"tsunami song" on Hot 97 NYC
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From: M.I.A.M.I., FLORIDA
Radio Station DJs Suspended After Racist Tsunami Parody
Station Also Mocked Death Of Singer Aaliyah
POSTED: 4:17 pm EST January 26, 2005
UPDATED: 4:35 pm EST January 26, 2005
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.
The song uses ethnic slurs while taking jabs at the victims. Among the lyrics:
"Go find your mommy / I just saw her float by / a tree went through her head / and now the children will be sold to child slavery."
"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 disc jockey 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 decision to suspend the DJ and her crew was immediately hailed by groups upset over the song.
"I think this is definitely a step in the right direction," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations. "The egregious nature of this offense mandated something beyond a week's pay."
Others had called for advertisers to boycott the station and for Emmis to fire its staffers - a call reiterated by City Councilman John Liu, whose Queens district includes a large Asian population.
"It's clearly not sufficient," Liu said. "Miss Jones and (sidekick) Todd Lynn need to be terminated, taken off the air permanently."
The death toll in the tsunami is estimated at anywhere from 144,000 and 178,000, with upward of 140,000 more people still missing.
Hot 97 has been criticized for poor taste before. In 2001, two different morning hosts were suspended after an on-air mocking of the plane crash death of R&B singer Aaliyah.
Station Also Mocked Death Of Singer Aaliyah
POSTED: 4:17 pm EST January 26, 2005
UPDATED: 4:35 pm EST January 26, 2005
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.
The song uses ethnic slurs while taking jabs at the victims. Among the lyrics:
"Go find your mommy / I just saw her float by / a tree went through her head / and now the children will be sold to child slavery."
"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 disc jockey 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 decision to suspend the DJ and her crew was immediately hailed by groups upset over the song.
"I think this is definitely a step in the right direction," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations. "The egregious nature of this offense mandated something beyond a week's pay."
Others had called for advertisers to boycott the station and for Emmis to fire its staffers - a call reiterated by City Councilman John Liu, whose Queens district includes a large Asian population.
"It's clearly not sufficient," Liu said. "Miss Jones and (sidekick) Todd Lynn need to be terminated, taken off the air permanently."
The death toll in the tsunami is estimated at anywhere from 144,000 and 178,000, with upward of 140,000 more people still missing.
Hot 97 has been criticized for poor taste before. In 2001, two different morning hosts were suspended after an on-air mocking of the plane crash death of R&B singer Aaliyah.
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From: Stratford
McDonalds and sprintpcs both have pulled thier advertizements from hot 97. THIS my friends is the ONLY reason why they are being SUSPENDED. The whole morning crew needs to be fired........with the exception of Ms. Info who actually got into a HEATED on-air argument with the host (Ms. Info is part asian I believe) b/c of the song. Yes this was a marketing play, HOWEVER, the added exposure did what it should have done....which was to get those idiots off the air and HURT hot 97 financially. I understand there is currently an FCC investigation going on. Hopefully they will sock it to them too!
BTW, I've emailed the FCC, HOT 97, McDonalds, and Sprint....have you?
BTW, I've emailed the FCC, HOT 97, McDonalds, and Sprint....have you?
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From: Stratford
Originally Posted by F1s2000,Jan 26 2005, 11:59 AM
That was a creative question. Wasn't it?????? No one else asked it. So that makes it creative. But thanks 
....... Unlike you who bitches and complains. Really creative. 
....... Unlike you who bitches and complains. Really creative. I feel sorry for you, I truly do.
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From: Purple sky
Originally Posted by YaoMing,Jan 26 2005, 11:03 AM
It's called Boycotting the station and guess what? Because of us smart peope, they're getting hit with the stiff fine from the FCC. Another thing, after all this attentions they're going to lose alot money from advertising. How's that for being smart?
Fs1000 makes no sense whatsoever. It's not the positive attention that they are getting, it's all the negative and hateful attentions. For example, before the OJ trial, I had no clue whom he was, but afterwards, most of the world and I know about him, but in our eyes, he's a murderer, a negative image. Likewise, this station will be seen as racist for a long while, so that's not a positive attention either.
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From: Purple sky
I suspect that most of you who see this as amusing or regard this lightly are white, correct? I also suspect that the same people would think that lynching Negroes in the past was in the name of fun and entertainment, hence it was also amusing. Correct?
Let me tell you, there is nothing amusing about being racist and especially making fun of the dead. It is one thing to make fun of "screaming chinks", it is another to make fun of dead children. You see, children are the fruits of humanity's innocence and purity, and making fun of them dying is just purely sinful. Making fun of trees going through their heads is not amusing at all.
Some of you need to take a step back and look into your souls. If it's filled with evil and darkness, then may God save you, and I feel sorry for you. For such, I'm disgusted and disappointed at some of you.
Let me tell you, there is nothing amusing about being racist and especially making fun of the dead. It is one thing to make fun of "screaming chinks", it is another to make fun of dead children. You see, children are the fruits of humanity's innocence and purity, and making fun of them dying is just purely sinful. Making fun of trees going through their heads is not amusing at all.
Some of you need to take a step back and look into your souls. If it's filled with evil and darkness, then may God save you, and I feel sorry for you. For such, I'm disgusted and disappointed at some of you.
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From: South Carolina
Originally Posted by Purple_sky,Jan 26 2005, 06:08 PM
I suspect that most of you who see this as amusing or regard this lightly are white, correct? I also suspect that the same people would think that lynching Negroes in the past was in the name of fun and entertainment, hence it was also amusing. Correct?
The creators and performers of the song are station employees and, from what I see on the Hot 97 website, are very likely black. They obviously found the song funny. I doubt they'd find a lynching funny. Nevermind that comparing a lynching to the tsunami is absurd, even if it's only a lame attempt to judge their relative "humor" value to a sick segment of society.
FWIW, I'm white and I find neither lynching, the tsunami, nor the song the least bit amusing.
You should have stopped while you were ahead--you had made some decent points before this load of self-righteous crap.
Now I'm off to beat a random homeless guy to death with a golf club--we white folks find that to be a real knee-slapper.