New York's "Official #1 Station for Hip Hop", Hot 97, suspends AM crew

[undergroundrailroad]

Hot 97 suspends morning crew over tsunami 'parody'

By LARRY McSHANE
Associated Press Writer

January 26, 2005, 3:44 PM EST

NEW YORK -- The host of a New York morning radio show and the rest of her on-air crew were suspended indefinitely Wednesday for airing a tasteless song parody that mocked victims of the catastrophic south Asia tsunami.

"What happened is morally and socially indefensible," said Rick Cummings, president of Emmis Radio, in announcing the disciplinary action. "All involved, myself included, are ashamed and deeply sorry. I know the members of the morning team are contrite. They know their actions here are inexcusable."

The song, a parody of the charity single "We Are the World," aired last Friday on Emmis station WQHT-FM, known locally as Hot 97. The station was subsequently flooded with thousands of angry phone calls demanding the firing of morning show host Tarsha Jones, known on air as Miss Jones.

The DJ offered an on-air apology, and the station initially announced that she and a half-dozen other members of the morning team would donate a week's salary to tsunami relief. The station, in a statement posted on its Web site, said management later decided "stronger action was necessary to demonstrate the severity of the situation."

The song included references to "screaming chinks" and orphaned children "sold into child slavery." The chorus began, "So now you're screwed, it's a tsunami, you'd better run ... go find your mommy."

[qanda]

1. Just terrible

What were they thinking? Why would anyone think it okay to do something like that? I have no words.

[undergroundrailroad]

2. Official Statement from Hot 97:

Statement from WQHT-FM, HOT 97


New York City - Miss Jones and the HOT 97 Morning team have been indefinitely suspended for the airing of a song that made light of a catastrophic event, as well as comments made at the time the song was aired.


Earlier this week, Miss Jones said on the air "I apologize to all who have been offended by my poor decision to go along with playing that insulting (to say the least) Tsunami song. I should have known better and I didn't. So I'm sorry and hopefully we can move forward from this, or I can move forward from this being a better hostess, because I am better than that, and I know better than that -- and you deserve better radio than that."


While Miss Jones has apologized on the air, in the media and on the HOT 97 website, station management felt that stronger action was necessary to demonstrate the severity of the situation.


Emmis Radio and HOT 97 will not tolerate such derogatory and racially insensitive content. This incident in no way reflects the spirit of HOT 97. The station has a long-time and well-known reputation for community involvement and support.


Emmis Radio President Rick Cummings said, "What happened is morally and socially indefensible. All involved, myself included, are ashamed and deeply sorry. I know the members of the morning show are truly contrite. They know their actions here are inexcusable."
We would like to clarify that no company advertising on our station had any connection to the Tsunami Song and no company advertising on our station endorsed or sponsored the offensive material aired on the "Miss Jones in the Morning" show.  We apologize for any misunderstanding that may have caused listeners to believe that anyone, other than the morning show staff, was responsible for the material that should not have been aired.

[msgadget]

3. They're irreverent,

always have been. Same as Howard Stern. But, all I have to do not to be offended is change the station. Rush Limbaugh is offensive and racist so I never let my radio dial stray in his direction.

They've said some truly AWFUL things about EVERYBODY and you know they're gonna roast somebody when you turn on the radio. OTOH, by treating every single thing with such irreverence they've uncovered a lot of bs. Did anyone catch it this past summer when Ma$e was on and his old crew called in to dispute him?? Or, when a staffer of Al Sharpton called in to correct his spin regarding his affair?

So, yeah, what they say is often (usually!) indefensible but... I don't know. I'm not retreating in the face of the new moral police. I just won't buckle or apologize or change. Yeah, they went too damned far - as per usual - but, I'm not calling for anyone to lose their jobs because the msm got wind of it.

[mark414]

5. yeah i think i'm with you

christ i've got such a dark sense of rumor yet i remain quite an empathetic person

[SemperEadem]

4. Good.. hope they never find work in radio again

what they did was an abomination.

[Brewman_Jax]

6. The third rail of broadcasting

parodying of tragic events. After the crash and burn of countless DJ's before for doing that, you'd think that they'd know better. :eyes: