STOP SAYING NBC STANDS FOR NOTHING BUT CAUCASIAN, STOP IT RIGHT NOW!

NBC's 2009 Fall TV Season Promo.

THOUGHTS???

Segregated LA Radio Hosts, The Glenn Beck Boycott & Non Urban Dictates!

Talk Radio’s Unpatriotic Airwaves

By Kevin Ross

On KRLA AM 870, a Salem Network talk station broadcasting from Glendale, the day kicks off with Bill Bennett, followed by Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager, Michael Medved, Hugh Hewitt, and Dennis Miller. Kevin James rounds out the evening.

Aside from the fact that each of these individuals is unabashedly conservative, they also have something else in common. All of them are men. White men!

Switch over to Southern California’s number one talk station, powerhouse KFI AM 640, and the Monday through Friday line-up is slightly more “balanced”. George Noury begins at midnight. Next up is Bill Handel’s morning drive, then the political musings of Rush Limbaugh. John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou pick up the torch during afternoon drive before former MTV personality Kennedy and Brian Suits close it out.

Although all the personalities are Caucasian, only one woman - Kennedy - is prominently featured on the roster. The no-nonsense advice from Dr. Laura Schlesinger is gone after nearly two decades.


Travel across town to rival KABC AM 790 and you’ll find the L.A. station that invented the all-talk radio format almost fifty years ago also has a white male weekday lead host in every one of its time slots. This is a far cry from when Joe Ortiz in 1971 became the first Mexican American in US history to conduct a talk show on an English-language, commercial radio station on KABC.

Up until last year, The Citadel owned outlet was home to nationally syndicated host Larry Elder.

Known as the “Sage of South Central”, Elder’s conservative Libertarian opinions were espoused three and sometimes four hours a day on the station for 15 years. In fact KABC, which also owned KMPC AM 710 The Zone before it became Radio Disney and later ESPN, had at one point six black talk show hosts on two stations as part of its line-up in the late 90’s.

Elder was among them. He was not only the most successful, but also the most controversial for what many believed were “anti-black” views.
For now, however, only civil rights attorney Leo Terrell is on the air at KABC. His show relegated to Sunday evenings. KFI has African American financial advisor Charles Payne, from 2-4 on Saturdays. Other people of color need not apply.

ALL WHITE, ALL THE TIME

This "preference for white" in Los Angeles, the second largest media market in the country behind New York, is nothing new. With Elder’s continued absence, however, the racial disparities now go beyond jarring. Of the five remaining talk outlets, not one has a Native American, Latino, or African American holding court on the dial during the week.

In fact, all the data suggests that not one Asian has EVER regularly hosted a talk show on an English-language station in Southern California.

Up until very recently this year, there were 46 individuals being given incredible opportunities to make hordes of cash and hold sway over public opinions on the issues facing the nation.


Of the cast of characters, 37 were white men, mostly over 40, and frequently accused of demagoguery. White women make up the rest, equally split in terms of their political ideology and two not sharing top billing with their male co-host.
The CBS owned KLSX 97.1 was on the FM dial. Also lacking in the diversity area, that station is officially dead, having been replaced with Top 40, which ironically, is very diverse.

When President Barack Obama talked about change coming to America on the campaign trial, was this one of the examples he was referring to?

Most answers come hastily with a resounding yes.

But this issue is not just a West Coast phenomenon. Across the country, public financed and privately held stations are banishing minorities to the unemployment line in favor of nationally syndicated hosts like Sean Hannity and Mark Levin.

According to the blog Urban Radio Nation, the only black talk radio stations in the United States are WVON Chicago; WURD Philadelphia; CBS Radio's WAOK in Atlanta and Radio One's WOL in DC, WOLB in Baltimore and WERE in Cleveland.

Journalist Michael Meyers, Executive Director of the New York Civil Rights Coalition, actually began tabulating and analyzing radio stations' managers' responses to an employment survey of non-white talk show hosts in the Big Apple eight years ago. "The facts are that AM Talk radio stations all around the country have and continue to broadcast only whites," asserted Meyers.

"The results of the survey surprised us," he continued, "because of the stated and/or assumed emphasis on diversity in other media such as TV and newspapers. There are, for example, non-white journalists, columnists and editorial staff/ board members at every daily newspaper in New York; and there are non-white talk show hosts, anchors, and commentators on TV.”

