KFI MEGA OOPS.....Undumped F-bombs....

[sdwulfdawg]

Apparently KFI 640 doesn't always have a seven-second delay engaged during their talk shows.

KFI's "Gary and Shannon" aired the impassioned speech of City of Los Angeles Councilman Mike Bonin live yesterday morning. Bonin decried the outright racist remarks of now former LA City Council President Mury Martinez calling his adopted black son a "monkey" and referring to Oaxaca Mexicans as "Mexico's Koreans," and discussing with fellow council members Kevin DeLeon and Gilbert Cedillio that there were too many blacks on the City Council.

During his impromptu speech, Bonin dropped several "F-bombs" in expressing his outrage over Martinez's remarks. KFI ran the speech uncensored on the first time, but later reaired Bonin's speech with the F-bombs bleeped out.

What was most interesting was when Shannon Farren seemed to almost break into tears over her rage over Martinez's words after the first airing of Bonin's words. Gary Hoffman was truly a professional how he seemed to really back off from saying anything during Farren's comment.

 

[frankberry]

It was irresponsible for Mike Bonin to use this kind of language when speaking publicly, knowing that it was being broadcast.
It's doubtful that the FCC will pursue any action against KFI.

 

[michael hagerty]

It was irresponsible for Mike Bonin to use this kind of language when speaking publicly, knowing that it was being broadcast.
It's doubtful that the FCC will pursue any action against KFI.

Sorry, Frank---while I agree that the FCC probably won't pursue any action against KFI, Councilman Bonin is under no obligation to mind his language. The rule isn't for the public---"don't swear on the air"---it's the licensee's obligation to prevent it from getting on the air.

Whether we like it or not, the "F word" is a part of everyday language for a large chunk of America. About the only places you won't hear it anymore are in church, in a workplace with a robust HR department and on the air---mostly. But we all know, if a reporter is live at a demonstration and the crowd starts using the F word, it's gonna get on the air and the talent is going to apologize for it and toss back to the studio.

Given that we're in an election year and one gubernatorial candidate in another state called a constituent "mother***er" in a town hall and got applause, I think if a man whose son has been called a "monkey" by a fellow council member is about to go on a live mic, you should be ready for F-bombs at the minimum.

Putting anything on the air live requires a delay system and some vigilance on the dump button. Trouble is, a digital delay system will simply put you back live and if the person you're dumping is dropping an F-bomb at that moment in real time, that one's gonna get on the air. Which is why, in talk radio, when a caller does that, you pot down the caller and hit the dump button at the same time.

KFI could have bailed after the first F-bomb, telling the audience that they'd bring them Councilman Bonin's remarks after they cleaned up anything that violated FCC rules and regs, but for whatever reason, they chose not to.

 

[ercjncpr]

Apparently KFI 640 doesn't always have a seven-second delay engaged during their talk shows.

KFI's "Gary and Shannon" aired the impassioned speech of City of Los Angeles Councilman Mike Bonin live yesterday morning. Bonin decried the outright racist remarks of now former LA City Council President Mury Martinez calling his adopted black son a "monkey" and referring to Oaxaca Mexicans as "Mexico's Koreans," and discussing with fellow council members Kevin DeLeon and Gilbert Cedillio that there were too many blacks on the City Council.

During his impromptu speech, Bonin dropped several "F-bombs" in expressing his outrage over Martinez's remarks. KFI ran the speech uncensored on the first time, but later reaired Bonin's speech with the F-bombs bleeped out.

What was most interesting was when Shannon Farren seemed to almost break into tears over her rage over Martinez's words after the first airing of Bonin's words. Gary Hoffman was truly a professional how he seemed to really back off from saying anything during Farren's comment.

The F bombs aired on the tv coverage also. There is no way to bleep that stuff out, when you don’t know it’s coming

 

[michael hagerty]

The F bombs aired on the TV coverage also. There is no way to bleep that stuff out, when you don’t know it’s coming

Sure there is. TV stations run on delay, too. The trouble is, as I mentioned in a comment above, the “dump” button brings you back to real time. It then lengthens silences in speech so that in a minute or so, you’re back to a seven-second delay (longer delays take more time).

So you can avoid airing the first one. But you’re risking another if you continue the live broadcast before you’ve rebuilt your delay.

