WGN to hosts: Hold your nose over political stinker
Program hosts at WGN-AM (720) have been ordered not to react on the air to a political commercial that alleges Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) is gay. Paid for by one of Kirk’s opponents in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, the spot began running Monday on the Tribune Co.-owned news/talk outlet and at least two others Chicago stations.
Illinois U.S. Senate candidates Andy Martin and Mark Kirk
Federal law and FCC regulations require stations to air political candidates’ advertising without editing or censorship unless the message contains obscenity or violates a felony statute. As a result, there was nothing stations could do to limit or reject the commercial for perennial candidate Andy Martin, one of six vying for the Republican nomination for the senate seat now held by Democrat Roland Burris.
Martin’s allegation of “a solid rumor that Kirk is a homosexual” was denounced by Kirk’s campaign, which issued a statement saying: “The ad is not true and is degrading to the political process. The people of Illinois deserve better.” Kirk holds a strong lead in the polls for the Feb. 2 primary.
In a preemptive memo to WGN hosts and producers last week, assistant program director Dan Zampillo wrote:
“A station cannot selectively disclaim political advertising that it does not agree with. . . . Both as a general matter and specifically with regard to the Martin spots, please do not react to political commercials on our air, or take calls that do the same thing. You can of course discuss candidates, elections, political advertising and political issues as you always do, but do not react to a commercial you hear on-air one way or another.”
But that didn’t stop one WGN personality from tackling the issue first thing Monday morning. Steve Cochran, who filled in for morning host Greg Jarrett, was interviewing Chicago Tribune political writer Rick Pearson when news anchor Andrea Darlas brought up the controversy. Barely concealing his disgust, Cochran snarled: “The great comedian Ron White, one of America’s great philosophers, may have said it best: ‘You can’t fix stupid.’ ”
Martin’s anti-Kirk commercial also aired Monday on CBS Radio all-news WBBM-AM (780) and Citadel Broadcasting news/talk WLS-AM (890).
Elsewhere on the media beat:
- Recommended reading: Turn It Up! — American Radio Tales: 1946-1996. Radio historian Bob Shannon, a former columnist for Radio & Records and AllAccess.com, celebrates the era before consolidation ruined radio with insightful profiles of some of the biggest names in the business. Included among Shannon’s 58 subjects are Chicago on-air legends Dick Biondi, Tom Joyner, Larry Lujack, Art Roberts and Fred Winston, and programmers Lee Abrams and John Rook. It’s available at Amazon.com.
- Wednesday will mark the final broadcast of Mike North and Dan Jiggetts’ “Monsters in the Morning” on Comcast SportsNet. On Thursday (which was to have been the show’s last day), the cable network will air its “SportsRise” sports news and highlights program from 6 to 9 a.m. North and Jiggetts will return as hosts of a new two-hour show, “Monsters and Money in the Morning,” on CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2, starting Feb. 1.
- Hail to the King: Thanks to the ever-vigilant ChicagolandRadioandMedia.com for noting the 25th anniversary last week of Chicago radio veteran Steve King at WGN. Two months after he started (on Christmas Eve 1984), King was joined there by his wife, Johnnie Putman. Together, Steve & Johnnie have been keeping WGN’s live and local overnight shift warm and toasty.
- Speaking of the ever-vigilant ChicagolandRadioandMedia.com, major changes are in store for the popular website and message board. Set to debut on New Year’s Day, the new-and-improved CRM is expected to feature a media news page, live newsfeeds for media blogs, an interviews page, regular columns from guest contributors, ratings data for Chicago radio and television, extensive media links, photo pages, and live traffic and weather updates, among other goodies. Here’s to you, Larz!
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blogs.vocalo.org
Thumbs up to Larz, whose site kept many of us sane while you were on the beach Bobby.