Well, that was until the Tribune’s, McClatchy’s and News Corps’ started letting these individuals go as they attempt to weather bankruptcy, or write-downs of $21.7 million and $6.4 billion respectively.

Is it any wonder then that Meyers’ findings continue to fall on deaf ears? Flagrant discrimination based on race on the airwaves still exists even as America pats itself on the back for electing the nation’s first African American president.

Moreover, on-air diversity is actually receding, with many in the industry concluding that it doesn't matter if the ring leader rocking the microphone is of the same gender and race time and time again.

But others are now pointing to signs that terrestrial radio’s undisputed reign may be waning, especially in a fast-changing world full of rivals like iPods, satellite radio and ever burgeoning Internet radio outlets such as Blogtalkradio.

BLAME IT ON THE ECONOMY

Per 2008 revenues, terrestrial radio is a $15 billion dollar a year hustle. And yet for many, radio is a bad business to be in right now. The industry has suffered its worst decline since 1954, its eighth consecutive “struggling” year.

ABC News puts it all in context. “The radio industry, just like newspapers and books and other forms of media, is facing an unprecedented financial crunch. Radio advertising revenue dropped by 9 percent in the third quarter of 2008 compared with the same period in the previous year, and many radio companies are saddled with huge amounts of debt.

As a result, more stations are turning to syndicated programming. Radio stations typically can broadcast syndicated shows at no cost; they just have to allow a distributor to sell some of the commercials on the show. In some cases, it's cheaper for a station to air syndicated programming than to hire a local talk show host.”

That may be a wise strategy, but a heavy focus on national shows creates another problem: The next generation of on-air personalities won't have the opportunity to learn their craft at radio stations if there are no on-air shifts for them to take.

Media giant Clear Channel Communications, which owns more than 1,200 US radio stations including KFI, is actually down-sizing.

The company recently laid-off 9 percent of its employees. Of those 1,850 workers, comprised of radio personalities and executives, few will be able to find jobs in an industry that will likely see even deeper cuts unless the economy rebounds by the third quarter of 2009.

At a 52-week high of $25.69, Clear Channel’s shares are currently hovering around $5.00 and there are whispers that the mega-conglomerate is headed for bankruptcy.

Other radio stocks are also performing horribly. Regent Communications sank 94% to 9 cents last year, and Citadel dropped 92% to 16 cents a share (currently it’s at 6 cents). According to Reuters, the rest of the carnage looks like this: Emmis Communications down 91%, Entercom off 90%, Salem Communications down 89%, Radio One off 81%, Cumulus Media down 79%, Saga Communications down 72%, Beasley Broadcast off 64% and Cox Radio down 51%.

Then there's the matter of precedent. Radio stations have never really embraced diversity. And without much sustained outcry from civil rights groups or the Federal Communications Commission, these outlets have absolutely no incentive to do so now.

In California, for instance, Tavis Smiley is the only minority in the state with an English language nationally syndicated talk radio show. Smiley, a popular African American author and PBS television personality who is also a KABC alum, lives in Los Angeles along with his contemporaries such as CNN’s Larry King, formerly of KGIL, and Adam Corolla, formally of KLSX, who is now podcasting via the Web. Despite the odds, Smiley broke through and is succeeding with aplomb.

This racial gerrymandering is not simply limited to on-air talent. The only discernible nonwhite employees in KFI’s news department, judging by the station’s web page, are Asian anchor Ginger Chan and Latina Editor Karla Marquez.

The rest of the 15 member crew is completely white, with 6 of them being female. While producer Ray Lopez of the John and Ken show is Latino, there are likely few, if any, other minority producers employed. Veteran radio talent Mark Austin Thomas, who is African American, was recently added to helm the on-air news department at KABC.

For most, particularly women of color, the glass ceiling is showing no signs of breaking. The recent cancellation of LA based NPR’s News & Notes with Farai Chideya (a black female national host) due to financial constraints was one small crack that was quickly sealed.

That leaves Dominique DiPrima of the Stevie Wonder owned Adult Contemporary station 102.3 FM KJLH. DiPrima offers up daily talk from 4:30-6:00 am before the all music format kicks in. Although with a much more limited reach, Bobbi Howe at 1460 AM KTYM also has a daily program on the gospel station.

With that being as good as it gets, is it any wonder why the political commentary or pop culture discussions that play out on cable news or the Sunday political shows tend to only reflect the views of a segment of the majority?

