2 Ore. DJs Fired for Mocking Berg's Death

[Barrett808]

PORTLAND, Ore. - Two disc jockeys were fired after playing an audiotape of the beheading of American Nick Berg by Iraqi militants, and cracking jokes about the grisly death.

Listeners called the radio station to complain after hearing Berg's bloodcurdling screams in the broadcast of the tape, followed by the DJs laughing and playing musical accompaniments.

The DJs, known as Marconi and Tiny, were fired Thursday from their morning show perch at Portland's KNRK-FM, which is owned by Pennsylvania-based Entercom Communications Corp. Station employees would not release the legal names of the DJs.

The station's manager sent an apology out over the airwaves, saying: "The actions of the KNRK news morning show were insensitive, inappropriate and repulsive. On behalf of Entercom Portland and KNRK, I apologize to our listeners."

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040514/ap_on_re_us/djs_fired&cid=519&ncid=1480

[djeseru]

1. I can think of...

...a few more DJ's that need to be canned on this "insensitivity" issue...

[AndyP]

2. that's a *little* over the top

I mean playing the tape on air?! I'm glad they took action and canned their asses.

[Philostopher]

3. The biggest surprise I had was...

that they weren't Clear Channel DJs. Usually, when I see a story like this, I bet myself the radio station is owned by Clear Channel -- this one wasn't, though. Don't know anything about Entercom's commitment to letting its on-air personalities scrape the bottom of the cultural barrel -- apparently, they get fired for it there.

[depakid]

29. CBS-Entercom isn't much better

They own more stations in the Portland than Clear Channel- and they all pretty play lousey generic music. Add in CBS-Infinity and that's 11 stations in all- about 1/3 of the market.

I'll also add that these guys have pushed the envelope and been in hot water several times before in this market- it's not like management (as bad as it may be) had it out for these guys.

[Lin]

4. I usually fall on the side of

Free speech but I saw this report this morning and my first thought was that it's antics like this "joking around" that tempur us (and maybe even set the discourse bar so low)

[wryter2000]

14. Welcome to DU, Lin

:hi:

[newyawker99]

24. Hi Lin!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. Tasteful.

You can find better manners in prisons and mental institutions.

Which goes to one of my central theses: The people with the real problems, the ones that are a real threat to the communities are not the ones who are in care or group homes or halfway houses or probation or parole. They are the ones that call themselves "normal" and ain't doing a thing to address their issues. In these two bozo's cases, they were pulling down a nice salary to display their issues on the air. Neat.

[TroglodyteScholar]

8. Neil Boortz

This guy's little bits that lead into commercials...I'm not in the radio biz, so I don't know what they're called...anyway, it says something like "taking a nasty personality disorder and turning it into a very lucrative business" or something like that. You just about can't be a radio entertainer (ESPECIALLY morning guys) without having some king of psychological problems. Luckily, for most morning shows the hosts are just really immature, not necessarily twisted like these guys.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

9. Since I have never listened to Boortz...

I find that interesting and really sad. I have had my life ripped apart by someone with a real, honest-to-goodness personality disorder and I would never consider celebrating or rewarding someone with one.

[NashVegas]

19. Actually, He's Right

This industry is populated by freaks and geeks. If we were normal, we could work at banks, dress fashionably, get a full night's sleep, drive late-model cars, receive junk mail that starts out with "Dear homeowner .." etc. Then there's the disease known as "morningguyitus," which demands you pull roses out of your ass on a regular basis. Sometimes you miss and out comes a stinker.

[GainesT1958]

6. Those guys were SICK...

Normally I hate to say this about anybody except Repub politicians, but those two NEEDED to be axed!:mad:

B-)

[RebelOne]

22. You are right. Their Web site is called Suckie.com

which should be Sickie.com.

[lovedems]

7. These are the kinds of assholes the RW are turning out.

They thrive in marginalizing those who disagree with them, making fun of those who disagree with them and disgracing those who disagree with them.

This is an embarrassment and if I lived in their area, I would tell them to take their apology and stick it up their ass. This is despicable.

[underpants]

10. Good

That's sick

[DrWeird]

11. No worse than Limbaugh.

nt

[Az_lefty]

12. Hannity's doing the same sort of thing

hope some of his stations start dropping him.

[RebelOne]

21. I wish all of his stations will drop him.

But unfortunately, that will never happen.

[Barad Simith]

36. What is Hannity doing?

I can't watch him or listen to him. To me, he's the single most offensive dirtbag to ever pollute the airwaves.

What's he doing? Throw me a bone! I'd give anything to see him off the air.

[bluestateguy]

13. I don't know of any DJ's who are actually funny

But a lot of them sure think they are! So much of what comes from DJ's is just morning drive time bullshit. Real life is serious, not funny. DJ's should play music, nothing more.

[Logansquare]

15. Ann Coulter thought Howard Dean's brother's murder was a laff-riot

"Howard Dean talks about his brother Charlie's murder at the hands of North Vietnamese communists. Bizarrely, after working on the failed George McGovern campaign, Charlie Dean went to Indochina in 1974 to witness the ravages of the war he had opposed. Not long after he arrived, the apparently ungrateful communists captured and killed him. Hey fellas! I'm on your s-- CLUNK!"
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/anncoulter/printac20031120.shtml

she was exhausted all of the comic possibilities on John Edward's son's death and the death of the Kennedy siblings as well.

[livinginphotographs]

31. Wow.

That is one of the nastiest things I've ever read. I knew Anne Coulter was full of shit, and I was a Deaniac through the primaries, but I'm personally offended by the Edwards comments. I actually registered just to mention that.

