How one man can change the hate-filled air waves

Read Spocko and learn.

Cracked pots

At KSFO:



Spocko fights the good fight:

KSFO morning Radio Host Lee Rodgers thinks that supporters of Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul should be hunted down and killed.

KSFO management supports this violent rhetoric. When I attempted to alert advertisers to what they are paying for when they advertised on KSFO, ABC Radio/Disney had my entire blog shut down using a meritless copyright claim. (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/15/techn ology/15radio.html)

The station management threatened to sue me "for everything I've got".

The Electronic Frontier Foundation defended me and pointed out my use of audio clips to alert the advertisers to what the hosts were saying was fair use.

As Matt Zimmerman from the EFF said, "While such radio personalities certainly have a right to air their views, the First Amendment says nothing about a right to advertiser-subsidized speech."

The courts have since ruled in favor of bloggers' fair use of audio clips in this fashion. Sadly, I now expect privacy invasion and more character assassination from KSFO. This is their preferred method rather than addressing their own hosts' attacks on companies, groups or individuals.

By January 2007 28 advertisers, including Bank of American, Fed Ex, Master Card, The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, pulled their ads when they decided that they didn't want to be associated with these hosts. Many companies own internal advertising policies don't support this kind of violent rhetoric.

If you are one of the people that Rodgers suggested be hunted down and killed, don't bother to contact management, their support of Rodgers is clear. Don't bother to contact the FCC, this is not something they care about. You may want to politely contact the advertisers and ask they to listen to the program to see if they want to be associated with the people who wanted you killed.

Spocko
www.spockosbrain.com. The blog that is sweeping the nation! Now with 19 readers!

Spocko has the story with links at his website: Spocko's Brain.

She who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.

Spocko has a reply in response to Melaine Morgan's firing... I mean... not getting her contract renewed. Here is a longer interview with him.

Fearguth of American Street has the picture.

One year ago the blogosphere erupted

And rallied behind Spocko's challenge to the advertisers on KSFO. An education for all of us of the power of many outraged citizens standing up to Disney/ ABC/ KSFO and the talkshow hosts Melanie Morgan, Lee Rodgers, Brian Sussman.

KSFO continues its hate speech

The flagship radio station of the NFL Oakland Raiders, KSFO savagely mocks the Katrina survivors and makes light of the horrific violation of prison rape. KSFO is tied to ABC and to Disney who apparently think that such ugly and insensitive statements can be allowed.

Their silence and inaction obviously means they endorse such hate speech.

Why?

Lee Rodgers being toasted by Spocko

Very satisfying to smack a radio host about with his very own offensive and hateful words:

I think the most relevant fact to you personally is that Lee Rodgers thinks that "[For Egyptians and other Arab cultures], lying is as natural as breathing" (audio link)

ABC, Disney, KSFO stand by to film a street fight

Being drummed up by their own Melanie Morgan. Spocko:

So Melanie Morgan the chairwoman of Move America Forward is getting people together at KSFO at the ABC Disney broadcast center in San Francisco tomorrow for a HUGE kick off of their 25 city "Wrap Yourself in a Flag" tour.

They will end up in DC on Friday and Saturday March 16-17, 2007 where they will confront the anti-war left (aka Code Pink and Cindy Sheehan)"

After this rally at the ABC/Disney studios, they are going to Lafayette where they are clearly spoiling for a fight. (I'd make a sly reference to "Lafayette, I am here!" thereby recognizing the debt to be repaid to Lafayette and France for our independence, but I think the reference would be lost on Morgan...)

Morgan says, that there will be a ton of media in Lafayette and "A potential for some not to pleasant things to happen. So I want to warn everybody about it because the so called peace crowd, the anti-war crowd will be there and so are we."
CUE ACTION NEWS TV TEAMS!
WE MIGHT HAVE A SHOVING MATCH! (Would it be cynical of me to think that the TV people were promised juicy visuals? And remember on TV "If it bleeds it leads!")

Then she tells people to go to Move America Forward's website or Melanie Morgan's website. Good coordination, Move America Forward's website, Melanie Morgan's website, KSFO website, meeting at ABC broadcast studios. All lead by Morgan. A very tightly integrated campaign for ABC/Disney.