Could this further explain the recent controversy over BMW automotive company’s 'Non Urban Dictate' policy? Sure, there may be legitimate reasons for businesses not using print or electronic “urban” media outlets. It may be that Blacks don't index high in certain categories or that a company's strategy is to market to this niche down the road after they have established a strong position in their primary target.

But, NUD usually means that a company is not interested in the Black consumer. And much of this could be attributable to the media entities themselves.

DON IMUS WAS GONE… AND THEN POOF, HE WAS THERE AGAIN

When acerbic radio personality Don Imus created the “nappy-headed ho’” firestorm after his 2007 comments about Rutgers women’s basketball team sparked universal outrage, mainstream media was suddenly looking for insight from self-appointed and elected black leaders. The Reverend Jesse Jackson, who himself has a syndicated program, mentioned that political talk shows don't have minorities as their main hosts, (para) "It's all white… all night."

Those partial comments came on the heels of MSNBC snatching Imus from his morning cable show and then teeing up possible replacements. As J.C “Fanz23” Lewis, Jr of the Black conservative blog “Keeping it Right” pointed out, KABC’s Elder was given the opportunity to "tryout" for a week. Afterwards, no other African American was afforded the courtesy of auditioning to be a talking head. Not one.

Ultimately congressman turned media personality Joe Scarborough got the gig (along with Bill O’Reilly’s old slot on KABC) and black screenwriter John Riley became part of the morning team briefly before quickly fading off the scene.

As for Imus, he was back on the air after a year with an undisclosed financial settlement from CBS. KABC is the current radio home for the cantankerous sexagenarian, who has seen his clout and his national ratings only slightly diminish since the incident and is currently being courted by the struggling Fox Business Channel to return with his cable broadcast.

The upside is Imus now has two African American as part of his morning crew. Bravo, considering in all likelihood they would be collecting unemployment benefits alongside other black hosts who know first-hand how tough it is to land a gig in the current climate.

Even at stations where non-whites are employed as talk show hosts, tokenism seems to triumph. Meyers reports states, “There may be ‘a’ black talk show host, but seldom blacks, and Latinos, and Asians among the talk show host line-ups on the stations that broadcast all-day and into the night and even into the wee hours of the morning. Whether commercially-sponsored or listener, corporate funded, these AM radio stations possibly perceive minority talk show hosts either as hard to find or not available-- or as not "as qualified" or "as entertaining" as the Caucasians they consistently employ.”

Maybe we’re overlooking a major issue. Could it be because high ratings the stations are receiving implementing this policy that justifies the status quo?

According to figures based on the Arbitron survey of listeners from June 25 through July 22, talk station KFI-AM (640) slipped from 4.6% to 4.4% and tied for second.

So there you have it.

Well, not so fast. While KFI consistently finishes far ahead of most formats, its talk rival’s numbers tell a different story. KABC-AM (790) tied for 25th, with a 1.5% audience share, while KRLA-AM (870) was 36th, KTLK-AM (1150) was 41st and KGIL-AM (1260) was 50th. This effective use of non-people of color explains why KGIL station management finally let the station flatline, immediately replacing it with a music format effective August 28.

And CBS Radio has just announced that news station KFWB will turn to a talk format come Sept. 8, recycling Schlessinger and Fox News Channel fill-in yakker Laura Ingraham, as well as adding yet another white male outside the state, Philadelphia’s Michael Smerconish.

This of course all makes sense. It’s the same argument being advanced in sports talk, where athletes of color in fields including basketball, football, baseball and soccer take center stage. For better or worse, these shows talk about these athletes, but rarely are minorities leading the discussion.

Two notable exceptions are The Michael Irvin Show, hosted by the former Dallas Cowboy star, and The 2 Live Stews, featuring Doug and Ryan Stewart. Both are intent on muscling their way onto the scene with impressive results. But these developments may not do enough to placate talk radio junkies fired up with “Yes We Can” audacity.

And their discontent will only become increasingly impolite as the simmering battle playing out between President Barack Obama and Limbaugh, gathers steam.

