Posted on 11/12/2004 8:54:34 PM PST by Snerdley
Push to remove Belling from radio to continue Ad hoc committee wants him off permanently
By GEORGIA PABST gpabst@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 11, 2004
The push to get WISN-AM (1130) radio talk show host Mark Belling removed permanently from his show for using an ethnic slur will continue, a spokesman for a Latino ad hoc committee said Thursday night.
The decision was announced following a closed two-hour meeting at the Federation for Civic Action attended by about 50 people, including Latinos and others in the community.
Enrique Figueroa, director of the Roberto Hernandez Center at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said the group voted to pursue plans to get Belling off the air. "It's an issue of principle and based on the support we feel we've received from the community," he said.
As part of that effort the group will contact David Crowl, senior vice president for the Midwest for Clear Channel Communications, he said.
"We want to ask him to make the decision to take Belling off the air," he said. The group has met with Cindy McDowell, vice president and market manager for Clear Channel Milwaukee, but Figueroa said they will now go to McDowell's boss for a decision.
Belling has not been on his afternoon radio show since Monday, when Clear Channel removed him because of his use of an ethnic slur to refer to illegal Mexican immigrants, according to McDowell. His comment and subsequent joking apologies and treatment of the matter outraged the Latino community, which has called for his removal in meetings and protests. A wide range of ethnic, racial, religious, labor and other groups have joined Latinos in denouncing his actions.
Three sponsors of the radio show have dropped their ads.
On Sunday Belling issued a formal, serious apology.
Television station WDJT-TV (Channel 58), which airs "Belling & Company," a Sunday public affairs show, has announced that Belling's show has been placed on "hiatus."
See http://freebelling.com for more information.
bttt
Belling seems like a pretty nice guy. He's not the most bombastic radio host, but I've heard him sit in for Rush quite a few times and he's right on point. If he does get fired, I hope they replace him with B-1 Bob Dornan.
Don't they have better things to do? Oh wait, they are leftists, their mind is warped.
Okay --- I don't know what he said-- anyone want to inform me. You can do it in FR**per shorthand if it bad.
I rememeber B-1 Bob Dornan! WISN used to carry his program a few years ago.
Still, Mark was the only real conservative local voice in Milwaukee, and he does a GREAT job at it.
I personally will be listining to another area station for my daily RUSH if WISN/Clearchannel dumps Mark. They will NOT get my listenership if they do.
He was complaining that people of alternative back moisture were voting.
I think a boycott of all businesses and organizations involved in the 'fire belling' movement needs to start. Also includes any businesses supporting them.
the quote and reply's are on the www.freebelling.com site, but in a nutshell, he used an accurate slang term to denote an Illegal Mexican Alien (the real point of the comment was about Illegals voting in OUR election).
This is as bad as if someone was fired for using the term "Niggardly" in a sentance about being stingy with finances.
You should also call James Tessmer, vice president of Safro's Lexus North Shore and tell him you'll never buy another Lexus from them again. They asked to have their commericals removed from Mark's show. Their number is: (414) 228-9000, email sales@lexusnorthshore.com
Is he popular in WI?
When he subs for Rush, he ain't that great.
I don't think the term that he used "wetback" is all that terribly offending, especially to some second or third generation Wisconsin hispanic that's never been close to the Rio Grand River.
Bob Lonsberry was booted by Clear Channel from WHAM, Rochester, NY last year for comparing the black mayor to a certain animal during an end-of-show, humorous "listeners on the loose" segment. Lonsberry apologized. Many listeners believed the story was trumped up for political reasons and abandoned the show in droves. The advertisers who left were from the Lonsberry program. The new show was OK, but just not the same. WHAM lost 1/3 of its listeners in the time slot. Fast forward. Things got worked out. Lonsberry's back, and his sponsors returned with him.
Mark Belling is a quality guy. I doubt that he's a racist. At best he's guilty of forgetting to read the updates in the PC manual. I wish him the best.
You'll find the Lonsberry story in his backlog of articles at lonsberry.com.
He's not going full speed on Rush's show. His local show is far more aggressive and often corrosive. He breaks a lot of local news stories that often don't hit the MSM for weeks.
His comment was made during the run-up to the election as Americans Coming Together were submitting tens of thousands of questionable voter registrations.
You don't remember when someone (I will look it up) made a BIG issue of someone's using the word "niggardly".It was a year or two ago.The "outrage" was dutifully reported by the MSM ,but I don't think any serious punishment ensued.
Mark has a good show and has been great following Rush in Milwaukee. What ever happened to free speech :(
I remember the "niggardly" incident and I also know now what the slang word is.
I think this PC liberal getting fired for hurting someones feelings crap has got to stop.
In my city, 2-3 of the fastest rising radio stations is HIspanic music. Well, I bet they can get on there in and say all kinds of stuff in Spanish and get away with it.
I used to manage a restaurant -- A lot of the employees were hispanic. I never told them I understood spanish, so I knew all kinds of stuff they said and never let on unless I had evidence of rule violation or law broken.
You know what, I don't care what they say on the Hispanic radio shows (unless they are inciting riots, gangs, or somesuch).
Isn't it typical that a conservative white talk show host is the one the always gets in trouble.
It is amazing to see the leftists circle like sharks with blood in the water. It would be a big loss for Milwaukee and WISN if he should move on for either by choice or corporate cowardice.
I wouldn't be surprised if he moves to WTMJ sometime in the not too distant future. Jonathan Green has been on the radio since they had tubes.
I'd ditch WISN as my #1 radio preset in a hearbeat if he left. I could handle him on WTMJ, it's got more power and I can get it in better up in the Fox valley, particularily around sundown.
It was an aide to the mayor of Washington DC who was fired a few years ago, for using the word niggardly in a conversation about, of course, stinginess. Considering that the listener was so uneducated about this very basic word,and thought the speaker was using it to describe a trait of African-Americans, and that there are so many idiots like this in politics, the people who use the language correctly wind up paying the price for other people's ignorance, (invariably their superiors.)I think the man may have been rehired, though.
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