 

[TheBigA]

The former president and members of congress have used the same language in televised hearings and at televised rallies. None of it was bleeped, and so far the FCC hasn't fined any stations.

 

[Miss Tuned]

The racist remarks are far more offensive than any "F-bomb", even though no "bad words" were used.

 

[Ryan Williams]

I agree that today the words Martinez used are more offensive than the f-bombs.

On the the other hand, Mike Bonin, is a elected public official and had to know his words would be widely disseminated. While FCC obscenity laws are not really his concern, dropping f-bombs is not a great look and sets a terrible example for his city and public discourse in general.

The f-bomb is so overused today. It's such a cheap word. Throwing it around because you are angry (and rightfully so) in that situation moves him down on the impact meter to me, not up.

It's not like you can't make a very impassioned speech without it.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

The racist remarks are far more offensive than any "F-bomb", even though no "bad words" were used.

I think it is safe to say that NOBODY has acted with any amount of decorum or grace during this entire episode.

Also nobody seems to be asking why these comments were made over a year ago but are only coming out now, just before a city election.

 

[michael hagerty]

I agree that today the words Martinez used are more offensive than the f-bombs.

On the the other hand, Mike Bonin, is a elected public official and had to know his words would be widely disseminated. While FCC obscenity laws are not really his concern, dropping f-bombs is not a great look and sets a terrible example for his city and public discourse in general.

The f-bomb is so overused today. It's such a cheap word. Throwing it around because you are angry (and rightfully so) in that situation moves him down on the impact meter to me, not up.

It's not like you can't make a very impassioned speech without it.

I think if you gave Councilman Bonin an impassioned speech that wasn't about a colleague calling his son a "monkey", he'd have managed.

 

[michael hagerty]

I think it is safe to say that NOBODY has acted with any amount of decorum or grace during this entire episode.

Also nobody seems to be asking why these comments were made over a year ago but are only coming out now, just before a city election.

As every Los Angeles Times story about this has noted, the audio was recorded surreptitiously and posted anonymously to Reddit. Without knowing who did that, it would be difficult to accurately divine a motive.

That said, politics.

And that said, none of the people on the recording are up for election this time, so a different level of politics.

Ultimately, though, the timing is less an issue than the undisputed fact that these people said those things.

 

[davideduardo]

Ultimately, though, the timing is less an issue than the undisputed fact that these people said those things.

Yet the elephant in the room that nobody wants to mention is the growing resentment by Hispanics of their perceived dramatically increased marginalization ever since the Minneapolis incident and the press coverage of the BLM movement.

The horrible incident from last year shows, mostly, ugly reverse racism. But it also shows frustration by Hispanics at being near a full majority of the population while being considerably under represented in all aspects of society.

There have been a few comments in the entertainment world about how Blacks now overwhelmingly outnumber Hispanics in movies and TV, while there are vastly more Hispanics in the US than African Americans.

But in LA, the population is 48.1% Hispanic and just under 8.5% Black. Yet the LA City Council of 15 persons has only 4 Hispanics while there are 3 Black members. Proportionally, there should be 7 Hispanic councilpersons and one to two Black members with the remainder balanced between non-Hispanic white and Asian representatives. While there is no quota system on race in elections, the dis-proportionality causes resentment and creates bias within different ethnic and racial groups.

 

[michael hagerty]

The horrible incident from last year shows, mostly, ugly reverse racism. But it also shows frustration by Hispanics at being near a full majority of the population while being considerably under represented in all aspects of society.

No, David. There is under-representation, but Ms. Martinez' comments were simply ugly racism. She hasn't offered frustration as a motive, which would be inadequate even if she did.

 

[Miss Tuned]

But in LA, the population is 48.1% Hispanic and just under 8.5% Black. Yet the LA City Council of 15 persons has only 4 Hispanics while there are 3 Black members. Proportionally, there should be 7 Hispanic councilpersons and one to two Black members with the remainder balanced between non-Hispanic white and Asian representatives. While there is no quota system on race in elections, the dis-proportionality causes resentment and creates bias within different ethnic and racial groups.

It's a democratic system. Anyone is free to run for election, and anyone is free to vote for their preferred candidate. This council was elected in a democratic process by the people of LA, who presumably are fine with it.