FAIRNESS DOCTRINE 2.0

Radio personality Bill Press has opined that the ongoing Commander in Chief versus the King of Talk slugfest is Exhibit A why Congress should re-enact the Fairness Doctrine, the federal ruling to insure that different voices are able to speak with equal force and influence on matters of public discourse. Having recently lost his syndicated spot on OBAMA AM 1260 AM in Washington D.C., here’s a recent exchange between Press and US Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI):

PRESS: Yeah, I mean, look: They have a right to say that. They’ve got a right to express that. But, they should not be the only voices heard. So, is it time to bring back the Fairness Doctrine?

STABENOW: I think it’s absolutely time to pass a standard. Now, whether it’s called the Fairness Standard, whether it’s called something else — I absolutely think it’s time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves. I mean, our new president has talked rightly about accountability and transparency. You know, that we all have to step up and be responsible. And, I think in this case, there needs to be some accountability and standards put in place.

PRESS: Can we count on you to push for some hearings in the United States Senate this year, to bring these owners in and hold them accountable?

STABENOW: I have already had some discussions with colleagues and, you know, I feel like that’s gonna happen. Yep.

Locally, Press broadcasts on KTLK AM 1150 with comedian Stephanie Miller, Randy Rhodes, and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. The Clear Channel station - to their credit - has the most women on the L.A. airwaves. And we’re not talking sidekicks.

And yet KTLK’s “left leaning” ideology doesn’t square up with their hosts daily diatribes about how the Republican Party is this “bastion of out-of-touch white men”. Guess what? Everyone at KTLK Monday through Friday is also white. Public radio stations 89.9 FM KCRW and 90.7 FM KPFK, with their progressive mantras, are also woefully lacking.

So for all the hand-wringing Press engages in over the Fairness Doctrine, his angst completely obfuscates the issue that even “liberal” talk outlets can’t reconcile.
Rush Limbaugh’s assertion that traditional radio should not be regulated is actually a sound argument.

The Fairness Doctrine would negatively impact an already challenged industry in tuned to what its audience wants. The real issue is one of opportunities missed, and industry leaders having enough foresight and introspection to not only say “What are we doing?” but “Why are we continuing to do it?”

Look at Sirius XM, a satellite company whose stock was trading at 8 cents. Now up to a whopping 65 cents a share as they continue to hemorrhage money and subscribers, what will this mean for the likes of Oprah Winfrey and friends and other shows featuring minorities? Don't look to the NAACP, in the midst of their centennial celebration, for answers.

Even Radio One, the largest radio broadcast company targeting African Americans and urban listeners, had to dropped Reverend Al Sharpton and Warren Ballentine from their roster earlier this year as they had no other option but to pair down.

Within the last 21 months, Radio One has gone from owning 70 stations in 22 markets, to 52 in 16 markets. Right now, their previously announced 2009 annual shareholders’ meeting, scheduled for September 17, 2009, has been delayed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission so that the company actively fighting against the controversial “Performance Tax” could adequately respond to questions from the SEC.

INTERNET RADIO TO THE RESCUE

No wonder bloggers, and specifically the black blogosphere, have become the go-to folks for bringing issues such as these to the forefront. And for many, sites like Blogtalkradio are assisting in that effort.

One of several online stations that have come on the scene in the last few years, Blogtalkradio allows anyone with a phone and a computer to host and podcast their own Internet radio program for free.

Last year the social networking site saw exponential growth with hundreds of hosts from all racial and ethnic groups. In November 2008, some 3.8 million listeners tuned in to Blogtalkradio, nearly 750,000 or 16% of which were African-American alone. These folks clearly have something to say and are finding an audience, albeit small, eager to hear it.

Obviously, however, these hosts are playing in the minors while superstars like Limbaugh reign supreme in the big league.

"I have a very simple philosophy ... put the very best product you can on the air, regardless of origin," says Gabe Hobbs, a senior vice president for programming at Clear Channel for twenty-five years.

Hobbs was among those recently laid off at the San Antonio, TX based company as a result of low ad sales.

In 2010, blacks are estimated to spend $1 trillion dollars. Hispanics are on tap to exceed $1.2 trillion by 2011. Both groups listen to talk, yet unanswered text messages to radio execs are saying loud and clear, “I’m just not into you.”

“These hiring authorities, in contrast to their reputations for being visionaries and innovative programmers, don't appear to be as either visionary or innovative; but, rather, they seem awkward or clueless, oblivious or insensitive about their responsibility for inclusive hiring. This lack of inclusiveness appears to be a failure of leadership rather than as outright racism or the intentional exclusion of minorities,” says Meyers.

