February 04, 2005 @ 1:58 am

Online Exclusive: Hot 97 Trying Just a Little Too Hard to Maintain Ratings

by: Mariel Concepcion

In attempt to keep ratings up, now that the fiery Star and Buck Wild duo is hosting 105.1’s morning show (Hot 97's No. 1 competitor), New York's Hot 97 radio station aired an offensive Tsunami parody several times on January 18. To the tune of the classic “We are the World" song, "The Tsunami Song" abused stereotypical slurs- “Chinks” and “China

Did Hot 97 on-air personalities go too far with the distasteful "Tsunami Song," recorded by Miss Jones and the Morning Show staff?" Many seem to believe so, including the higher-ups at WQHT/Hot 97 and Emmis Communications. This week the hip hop and R&B radio station announced the firing of two members from their morning show, but only after an outcry from the community. NY Council Member John Liu, elected officials, community activists, Tsunami relief organizers and other outraged New Yorkers organized outside of WQHT-FM, Hot 97 offices on January 28. On the morning of the protest, the main entrance at Hot 97 was already crowded with The Game's entire Compton entourage, during his interview with the station. By 11 AM, over sixty protestors barricaded the doors for an hour. Demonstrators were holding up signs like "Drop Miss Jones Like It's Hot" and "Chill Out Hot 97." Though the public outrage against the "Tsunami Song," caused the suspension of Miss Jones in the Morning Show staff indefinitely and one week's salary donation to relief efforts; protestors are demanding the admonishment of their on-air personalities and the writers responsible for the recording. (Hot 97 announced the termination of morning show personality Todd Lynn and morning show producer Rick Del Gado this week.) Protesters are also asking for an establishment of new guidelines to prevent further racial on-air attacks and for the Morning Show staff to contribute a more "sizable" donation to the victims of the December 26, 2004 Tsunami, which displaced millions of people and is estimated to have killed nearly 150,000 people, while another 150,000 are still missing. "If the FCC was able to fine CBS $550,000 for a wardrobe malfunction, then it can certainly penalize WQHT-FM radio for the really sick stuff coming out of the mouths of their shock jocks," stated Council Member John Liu. When Miss Info, an Asian American member of the Morning Show, stated her objections to the song and disclaimed any involvement with it, Todd Lynn, a morning show co-host, responded, "I'm gonna start shooting Asians." Liu's says, "WQHT-FM Radio and Emmis Communications need to terminate Miss Jones and Todd Lynn. But that's not all," he says "Emmis fostered an atmosphere that aided and abetted these individuals in their deplorable conduct, and we intend to hold the corporation accountable." Protestors are also asking people to write letters and make phone calls to the investors and advertisers of Hot 97. Sprint, McDonalds, and Jackson-Hewitt have already withdrawn their sponsorship from Hot 97. "At a time when virtually the entire world has come together to help in the Tsunami tragedy relief, employees of Hot 97 have come up with this song," stated Assembly Member Jimmy Meng (D-Flushing). "We are disgusted and demand immediate action by the Federal Communications Commission." (This week Emmis announced that it will make a lump-sum donation of $1 million to Give2Asia to aid the organization in its Tsunami relief and recovery effort)

Article tags: Online, Exclusive, Hot, 97, Trying, Just, Little, Too, Hard, Maintain, Ratings 

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