So....if anyone gets hurt during this promised riot, this is where it started and who was behind it.

Update 3/9: Spocko shows us an interaction between Morgan's posse and peace demonstrators. Who are they going to sue when someone encouraged by this hate goes too far? Again, remember who started this.

Spocko reminds us of how to tell a funny joke

From a crass one. Spocko:

I also know the difference between "gallows", insult, and "ranking" humor. I understand ironic, sick and dirty jokes. I can spot something that is NOT a joke but people laugh at it because if they didn't laugh it would destroy the conceit developed for people like Coulter that EVERYTHING repugnant or offensive is simply A JOKE. Because if the comment is seen as WHAT it really is, the serious views of the commenter, decent humans the world over would find the views disgusting and shun the people who trade in those comments.

You learn something about the PEOPLE who laugh at disgusting things as much as the people who tell the "jokes." And I'm not talking about people laughing at black or gallows humor. *I*, and most humans, know the difference.

Spocko illustrates what Ann finds funny:

On ABC Radio/Disney station KSFO 560 AM in SF on July 27th 2006 Ann Coulter was talking to Lee Rodgers, Melanie Morgan and Tom Benner (whose pseudonym is "Officer Vic") about the bombing in Southern Lebanon. The first person talking is Lee Rodgers.

Ann Coulter: "On the bright side we hit a couple of UN peacekeepers."
Melanie Morgan: laughs
Officer Vic: "Look at those blue helmets go flyin'"
Coulter: "Somebody has to tell Israel about the installation on 42nd street."
Laughter

Please LISTEN to the actual audio.
(WMA Audio link 1.01 clip, comment at 45 sec)

Apparently Disney, ABC and KSFO

Still support hate speech and are trying to ignore Spocko. Spocko points out:

It's been 39 days since my attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Matt Zimmerman, sent the lawyer for Disney owned ABC Radio station KSFO a letter demanding they retract their legally baseless threats that lead to my blog being shut down.

[snip]

Maybe ABC/Disney didn't respond because they think we are unserious people who use pseudonyms (something no RADIO person cough* Officer Vic * cough ever uses). I will point out that Mr. Zimmerman gave them very specific, serious contact information. Still, they ignored his letter.

Maybe they didn't respond because they wanted to just keep the threat hanging out there.
And they continue to let the people at KSFO look for methods to stifle and/or smear their critics. But pretending that they didn't get the letter doesn't really give the Disney executives plausible deniability in the public eye.

Why is the continued clear awareness about what is going on at KSFO--by multiple executives from ABC and Disney-- important? Because when the next atrocity is spewed by Rodgers, Morgan, Sussman or "Officer Vic" they can not say, "We had NO idea those kind of things were being said on a Disney station!" Multiple executives from ABC and Disney knew what was going on at KSFO months before that 1/12/2007 show. I'm fairly confident that many listened in that day (or they can still listen to the whole three hour rebroadcast on Melanie Morgan's personal website.) There really is no excuse for anyone's lack of awareness at this point. And that should mean a real responsibility on their part to ensure that hosts stay within their corporate guidelines. Have the hosts conducted themselves as professionals on a commercially-supported broadcast radio network that was granted a license by the public via the FCC?

All good questions, Spocko. Why AREN'T Disney, ABC, KSFO responding? It was so urgent just two months ago.....

Update: Just a reminder. These are the guys who produced and lied about editing out defamatory parts in their Path to 9/11 movie. So truth apparently isn't a big part of their corporate structure.

Others than Spocko hear the hate dripping from KSFO

From Spocko's Brain:

From Media Magazine, by Tom Siebert, February 2007 issue

It's one thing to read KSFO host Melanie Morgan complaining that the San Francisco Chronicle is trying to influence a California congressional race by altering a photo of Rep. Richard Pombo so he appears "furtive and dark," but it's another thing entirely to actually listen to the sound bite and hear the way she spits out the word "black" in her comment: "It is shaded to where it looks like he's a black man. ... I think it's just shameful."

The way she says the word, she makes it sound like being black would be the worst thing in the world - because to Melanie Morgan, it probably would be. And it's far more shocking than reading it on the page.