Meyers goes on to point out that the widely-held perception that mainstream, majority-owned AM Talk Radio stations are broadcasting mostly or only Caucasian talk show hosts daily is accurate.

“This is a problem of defacto racial segregation that is both easily recognizable and easily fixed. It is a challenge to the stations' executives-- people of good-will, to a person, we are sure-- for prompt, corrective action,” Meyers concludes.

These were the identical words he used in 2000. Eight years later, News/Talk became the number one format in terrestrial radio. Meanwhile, former KGIL host Glenn Beck manages to take to the mic daily despite advertisers scurrying away from his astringent cable television show in droves.

So while the vitriol toward Congress to have music artists paid royalties by radio stations plays out, media companies through their actions are sending a clear message: they are committed to apartheid on the public airways.

As one Hispanic group lamented, “There is absolutely no ethnic or racial balance in KABC programming and they have no Mexican-American or other Latino talk hosts.”

The words were uttered back in 2006. And yet during this same time period, the US Census Bureau was reporting that White Americans made up only 48.7% of the total population. While Blacks comprise 9.9%, American Indians 0.5% and Asian and Pacific Islanders Americans made up 10.8%, Latinos accounted for a whopping 31.1%

Sound check one-two, one-two! Is this thing on?

There’s a saying that goes “I can’t hear you, because your actions are speaking too loudly.” Well, for companies under the control of the FCC such as Cumulus, Westwood One, Citadel, CBS, Premiere, Cox, Salem and Clear Channel, the silence of minority voices is most certainly not golden. In fact, it’s just the opposite.

To the point now where… it’s deafening.

Kevin Ross is president and CEO of strategic marketing firm 3BAAS Media Group. A former talent on KABC, he currently hosts his own show on Blogtalkradio. This updated version of the story was originally posted earlier this year.

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OSCAR GIVES UP KKK STATUS WHILE EMMY STILL DISSES ACTORS OF COLOR

Emmy Doesn't Care About Minorities

Actress America "Ugly Betty" Ferrera has a chance to make history. Up until this year, no Latina has ever been nominated for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series.

The last Hispanic who won an acting trophy was Rita Moreno for "The Rockford Files." That was for a guest spot... in 1978. Ferrera, 23, hadn't even been born yet.

The talented young star is not the only Latino hoping to grope Emmy. There's also "Battlestar Galactica" admiral Edward James Olmos, the cast of the now canceled "George Lopez Show" and sexy "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria.

Asians are representing as well, with "Grey's Anatomy" star Sandra Oh, "Heroes"Masi Oka, and "Lost" thespian Daniel Dae Kim. When it comes to "Lost" survivors, even India is in the house with actor Naveen Andrews.

And then there's black folks like doctor sistagirl Chandra Wilson on "Grey's", "The Unit" boss Dennis Haysbert", "The Wire" addict Michael K. Williams, "Ugly's" Vanessa Williams, and "30 Rock" comic Tracy "Please Get Sober" Morgan.

While the likelihood that "Ugly Betty" gets an Emmy nod is strong, the chance that others will wake-up happy campers on Thursday July 19 isn't. Since 1986, nonwhite actors in this liberal bastion known as Hollywood have received only 51 nominations out of 840 possible slots in the top four acting categories for drama and comedy.

They've won seven times: Latino actors Hector Elizondo (in 1997 for "Chicago Hope"), and Jimmy Smits (in 1990 for "L.A. Law"). Blacks include Andre Braugher (in 1998 for "Homicide") Mary Alice (in 1993 for "I'll Fly Away"), James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair (in 1991 for "Gabriel's Fire"), and Jackee "Sandra" Harry (in 1987 for "227").

TV critic and columnist Eric Deggans says the fact that "The Wire" cast, most of which is African American, has not gotten Emmy recognition is proof the award system is broken. "Other than a few standouts here or there, Emmy doesn't pay attention to black people."

Alfre Woodard, the most-nominated African-American actress in Emmy history with 14 nods and four wins, says it's not about being among the "select" black actors: "I think we brought the goods, and we could not be denied. We had the tenacity to figure out a way to make our presence known."

Even with her background, Woodard points out that the majority of her nominations were for roles in made-for-TV movies. "If you're hiring somebody for 'Miss Evars' Boys,' you've gotta hire a black woman," she notes.

