The Radio Equalizer: Brian Maloney

10 August 2005

Hip Hop Stations Face Controversies

Smackfest: Yes, Navy: No

Priorities Set For Hip Hop Stations


What does it take to get liberal activists in a tizzy over hip hop radio?

Certainly not when two St. Louis morning show jocks call for violence against police, complete with pointers.

Nor when New York City hip hop hosts ridicule tsunami victims, complete with a hate-filled parody song.

And, of course, there was no lefty outrage over that same station's "Smackfest" contest, where increasing levels of violence were rewarded with cash and prizes. At least Eliot Spitzer got into the act, forcing the station to pay fines.
(story via Michael King)

What then, about hip hop radio, does get the left in a tizzy?

When the US Navy sponsors a San Francisco station's summer concert festival!

From the San Francisco Chronicle's Joe Garofoli:

Anti-war activists are asking San Francisco radio station KMEL-FM to remove the U.S. Navy as a sponsor of the annual Summer Jam concert in Mountain View, saying the station is "using hip-hop to promote the military to young people of color."


The high-profile event, set for Aug. 21, usually sells out the 20,000- capacity Shoreline Amphitheatre.
San Francisco's Global Exchange, the group Code Pink: Women for Peace and two dozen other organizations are leading a protest at noon today in front of the San Francisco offices of Clear Channel, which owns KMEL and nine other Bay Area stations.

In the weeks before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Clear Channel -- the nation's largest owner of radio stations -- sponsored "Rallies for America" in several U.S. cities.

The conglomerate's officials defended the events as supporting the military. Anti-war activists called them "pro-war" rallies.


The protesters allege in a letter they sent Clear Channel and KMEL last week that the Navy's sponsorship of the concert was an attempt to "promote the Bush administration's pro-war agenda."



Big problem here: Clear Channel never sponsored the rallies in question, they were organized by syndicated Premiere Radio Networks talk show host Glenn Beck, who made the arrangements himself with individual stations. Premiere is owned by Clear Channel.

KMEL was smart not to coddle the moonbats, that only encourages more crazy behavior.


9 Comments:

  • I don't hear hip-hop when I think about the Navy.

    For some reason, it's the Village People singing "In The Navy" and now, dammit, I've got that hideous tune stuck in my ears...

    You'd think protestors in San Francisco would be protesting on that issue...

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10 August, 2005 02:10  

  • After reading some of the lyrics of those artists performing at Summer Jam, the real question is why the Navy is spending my tax dollars to support artists that glorify selling drugs and violence.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10 August, 2005 07:14  

  • Woah...Code Pink-o is gonna hold a "protest"? Now we're scared, ain't we? Here's what will happen: A couple dozen men-haters will show up, who haven't shaved their legs since the Carter Administration. They'll march around for an hour and go home to work on their Evil George Voodoo dolls...

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10 August, 2005 08:57  

  • Why, oh why did Mike have to mention the Village People. Now I have that song stuck in my head. Mike, you are truly evil.

    By Blogger Nathan, at 10 August, 2005 16:01  

  • But, But, But...the liberals are always saying that if you support the war then you should enlist. If you don't you're a chickenhawk.

    And they're always saying that all of the services are missing their recruitment goals. I'd think they'd be happy if someone who supported the war were to enlist.

    And anyway, I didn't see anywhere that the military was going to recruit at this concert. So are they saying that if it is announced a few times and is on a few papers that are handed out that the military is one of the sponsors that kids are going to be like magnets, or zombies and are going to say, "Oh yes, I'm going to enlist, the military is so cool."

    Then again I suppose they might. Liberals do seem to think that Americans are dumb, especially if they disagree with them.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11 August, 2005 01:30  

  • But they "support the troops" and are patriotic. Just don't wear a uniform in the Clinton White House. Civvies only.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11 August, 2005 08:19  

  • you know the only reason the NYC radiostation got fined is cuz its urban. if a controversal guy like MANCOW did it it would have been water under the bridge. HAHA but mancow is original not a copy cat.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 13 August, 2005 14:32  

  • What they're saying is it's okay for white people to go to war, but it isn't for black people. They probably think they aren't smart enough to do something on their own without the left wing whack jobs holding their hand.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 16 August, 2005 13:33  

  • Hey, Mancow poster, he has been fined as well as many other major celeb radio jocks. If you look at the fines across the country, you'll see white jocks far outnumber the black jocks in dollar amount. You could always protest at a black jocks station, but they would probably have a homey come by and knife you.

    Blacks think that they can say anything and hide behind the "you're a racist card" if you say anything negative about them.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 16 August, 2005 13:39  

Post a Comment

<< Home



 
Page Rank Checker

Powered by Blogger