Jay Severin's suspension drags on ...

>> Rooney: WTKK AFTERNOON DRIVE
HOST JAY SEVERIN HAS JUST
COMPLETED HIS THIRD WEEK OF
SUSPENSION CREATING SPECULATION
EITHER HE WON'T BE BACK OR HE'LL
BE BACK AS A SHELL OF HIS FORMER
SELF.
LISTENERS TO JAY SEVERIN ON WTKK
GET A STEADY DIET OF STUFF LIKE
THIS...
>> BARACK OBAMA HAS SOLID, KNOWN
UNDENIABLE ALLEGIANCES TO BLACK
RACISM, TO ANTI-SEMITISM, TO
MARXISM.
HE DOESN'T BELIEVE IN THE
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED
STATES.
>> Rooney: SO WHEN SEVERIN TOOK
AIM AT IMMIGRATION POLICY, IT
BARELY REGISTERED WITH MOST
LISTENERS.
>> I'M JUST GRATEFUL THAT I
DON'T WORK IN THE EMERGENCY
ROOM.
>> YEAH, WELL, THAT'S BECOME
ESSENTIALLY CONDOS FOR MEXICANS.
>> Rooney: FOR THAT REMARK AND
OTHERS ABOUT MEXICANS, STATION
MANAGEMENT PUT SEVERIN ON
INDEFINITE SUSPENSION WHICH HAS
NOW LASTED THREE WEEKS.
HIS AGENT INSISTS HE'LL BE BACK.
STILL, THERE MAY BE MORE AT WORK
HERE.
>> HE TOOK A VERY LARGE SALARY
DURING A DIFFERENT ECONOMIC
CLIMATE.
>> Rooney: RIGHT ON, DAN.
SEVERIN IS SAID TO MAKE SOME $1
MILLION A YEAR.
BUT HIS RATINGS HAVE DROPPED,
MAKING HIM AND HIS SALARY
VULNERABLE.
BUT THERE MAY BE MORE.
>> KIND OF SMART-ASS SUPERIOR,
SMUG, IVY LEAGUE, A-HOLE.
>> Rooney: ACCORDING TO ONE
SOURCE, MANAGEMENT IS FED UP
WITH JAY'S DISPARAGING TONE.
NOW THE BETTING IS IF JAY
RETURNS, IT WILL BE UNDER A
TRIFECTA OF NEW TERMS.
FINANCIALLY, EDITORIALLY, AND
PHYSICALLY.
JAY CURRENTLY BROADCASTS FROM
HIS HOME ON THE NORTH SHORE.
A CUSHY PERK INSIDERS SAY WILL
COME TO AN ABRUPT HALT.
YOU KNOW, DAN, I DO THINK YOU
WERE ABSOLUTELY DEAD ON RIGHT
ABOUT THE RESTRUCTURING, THE
RENEGOTIATION.
BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY INSIDER
INFORMATION EXCEPT FOR WHAT A
FEW PEOPLE HAVE DOPD ON MY PLATE
AND ONE OF THEM IS THAT THEY ARE
GOING TO ASK HIM TO CHANGE THE
TONE OF THE BROADCAST.
IT'S NOT-- THEY DON'T WANT THIS
KIND OF NEGATIVE HAMMERING AND
POUNDING.
THEY BELIEVE THAT THAT IS
TURNING LISTENERS AWAY.
NEVER MIND THE PEOPLE METERS,
WHICH IS WHAT A LOT OF RADIO
MARKETS ARE BLAMING ON THIS BIG
DROP.
BUT, YOU KNOW, RKO WAS SAYING
HEY, WE'RE LOVING THE PEOPLE
METER.
IT PUSHES US UP.
IT DROPPED JAY FROM THIRD TO 15.
HE GOT A BIG BONUS ON TOP OF HIS
SALARY.
SO I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO SEE--
I KNOW FOR A FACT THEY'RE ASKING
HIM TO COME INTO THE STATION
BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S GOING TO
CHANGE THE DIMIBS INSIDE THE
BUILDING AND A SALARY
RESTRUCTURING AND MY GUESS IS
THE TONE WILL CHANGE.
>> ONE THING THAT I THINK WOULD
HELP A LOT IF HE IS GOING TO
COME BACK IS HE ALMOST NEVER
TALKS ABOUT LOCAL ISSUES.
AND WE'VE GOT SOME BIG LOCAL
NEWS GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
IF HE-- IF HE GOT UP TO SPEED ON
SOME OF THAT, I THINK IT MIGHT
BOTH MAKE IT MORE LISTENABLE AND
IMPROVE THE TONE.
IF HE WOULD OCCASIONALLY HAVE A
GUEST ON THAT HE COULD INTERVIEW
I THINK IT WOULD IMPROVE THE
TONE.
HE HAS SOME TALENT.
I MEAN --
>> Rooney: OH, YEAH.
>> I CAN'T SAY I'VE MISSED HIS
SHOW.
I HAVEN'T.
>> Rooney: I HAVE!
>> IF HE DOES COME BACK, I THINK
THERE ARE WAYS OF DOING IT
BETTER IN A WAY THAT WOULD
ATTRACT MORE LISTENERS,
INCLUDING ME OCCASIONALLY.
>> I DON'T THINK ANY PROGRAM
DIRECTOR IS GOING TO TELL A TALK
SHOW HOST WHO WAS A VERY
CONTROVERSIAL AND KNOWN FOR SORT
OF SHOOTING FROM THE LIP AND
BEING REALLY HOT BEHIND THE
MICROPHONE TO COME IN AND TAMP
IT DOWN.
BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THAT'S
GOING TO WORK FOR RATINGS.
AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO SEND A
MESSAGE OUT TO HIS LOYAL
LISTENERS THAT HE HAS BEEN
SOMEWHAT COLLARD AND ELECTIFIED,
ZAPPED, EVERY TIME HE SAYS
SOMETHING THEY DON'T LIKE.
I THINK THAT-- YOU KNOW, THESE
NEW RATINGS I THINK HAVE AN
AWFUL LOT TO DO WITH WHAT'S
GOING ON AT TKK AND STATIONS
AROUND THE COUNTRY WHERE THEY'RE
TRYING IT FIGURE OUT WHAT THEIR
IDENTITY IS AND WHAT THIGH NEED
TO BE.
THE RATINGS BECOME CURRENCY IN
THE ADVERTISING WORLD, AND
ADVERTISERS HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO
BASE ON WHETHER THEY SHOULD
ADVERTISE WITH STAGS A. OR
STATION B. THAN THESE RATINGS.
I THINK WTKK AND A LOT OF
STATIONS HAVE HAVE TO REASSESS
THEIR FORMAT AND SAY WHAT THEY
WANT TO BE.
AND I THINK THAT MIGHT BE WHAT'S
HAPPENING ON A MICROCOSM WITH
JAY.
>> I AGREE.
THE PROBLEM WITH HIM BEING AWAY
SO LONG IS PEOPLE HAVE A CHANCE
TO LISTEN TO OTHER PEOPLE IN
THAT SLOT.
WHILE I DON'TTHINK EVERYBODY
WORKED WELL-- I DON'T THINK IT'S
A SLOT FOR CURTIS SLIWIA,.
THERE IS A GUY NAMED ANDY FROM
THE MIDWEST WHO WAS INTERESTING.
V.B. SAT IN.
THE SINGULAR THING THAT MAKES IT
WORK FROM A PERSON WHO DOESN'T
LISTEN TO HIM BUT WILL
OCCASIONALLY LISTEN TO THE SLOT,
IS THE ENERGY.
THE ENERGY IS WAY HIGH WITH THE
OTHER HOSTS.
>> Rooney: REALLY?
JAY IS PRETTY HIGH.
>> I THINK JAY CHANNELS THROUGH
THAT NEGATIVITY THAT GOES ACROSS
THE LINE.
I THINK IT'S POSSIBLE TO BE
NEGATIVE BUT NOT CROSS THE LINE.
BUT I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S
POSSIBLE, BACK TO JOE'S POINT,
FOR HIM NOT TO CROSS THE LINE
WHICH IS THE ISSUE HERE.
>> ONE OF THE STRIKING THING TOS
TO ME IS THE MEDIA COVERAGE OF
THIS IS IT MAY BE NEWS BUT NOT
NEW.
JAY SEVERIN IS A VERY TALENTED
PERSON BUT THE RACIST COMMENTS
THAT HAVE BEEN COVERED
NATIONWIDE HERE, CALLING
MEXICANS LEACHES, SAYING THEY'RE
DIRTY-- ALL THIS KIND OF STUFF,
IT MAY ONLY BE NEW-- IT'S
PROBABLY NOT EVEN NEW IN THE
CASE OF MEXICAN AMERICANS BUT IT
IS CERTAINLY NOT NEW IN OTHER
FORMS OF RACISM.
I HAVE HEARD HIM TALK ABOUT WHEN
THE IRAQ WAR WASN'T GOING WELL,
LET'S BOMB THE WHOLE COUNTRY.
LET'S GET RID OF ALL THE PEOPLE
IN IRAQ.
LET'S GET RID OF THE MUSLIMS.
I THINK THIS TIME HE PICKED THE
WRONG CONSTITUENCY.
IF YOU PICK THE CONSTITUENCY
WHERE MAYBE THERE AREN'T-- MAYBE
THERE AREN'T ENOUGH IRAQI
AMERICANS TO GET ON BOARD WAY
BOYCOTT.
I THINK THIS TIME IT GOT PICKED
UP AND IT JUST-- YOU KNOW, SOME
THINGS CATCH FIRE, AND THEY--
AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED HERE.
>> Rooney: I JUST DON'T THINK
SO.
I THINK THAT TOM BAKER WHO IS AT
THE HELM WHEN DENNIS AND
CALLAHAN MADE THEIR BRARKZ THE
METCO GORILTA GOT VERY SENSITIVE
ABOUT THIS AND SAID AH-HA.
THIS IS MY BIG MOMENT.
NOT ONLY I CAN TAKE HIM OFF THE
AIR AND SUSPEND HIM I CAN TELL
HIM I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY
MORE OF THIS, I DON'T WANT TO
HEAR ANY MORE OF THIS.
I THINK THAT'S WHY HE HAS BEEN
ZAPPED, BUT THIS HAS BEEN HIS
M.O. FOR A LONG TIME, RACISM.
>> Rooney: I DON'T KNOW ABOUT
RACISM.
>> WHEN YOU SUGGEST BOMBING
EVERYBODY IN A COUNTRY TO STOP A
WAR,--
>> THANK YOU.
I MEAN--
>> AND CALLING THEM "TOWEL
HEADS."
>> EXACTLY.