While there have been noticeable gains in minorities appearing in primetime, momentum seems to be waning. Ten years ago, a mere 2.6 percent of the Writers Guild was African-American. Blacks accounted for less than 2 percent of the 4000-member union of set decorators and property masters. For other minorities, the numbers were equally disgraceful.

As the WGA West's 2007 Hollywood Writers Report reveals, only 9% of TV writers are minorities, an representation has actually gotten 1 percentage point worse since the last report issued in 2005.

National Hispanic Media Coalition director Alex Nogales stresses that until there are more people of color coming up with the stories, the situation will not get significantly better. "Forty percent of all the shows on primetime do not have one single writer of color," he says. "The hard reality is that if you get the number of shows that portray people of color, the number doesn't come even close to equaling the 32% of the national population that is not white."

For African-Americans, the focus is on getting more senior-level producers, like "Grey's" creator Shonda Rhimes. Vic Bulluck, executive director of the NAACP's Hollywood bureau, says one easy step would be to program another African-American family sitcom, like the CW's "Everyone Hates Chris." "Gone are the 'Cosby' shows, 'Fresh Princes,' even Bernie Mac is gone. What happened?"

"When talented actors who are black and white and brown can be in something and it fails and they still get another shot and another and another, like cute Caucasian guys, then you'll know something's changed," Woodard says.

SOURCE

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WHY OSCAR IS STILL NOT READY FOR ITS CLOSEUP

In 1996, I was lamenting the dearth of minorities, particularly Blacks, in entertainment.

This was obviously pre-Forest Whittaker in "The Last King of Scotland". It was a decade before Halle Berry's historic nod, or Jennifer "Dreamgirls" Hudson.

It was two lifetimes before rap artists 3-6-Mafia made pimpin' a little easier.

Of the 166 Academy Award nominees that year, only one was African American. Sure, Whoopi Goldberg presided over the festivities, with Qunicy Jones serving as co-producer. The disturbing message sent in 1996, however, was as clear: Whites only.

What a difference a decade can make!

This year's 79th Annual awards show was the most globally diverse in the history of the Academy. The international broadcast showcased 20 outstanding nominees in the acting categories alone.

Of them, five were of African descent. Overall, blacks fared well, receiving a total of eight nominations and three wins. Latino filmmakers brought their A-game as well, garnering 16 nominations and four wins, three for Guillermo Del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" and one for Gustavo Santaolalla in the best music score category for "Babel." With an acting nomination for a descendant of Japan and a best short documentary win for Chinese director Ruby Yang, Asians did not go home empty-handed either.

But my favorite part of the ceremony came in the opening monologue. That's when quirky host Ellen DeGeneres stated, "If there were no blacks, Jews, or gays, there would be no Oscars."

Of course she was being sarcastic - the part about blacks, that is.

Ten years ago, fewer than 150 - or 3.9 percent - of the then 5,043 Academy members who nominate and choose Oscar winners were black. Only 2.3 percent of the Directors Guild membership was black.

A mere 2.6 percent of the Writers Guild was African-American. Blacks accounted for less than 2 percent of the 4000-member union of set decorators and property masters. For other minorities, the numbers were equally disgraceful.

In 2007, those stats really haven't budged much despite the fact that in the U.S alone, African-Americans make up 25 - 30 percent of the movie going audience.

You would think Hollywood would have recognized by now that mining for greater minority participation could dramatically increase its bottom line. A highly sought-after export, the film and television industries represent high-yielding commodities.

Actor Edward James Olmos' assertion that, "All of the Oscar-nominated pictures put together give lots of hope to diversity in general...", however, means nothing unless we get the cameras rolling in Africa, Latin America, China and "other parts" of America.

If Hollywood is a place where money doesn't talk but screams, add my voice to the chorus on set shouting "And... ACTION!"

FOR WHITE SHOCK JOCKS - POST IMUS - THE JOKES ON THEM

Say Cianara To "JV And Elvis" Family

NEW YORK - Two more New York jocks have been permanently benched by CBS Radio.

Jeff Vandergrift and Dan Lay broadcast a phone conversation to a Chinese restuarant in which the caller, in an exaggerated accent, placed an order for "shrimp flied lice," claimed he was a student of kung fu, and compared menu items to employees' body parts.

