Turn Down the Volume
The Federal Communications Commission has fined the Detroit station WKRK-FM $27,500, nearly four times the usual penalty, for broadcasting "indecent" material. Democratic Commissioner Michael Copps -- who at other times will say he wants more voices on the air, not less -- thinks even that isn't enough: he'd rather revoke the station's license altogether.
What did the station do to attract such a response? Radio and Records reports: "The afternoon duo of Deminski & Doyle are in hot water after apparently talking to callers between 4:30-5pm in January 2002 about various sexual practices, including the 'Frothy Walrus,' which a caller described as what happens when a man ejaculates in a woman's mouth then punches her in the stomach so his semen will come out of her nose; the 'Rusty Trombone,' a term another caller used to describe when a woman has anal intercourse with a man and immediately afterward performs oral sex on the man; and the 'Tony Danza,' which a caller said was 'when you grab her by the hair, throw her down on the bed, smack her around a little bit, and tell her who's the boss'…"
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Isn't Copps the same imbecile who raised a huge stink over NBC's airing of the Victoria's Secret fashion show? Maybe it's time that someone gave this sexually-repressed hysteric a one-way ticket to Riyadh, where he belongs. And to think, this is actually a Democrat we're talking about.
Mr. Copps has an important job to do. He must protect and safeguard the purity of the country's airwaves for the sake of the people who are too stupid to learn how to change stations.
Maybe the company that _owns_ the station should be punished, if anyone's going to be punished at all.
It always seems kinda stupid when a DJ gets fired, but probably turns up the next week at another ClearChannel station in another market.
When the state profits from immoral behavior by extorting money from business that practice it, doesn't that make the government a conspirator and culpable under RICO?
I recently heard Clear Channel's dufus morning jocks doing the same schtick. Guess it pays to have connections. Doesn't hurt to give a shout out to the troops, either.
As much as they have every right to say what they did, these two (i.e.Deminski and Doyle) sound like a pair of real gentlemen.
That's icky....and I was on a submarine and I still think it's icky.
The obvious Libertarian method of response?
Tar the companies who advertise during the show as "Promoting Sexual Assault". Get church groups, Mothers, feminists, etc... to cause some SERIOUS embarrassment to the people keeping it on the air. (GM Trucks- Like a RAPIST). They can say whatever the want- and we have the right to not support it. (Free Market, baby, Yeah!)
The Democrat's heart was in the right place (Hey Kids- do you know what a "Tony Danza" is?), but he suffers from Authoritarian Knee-Jerk syndrome, like most people with power. It's unfortunate because it turns animals like the DJ's above into Free-Speech Icons.
(Political Correctness- If the above is wrong, I don't wanna be right).
I'm a woman, and I agree with the ex-submariner that it's icky. But as anyone who has ever attended grade-school knows, the quickest way to make something funnier and more widely told is to express outrage at it. Leave it alone, and it will wither and die.
The only half-way reasonable basis for the government to regulate the content of the airwaves is to (trying not to gag here) "protect the children."
And even then, I find it kind of amusing the notion of protecting children from learning about all the crazy things us adults do. Does something magical happen when a kid turns 12, 16 or 18? Are they suddenly able to cope with hearing about the "rusty trombone"? You can't protect your kids forever, and you don't want them to get all of this at once, do you?
Adults need to suck it up (sorry) and realize that they don't have a right not to be offended...change the stinking channel, for chrissake!
Hats off to RUSS: "For ... people who are too stupid to learn how to change stations."
Well said, MD: "Leave it alone, and it will wither and die."
Hear, hear BRIAN! "Change the stinking channel, for chrissake!"
THEY'RE ALL SAYING THE SAME (LOGICAL, RATIONAL) THING. SO TAKE HEED, RADIO LISTENERS.
BUT SPECIAL KUDOS TO WARREN: When the state profits from immoral behavior by extorting money from businesses that practice immoral behavior, it makes the government a conspirator culpable under RICO.
(Unfortunately the rules never apply to the rule makers.)
Heh, and still more hats off to Brian for "Adults need to suck it up..."
Free speach??? So glad to hear that I as a woman have to be on my guard from men who get their kicks by abusing women and the ideas they get from the radio. Wonder if these paragons teach a how to rape and get away with it class? It sounds like just the next step to their protected speach.
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