Re: Howard Stern In Denver

[Dan Strassberg <dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net>]

At 01:40 AM 4/30/99 -0400, you wrote:

>Stern's remarks, although tasteless, are not obscene or racist--which are
>the requirements for an FCC crackdown.

I guess you could say that the remarks that I saw printed here were not
technically an incitement to commit rape, but the line seems awfully thin. I
think any rational judge would take an incitment to commit rape as obscene.

>In addition, Sterns' station in Denver,
>KXPK, is NOT owned by Infinity, so if there is any FCC action, it won't
>directly affect Mel & Company.....
>
But weren't the remarks broadcast on all stations that carry Stern's
program? And weren't several dozen Infinity stations among them?

I also find it very disturbing that one posting here called a competing
station's use of the story about Stern's remarks more shameful than the
remarks themselves. The competing station (Jacor's KHOW, IIRC) was
apparently attempting to curry favor with advertisers that had pulled ads
from Stern's show. I do not find Jacor's doing that repugnant at all. I
think it's a perfectly legitimate way to try to use the American
free-enterprise system to punish purveyors of the kind of slime that seem to
be Stern's (and Karmazin's) stock-in-trade. That said, however, if I were
Stern or Karmazin or the GM or GSM of KXPK, I'd be cheering Jacor on from
the sidelines. As they say, every knock is a boost, and that seems to go at
least double in radio.


- -------------------------------
Dan Strassberg (Note: Address is CASE SENSITIVE!)
ALL _LOWER_ CASE!!!--> dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net
(617) 558-4205; Fax (617) 928-4205

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