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Talk Radio Turnaround

S

SpareChange

With the turbulence swirling around Don Imus of WFAN and now officially "ex" of MSNBC, has anything even remotely close to this happened in Buffalo radio?

Did not Tom Bauerle come precariously close to being dismissed for on-air antics a few years ago? And what of Sandy Beach derogatorily calling the Byron Brown, the African-American mayor of Buffalo "Erkel?"

Certainly, these two incidents pale when compared to Imus' degrading remarks about the Rutgers University women's basketball team.

In Rochester, the patently homophobic and boorish Michael Savage airs on WHAM, as does Bob Lonsberry, who's made insensitive and racially charged comments about the mayor of Rochester.

Has talk radio over-stepped the boundaries of civility and common decency?
 
Larger Than Imus

There is a larger conversation that results from Imus' suspensions-firing that should apply to talk radio as it is done locally and nationally, whether it's WFAN, WBEN, WGR, WHAM or WYSL.

The conversation should be framed around women, gender-bias and race.

Calling women "nappy headed hos" is moronic, repugnant, misogynistic and downright stupid, ESPECIALLY for a man who's done radio for 40 years.

Some might say, "What a surprise. An old, scraggly-looking WHITE guy makes comments about young black WOMEN and thinks he's saying something funny. Now THERE'S a surprise..."

Was there no "censoring device" in Imus' and Bernard McGurk's heads or a "moral screening" device that clicked on before they (and other talk show hosts) said things they KNOW are patently DUMB, bigoted and most of all NOT funny?

This goes beyond "it was a joke." The man has a track record of saying incendiary things (on the public airwaves) that are better off not said.

Somebody will no doubt post that I'm advocating sanitizing entertainment and radio. I'm not. I'm advocating using common sense and common decency. It's time for accountability. Words are tools. You'd think somebody who's been in radio for as long as Imus would know how to use those tools properly.

Oh, and while I'm posting primarily about RADIO, perhaps it's time the perpetrators at B-E-T sit up and take notice and be held to account for the outright crap that passes for rap videos on THIER cable channels.

Guys like Beach and Bauerle constantly harp about holding politicians and public servants accountable. The rules apply equally to air personalities and talk show hosts.

This should be a lesson to all. Think before you speak.

-9-
 
Blather

It's inevitable that somebody who's paid to jabber on for several hours a day, flinging out incindiary statements in a quest to get a rise out of an audience, will cross the line between obnoxious and stupid.

Pick a talk show host. Any talk show host. Listen for a day, and I'll bet that they make you scratch your head in wonder at their dopiness at least once.

With that being said, Imus was an idiot. He should have been able to foresee the results of adding "nappy-headed" to any description of anybody. It almost makes you wonder if he did it on purpose because he hasn't been getting enough attention lately. If so, he must now be in the "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it" camp.

The response from Rutgers should have been simply displaying a picture of the cadaverous Imus, looking like a character from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and saying "This guy is criticising how ANYBODY ELSE looks?", followed by a shot of the team laughing themselves silly, and a credit roll of bad Imus pictures, the Imus record of saying stupid things, and the Imus record of addictions. In other words, consider the source.

Amidst all the hue and cry regarding racism, let me point out that Al Sharpton has turned racism into an industry that benefits him to the tune of millions a year. Only Louis Farrakhan takes racism to greater heights, and he at least is more honest about it. Remember, Sharpton is the leader of the "Bill Cosby is racist because he thinks that young Black Americans should stop blaming others, and start focusing on education and taking advantage of real opportunities that exist instead of aspiring to gangsta life."

Ask yourself, "If Imus wasn't of a Conservative bent, would this have blown up the way it did?"

Remember, we're dealing with the "Is Obama Black enough" crowd here.
 
I agree that radio talk show hosts need to be held more accountable. I was very angry with Tom Bauerle this week for his treatment of the mayor in the wake of the SUV incident. Granted, this was a legitimate news item that warranted discussion. But there's a fine line that can be crossed in which unsubstantiated claims are made, by both the host and callers. An example was Bauerle's ridiculous assertions about Canisius College's reasons for not releasing surveillance tapes of the incident. Senator Clinton, a Democrat, appeared at Canisius. John LaFalce, a Democrat, is an instructor at the college. Therefore, Canisius must want to protect Brown because he is a Democrat. Bauerle impugned one of this city's most respected institutions based on pure conjecture. Where's the evidence of that? Show me the proof! Could it be that Canisius simply doesn't want to be involved in the whole controversy? They showed the tapes to the police because it was a police matter. But that doesn't mean they're under any obligation to provide the tapes to the media. It's all right to criticize Canisius. But don't mention the name of a business on Bauerle's show because it may be a WBEN sponsor, and we wouldn't want to criticize a sponsor! There, I'm resorting to unsubstantiated conjecture. But that's what talk show hosts do all the time. There is no accountability until a host says something so outrageous, as Imus did, that station owners are forced to act.
 
Accounting

There is no accountability until a host says something so outrageous, as Imus did, that station owners are forced to act.
Click to expand...

Let's not be naive. There's no accountability until a host says something so outrageous that it's going to affect income. THAT'S when station owners feel that they are "forced to act".

BTW, at about $11K per semester (not including housing), I'm not sure that there aren't more than a few children of Republicans attending Canisius.
 
Re: Blather

SirRoxalot said:
Ask yourself, "If Imus wasn't of a Conservative bent, would this have blown up the way it did?"
Click to expand...

