I saw in today's online St Louis Post-Dispatch that Phoenix shock jocks harassed Benes and Darryl Kile's widow while the Cards were in town for the playoff series against the Diamondbacks.

They first convened a rally across from where the Cardinals were staying and the crowd harassed Cardinals pitcher Andy Benes, taunting him and friends with "Benes Sucks! Benes Sucks!" as he entered a restaurant. When he emerged, they placed a cellphone to his ear to try and get him on the radio.

They then called Flynn Kile, widow of late Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile, at her hotel room, and after telling her that they'd seen her on TV and found her attractive, asked her if she needed a "date" for the game!!!

This is totally, totally out of control, utterly disrespectful! Cardinals and D'backs players were livid, and the D'backs are supposedly going to continue pressing for some kind of serious action against the jerk who engineered the whole thing, but the station supposedly isn't doing anything to him!

[ October 04, 2002: Message edited by: fantomas ]

This goes to prove something I've suspected for awhile: the Arizona Diamondbacks are one of the classiest teams and the classiest organizations in baseball. It sounds like they were more upset by the ordeal than anyone.

I can't believe the radio station - which is probably owned by some mega-conglomerate like Clear Channel, since all radio stations are now - thinks sexually harassing widows is a fun "stunt" for ratings.

According to the report in the Phoenix paper, the local manager for the radio station's ownership group commented that it was just "guys being guys". Unbelievable. No doubt somebody will lose his job over this.

[ January 03, 2003: Message edited by: Ump25 ]

[quote]Originally posted by Ump25:
Have we no limits to what we'll do or what we'll accept?

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I think the board's pretty unanimous that we won't accept this.

Ditto, but someone responsible is going to HAVE to lose their job over it; otherwise, future potential perpetrators won't be able to factor unemployment into their scheme.

Not nice - not nice at all.

[ October 04, 2002: Message edited by: bluebird48234 ]

To say that conduct was "not nice" is one of the biggest understatements of the year....I'm not sure what is more reprehensible -- the actions of the assinine DJ or the comments made by Chuck Artigue, Market Manager for The Sandusky Group when he said no disciplinary action would be taken against Beau Doran (like that's his real name ) because "if I put people on suspension or fired them....there are a thousand things that morning shows do on a monthly basis that are far more concerning"....You've got to be kidding!!....I say BOTH Duran (or whatever his real name is) and Antigue should be fired immediately.

I have never been a big fan of Tony LaRussa (going back to the way he poorly handled the Ozzie Smith/Royce Clayton fiasco a few years back) and he's never struck me as being an advocate of vigilante justice or violence but I gotta him LaRussa credit for having big cajones and standing up for what is right when he said, "I'm vehement in saying that whoever is responsible should suffer serious and dire consequences. If we (the Cardinals) could get our hands on them, we would deal with them physically. It was so brutal that something should happen to them. I hope whoever was responsible gets nailed!"

The D'backs definitely are a bunch of classy athletes (they were one of the three teams that voted against going out on strike, even if Donald Fehr had authorized it) and they impressed me with the anger they displayed when the "family" of their opponent was subjected to such unconscionable wrath....I only hope that someone in "senior management" above Artigue takes the action that is necessary and warranted against these idiots.

[ October 04, 2002: Message edited by: gamecock ]

When I read the report on the net, I was stunned.
I mean, how disrespectable can people get and expect it to be acceptable? Where in the world was the fun in such an act. I just don't get it. What exactly did this bozo find attractive?

I can't believe managment announced that no disciplinary action would be taken against the dufus.

Guess, We're at the point in our society where it's all about who's toughest, the bulliest, and the sumggest.

[quote]Originally posted by gamecock:
To say that conduct was "not nice" is one of the biggest understatements of the year....I'm not sure what is more reprehensible -- the actions of the assinine DJ or the comments made by Chuck Artigue, Market Manager for The Sandusky Group when he said no disciplinary action would be taken against Beau Doran (like that's his real name ) because "if I put people on suspension or fired them....there are a thousand things that morning shows do on a monthly basis that are far more concerning"....You've got to be kidding!!....I say BOTH Duran (or whatever his real name is) and Antigue should be fired immediately.

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Is this worse than the incident on the syndicated Opie & Anthony show where they had a couple going around NYC, including St. Patrick's Cathedral, having sex in public and airing it on their show? O&A were fired.

One crank call to Kile's widow, while revolting and insensitive, may not warrant firing.

According to tonight's news report, Artigue has had a "change of heart" and suspended the DJ for a week, from the sounds of the interview, it seemed very "let me slap you in the wrist so I can look good"

[quote]Originally posted by Breesboy:
According to tonight's news report, Artigue has had a "change of heart" and suspended the DJ for a week, from the sounds of the interview, it seemed very "let me slap you in the wrist so I can look good"

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My thoughts exactly Breesboy....I have no doubt that Artigue has issued the "suspension" solely in an effort to try and "save face" when, in reality, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if he and the DJ are doing high-fives and laughing their asses off....his weak attempt at apologizing is as insincere as they come....I still think LaRussa's STRONG suggestions at retaliation are the best I've heard to date.

