Posted on 04/24/2002 5:50:47 AM PDT by Vigilant1
By JOHN ENDERS
The Associated Press
4/24/02 3:23 AM
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Church, community and political groups in Oregon and Washington are demanding an end to what they call 'hate radio' and have called on a station owned by billionaire Paul Allen to drop talk show host Michael Savage.
Savage, whose home base is KSFO in San Francisco, is syndicated on more than 350 radio stations nationwide. He is featured on KXL radio in Portland during the key afternoon drive-time slot, 4-7 p.m.
"The content is an unbroken stream of hate and chauvinism directed against women, people of color, liberals, immigrants and in particular people of Middle Eastern heritage and people of the Muslim faith. We condemn this message of hate..." said Tom Nelson, spokesman for the Coalition Against Hate Radio.
The coalition consists of the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, the Interfaith Councils of Greater Seattle and Greater Portland, the Islamic Societies of Southwest Washington and Portland, the Multnomah County Democratic Party, the Muslim Educational Trust, Oregon Friends of the Middle East, Jews for Global Justice, the Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, Centro Cultural and several other churches and groups.
It planned a 10 a.m. Wednesday news conference in Portland. KXL broadcasts news, talk, weather and traffic 24 hours a day to an audience from northern Oregon to southern Washington.
Tim McNamara, the station's general manager, said he had received seven letters of complaint about Savage's show, five of them identically worded. By contrast, he said, he received "hundreds" of letters supporting the station's decision to air the show.
"I have absolutely zero advertiser resistance," he said.
McNamara also said he offered Savage's critics airtime on his station, but they declined.
KXL, founded in 1926, is among billionaire Paul Allen's holdings. Allen also owns the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team, the Seattle Seahawks and the Rose Garden in Portland.
"The message that KXL is sending to communities of color, immigrants, and in particular to all people of Middle Eastern ancestry and to Muslims, is that you are not wanted in this country, that you have no value and that you should not expect any respect here," said Mona Goode, spokeswoman for the newly formed Coalition Against Hate Radio.
"That is a message that we must actively and vocally oppose," Goode said.
Members of the coalition said they will ask corporate advertisers to withhold their support from KXL until the station drops Savage.
"We're going to engage with the corporations that advertise on the radio station and appeal to their sense of corporate responsibility," Goode said.
"In a sense, Michael Savage has done us a favor. He's kind of united the coalition in and of himself," she said.
Michael Nank, a spokesman for Vulcan Inc., Allen's Seattle-based holding company, said Tuesday that Savage's views are his alone, and do not represent the station or its corporate owners.
Other than that, he said, "KXL is the broadcaster, and any day-to-day decisions are addressed by the station there."
"I have absolutely zero advertiser resistance," he said.
But sanity prevails, at least for the time being.
Bingo! No one is forcing anyone to listen to Savage. Can't these whiners even change a radio dial for themselves?
Maybe we ought to send this thread to Paul Allen and KXL. Anyone have the e-addies?
Can we also ban 'hate' news broadcasts , 'hate' newspaper articles, and 'hate' TV sitcoms that most conservatives find offensive?
I love Savage. If more RHINO radio hosts took on his style we could start winning the cultural war. He's the only one who tell's it like it is.
Independent of the boycott working or not, the conservative counterparts of these liberals don't seem to be as well organized. I never see the Traditional Values Coaltion joining with CWA, the National Taxpayers Association, or the Second Amendment Sisters for example.
It's hard to admit, but the left can teach us a few things...
Dang!! And I haven't been listening? Gotta spend less time at the range.
You bring up an interested point. How many times can one have his name changed?
I heard Tiger Woods is now legally official. My prescient abilities forecast billionaire Tiger Woods as his future moniker.
(I'm just jealous. Not really. Be nice though.)
Found Savage last night for the first time when I went to check out shortwave reception. Caught the program id
at just the right time, before I had a chance to switch bands. Slot used to be yet another sports talk program.
Very entertaining. The only problem Savage presents is that he presents a practical view of the truth.
That and people listen to him. Which is probably the real crux of the matter.
The people that can't handle the truth should be happy that Savage is not the only thing on the radio. Why don't they go
find 1.) a diffent station, 2.) switch to a different medium, 3.) Find some protest at which to cause civil unrest (ideally,
start a movement to defund federal consideration of NPR, and my tax $$$), or 4.) smoke some more pot.
(Note to those complaining - Shortwave station WBCQ @ 7.415 MegaHemps broadcasts a show called
Captain Ganja on weekends (2100z Sundays?) - Mostly not my cup of tea, but Savage isn't their's either.)
Bums and HepC. Ha. In the pre-"industrial" age, the "lepers" of the town - the tanners - usually set up
shop on the edge of town, downwind of the prevailing winds. At least they provided something useful.
Just thought of something. Somebody made a connection to breast cancer and chlorine. Now the bleeding hearts
are spreading cancer causing agents on the streets of San Francisco. What's going to happen to all the female
prostitutes and drug addicts lying in that chlorine? Have the city "fathers" no heart?
TB. My father worked in accounting for the INS years ago. Northeast region, which included the Caribbean (go figure).
The Mariel boatlift really screwed up the budget, but more than that, the amount of TB in that group was unbelievable.
And of course, some idiot Federal judge ordered the release from the detainment camps. So much for the vaunted Cuban medical system.
Well, Catholics are a diverse bunch. AFAIK, the Catholic Church only voted 30% Republican! I'm sure someone will let me know if I'm wrong here. Apparently there is/was a major push to get more of them to vote the conservative side of the ticket.
Muslims went over 50% for Bush!
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