So if he doesn't mention his son (which I didn't even know about during the primaries until I actually took a considerable effort to research it) he's begging for attention, but if he does, he's begging for attention. How dare she even mention that. She completely disgusts me. Edwards handled that entire situation with dignity, and now Anne Coulter has the nerve to call him out for that. What a bitch!

Sorry to veer off topic on my first post, but that just really bothered me.

[RoadRunner]

32. Hi livinginphotographs, Welcome to DU!

Gladya' found us, hope you stick around! :hi:

[livinginphotographs]

33. Thanks!

I've been lurking for about a year, but figured I'd finally join.

[livinginphotographs]

34. ...

Or maybe even donate.

:looks around nervously to be jumped on by grovelbot:

[Scairp]

16. Oh my God

What is wrong with those two? Even if they personally thought something that horrible was fodder for their jokes, they should have known doing that would be the end of their employment. Unfeeling AND dumb.

[Melinda]

17. KATU Report, and Marconi's website/apology

Team photo:



Video:

http://easylink.playstream.com/katu/040513marconi11p.wvx

-snip-

However, listeners like Blaine Dohman say they are still angry.

"I'm dismayed and just flabbergasted," said KNRK listener Blaine Dohman. "Number 1, to be put on the air, and two, not be put in check by the powers that be."

KXL radio talk show host Lars Larson also played the audio over the airwaves, but with a strong warning to his listeners.

He says the Marconi show's ridiculing of the incident is inexcusable, but thinks Americans should hear and see what happened to Berg, saying images have been shown by the media before and the incident with Berg is no different.

"I don't think that the America news media can decide for you what you can and cannot see. On the other hand, I don't think this should be on the air and then laughed at and made fun of," Larson told KATU News.

Story

Marconi's website & apology:

http://www.suckiecentral.com/

[daleo]

25. I know it isn't nice to make comments on appearance

But these fellows really should think twice about making fun of other people, alive or dead.

[symbolman]

27. Looks to me

like it would take about a half an hour with a chainsaw to work your way through "tiny"'s neck there...

---rimshot----

[truthisfreedom]

18. what about the debunking?

hasn't the entire video been proven to be a fake? that he was already dead and had no reaction to the knife, there was no blood during the attack (there should have been massive amounts of blood), and no blood dripped from the disembodied head?

i'm not suggesting that these guys are justified in making fun of the video, but i'm surprised this isn't being mentioned.

[Catch22Dem]

20. Proven?

I've heard theories, but no proof. Am I outta the loop?

[Trajan]

23. Yes ....

This 'lie' of a beheading video has been disproved by crack DU investigators, using magic rings and quidja boards, revealing among other probative elements:

1) The clothing worn was orange in color, and resembled a jumpsuit, ... which is amazing, since ALL clothing worn by muslims has not ever been orange, .. and CERTAINLY would never resemble a 'jumpsuit' ... well, because .... Muslim clothing has three arms and four legs ... Hence why the outfit worn by Berg CANNOT be from anywhere but shady CIA-like operatives who wish to chop off innocent heads to benefit their messiah, George W. Bush ...

2) The time stamps in these videos change from one time to another, then back again .... It is well known that Muslims ONLY shoot from one camera alone, or from three or more cameras ... OR: from two cameras which are in perfect time sync ... NEVER do they ever shoot videos from two cameras that are NOT synced up ....

3) The blood spurting did not fly out and up and all around, as would be 'expected' from a beheading ..... no: the fact that parts of the still connected neck MAY be obstructing this blood flow and forcing it to flow downward (due to magical muslim gravity) where it would form a growing pool ... yes: like the one seen in the video ...

4) Muslims arent ever white ..

5) Muslims arent ever fat, or even chubby ....

6) Muslims dont wear tennis shoes, or gold rings ....

It's a goddamned regular Scotland Yard and Quantico here sometimes .... ALL in one ....

---------------

I love ALL my DU brothers, but like my myself, my friends and family, ... we 'occasionally' make mistakes ....

[ima_sinnic]

26. so believe what the Lyin King tells you, that is your right

--personally I find the whole Berg "execution by al Qaeda" to be one huge stretch, from one end to the other, with a stink so bad you have to be nostrilly impaired not to smell it. But I guess the many many people who also aren't buying it just aren't smart like you, right?

[Trajan]

28. NOT consistent with Al Qaeda, per se ...

But DEFINITELY consistent with religious extremism in general, and Islamic extremism, to name a current manifestation ....

As a fearful athiest who expects that one day again: folks like me will be rounded up and .... well ? ... choose one :

1) burned at the stake
2) run through with a sword
3) gathered in buildings, and burned en masse within those burning buildings
4) chased down like an animal and smashed with a rock
5) chased down like an animal and skewered with a spear
6) chased down like an animal and boiled in oil
7) chased down like an animal and pressed between huge rocks
8) chased down like an animal and disembowelled with a dagger
9) chased down like an animal and ....

Well: Ive run outta time ...

Please: dont blame me for EXPECTING such vicious acts from whacked out religionists bent on forming a perfect world for god by doing his justice in his name here on earth ...

Just call me a cynical realist ... and a rational skeptic ...

SHOW ME REAL EVIDENCE ... not half baked innuendoes ...

I still love ya though ...

[Zhade]

30. Fair enough. But try these on for size:

1. The purported beheader, al-Zarqawi, was reported killed months ago. He was also reported to have lost his leg in a missile strike or during the surgery that followed. Yet the man who 'killed' Berg by beheading him has two healthy legs.

2. Berg's body was reported to be found before the date the tape was made.

3. 'al-Zarqawi' identifies himself, yet stays masked. How is this logical?

Now, the chair, walls, etc, okay. I can agree that those items are not exactly solid proof. But what about the fact that just these three discrepancies show that the official story is full of holes?

[truthisfreedom]

35. hmm. well, it was a thought. 8^)