As far as comparing this to Opie and Anthony's "sex in St Patrick's cathedral" incident that got them fired, this "joke" makes O&A look like choir boys....after all, O&A weren't actually attacking any one individual specifically (let alone a still grieving widow who just lost her husband a few months ago) -- while I don't condone O&A's behavior and rarely listened to their juvenile attempts at grade-school humor, this act in Phoenix warrants MUCH more severe punishment than a one week slap-on-the-wrist suspension....someone with the Sandusky Group above Artigue needs to step in and lay down the hammer HARD.

[ October 04, 2002: Message edited by: gamecock ]

[quote]Originally posted by gamecock:
As far as comparing this to Opie and Anthony's "sex in St Patrick's cathedral" incident that got them fired, this "joke" makes O&A look like choir boys....after all, O&A weren't actually attacking any one individual specifically (let alone a still grieving widow who just lost her husband a few months ago) -- while I don't condone O&A's behavior and rarely listened to their juvenile attempts at grade-school humor, this act in Phoenix warrants MUCH more severe punishment than a one week slap-on-the-wrist suspension....someone with the Sandusky Group above Artigue needs to step in and lay down the hammer HARD.

[ October 04, 2002: Message edited by: gamecock ]

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To me they're equally tasteless, but the couple having sex in public places were arrested. There are laws against that behavior. Making one prank call like this isn't breaking a law. As tasteless as it was, I don't think I'd fire the guy just for that. I'd offer a sincere apology, I'd suspend him, but if that's his only offense I wouldn't fire him.

I agree that while this tasteless act was not against the law. Yet, I feel that termination should be a very viable sanction for the DJ.

Termination should be an option because the DJ callously targeted one individual for a thoughtless, insensitive act for the sole purpose of having some morbid sense of humor quenched and displayed to his listeners. It was a disgusting uasage of a grieving widow's personal situation. Where is the fun or humor in such a prank what is the next "funny" prank we are going to be expected to endure?

The prank of the DJ was not a harmless act which cost an individual some good-natured embarassment. The prank was intended, willful, hurtful and totally devoid of all human compassion. I do not think any of us are allowed to perform our duties, especially if we deal with the public, in such a manner without termination being a very viable sanction.

Suspension... the very least.
Termination...the most effective.

[ October 05, 2002: Message edited by: satxbuddy1 ]

So one offense is enough? If he does this constantly and has been told not to do it, that's one thing. But was he told not to make prank calls to anyone? Or was he told not to make calls to individuals, but only to businesses? And if he wasn't told either, does the fact that he made ONE tasteless prank call warrant a dismissal? And it's not like after Mrs. Kile hung up, he kept calling her back and harassing her.

Let's say he had a woman at the station pretend to be "Mary Smith," a private citizen (non-celebrity) whose husband died earlier this year. The two of them attended Cardinals games all the time. And he gets on the phone with her and does the same "Do you have a date for tonight?" routine. Would there be this much outrage, or are people more upset because it happened to Mrs. Kile?

(Edited to add... )

I guess the Cards got the last laugh, at any rate. And I really hate the idea that I'm, in a way, defending this slimeball. It wouldn't really bother me all that much if he did get fired. But I think there's some overreaction among the public at large.

[ October 05, 2002: Message edited by: Joe in Philly ]

Overreaction is all you get in broadcast media personnel decisions. Broadcast personalities work at the whim of management based on their perceived usefulness in attracting viewers/listners. But in reality, when the advertisers get nervous, talent is out on their ass. This isn't about the public screaming for the head of a mistaken but generally good employee. This is a case of a radio personality making himself a liability to his station. Because if the offense was enough for just about everyone on this board (or at least of those who posted) to essentially say that we would not listen to this station over this, then it's enough to get the poor bastard fired. What really sucks is he was hired to be edgy and controversial. He was hired to piss people off. But he didn't read the fine print. You can't piss off everyone.

It was incredibly vile and tasteless. I agree he should be fired. To make excuses for them with statements like "but it's only a first offense" just does not wash with me.

[quote]Originally posted by gamecock:

As far as comparing this to Opie and Anthony's "sex in St Patrick's cathedral" incident that got them fired, this "joke" makes O&A look like choir boys....after all, O&A weren't actually attacking any one individual specifically (let alone a still grieving widow who just lost her husband a few months ago) -- while I don't condone O&A's behavior and rarely listened to their juvenile attempts at grade-school humor, this act in Phoenix warrants MUCH more severe punishment than a one week slap-on-the-wrist suspension....

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Gamecock, I hear what you're saying, but keep in mind that O&A's stunt insulted not just one person, but an entire *religion*--one of the major Christian churches in the WORLD. To record people screwing into a church (or synagogue or mosque or temple) knowing that this is a violation of that religion's tenets, and to make light of it is highly offensive. Given the knocks the RC Church has been taking of late, the level of outrage did appear to be pretty low--I mean, children, adolescents and adults have been abused by representatives of the church IN some of these sacred buildings, which is particularly horrible. But O&A's stunt was and is really bad--and I say this as no fan of the RC Church, or of organized religion in general.

