WKSC DJ Fired For Racist Comments
Jan 20, 2005 16:11:35 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2005 16:11:35 GMT -5
After being fired by Clear Channel's WKSC/Chicago for making racially insensitive comments on the air, Java Joel told the Chicago Sun-Times that his joke "crossed the line" but "it looked a lot worse on paper than it sounded on the air." Java Joel, who hosted the nightly show The Rubber Room, made a joke on January 11 about adopting three black kids and "taking them to the zoo to see where they came from." The following day, he was fired.
"I crossed the line, a listener heard it, she called my boss, and I was fired. There was no public outcry, no boycott, no protest," he told the Sun-Times. Joel said he thought the phones would light up after his comments, but he only got two angry calls. "Anybody who knows me or knows my show knows I'm not a hateful person," he said. "Our show poked fun at white suburban females just as much as male Hispanics and gay Asians. I had just as many black listeners call me up and say, 'Don't listen to them, Java, we know you're just joking around.'"
When asked if he was surprised by his swift firing, he said, "Not at all. I was surprised that it only took a few phone calls to get me fired. I think they wanted to do damage control before any damage was done. In this day and age, I can't say I blame them." He continued, "If I could take it back, I would. I'm sorry. Believe me when I say my intention was not to hurt."
When asked what he learned from this experience, he replied, "Perception is everything, intention means nothing, and white liberals have bigger hang-ups with race than African Americans."
Incidentally, The Rubber Room brought in very good ratings for WKSC. The Sun-Times says that on the day his firing became public, Arbitron released its fall ratings, showing Java Joel solidly in sixth place at night with a 4.2 share and a cumulative weekly audience of 398,300.
"I crossed the line, a listener heard it, she called my boss, and I was fired. There was no public outcry, no boycott, no protest," he told the Sun-Times. Joel said he thought the phones would light up after his comments, but he only got two angry calls. "Anybody who knows me or knows my show knows I'm not a hateful person," he said. "Our show poked fun at white suburban females just as much as male Hispanics and gay Asians. I had just as many black listeners call me up and say, 'Don't listen to them, Java, we know you're just joking around.'"
When asked if he was surprised by his swift firing, he said, "Not at all. I was surprised that it only took a few phone calls to get me fired. I think they wanted to do damage control before any damage was done. In this day and age, I can't say I blame them." He continued, "If I could take it back, I would. I'm sorry. Believe me when I say my intention was not to hurt."
When asked what he learned from this experience, he replied, "Perception is everything, intention means nothing, and white liberals have bigger hang-ups with race than African Americans."
Incidentally, The Rubber Room brought in very good ratings for WKSC. The Sun-Times says that on the day his firing became public, Arbitron released its fall ratings, showing Java Joel solidly in sixth place at night with a 4.2 share and a cumulative weekly audience of 398,300.