Since when is Imus of a Conservative bent? Last time I checked he supported Kerry in '04 and opposed the war among other liberal positions he has. This is just more liberal, "drive by media" attempting to tar and feather all Conservatives with the same brush as Imus. Simply put, Imus said another in the long line of stupid things he's said over the years. The biggest difference was that this time he got two of the biggest hypocrites in the world-Sharpton and Jackson on his case and all those buddies he thought he had in the MSM dropped him like a hot fork. What he said was stupid and tasteless but the rest of this "outrage" gets ridiculous after a while.
 
The response from Rutgers should have been simply displaying a picture of the cadaverous Imus, looking like a character from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and saying "This guy is criticising how ANYBODY ELSE looks?", followed by a shot of the team laughing themselves silly, and a credit roll of bad Imus pictures, the Imus record of saying stupid things, and the Imus record of addictions. In other words, consider the source.
Click to expand...

Cadaverous. Splendid! The ploy is great, but way too subtle for the average John or Jill Doe to grasp.

How will the man ever feed his family!? Yes, I jest. The guy should be pretty well off these days. I wondered, half-seriously, if this ordeal might force him back on the bottle and the nose candy. Some might argue, by his looks, he's fallen off the wagon years ago.

As we are finding out and the brass at CBS are verifying, it's all about the money. Sadly, this isn't about righting a wrong, it's about placating and pacifying... and ultimately, cutting losses. I have to admit that I didn't think Imus would ever get fired by CBS. Too much money at stake, billing wise. But the money momentum shifted and the advertisers called the shot, as they usually do.

I'm curious to hear who WFAN selects to do morning drive in America's #1 media market.
 
Next!

Well, now that Revs. Al & Jesse have disposed of the Imus problem, I expect them to lead the charge against the gangstas, rappers, and hip-hoppers who put the new meaning of the word "ho" into the American lexicon. Let's see them take on the people who really influence the lives of young Black Americans, who denigrate education, and who advocate a lifestyle that leads to the debasement of others, violence, and early death.

PS - I wonder if Jesse & Al would have reacted with such vehemence if Imus had called Howard Stern a "nappy-headed ho"?
 
Well, now that Revs. Al & Jesse have disposed of the Imus problem, I expect them to lead the charge against the gangstas, rappers, and hip-hoppers who put the new meaning of the word "ho" into the American lexicon. Let's see them take on the people who really influence the lives of young Black Americans, who denigrate education, and who advocate a lifestyle that leads to the debasement of others, violence, and early death.

PS - I wonder if Jesse & Al would have reacted with such vehemence if Imus had called Howard Stern a "nappy-headed ho"?
Click to expand...

Jesse and Al... paragons of moral virtue!

Y'know... as reprehensible as Imus' remarks were and are... as much as they speak to larger issues beyond a three word racial and gender description that demeans women of color... when considering the background of some of Imus' most vociferous critics in this matter, these words come to mind, "Let he amoung you who is without sin cast the first stone" and "judge not, lest you be judged."

To some extent, we all have a part in this because we've all treaded the line of bad taste and prejudicial commentary in our lives. We're equally responsible for buying into these types of jokes and comments when our friends tell them as we laugh nervously at the same jokes told at the bar. We all have a share in this hypocrisy. We're human, after all, and we make mistakes. Most of us don't make them on network radio and TV while being paid a truckload of money to walk the line. Most of us can retract our words and apologize one on one to those offended; "That was a stupid thing to say, I'm sorry" usually works when it's sincerely offered.

Imus' remarks were idiotic and the man stands as a reason for mandatory retirement... but Al and Jesse leading the charge? Please! There are better and more sanctified men and women of color who should be leading the charge, who the media should be going to in order to address these issues, which certainly need to be addressed.

So in the grand scheme, perhaps Imus has done the communications business a favor. Maybe some good can come of this. To that extent, Imus may be vindicated. For how long... well, that's anybody's guess. What's the over-under?
 
Re: Stop drop and Roll

x13thfloorrand said:
Pretty good article on morning radio as it relates to the Imus situation:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-david/don-imus-hes-not-alone_b_45739.ht
Click to expand...
Pretty good? It's MUST READING.

If you read this article and DON'T think it desribes some of the elements and characters on at least two Buffalo morning shows, you're brain dead or part of the frat-boy-under-arm-f@rt crowd that thinks everything that comes from the mouths of FM morning shows (and some afternoon shows) is high comedy.

This article says it all.

Please read it and think about it. So much of it is TRUE. It's the kind of article that morning show jocks read and go into denial mode. "That's not US." Yes. It IS you. To a "T." You're not funny. You're embarrassingly stupid and it's damn near criminal the idiots who employ you pay you as much as they do.

This Imus incident may be a TEACHING process on more than a few levels. The article should be re-printed here, if not for the TOS rules that prohibit such postings.

-9-
 
Re: Stop drop and Roll

Element9 said:
Please read it and think about it. So much of it is TRUE. It's the kind of article that morning show jocks read and go into denial mode. "That's not US." Yes. It IS you. To a "T." You're not funny. You're embarrassingly stupid and it's damn near criminal the idiots who employ you pay you as much as they do.
Click to expand...

Amen, brother. It's why I only bother tuning in to any "local zoo" at the stop sets when I will hear traffic reports. However, I know I am not in the target demographic anymore, so I simply sigh and switch back to my MP3s or downloaded / podcasted public radio from around the world.

Richard in Allentown, PA (ex-East Aurora)
 
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