SOME of us employed, is personality. The reason people listen is to be informed and entertained. Remeber if you touch them emotionally or in the wallet, you have their attention??

Well, in classic knee jerk fashion, and of course left wing feel good vt style, serve up the jock...embarass him. He will NEVER EVER say anything creative again becuase god forbid someone not like what he has to say, he has been taught that will be flogged. Nice work.

I will just shake my head and watch another personality die a little inside...

Nuff Said...as I would hate to apoligize for not reading the liner card here....
 
please forgive me for actually taking the time to write a fact based post with reason, rather than a couple of quick lines followed by a pot shot at someone..

My bad. Let me try again.

yea..the idiot..

that better?
 
12345678 said:
I'm offended by the length of that last reply.
Click to expand...

Mr. 1 through 8... That's funny... You are a funny guy.

Louie
 
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