Posted on 05/14/2004 8:03:51 PM PDT by My Favorite Headache
DJs Fired After Playing Beheading Tape For Laughs Portland DJs Played Audio Tape Of Incident
Two Portland disc jockeys were fired from a local radio station after playing an audiotape of the beheading of Pennsylvania native Nick Berg by Iraqi militants, and cracking jokes about the grisly death.
Slideshow: Images Of Portland DJs At Work
The DJs, known as Marconi and Tiny, were fired Thursday afternoon from their morning show perch at KNRK-FM, which is owned by Bala Cynwyd, Pa.-based Entercom Communications Corp.
On Wednesday morning on the popular "Marconi" morning show, listeners couldn't believe what they heard: the audio portion of American Nick Berg's execution by militants.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other Unusual Slideshows: Slideshow: Tornado Picks Up House On Camera Small Plane Crashes Into Driveway Two Turtle Heads Are Better Than One --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One listener says Marconi was laughing and joking about it.
"Then he played it again, and gave a play by play, and explained what each little part of it was, and I said, 'that's not right, that's just sick, you know,'" said Dwon Guvenir, a KNRK listener
Guvenir said the audio was repeated several times. Soon calls and e-mails pour into the station.
When the show ended, the men were suspended.
Marconi was very popular with the station's target audience and he made a living by pushing the limits of taste.
But station executives said this time he went too far.
"Our audience found and we found that this material was not a matter of pushing a boundary, this was living without boundaries and without conscience, and that's unacceptable," said Clark Ryan, of Entercom Radio.
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."
Marconi apologized on his Web site, posting a statement that read, "I say a lot of stupid things on the radio but this is the most inappropriate thing that I have ever done and I am very ashamed of myself for doing it."
Berg's headless body was found Saturday in western Baghdad.
Three days later, a videotape posted on an al-Qaida-related Web site showed him decapitated by hooded, armed men. Copyright 2004 by NBC10.com The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Morons
I just heard about this idiot! Apology not accepted.
Lemme guess. The big fat guy is "Tiny." How original.
What is the deal with Oregon??? AQ cells, links to the Madrid bombing, and DJs making fun of Islamist murders?
I bet he's a real hit with the ladies, what with that Harvey Fierstein goattee and those bitchin' tattoos.
It's called Liberalism run amuck
Any surprise this come from Portland, Oregon: one of the bastions of the Left and referred to as the "Hub of Terror" in the US?
And that "Tiny" dude?
What a hunka hunka burning love!
I might accept an apology like that from a 7-year old boy, but not from a (physically) grown man. He knew damn well what he was doing when he was doing it.
I haven't watched the video or listened to the audio because just the brief descriptions are enough to make me wince and shudder. For someone to laugh and joke through it really creeps me out. I'm glad I don't live in his town.
More like a hunka hunka steaming sh!t.
Sick!!!...I've been grieving over this poor misguided, gullible, naive young man. These creeps just make you even sicker. How dare they. They need to be tarred and feathered, and not ever be allowed to mix with civilized people again...they're animals themselves.
This pair of morons should be fired and heavily fined for their crude antics. On the brighter side, they inadvertently helped to bring to light the utter depravity of those who follow the beliefs of Mohammedism.
LOL, I get the message, but Teddy looks like the football!!
Boy, Bin Laden and the boys are gonna have a ball serving up "Ole Tiny"! Tiny, you get to follow Barbra Streisand and Al "Pudgy" Franken!
I'd like to hear a little more about the plane crashing into two turtle heads in the driveway.
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