Fire Spud McConnell

It doesn’t take more than a few minutes of listening to any one of New Orleans’ idjut hosts on the right-wing radio stations to hear them say something so completely stupid that the imagination staggers to understand why they aren’t just shown the door the minute they step out of the studio.

Example: Driving to work this morning, I listened for a few minutes to the ironically-named WWL re-run, “The Best of Spud McConnell.” He’s interviewing hacking with a FEMA representative who relates a story about a brother and sister who live separately, but whose rental assistance applications are mistakenly being treated by FEMA as though they should be living in the same domicile. Spud quips, “This ain’t Tennessee.” His guest, who doesn’t understand the crude insinuation, asks for clarification. Spud just says, “Sorry. Bad joke.”

Strike one.

Anyone? Shouldn’t this asshole just be fired? We’re talking about the well-being of fellow citizens trying to recover from the worst disaster in American history and to save their city, and McConnell thinks it’s funny to suggest that if this were some hick, back-country town (which shouldn’t be said about Tennessee), they’d be living in an incestuous affair? What, exactly, are Spud McConnell’s credentials for hosting a radio show broadcast throughout the southern United States? Growing up in a hick, back-country town?

I tried calling in to complain, but of course, the show was just another WWL re-run, so there was apparently nobody in the studio.

Strike two.

There should always be someone there to answer the phone and monitor the broadcast.

Furthermore, when I’ve called in to complain about Spud McConnell before, the call receiver has just said that, around the office, they jokingly call his objectionable remarks “spudisms.” I have never been able to talk to a manager, and no manager ever returns my calls. Minimally, WWL should scold McConnell to stop his behavior, and in some of the instances I’ve documented before, they should demand that their hosts publicly apologize on air. If redneck insinuations and insults are just good for a laugh around the office, then management doesn’t care about the effect their hosts might be having on the community.

Strike three.

Game over.

Entercom has repeatedly demonstrated that it can’t responsibly operate a radio station, let alone seven radio stations in the New Orleans market, three of which are re-broadcasting the same stupid remarks.

Where’s the FCC?

It’s time for media reform, and it starts right here in New Orleans. Every market in the United States, but especially New Orleans, should demand that the FCC force commercial broadcasters to hold public hearings in their communities to demonstrate how they’re serving the community.

They can’t — especially in New Orleans where we’re not interested in yahoos like Spud McConnell. We want the unadulterated facts we need to rebuild our lives, our homes, and our neighborhoods.

Citizens can run a radio station far better than Entercom has demonstrated it can. We deserve one of those FCC licenses. Citizens, neighborhood activists, non-profits, volunteers visiting our city to help rebuild our homes and communities — they all have a stake, they all have a message, they all have information that needs to be shared, but they can’t, because Entercom is hoarding licenses to give jerks like Spud McConnell a podium for his stupid remarks, and then to broadcast those identical remarks on three radio stations.

It’s time for a change.

Related:

Merry Katrina Christmas, 2006

Raise the volume: Raze corporate media

“And you didn’t punch her in the face?”

“We shall beat our plowshares into swords”