Who cares if the group being offended is organized by a banner of religion or not? What those guys did to Kile's widow is offensive to the whole idea of human kindness and decency -- something that should be offensive to us all.

Of course, it's sort of ridiculous to compare one to another in terms of punishment. That should really weigh in at all because it's different companies, different jurisdictions, and completely different situations save the radio aspect.

The Phoenix bastard should be fired.

I do think there's a difference between intruding on the grief of an individual and insulting an institution. But I can't honestly say I would have allowed either to have happened on any radio station I managed.

[quote]Originally posted by MCMikeNamara:
Who cares if the group being offended is organized by a banner of religion or not? What those guys did to Kile's widow is offensive to the whole idea of human kindness and decency -- something that should be offensive to us all.

Of course, it's sort of ridiculous to compare one to another in terms of punishment. That should really weigh in at all because it's different companies, different jurisdictions, and completely different situations save the radio aspect.

The Phoenix bastard should be fired.

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If they fire him it'll be because, as was stated by jqueer, the station got worried about their ad revenue and decided to make an example of him. But it won't be because he failed to show kindness and decency towards the widow Kile. If that were the standard, half of the population would never be allowed on the airwaves.

I just wonder if Mrs. Kile will do what so many people do...file a multi-million dollar lawsuit due to pain and suffering?

I think the only thing Clear Channel (or whatever conglomerate that runs these programs) really cares about is ad revenue. If enough people stopped listening to these over-paid and over-inflated egos that populate so much of talk radio, shock jocks would fade away as so much static.

This episode of tasteless cruelty on the air is only the latest episode of many instigated by these airwave loudmouths. Unfortunately, even the press about how awful their behavior was just fans their fires even more, encouraging the next shlock-jock to out do this stunt in meanness and poor taste. One is just as bad as the next, in my opinon.

The only solution: turn off the radio whenever these goons come on, tho I doubt enough people will care about it enough to do so.

[quote]Originally posted by krnfusion:
The only solution: turn off the radio whenever these goons come on, tho I doubt enough people will care about it enough to do so.

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In theory, the airwaves are owned by the public, and licenses are given only to stations that serve the public. Fat chance that any station ever lost or ever will lose its license for exhibiting poor taste.

You can always find out who the sponsors are. Write them and explain that you will never patronize them again as long as they sponsor the show.

[quote]Originally posted by Joe in Philly:
I just wonder if Mrs. Kile will do what so many people do...file a multi-million dollar lawsuit due to pain and suffering?

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Mrs. Kile's lawyer was on the O'Reilly Factor on FoxNews Friday night. He said that she had no intention of making an issue -- or a lawsuit -- out of this.

The station has now posted an apology (of sorts) on their website:

Click on the banner \"Our Misjudgment\"

[quote]Originally posted by Charlie in the Trees:
an apology (of sorts) [/URL]

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I've read a lot of non-apologies after these types of incidents. While Duran didn't quite fall on his sword, this does not read like a justification, but a real (if not sincere) apology.

That has got to be one of the most insincere apologies I've ever read....an "error in judgement"? ....Give me a break!....wearing brown shoes with a black suit is an error in judgement -- viciously and maliciously attacking a widow (and, yes, verbal abuse DOES count) and then claiming they are shocked by the public response and professing that it was not premeditated is absolutely absurd and assumes all their listeners are idiots....like I've said before, I believe the DJ and station manager are STILL laughing at this whole "escapade" and love all the publicity it has generated -- why else would they give him a "slap on the wrist" suspension and a meager fine (assuming his paycheck really HAS been docked)?

[ October 07, 2002: Message edited by: gamecock ]

I heard on fox sports net tonight that the radio jerks were fired.
Good. I hope no one ever hires them again.

Here is the story from the Post-Dispatch. Looks like the station finally took some serious action to address the issue.

DJ Fired for Prank

While the firing was undoubtedly influenced by at least one company pulling their ads from the station, this DJ finally got what he deserved!....don't tell me that his heinous act was "not premeditated" and that the station was shocked at the national outcry it generated....ANY decent person with a minimal amount of heart and compassion knows that "Beau Doran's" (what name will he make up for his next on-air job? ) phone call "crossed the line"....hopefully the recent firings of this idiot and Opie and Anthony in NY will signal a decline in the moronic "shock jock" format that stations formerly thought was acceptable behavior....btw, doesn't the FCC have some regulatory control against this BS? -- I know, freedom of speech is important, but even a grade schooler knows right from wrong.

The Shock jock that harrassed Benes and Darell Kyle's wife is a complete ass. Even the Dj's here in seattle who have done some pretty crazy stuff were appalled at this guys behavior. And he has lost his job over the incident. He was originally just reprimended and put on suspension but has been subsequentyly fired. his actions were completly uncalled for. It is one thing to be passionate about your home team. But to harass someone who has recently lost a loved one is crossing the line.