Sunday, May 13, 2007

Shock Jocks continue to offend

Since I do work in radio, I feel compelled to blog about some of the recent firings going on in my business as of late, and share my opinions.

First it was Don Imus, fired for making racist and sexist comments about college women who made it to the National Championship basketball game.

Then, it was JV and Elvis in New York. They made a prank call to a Chinese restaraunt and basically poked fun at Asian's throughout the call. CBS decided to suspend the jocks without pay, but after an outcry by Asian-American groups who demanded the same penalty for these two as Imus got, CBS caved in and fired them.

The latest controversy comes from Opie & Anthony, who seem to think it is funny to joke about our Sectretary of State being raped. Oh, and our First Lady and the Queen of England as well. They have apologized, but they are not being fired. These comments were on the XM Satellite airwaves, not the FCC regulated airwaves, although a few advertisers have cancelled their commercials that run on O & A's CBS radio.

One question on this...where the heck is NOW? You may not like Al Sharpton, but he sure raised holy heck over Don Imus's comments about the Rutgers Women's Basketball Players. You didn't hear from the National Organization for Women then...and we aren't hearing from them now, when rape is talked about like it's just a fun past-time. Why aren't they putting some pressure on XM and CBS? For that matter, we aren't even hearing from Al Sharpton on this one. Why isn't he rallying the troops now? Oh, yeah, he's too busy doing lame debates on Hannity and Colmes with Benard McGuirk.

I really feel there is a big difference between not being politically correct, and joking about rape. "I can just imagine her face as you are holding her down," said a laughing O & A as they encouraged their regular guest "Homeless Charlie" who was talking about Condolezza Rice at the time. This is terrible, and a pair of guys who have millions of listeners should've known that. But apparently, they think rape is funny.

We're talking about a violent act that is the most serious sex crime.

I shake my head in frustration so many times in this business. These are the guys who reap millions in dollars, and get the sweetest deals in the industry. These guys, who obviously spend no time thinking about what they are going to say...because all they have to do is say the crudest, rudest thing that comes to their mind, even if it is sexual violence. Why do so many people listen to them? Why are they rewarded so much for airing such crap? Don't listeners want entertainment that is smart and funny?

Change comes from consumers. No audience = No advertisers = Guys who behave worse than teenage boys don't have a show anymore. Honestly, do you think O & A deserve one? I don't, which is why I don't listen.

MARYLYNNFORMATION LINKS:

- The nasty O & A audio

- Al Sharpton vs. Bernard McGuirk on Hannity & Colmes

- NOW takes issue with Alec Baldwin, but not O & A!?!?!

*Editor's Note: Since my posting, NOW has addressed this issue on their website, and I saw a representative on FOX News expressing their outrage about jokes regarding rape. Also, O & A have been suspended by XM Radio. *

- Mary-Lynn

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you know how to use google search? If you did, you would realize that both NOW and Al both called for their firing. You know what happened? XM told them to go screw as they have the back bone to stand up for speech. And if you realized the person who said they'd like to have sex and punch Condi Rice in the face(he never said rape) was a homeless man. He also ranted on how he hated Rev Al., Jews and others but ofcourse that was left out of the articles.

Anonymous said...

Just another person trying to get famous because you have an opinion huh?

Here is a clue, its a pay service and people pay to hear it. You didn't hear the actual broadcast, so why do you care? Mind your own business.

steve c said...

what is truly sad is that you can not comprehend how someone can be very tough on crime, loathe child molestors, rapists, muggers, etc, while still being able to make jokes about it.

the two are not mutually exclusive. many people find humor in the things that they also find reprehensible. its not opie and anthonys's fault, that you are not one of those people.

but the nerve of you to decide that the rest of us should not be allowed to find that entertaining. its not your decision to make for us.

Anonymous said...

This country was founded on Free Speech and Personal Responsibility.
XM Radio is a subscription based service. It is not free over public airwaves. Those who listen to O&A pay money for the privlige of doing so. They make that choice. They chose to keep that channel unblocked. Therefore, those who listen to O&A vote, with their dollars, to keep the show on the air. If someone is offended by a comment made by a guest on the show, then they have the right to cancel their sub, or exorsize their parental controls and block the channel. We do not see this type of outcry over things done or said on HBO or Showtime. Common sense SHOULD dictate this fairly clearly. This is not like free radio or free TV. You CAN remove this probram from your lives entirely.
If they offend you, then please do so and allow those of us who want to continue to hear JOKES and the obsurdities of life pointed out , do so as well.
Thank you

Anonymous said...

While you're trying to take away the first amendment, can it also be followed by the 19th? Cunts like you should have no voice.

Anonymous said...

That, that's terrible....I'm sorry, things like this just make me bristle...

Grrrrrrrrrr

Anonymous said...

Rape is terrible, I'm sorry...but for fuck's sake it was a hobo's ramblings.

By the way, has anyone ever told you you look like Sandra Bernhardt with Pete Rose's hair?

Anonymous said...

By regular guest you mean it was his first time on the show.

He was a freaking homeless guy why get a guy to pretend to be homeless when the country is filled with homeless.

The real travesty here is all you people care about is getting rid of O&A but nobody wants to help a homeless guy out. You are a cunt.