Andy Martin. I just heard his commercial on WBBM 780. At first, I thought it was a joke–a snippet taken from an episode of Saturday Night Live. But it wasn’t. Then I realized this guy, who wants to represent the people of Illinois is a follower of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They say whatever they want and it becomes the truth. They stop at nothing to gain and maintain power. And, if you don’t agree with them, well, we see the results on the evening news. Gee, what we the people of this this politically corrupt state of Illinois really need now is someone like Andy Martin who wants to be the one to set the bar.
what about me?
http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/blogshakalaka
“New life for Lovie after sudden death?”
as for this post, is there an fcc regulation which prohibits on-air hosts from ridiculing a political ad? why couldn’t a host say “that ad is an abomination”? what is the point of a news/talk station if the news/talkers are muzzled? but then it appears that steve cochran did address the advertising. dan zampillo’s memo seems to say that you cannot address political advertising but you can address political advertising. is steve cochran going to be fired? can i have his job? i promise to be a yes man, which is what i’ve always longed to be.
i could see how a station wouldn’t want its hosts to immediately react to a political commercial and tear it apart. that might deter candidates from advertising on that station. so maybe if a host holds his breath and counts to 10, maybe after that the host can rip the political ad? leave a little space, like the room for the holy ghost that teenage catholics used to be told to do when they were dancing with members of the opposite sex.
so, could you please enlighten us further? are there federal regulations prohibiting hosts from speaking their minds about political commercials? if not, is this a matter of wgn trying to have its cake and eat it, too? and if this is the case, is this why wgn pretty much fails to attract an audience when the cubs games aren’t on? and seeing as how wgn hasn’t done very much to try to attract an audience since the new regime took over, should we conclude that wgn can make a tidy profit without trying to attract an audience? that is, the station may be able to get advertisers without showing there is an audience. wgn could be living off the capital of its reputation from the good ol’ days when people filled out diaries and said they were listening to wgn when they actually weren’t. thus, it may be that this martin guy isn’t the only idiot who places his ads on wgn.
do i have to wait to listen to steve dahl’s podcast to find out the truth? that is, unless steve, like me, is trying to cozy up to wgn and get a job there. i’ll hang up and listen for my answer.
The CRM website, ChicagolandRadioandMedia.com, is a daily must-read for anybody who is interested in Chicago radio and TV. Larz does a great job posting pertinent information and breaking news, many times before any other source has published it, and keeping the board focused and clean of spammers. I am glad you highlighted Larz’ hard work and excellent site on this blog. Looking forward to seeing the new site in a few days.
Yea, CRM is great IF you don’t have an opinion contrary to Larz. Other than that, it’s basically useless. Maybe this upcoming transformation will change the format, but I bet it will still be a very narrow discussion on things.
This seems to be an example of “any advertising is good advertising.” Andy Martin, as Feder notes is a perennial candidate, just wants to get attention. He KNOWS making such allegations about Mark Kirk, who is clearly married with children, will cause a stir. Is it borderline libelous? Absolutely it is! But that’s what makes it effective!
It’s gotten people talking. It got his name out there, will likely rile up the base, and get him some added attention from the news/talkers.
That also leads me to believe that Martin won’t remove his ads from WGN because of negative comments. He’d be stupid to do that. The more he airs his ads, the more talk it’s going to generate, the more free press he’s going to get.
I’m not saying I agree with his message, but I’m saying he’s pushing this ad campaign the right way.
Thanks to you Mr. Feder, In your final print column in the Bright one, A lot of people were alerted to the Chicagoland Radio and Media site. And as Thelowndown has stated Larz kept us Media Freaks updated on all things Chicago media. While there can only be one Robert Feder, Larz through his diligent work did an excellent job of keeping us informed! Thanks Larz! And can’t wait to see your new site. And thank Robert for looking out for your fans.
Where is the new and improved WGN Radio?
I thought Kevin Metheney’s policy was, “Truth is optional?” Certainly there is no better time than now to enforce it. I say let there be free and open discussion of whether or not a political candidate smokes the manpipe!
C’mon WGN let’s see those hosts really smear the guy in the interests of “good radio.” No reason to hold back now! Finish the job of dragging a venerable and respected radio station right down into the depravity and muck.
Depending on what some of the other WGN hosts come out saying, I think this is a case of Cochran’s contract being up in March & pushing the envelope a little, poking Metheny in the eye as well. I have a lot more respect for him now, and hope he finds a decent gig going forward.
One more thought. Mr Feder, I’m really tired of Bruce Wolf. Is there some way we can get him a job at WGN, maybe when Cochran leaves in March? That way we can turn him off instead of seeing his pathetic attempts at self-aggrandizement spew all over your page?
