Phone Bits Cost Z-100 $20,000

[DToTheJ]

Z-100 has agreed to pay $20,000 for two unauthorized "phone taps" in 2006 and 2007, in which the "phone tappees" were not informed that their likeness would be put on the air.
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertai...o_pay_20k_for_series_of_phone_taps_prank.html

Radio-Info is cited in the above article.

 

[nd2023]

At least we now know their phone taps are real. $20,000 is a small price to pay for Clear Channel.

 

[icybluelake]

Small price for Clear Channel to pay, but $20K is like half of some Clear Channel employee's salary.

 

[MarcB]

Serves them right for being stupid, childish, and immature.

 

[Radaioman]

Serves them right for being stupid, childish, and immature.

Wow, somebody is a fuddy duddy

 

[WPHA]

Serves them right for being stupid, childish, and immature.

Wow, somebody is a fuddy duddy

No... the station staff ARE being stupid, childish, and immature to pull such stunts.

 

[RockTheGlobe]

Serves them right for being stupid, childish, and immature.

Wow, somebody is a fuddy duddy

No... the station staff ARE being stupid, childish, and immature to pull such stunts.

And yet Elvis' Phone Taps are a long-running feature and the concept is being done on many other shows... yet his version has spawned CDs (whose sales have benefited charities) and a TV pilot -- obviously, a good number of people think they're entertaining, otherwise they wouldn't keep doing them.

Jackass 3D made $50 million in its opening weekend. There's plainly a draw for stupid, childish and immature stunts. You have the right to call them what they are, but just be prepared to be labeled with the stereotype of being the cranky old man yelling at the kids to get off his lawn.

 

[Shredder]

At least we now know their phone taps are real. $20,000 is a small price to pay for Clear Channel.

Agreed...my sister likes Z100 and I had to sit through one of their phone taps... I was 100% convinced they where scripted they where so bad. almost cruel...

Then again, nothing comes close to the high quality of a phone scam

 

[Radaioman]

Serves them right for being stupid, childish, and immature.

Wow, somebody is a fuddy duddy

No... the station staff ARE being stupid, childish, and immature to pull such stunts.

No, they are entertaining their demo which you aren't. Don't be THAT guy

 

[Radaioman]

Serves them right for being stupid, childish, and immature.

Wow, somebody is a fuddy duddy

No... the station staff ARE being stupid, childish, and immature to pull such stunts.

They never had a CD of them.
And yet Elvis' Phone Taps are a long-running feature and the concept is being done on many other shows... yet his version has spawned CDs (whose sales have benefited charities) and a TV pilot -- obviously, a good number of people think they're entertaining, otherwise they wouldn't keep doing them.

Jackass 3D made $50 million in its opening weekend. There's plainly a draw for stupid, childish and immature stunts. You have the right to call them what they are, but just be prepared to be labeled with the stereotype of being the cranky old man yelling at the kids to get off his lawn.

 

[RockTheGlobe]

They never had a CD of them.

Sorry, you're right. I was thinking of the old Z Morning Zoo compilations. But there was a TV pilot filmed based on them, and I agree with your point about the show using Phone Taps to entertain their demo.

 

[WPHA]

There's plainly a draw for stupid, childish and immature stunts.

Which says WHAT about the direction in which our Society is headed? ???

It really is quite pathetic and disturbing. :-[

 

[reelyreal]

I think the bigger question is what happens now? It could be said that $20,000 is just "the cost of doing business" for Clear Channel. Think of how many people DIDN'T complain to the FCC about the telephone rule. Do they continue to break the rules because it's just "the cost of doing business" and hope nobody files?

 

[RockTheGlobe]

There's plainly a draw for stupid, childish and immature stunts.

Which says WHAT about the direction in which our Society is headed? ???

It really is quite pathetic and disturbing. :-[

Seriously? You're going to go there? As long as there's been entertainment, there's been a draw for stupid, childish and immature stunts. Vaudeville and slapstick comedy has been around for decades and hasn't brought down society. Or were you one of the people complaining back in the '30s and '40s that the Three Stooges were heralding the end of civilization as we know it?

If you want to complain about something being pathetic and disturbing, complain about the attention paid to non-celebrities like Paris Hilton, the Kardashians and the Jersey Shore morons, who are household names, questionable role models and have become famous simply for being famous. Phone Taps are among the least of society's concern at the moment.

 

[dumber than a box of hair]

Serves them right for being stupid, childish, and immature.

Wow, somebody is a fuddy duddy

...and you're both missing the point. What they did was illegal. Yes, 20-grand might be small change to Clear Channel and is probably closer to being a cost of doing business than a penalty, but the rule exists for a reason: Not everyone wants to be on the air, and the rule prevents people from being put in the air without their prior knowlege or consent.

As for the "stupid, childish and immature" part of it: Apparently getting laughs at someone else's expense is supposed to be funny. I don't see it myself, but then I didn't like Candid Camera either.

 

[KFodor]

Serves them right for being stupid, childish, and immature.

Wow, somebody is a fuddy duddy

No... the station staff ARE being stupid, childish, and immature to pull such stunts.

And yet Elvis' Phone Taps are a long-running feature and the concept is being done on many other shows... yet his version has spawned CDs (whose sales have benefited charities) and a TV pilot -- obviously, a good number of people think they're entertaining, otherwise they wouldn't keep doing them.

Jackass 3D made $50 million in its opening weekend. There's plainly a draw for stupid, childish and immature stunts. You have the right to call them what they are, but just be prepared to be labeled with the stereotype of being the cranky old man yelling at the kids to get off his lawn.

Okay...but what part of "It's against FCC rules and illegal" can you not understand?

 

[RockTheGlobe]

And yet Elvis' Phone Taps are a long-running feature and the concept is being done on many other shows... yet his version has spawned a TV pilot -- obviously, a good number of people think they're entertaining, otherwise they wouldn't keep doing them.

Jackass 3D made $50 million in its opening weekend. There's plainly a draw for stupid, childish and immature stunts. You have the right to call them what they are, but just be prepared to be labeled with the stereotype of being the cranky old man yelling at the kids to get off his lawn.

Okay...but what part of "It's against FCC rules and illegal" can you not understand?

What part of Z100 is paying for airing two phone calls back in 2006 and 2007 can you not understand? My point is that people here seem to be using this settlement as vindication that Elvis' Phone Taps en masse are childish, immature and stupid -- they broke the FCC rules only a small handful of times (possibly as few as twice) several years ago while doing a popular feature that has been running for many years, the station is paying a settlement fee, and let's move on. They're not paying the FCC because Phone Taps in general violate some moral code that requires you to not do regular supposedly "childish and immature" features on-air, nor are they paying the FCC because the Phone Taps feature in general is illegal.