Making their comments one day after the "Nappy Headed Ho" brouhaha on April 4, a re-airing of the offensive crank call prompted Asian groups to go all Bruce Lee on CBS.

Initially suspended without pay, the pair were Imus'd after defending the indefensible became too much to stomach for the network that's losing it's shock punk roster faster than Rush Limbaugh can re-air that "Barack The Magic Negro" clip.

"This is a victory not only for the Asian-American community, but for all communities who find themselves constant targets of racist and sexist programming," said Jeanette Wang, an executive with the Organization of Chinese Americans.

Ironically, "The Dog House with JV and Elvis," aired on WFNY-FM immediately after Opie and Anthony, two other shock jocks also in the dog house.

Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia return to the CBS radio airwaves this Monday after a segment on their satellite radio program where they laughed as a homeless man fantasized about "punching in the f****** face and f******" Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and "having sex" with First Lady Laura Bush.

How they're justifying having these clowns pollute the airwaves, even if it is XM's no-listener-satellite-radio station, is unfathomable.

The Rev Al, who assumed a major role in Don Imus' ouster, said Saturday that he wanted to meet with Hughes and Cumia's bosses at XM Satellite over the rape comments on their show. "My personal feeling is they should have already been fired," said Sharpton.

One night earlier, Sharpton went head-up with former Imus producer Bernard McGuirk on the Fox News Channel.

McGuirk was also kicked to the curb from WFAN-AM along with his boss. McGuirk called Sharpton a "race-baiter" looking for attention when he led the campaign to fire Imus.

Rev Al's response? They got eactly what they deserved.

It's a new day folks - better get with the program!!!

UPDATE: ANOTHER NEW YORK JOCK GETS CANNED FOR ANTI-SEMITIC REMARKS

For a sistah's perspective, click here.

BLACK JUDGE GETS TAKEN TO THE CLEANERS ASKING $65 MIL FOR LOST PANTS

When the neighborhood dry cleaner misplaced Administrative Law Judge Roy Pearson's pants, he took action.

Two years, thousands of pages of legal documents and many hundreds of hours of work later, Pearson is seeking to make Ki Jin and Soo Chung -- the Korean family that owns Custom Cleaners, pay.

Pearson says he deserves over 65 million dollars for the damages he suffered by not getting his pants back, for his litigation costs, for "mental suffering, inconvenience and discomfort," for the value of the 1000 hours he has spent on the lawsuit, $15,000 for leasing a car for 10 years to drive to and from a new cleaners, and a replacement suit, according to court papers.

The cost of the original alteration work on the brother's pants - $10.50.

Sherman Joyce, president of the American Tort Reform Association, wrote to the Commission on Selection and Tenure of Administrative Law Judges. Here's some excerpts:

On behalf of the American Tort Reform Association, which works to combat lawsuit abuse, I urge you to carefully reconsider the reappointment of Administrative Law Judge Roy Pearson Jr. to a 10-year term, scheduled to commence in three days on May 2.

Though the pants have long since been found and made available to him, Judge Pearson has stubbornly continued to waste precious Superior Court resources in a clearly misguided effort to extort a hardworking family...

In a letter to the editor in today’s Washington Post, former National Labors Relations Board chief administrative law judge Melvin Welles urged “any bar to which Mr. Pearson belongs to immediately disbar him..."

If Pearson goes ahead with his lawsuit, any party who comes before him in future administrative hearings could understandably lack confidence in his judgment and judicial temperament. Furthermore, this case will become fodder for late-night comics, various members of Congress and other assorted critics of D.C. government if this case, scheduled for trial June 11, remains in the headlines.

With his bio no longer on the Office of Administrative Hearing's website, was Pearson re-appointed? Stay Tuned!!!

LOS ANGELES RIOTS: 15 YEARS AND WE'RE STILL NOT GETTING ALONG

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VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY: FAMILY OF CHO SEUNG-HUI SPEAKS OUT

S
SEOUL, South Korea - The family of Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho told the Associated Press on Friday that they feel "hopeless, helpless and lost," and "never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence."

"Our family is so very sorry for my brother's unspeakable actions. It is a terrible tragedy for all of us," the family said.

The statement was issued by Cho's sister, Sun-Kyung Cho, on behalf of Cho’s family. She works as a contractor for a State Department office that oversees billions in American aid for Iraq.