James, as the Web Editor at WBEZ/Vocalo, I like having Bruce around. It’s not every day that we have a celebrity commentator…er…commenter. I vote that he stays! Keep it coming Bruce!
Call me odd, call me “Bad Taste Bob,” but I like to listen to both Steve Cochran and Bruce Wolf. If WGN does dump on Cochran, it will only hasten the demise of the station. In one way that would be good. I can’t wait for the fire sale. I could use some of their studio equipment. But what is really incredible is how quickly WGN Radio, arguably America’s most successful radio station, is being stripped for parts and left for dead!
Sam Zell, get your head out of your (fill in the blank) and fire your management team. Next, hire some real professionals, get some of your talent back, and start making some money again. A restored WGN could save your corporate rear end.
That ad is an abomination.
Not just because it tries to make Mr. Kirk’s sexuality relevant to the political process, but also because it hides behind the “some people are saying” cop out. Disgraceful- if this clown thinks Mr. Kirk’s sexuality is relevant, and I guess some people might think so, then he ought to have the fortitude to say so himself without hiding behind someone else’s words.
Those sorts of “some people are saying …” ads shouldn’t have the protection of the political advertising laws, nor the protection of station policies that protect advertisers from mockery. In fact, I would suggest that the laws be changed so that political advertising would only be protected if the candidate themselves are the ones speaking. The “I’m so and so and I approve this message” is a good start, but it doesn’t go far enough.
I’m all for the political process. Candidates should be able to say anything they want. That’s how we figure out who we want to vote for. But they should NOT have the protections of any law but the First Amendment when they choose to hide behind weasel-words and fancy voice overs. If someone wants to rant and rave, let them compete for ad time just like any other person.
Maybe I’m an outlier, but I would feel better voting for someone who I completely disagreed with, but who had the character to stand up and say what they believed in, rather than someone I might agree with but who relies on obfuscation to win an election.
(I’m also in favor of Bruce Wolf. I don’t always understand it, but I like it.)
I vote Bruce Wolf stays as well…love his commentary. WGN should put him on the air full-time…on his own would be great or back with Johnny B….
Give Bruce a podcast, part of Dahl’s soon-to-be-podcast empire. WGN is no longer lame (outside of Cochran, whose lameness is timeless), just Mike North like rabble rousing.
But he needs to comment later, or else I cannot ask about him.
Yes, let’s hear it for ChicagolandRadioandMedia.com. Larz & Feder are the daily must reads for keeping up on what’s going on in this crazy biz.
Larz has always been supportive of what we were trying to do, and “got it”. He’s a straight-shooter. Cheers to him on the new site!
Good management is made up of common sense, mutuality of respect and hubris kept in check. Those values, my peers, seem to have left “the building.” For 2010, I will do my share to help them return. Happy New Year.
I vote to keep Bruce Wolf as well..
I heard the ad on WIND this morning and as a conservative I am disgusted. If Kirk is gay, so what. If Mr. Martin can come up with evidence that he is gay and that it would be detrimental to him being in the Senate then let’s hear the facts.
Otherwise Andrew Martin is nothing more than a bomb throwing troll.
I hope Bruce Wolf would stay as well. Infact, I would like see or I should say hear him on Chicago Public Radio’s 848 staff.
Would it pain you to identify the gay basher as a Democrat. I have been brainwashed to think all homophobes can only be Republicans.
Well, the ad is just reporting a ‘rumor’ that has long been circulating in Kirk’s district, among the voters who know him the best. It isn’t his sexual orientation that’s in question for many of us, but his continual lies to the voters about who he really is. He became engaged when he first ran for office but everyone knew the marriage was a front – Kimberly never lived in IL, but flew in to pretend that she resided here during elections, to appear in photo ops. After one election Kirk had a hissy fit at the polls when neither one was listed as a registered voter in his district. Martin’s treatment of the issue may be offensive because he is taking the republican stance against gays, while so many of us just chalk this up to another duplicitous move by Kirk to make himself seem more electable.
