Posted on 10/01/2003 6:49:41 AM PDT by Hatteras
Radio host infuriates cyclists
By BRUCE SICELOFF, Staff Writer
G105 radio host Bob Dumas told listeners last week that he just hated to see bicycle riders on the road. He laughed at stories about running cyclists down, and he talked up the idea of throwing bottles at bikers. It wasn't funny to cycling enthusiasts across the Triangle. This week they are lobbying government officials and local advertisers in a campaign to punish radio station WDCG and its corporate owner, Clear Channel of San Antonio, and to promote bicycle safety."One caller said her dad had purposely hit a biker on the road on the way to church one Sunday and kept on going," said G105 listener Holly N. Proctor of Cary on Tuesday of the Sept. 21 and 22 broadcasts. "That got laughs. Bob thought that was funny.
"And Bob said he'd love to be on a motorcycle and driving it down a bike lane. Because he didn't think bikers should be allowed on the road. He said they should ride on the sidewalk," she said.
Proctor, a photo technician at N.C. State University, joined two dozen fellow cyclists at a 5 p.m. protest outside the radio station's offices in North Raleigh.
Tom Norman , director of the N.C. Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation , said that reports about the broadcasts revealed dangerous ignorance of state law.
"I have talked to the G105 manager, who was not aware that it is legal to ride bicycles on the public roadways of North Carolina, that cycles are legally recognized as vehicles in North Carolina," Norman said. "Where do you draw the line? What is the distinction between humor and actually inciting or encouraging listeners to harass a group of people?"
Kenneth C. Spitzer, the station manager, declined to provide tapes or transcripts of the broadcasts to Norman or to a Capital Area transportation planning committee that discussed the controversy Tuesday.
In e-mail responses to several Triangle area residents who complained to the station, Spitzer said the "Bob and Madison " show aims to entertain listeners with "animated banter ... that can be both humorous and caustic." But he said some comments last week "went too far, and for that we sincerely apologize.
"Be assured that G105 does not advocate harm to cyclists," he wrote.
G105 is the third Clear Channel station to draw fire in the past four months for on-air comments perceived as advocating violence or animosity toward bicycle riders. Officials at WMJI in Cleveland and KLOL in Houston apologized in July and September for similar remarks. They agreed to broadcast "share the road" messages and to finance bicycle safety campaigns.
Leaders of the N.C. Bicycle Club outlined requests they said would help Clear Channel "mend relations with Triangle bicyclists," including similar public safety campaigns and a detailed apology.
Spitzer declined to comment. A corporate spokeswoman to whom inquiries were directed Tuesday did not return calls.
Members of area cycling clubs have shared copies over the past week of protest letters to the Federal Communications Commission, to state and local prosecutors and to G105 sponsors. Several critics noted that G105 radio hosts have sparked controversy in the past with crude stunts.
"It's one thing to drive around with a naked man on the radio station's van," said Raleigh lawyer Kimberly Bryan. "To encourage citizens to harm cyclists, that has crossed a different line. It's irresponsible. It's not caustic, it's not banter, it's not funny."
David Smith , 38, a software developer at UNC-Chapel Hill, took it personally. His right forearm still bears the scar of an attack by an Orange County motorist who found Smith cycling down a rural road one afternoon in April 2001.
"How are people going to take this, what was mentioned on G105?" Smith asked. "Are people going to say, 'You know, I'm tired of these cyclists?' Is that situation going to exacerbate what happened to me, with somebody else coming down a back road?"
After running Smith off the road, the driver stopped, chased him down on foot and struck him with a hatchet, sending him into a ditch and over the handlebars of his wrecked bike. Marvin Glenn Manring of Orange County pleaded guilty in July 2001 to assault with a deadly weapon. He promised to enroll in an anger management program.
Staff writer Bruce Siceloff can be reached at 829-4527 or bsicelof@newsobserver.com.
Well, they don't understand that the tight elastic shorts are for more than show. You don't want loose shorts or pants chafing your legs on a long ride. They also help keep the old jewels in place - having them constantly swing from side to side can get very annoying.
I'm impressed. I find watching bicycles zooming by to be one of the most exciting sports....Of course, I'm a little morbid, I like watching the front guy slip on a oil spot or bug, and all the others behind him all go down like a house of cards. Good fun.
You know, it hurt.
Bicyclists don't have "jewels". Their girlie-men, remember? And you'll have a better chance of finding any doodads at a Catch and Release Elk Hunt!
Dr. Vaughn begs to differ and chooses to celibrate healthy breasts.
Funny you should mention that, but I saw a truck driven by an Elk pass a bike on the left the other day. They were both on their way to a Lion's Club meeting at the Knights of Columbus hall. One of them was carrying a six-pack of Moosehead and a pack of cheese. Hugh mistake, mixing Moosehead and cheese.
I get very few flats in the course of a year. I still use sewups on my racing bikes, now those are fun to patch.
That sort of enforcement is a very localized thing, I suppose. I have never seen a cyclist pulled over here in PA. What sort of fines are involved and how do they compare with fine a motorist gets for running the same stop sign? I'd bet that the fine the cyclist pays is a lot lower. And, if he gets too many tickets, what happens? Does he lose his bike rider's license? What? No such thing? Well, then would they pull his driver's license (if he had one)? I doubt it.
I used to work with a guy who was such a lousy driver that he could never keep a driver's license for any length of time. So, he rode. And, guess what? He rode the same way he drove. He had no car, and paid no insurance, but once I watched him ride diagonally through an intersection of two 4-lane roads at lunch hour, and it was like something out of the Keystone Kops.
Responsible people are responsible people whether they drive or ride. It's the idiots that cause problems regardless of their choice of vehicle. My gripe is that the burden of responsibility falls more heavily on the motorist than the cyclist. If I have to swerve to avoid a cyclist and hit another car, I would be considered at fault for that accident for "not keeping my vehicle under control at all times".
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.