 

[davideduardo]

It's a democratic system. Anyone is free to run for election, and anyone is free to vote for their preferred candidate. This council was elected in a democratic process by the people of LA, who presumably are fine with it.

Not the 49% that are Hispanic. The zones within LA are set up to over-represent Hispanics in a few, while not representing them in others.

 

[davideduardo]

No, David. There is under-representation, but Ms. Martinez' comments were simply ugly racism. She hasn't offered frustration as a motive, which would be inadequate even if she did.

Of course the comments were ugly and inexcusable. But they represent years of frustration by LA Hispanics at the gerrymandered city council districts, and recently increased focus on Black equality that is perceived as costing the most to Hispanics.

 

[michael hagerty]

Of course the comments were ugly and inexcusable. But they represent years of frustration by LA Hispanics at the gerrymandered city council districts, and recently increased focus on Black equality that is perceived as costing the most to Hispanics.

I grant you that the conversation was about re-districting. And I understand that inherent in the conversation was frustration.

But Ms. Martinez vented in ways that were racist, including slurs against Asian-Americans as well as Blacks, and personal:

“They’re raising him like a little white kid,” Martinez said. “I was like, this kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner and then I’ll bring him back.”

The group then questioned whether Shatto Place, a small street, and Lafayette Park are in Koreatown.

“I see a lot of little short dark people,” Martinez said of that section of Koreatown, employing stereotypes long used against Oaxacans in Mexico and in the United States.

“I was like, I don’t know where these people are from, I don’t know what village they came [from], how they got here,” Martinez said, before adding “Tan feos” — “They’re ugly.”

Martinez says “F— that guy … He’s with the Blacks” while speaking about Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón.

 

[davideduardo]

I grant you that the conversation was about re-districting. And I understand that inherent in the conversation was frustration.
But Ms. Martinez vented in ways that were racist, including slurs against Asian-Americans as well as Blacks, and personal:

“They’re raising him like a little white kid,” Martinez said. “I was like, this kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner and then I’ll bring him back.”

The group then questioned whether Shatto Place, a small street, and Lafayette Park are in Koreatown.

“I see a lot of little short dark people,” Martinez said of that section of Koreatown, employing stereotypes long used against Oaxacans in Mexico and in the United States.

“I was like, I don’t know where these people are from, I don’t know what village they came [from], how they got here,” Martinez said, before adding “Tan feos” — “They’re ugly.”

Martinez says “F— that guy … He’s with the Blacks” while speaking about Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón.

And, without excusing the council members who made those disgusting remarks, it's important to see that there is a brewing bigger issue of Hispanic resentment about extreme under-representation in the LA city government.

My fear is that some incident will ignite protests and violence based on years if not decades of resentment that go back as far as the appropriation of Chávez Revine so that "white people could build a stadium". The attitudes of the council members, as repulsive and reprehensible as they are, reflect a huge potential for something broader and violent.

 

[ercjncpr]

Sure there is. TV stations run on delay, too. The trouble is, as I mentioned in a comment above, the “dump” button brings you back to real time. It then lengthens silences in speech so that in a minute or so, you’re back to a seven-second delay (longer delays take more time).

So you can avoid airing the first one. But you’re risking another if you continue the live broadcast before you’ve rebuilt your delay.

So it’s just easier to take the F bomb live, I guess

 

[michael hagerty]

And, without excusing the council members who made those disgusting remarks, it's important to see that there is a brewing bigger issue of Hispanic resentment about extreme under-representation in the LA city government.

My fear is that some incident will ignite protests and violence based on years if not decades of resentment that go back as far as the appropriation of Chávez Revine so that "white people could build a stadium". The attitudes of the council members, as repulsive and reprehensible as they are, reflect a huge potential for something broader and violent.

If I were an Hispanic politician in Los Angeles right now, my first priority would be in making sure the city in general and the Black and Asian communities in particular believe that Ms. Martinez' remarks do not reflect those of Latino public servants. The only way to overcome the gap in representation is to win more elections. Yeah, that's uphill because of gerrymandering, but if there's a perception that Hispanics in power regard and talk about citizens of other ethnicities this way, it'll be way worse.