KLBJ cancels "Todd and Don Show" over racial slur
KLBJ cancels "Todd and Don Show"
Don Pryor will be reassigned to off-air duties
Updated: Monday, 20 Jul 2009, 10:26 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 20 Jul 2009, 2:17 PM CDT
* Blair Shiff, Paul Matadeen
AUSTIN (KXAN) - KLBJ announced on the radio at 1:30 p.m. Monday that the "Todd and Don Show" was canceled effective immediately.
Don Pryor will be reassigned to new "off-the-air" duties. Todd Jeffries will return after his unpaid suspension as the station's news director and will continue to appear on the air.
This reaction comes after Pryor used a derogatory word to describe undocumented workers on July 14. Pryor used the word w*****k more than 30 times during the hour-long show on Wednesday. To listen to the broadcast in its entirety, click here .
Jeffries, who co-hosts the show, did not say the word - and in fact tried to stop Pryor - but was being held responsible for the remarks because, managers said, he should have done more to stop Pryor.
Managers said they have reached out to Austin's Hispanic community, including Austin City Councilman Mike Martinez, in the aftermath of the controversy - which began Wednesday morning when the U.S. Hispanic Contractors Association - with more than 1,000 members in Central Texas alone - demanded an apology and threatened to boycott the station's advertisers if management didn't respond appropriately.
On July 16, Pryor apologized on-air, but members of U.S. Hispanic Contractors Association said that is not enough. The USHCA set up a meeting with the owners of KLBJ on July 20 to reach an agreement on an "acceptable plan of action" if this were to happen again. It is unknown if their meeting directly influenced the cancellation.
Below is an interview with UT journalism professor Robert Jensen who discusses the threat of freedom of speech with this case:
Jensen said the harsh words could be a reflection of a bigger problem in society.
"The problems of racism and sexism in the United States are not part of our history, they're part of our contemporary struggle," he said.
He called the decision to pull the show a victory.
"It's a victory for remembering that racism in the United States is not gone, and it will only be beaten back with action and often very loud action like this," Jensen said.
Andy Martinez with the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce said, "I think you owe it to the listeners and the advertisers and folks that support you, to use that power - the power of the pulpit/airwaves - to use it in a respectful way."
http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/KLBJ ... idc-ctools
To hear the broadcast - http://home.kxan.com/mp3/KLBJ_07_14_09_Broadcast.mp3
KLBJ cancels "Todd and Don Show" over racial slur
KLBJ cancels "Todd and Don Show"
Don Pryor will be reassigned to off-air duties
Updated: Monday, 20 Jul 2009, 10:26 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 20 Jul 2009, 2:17 PM CDT
* Blair Shiff, Paul Matadeen
AUSTIN (KXAN) - KLBJ announced on the radio at 1:30 p.m. Monday that the "Todd and Don Show" was canceled effective immediately.
Don Pryor will be reassigned to new "off-the-air" duties. Todd Jeffries will return after his unpaid suspension as the station's news director and will continue to appear on the air.
This reaction comes after Pryor used a derogatory word to describe undocumented workers on July 14. Pryor used the word w*****k more than 30 times during the hour-long show on Wednesday. To listen to the broadcast in its entirety, click here .
Jeffries, who co-hosts the show, did not say the word - and in fact tried to stop Pryor - but was being held responsible for the remarks because, managers said, he should have done more to stop Pryor.
Managers said they have reached out to Austin's Hispanic community, including Austin City Councilman Mike Martinez, in the aftermath of the controversy - which began Wednesday morning when the U.S. Hispanic Contractors Association - with more than 1,000 members in Central Texas alone - demanded an apology and threatened to boycott the station's advertisers if management didn't respond appropriately.
On July 16, Pryor apologized on-air, but members of U.S. Hispanic Contractors Association said that is not enough. The USHCA set up a meeting with the owners of KLBJ on July 20 to reach an agreement on an "acceptable plan of action" if this were to happen again. It is unknown if their meeting directly influenced the cancellation.
Below is an interview with UT journalism professor Robert Jensen who discusses the threat of freedom of speech with this case:
Jensen said the harsh words could be a reflection of a bigger problem in society.
"The problems of racism and sexism in the United States are not part of our history, they're part of our contemporary struggle," he said.
He called the decision to pull the show a victory.
"It's a victory for remembering that racism in the United States is not gone, and it will only be beaten back with action and often very loud action like this," Jensen said.
Andy Martinez with the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce said, "I think you owe it to the listeners and the advertisers and folks that support you, to use that power - the power of the pulpit/airwaves - to use it in a respectful way."
http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/KLBJ ... idc-ctools
To hear the broadcast - http://home.kxan.com/mp3/KLBJ_07_14_09_Broadcast.mp3