Has anyone noticed that since he’s been running for senate, he has done a 180 degree turn on almost all of the issues which gave him his label of ‘moderate’? He campaigned in 2008 with his interns wearing Obama tees, telling the voters that he would support the Obama agenda. Since then, he has sided with the republicans on every issue, even reversing previous votes, stating he would not vote that way now. He can’t have it both ways. He can play the artful dodger and fool some of the people some of the time, but to try to fool an entire state is another thing entirely. The Kirk we know has been a liar and a hypocrite- which fits in nicely with his fake marriage and NO children.
Whether or not Kirk is gay is highly irrelevant. I am more alarmed that someone thinks it’s so disgusting to be gay that he shouldn’t hold office. Imagine if the ad stated that Kirk was a Jew? Would WGN and other stations still air the ad? Gay or not gay, it really shouldn’t be an issue that people should care about. Has he done a good job for their district should be the real question?
Personally, I’ve always noted that Kirk has had a stellar voting record on most issues I care about – including the environment, the war and human rights issues. He’s one of the few Republicans that I have continually stood behind during times of Democratic takeover of America. If only more Republicans would emulate Mark Kirk, we’d have a Republican party I could be proud of. And if more Americans treated gay members of society like any other god given attribute, this wouldn’t even be an issue.
Justin, I think it’s great that you were able to get so many of Bruce’s family together to support your idea that Bruce stay. If you like him so much, why not give him his own blog? You can title it The Pompous Pinhead and he can speak out on the quality of his nose hair if he so chooses.
No doubt he has the best anyone has ever seen.
And, for the record, I don’t care one whit if the elected person in question scarfs manpipe. I think it’s great to have so many people discussing how an ugly scatological rumor slowly becomes a form of “truth.” It illustrates what the Republican Guard has been doing since the Cheney Administration left office.
I would like to be the first to start the rumor about Bruce Wolf’s homosexuality so he gets discussed more on WGN… maybe even hired…
Mr. Feder noted above that stations MUST accept the advertisement…
“unless the message contains obscenity or violates a felony statute”.
Why didn’t the stations reject the ad on the grounds that the homosexuality allegation, without proof or verification, is an “obscene” statement?
I believe it was former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s definition… “I can’t describe it but I know it when I see it” could apply.
But the bankrupt media conglomerates who own the radio stations don’t want to pay their lawyers to stand up to this farce. So I wonder WHY they are running the ads…
OH… I know why… it’s the week after Christmas… they have plenty of room for the ads, so fitting them in isn’t a bother and the candidate probably had to pay cash in advance. Always good to have a few extra bucks added to the bottom line at the end of the year… especially when they’re bankrupt.
So once again good taste and common sense are rolled by the companies who just roll-over and say… “It’s the law, we HAVE to take it”.
Here is the BIGGEST problem with Chicago media: The stale acts, like the pungent odor of a burnt bag of microwave popcorn, refuse to go away!
Mike North, Bruce Wolf, Garry Meier, John Records Landecker, Steve Rosenbloom, the list goes on and on: Guys, you’re done. We KNOW what you are going to say. We KNOW what your bit is, because we’ve heard it over and over and over again. Chicago media needs fresh blood in it, not these retreads who bounce from station to station hoping to be bring in good ratings, refusing to admit defeat.
Jeez, why not bring back Liz Wilde, Ed Tyll and Beth & Tim while we’re at it?
I’d like to have Mike Murphy back with a regular program.
What a joke. I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard this commercial on WGN this morning. How low can you go? I won’t vote for this guy for any reason. What a sick-oh!
Lauren
Tell me how Steve and Johnnie get away with this ridiculous 5,753 or whatever the number is shows……King was not a regular on station until they let the late great Eddie Schwartz leave, which was a huge mistake. Do the math…it does not add up. I listen to WGN as much as possible. Thankfully, my sleep patterns keep my from their rotten, self-absorpbed show. Meier is a great addition, as is Sirott. Jarrett….did anyone realy miss him during the Christmas break? Cochran sounded great in the am. Losing Cochran would be the dumbest thing Metheny could do. The second dumbest thing he could do is not jettison Steve and Johnnie. Or maybe he is smarter than I think. Perhaps he just doesn’t tune in overnights. Outta sight, outta mind……while the rest suffer.