Floating Cat Prank Has Radio Listeners Outraged

newsnet5.com ^ | April 29, 2003 | newsnet5.com

[green team 1999]

Floating Cat Prank Has Radio Listeners Outraged
Animal Protective League, Police Get Involved

POSTED: 4:50 p.m. EDT April 29, 2003

CLEVELAND -- A local radio station wants you to listen, but the stunt some morning disc jockeys pulled has people outraged.

The Animal Protective League responded, and even Cleveland police showed up at the radio station and asked the disc jockeys to stop.

Live On Five Investigator Jodi Brooks reported that 92.3 Extreme Radio said there is an expectation among its listeners to be shocking and to push the envelope, and on Tuesday it started with a contest to win concert tickets.

"We had a bunch of different objects (and were) tying helium balloons to the objects and callers had to guess how many balloons (would) lift the objects off the ground," disc jockey "Rover" said.

The disc jockeys then told listeners they were tying balloons to a cat.

This is what was heard on the radio: "Grab him, grab him! Somebody help me. Oh my God, you guys -- he's flying away! Look out the window. Oh my God, the cat is..."

The drama lasted for 3 ½ hours.

"Where is it? How far off the ground? It's floating away, higher than the parking garage," the disc jockeys said on air.

The APL received more than 100 calls, and police got word, too.

Here is an excerpt from one call to 911: "Hi, I'm listening to the radio, and there's this radio station that had this girl tie balloons to her cat and it's floating around in the air downtown. Is there anything you can do about it? The cat's going to die."

"You want the truth?" Rover said. "No, there was no cat out there. It was all theater of the minds."

On the radio, the prank ended with more creativity.

"Someone out in Medina shot the balloons down," said "Lunchbox," a 92.3 producer. "The cat came to the ground and we recovered it. The cat's OK."

Cleveland police said no charges were filed because the radio station prank did not rise to the level of a crime. Also, as soon as the station was asked to stop, it did.

The APL is now demanding a retraction, admitting the incident was a joke.

The station said it will not offer any type of apology.

The new radio morning team compared themselves to Howard Stern, saying they want a reaction.

for information and discusion only,not for profit etc,etc.

[Hegewisch Dupa]

A cat mounting a toilet is always funny - but the odd diagonal placement of the can cracks me up as well.

[Xenalyte]

That looks a hell of a lot like Spot, only fatter.

That's why I posted it! (That, and the fact that his front legs are in the can.)

[Sloth]

[Bacon Man]

(That, and the fact that his front legs are in the can.)

I caught Piston doing that once. That's why we leave the cover down now.

[Xenalyte]

</i>Bad italics! Off with ye!

[Xenalyte]

I caught Piston doing that once. That's why we leave the cover down now.

How did you NOT get that on camera? I woulda laughed my ass off.

[Lee'sGhost]

"I woulda laughed my ass off."

Now THAT would be tragic.

[Bacon Man]

How did you NOT get that on camera? I woulda laughed my ass off.

He didn't stay there long enough.

[putupon]

You learn something new every day. Up until now I always tied rocks to cats when I wanted to get rid of them. This ballon trick will save me a trip to the river.

[vin-one]

I luv cats, they taste like chicken.. lol,,
Just add a little barbeque sauce.....


by the way I have two of those fur balls.....

[Exit148]

I don't know 92.3 Extreme Radio, but I don't think I like them. Not because the kitty did or did not fly -- but because they deceived their viewers. (I've got a miserable cold and I'm cranky)

[MEGoody]

It's 'funny' now that we know there was no cat flying around. But I have to wonder if some nutcase is going to try this for real. I mean, look at the number of idiots who have been injured trying to copy stunts from that silly 'jackass' show on MTV.

[Xenalyte]

Touch Dennis's fluffy white belly and DIE, hairless monkey!

[Xenalyte]

Hey, my diet plan needs all the help it can get!

[Calvin Locke]

I was listening to C2CAM a while back. Guy calls up complaining about those "bonsai cats".

I saw a photo MONTHS earlier with the fine print "its a fake". And it was about a month old in the lamestream media, but sNorry
lets the guy go on, sympathizing about the cruelty, etc. Pretty sad that sNorry can't keep up with the "latest" news.

Sadder too that these people spend more time on being gullible to stuff like this, than they do in deciding who to vote for.

[vin-one]

Hey, I resemble that remark,,,, lol.....

never ever rub a cat's belly, painfull painfull painfull

[Not Insane]

--I actually enjoy cats on occasion--

Me too, depending on the sauce...

[Bacon Man]

Touch Dennis's fluffy white belly and DIE, hairless monkey!

No picture.

[Xenalyte]

Try again - it's right there for me.

[Jhoffa_]

Since it was all a work of fiction.. (unlike that idiot DJ who threw a chicken off the station roof sometime back) I say it's fine.

LOL!