The grandfather of Cho Seung-Hui said Wednesday: "Son of a bitch. It serves him right he died with his victims." Kim Hyang-Sik, 82, said he had a doom-laden dream of Cho's parents the night of his murderous rampage - and woke to hear the news of the massacre and his grandson's death.

His sister Kim Yang-Sun, 85, also repeatedly referred to the killer as "son of a bitch" or "a***hole" and said his mother Kim Hyang-Yim had problems with him from infancy. She said: "He was very quiet and only followed his mother and father around... when others called his name he just answered yes or no, never showing any feelings or motions."

Other relatives admitted Cho's parents had always been aware of his problems but had neither the time nor money for specialist help. His uncle Chan Kim, 56, said: "He wasn't like a normal kid. We were worried about him not talking.

"Both his parents knew he had mental problems but they were poor and they couldn't send him to a special hospital in the states."
Source

FIRST THE GERMANS, NOW THE CHINESE NEED A BEAT DOWN

TORONTO - Doris Moore was shocked when her new couch was delivered with a label describing the brown shade of the upholstery.

The situation was even more alarming for Moore because it was her 7-year-old who pointed out that “Nigger Brown” was on the tag.

“My daughter saw the label and knew the color brown, but didn’t know what the other word meant. She asked, ’Mommy, what color is that?’

Moore, who is black, complained to the store, which blamed the supplier, who pointed to a computer problem as the source of the offensive label. Kingsoft Corp., a Chinese software company, acknowledged its translation program was at fault.

“I know this is a very bad word,” Huang Luoyi, a rep for the Beijing-based company’s translation software, told The Associated Press. He explained that when the Chinese characters for “dark brown” are typed into an older version of its Chinese-English translation software, the N-word pops up.

“We got the definition from a Chinese-English dictionary." Huang said.

Romesh Vanaik, owner of the store Moore went to, said that this sofa has been a best seller. A check of his stock did not find any other couch with that label.

He added that he had not known the meaning of the N-word. “I’ve been here since 1972 and I never knew the meaning of this word,” said Vanaik, a native of India.

His supplier, Cosmos Furniture, denied responsibility and refused to give the name of the couch’s Chinese manufacturer.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson has an interesting take on this here.

FULL STORY

VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE TAKES ON A GAY TWIST

Just What We Needed, More Ways To Keep This Story On A 24-Hour News Cycle

After a day of hand-wringing over NBC's callous decision to promote this picture and the psychotic manifesto of Cho Seung-Hui, now he's being dissected over "homosexual leanings" found in his written works.

CNN's Anderson Cooper interviewed two therapists who both asserted that same-sex references in Cho's scripts, poems and other ramblings suggest that he had a slight fascination, if not obsession with all things West Hollywood. Apparently, this somehow factors into why he stalked two woman, talked about how impure they were, and methodically slaughtered 32 innocent people on the Blacksburg campus Monday morning.

If you thought Asians were trying to distance themselves from this spawn of Satan, you know the gay and lesbian community is in a tizzy right about now.

SOME VICTIMS WERE LIKELY GAY. READ IT HERE

So if that wasn't enough, now an anti-gay group from Topeka, Kansas has just announced plans to picket the funerals of victims of the Virginia Tech massacre.

The Westboro Baptist Church, which is not affiliated with any national Baptist organization, claims Seung-Hui was carrying out God's wishes by punishing the victims who weren't Christian, CBS News reported.

"The evidence is they were not Christian. God does not do that to his servants," WBC member Shirley Phelps-Roper told CBS.

The group is known for setting up anti-gay protests at the funerals of U.S. soldiers, although Virginia already has added funerals and memorial services to the state's disorderly conduct statute that could be used by police to keep WBC members at a distance, the report said.

This is no joke family. Could this tragic nightmare get any worse?

TECH MURDERER: YOU DID THIS TO ME!

DISTURBING NOTE LEFT BEHIND BY CHO SEUNG-HUI [ABC]

THREE BROTHERS AND A SISTER JOIN THE NATION IN MOURNING & PRAYER

"Today, we are a grieving and shocked nation. Violence has once again taken too many young people from this world. In Blacksburg, they were daughters. They were sons. They were our nation's new leaders.

We mourn them. We will miss them, and we pray for their families and the injured fighting for their lives." ~Barack Obama

Blacksburg's St. Paul AME Open Over Next 72 Hours To Help Students Cope.

More News Here.