Listening to Power 96 at my job

[JerseyDude]

I listen to the DJ Laz Morning Show online on Power 96 at my workplace in Manhattan every morning,

A few of my co-workers sort of look at me in a funny way because they think the show is a bunch Cubans making fun of and mocking blacks.

They are really offended by a black character who does traffic reports. His name is Chris. He speaks like a slave while reporting rush hour traffic.

There is another black character with a stereotypical black name (Tyrone). The Power 96 website says that he is always late for work or doesn't show up at all (another black stereotype).

Also, some of the Cubans DJs describe female R&B singers as being "pretty for a black woman".

I’m really cool with my co-workers, so I'm able to laugh it off. If I wasn’t cool with them, I think that they would go to Human Resources. I work in a real nutty place.

Note: I'm black

 

[John Waywoods]

I know what you mean - it is embarrasing for a work environment. However, I do believe that the whole show plays on all sorts of stereotypes and is basically all tongue in cheek. No hate there. IMO

 

[jcblanco]

I listen to the DJ Laz Morning Show online on Power 96 at my workplace in Manhattan every morning,

A few of my co-workers sort of look at me in a funny way because they think the show is a bunch Cubans making fun of and mocking blacks.

They are really offended by a black character who does traffic reports. His name is Chris. He speaks like a slave while reporting rush hour traffic.

There is another black character with a stereotypical black name (Tyrone). The Power 96 website says that he is always late for work or doesn't show up at all (another black stereotype).

Also, some of the Cubans DJs describe female R&B singers as being "pretty for a black woman".

I’m really cool with my co-workers, so I'm able to laugh it off. If I wasn’t cool with them, I think that they would go to Human Resources. I work in a real nutty place.

Note: I'm black

The Tyrone character is actually played by the very Caucasian and extremely talented voice man Mark Mosely, and his on-air debut was actually over 20 years ago, in 1987. We were living in less politically correct times back then, and Mosely, who was part of a morning crew that was headed up by Bill Tanner and also included Mindy Frumkus (who interestingly, played a very stereotypical Cuban woman character named Carmen on the air in those years), presented Tyrone as a slick con man who always dreamt up schemes to defraud, or who flat out robbed people. This aspect of his personality has been toned down in his most recent incarnation I've noticed, although I still hear the occasional 2 minute skit for a phony product he's offering that is obviously a scam.

I was surprised they brought Mosley/Tyrone back in 2006 (he'd been of Power since early 2002 when he was let go along with Bo Griffin), his character just did not seem to fit with the times. I believe Tanner, who has been a long-time consultant for Power since leaving the air in the late 80s, had a lot to do with that.

I hate to say it too, but the Mosely/Tyrone you're hearing nowadays is a shadow of how good he was back in the early days. He constantly had spontaneously funny things to interject with in those times, and his skits/song parodies were downright hilarious.

 

[Chris_Rose]

Actually the characters full name is Tyrone Steal. Get it? Oh and (for what its worth), the VP/DOS of Power 96 is a black guy. Extremely talented from what I hear.