As you listen to the KSFO segments, the hatred in the hosts' voices comes through so much stronger than reading it. There is a truly chilling moment listening to morning talk host Lee Rodgers ruminate: "The day will come when unpleasant things are going to happen to a bunch of stupid liberals. ... It's going to be very amusing to watch."

Spocko has the audio of the quote. Amazing what happens when you spew hate out onto the air waves and it is caught. I'm sure Melanie Morgan, Lee Rodgers and KSFO are proud.

Update: Eli at Multi-Medium has the ultimate cartoon.

Allstate heard what KSFO was broadcasting

And pulled their advertisements. As Spocko is reminding us, this is not a boycott. We are just asking if the companies are aware that their name is being connected to what KSFO broadcasts.

Strange how what you say on the air can be used against you.

The San Francisco Bay Guardian

Has Spocko's story:

For the better part of a year starting in late 2005, San Francisco blogger Mr. Spocko waged a quiet campaign against right-wing talk radio station KSFO, 560 AM. He wrote to its sponsors and played for them explicit portions of the station's programming, such as shock jock Lee Rodgers's call for antiwar protesters to be "stomped to death ... just stomp their bleeping guts out."

The idea was to educate corporations about exactly what they were sponsoring, in the hope that Spocko's work might staunch the free flow of hateful rhetoric.

They handle the story very well. Go Spocko!

!El Gato Negro! goes into detail.

Spocko needs bumperstickers

Any suggestions are welcome. Humorous ones are best.

Ripley proves that the KSFO talk show hosts are liars, thieves, and hypocrites. Fair Use, my ass.

Update: TRex at Firedoglake picks up Ripley's message.

In 'N' Out has ceased to support hate speech

On KSFO.

Thank goodness! I will make sure to eat more of their delicious cheeseburgers!

More bloggity goodness on Spocko

On the YouTubes.

Update: Spocko shows the letter where Borders indicates they have removed their ads. They were not aware their ads were on a political talk show:

Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding a Borders advertisement that recently ran during the Brian Sussman show on Talk Radio KSFO 560 AM in San Francisco.

As a company, Borders is absolutely apolitical and as such, we do not purchase advertising time during shows with primarily political content. Although our media purchasing guidelines reflect this policy, sometimes errors are made or station scheduling changes. As we did not intend for our ads to run during the program mentioned and, in keeping with our stated guidelines, all remaining spots scheduled during the Brian Sussman show have been canceled.

Borders believes in the basic right of our customers to choose what they want to listen to, read and buy. Our stores provide our patrons with a wide selection of products, and an environment in which they can explore, discover and enjoy what is of interest to them.

Additionally, we strive to create an inviting atmosphere in our stores that supports varying beliefs and holiday celebrations for both our customers and our staffs. We specifically communicate to our employees that during the holiday season they should use any holiday greeting they feel is appropriate when interacting with customers.

Thank you again for sharing your concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have further questions or comments.

Like Spocko, I think I will go shopping at Borders....

Opening salvo by lawyers defending Spocko and Fair Use

Read the lawyer's pdf letter here. Very nicely done.

News release here.

Spocko is here.

If this is Spocko's pilot, I'm looking forward to the series!

What truth will do to bloated indifferent arrogant corporations who want you to pay up and shut up.

Spocko's latest video.

KSFO still pushing lies

Even though they have been throughly debunked. KSFO is now leaving Hate Speech and entering Parody:

ABC/Disney/KSFO talk radio hosts Melanie Morgan, and Lee Rodgers are still pushing the Obama attended a madrassa lie.

This despite the fact that it has been debunked by both CNN and the Associated Press. The problem, as Morgan and Rodgers see it, is that "Liberal Media Bias" that keeps the "truth" from being revealed.

How to respond to those who make up their own reality

Puncture their bubble with facts. Doing it in high humor doesn't hurt either.

Spocko's stand against hate speech spreads

UPI has it.

USA Today has it.

Online Blogintegrity keeps track.

(I've misspelled Lee Rodgers name in my posts, I'm sure he minds. Going to correct them.)