The Boston Globe posts two brief audio clips of Jay Severin insulting Mexicans. They are utterly unremarkable — pedestrian, humorless, racist crap of the sort that’s been tumbling from his mouth for years.
If WTKK (96.9 FM) managment wants to claim that these are what got him suspended (and we don’t know that), then you’d have to say this is a John DePetro situation. That is, management wants Severin gone and is looking for any convenient excuse.
Brian Flaherty writes that Severin makes more than $1 million a year, although I don’t know who or what his source is. And Flaherty notices something I’ve noticed, too — Severin’s afternoon drive-time rival, Howie Carr of WRKO (AM 680), has been crowing about having the largest talk-radio audience in the afternoon lately, something Severin had bragged about for quite a few years.
More than a million dollars is a lot to pay a talk-show host who is essentially in last place, given that there are only two major-station political talk shows in Boston during afternoon drive.
More: Lance has worse. Vile stuff — though, again, I’ve been hearing this garbage from Severin for years.
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Here is the link to an extended clip. This was posted on the impre.com website.
Gee, and after Brian Maloney promised to stop calling you “Dan Trotsky”…
Since I listen to neither, thanks for sharing what I’ve missed!Smallpox says Small Pox was eradicated in 1979. Does anyone consider the level of ignorance they listen to?There are increasing internet reports that Swine Flu(Swine Flu and Hog Farms) may have originated within overcrowded American pig farms located in Mexico. You’re addressing the media, but I’m wondering about the facts and the level of ignorance we perpetuate.
The liberal press loves to write definitive reports of news based on reports of reports.And I love it! Overcrowded American Pig Farms in Mexico!Somewhere, some how, George Bush is going to be blamed, and the liberals will call for indictments of the policy makers for outsourcing the piggeries. There will be Congressional investigations lead by Rep Frank and Sen Leahy.President Obama will read from his teleprompter the following statement: This is a sad day….for the American pig farmer….who is suffering….from the oppessive….policies….of the past…..I have directed….my Secretary of the Treasurer….Tim Geithner….to develop a definitive strategy….to relocate our overseas pig farms….to American soil……with the help….of several billions of dollars….of stimulus package resources…. I have ordered…this return….to be accomplished….no later than….January 21….2022.I will be appointing….a Pig Czar….who will report to me daily….through my Chief-of-Staff ….Rahm Emmanuel….on this pig farm….crisis….We will do….what ever….it takes….to accomplish….this stategic….goal….in America’s interest….I will direct….the Justice Department….to conduct….a thorough investigation….as to who was responsible….for this egregious decision.Our moral standing….in the world….has suffered….from the insensitive….and warrantless….dumping of our pig farms….onto countries that are….better able….to produce pigs…than we are….People….at whatever level….of government….will be….held….accountable….for these….irresponsibile choices.I will go….again….to Mexico City….to address….our short comings….in this crucial policy area….I will go….during one of….my daily flights….on Air Force One. These flights….give me time….to think of all….of the nations’ problems….and give me time….to think that….our “Yes We Can” solgan….of our Preidential Campaign”….may need rethinking.We have rejected… “In a pig’s eye”…. as being….off message….Vice President Biden….has been assigned this task….as the Slogan Czar….I meet with him daily….to monitor….our progress.
ikcape,While I appreciate your creative writing and your analytical ability, you will note I didn’t comment on any political leanings, but merely the level of ignorance and the incorrect fact of smallpox, which you ignored. I refrained from reviewing or commenting on the entire clip forother “misstatements,” but merely plucked the most outlandish.When you listen to this level of mush, it’s as contagious as the Swine Flu and it would seem that your mind becomes mush as well.
Al Giordano has this, BTW: http://www.narconews.com/Issue57/article3512.htmlSeverino making $1M wouldn’t surprise me, considering that Howie Carr has been rumored to be getting “800 large,” or $800,000, for a while. Having listened to these hosts for many decades now, I’m not really that shocked by his comments. Maybe I have become desensitized by it or something. The whole “Mexican women bringing in VD” thing is a new angle … maybe he has some firsthand knowledge about that, I don’t know. Of course, this is the same man who stated that former gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein had a nice backside … even though Stein is as thin as a rail and doesn’t have a backside! This actually isn’t that rough when you consider some of the things on the airwaves these days. And personally, I don’t have a problem with Severino calling illegal aliens “criminaliens” because, well, that’s what they are. It’s insensitive. It’s not nice. But, it isn’t inaccurate. It’s kinda like calling Grace Ross a “fat lesbian,” which is what DiPetro the pseudo “independent man” did. Well, OK, she is a chubby lesbian, she really isn’t fat. But, that’s what she is. It really didn’t warrant a firing … unless they were trying to get rid of the guy in the first place which WRKO clearer was trying to do [they later replaced him with someone who made significantly less – a young black conservative from New York – like they couldn’t find any one in radio in the New England area who was out of work, I mean, any programmer would be stumbling all over them – who later turned out to be an alleged child molester … wow, what a programming coup! After that, it’s Laura Ingraham off the bird, costing nothing]. Radio programming people have always been hard people to read. You never really know what they are trying to do but I’ve always known them 1) to have massive egos, 2) to be completely out of touch with audiences, 3) to think they are being bold with their programming when they never take a real chance on anything, and 4) to be managers and not leaders, which is why they are constantly out of work all the time. In closing, we shouldn’t be censoring Severino, Carr, Limboob, or anyone else. But their should be a Fairness Doctrine that requires federal license television and radio broadcasting entities to offer listeners opposing views since, after all, the airwaves are owned by the people. 🙂
Midleboro – Here is the CDC statement – full disclosure, I am old enough to have BEEN vaccinated for a trip to Europe in the 60’s, so I was unconcerned when Bush was blamed for not having enough vaccine stockpiled about 5 yrs. ago…”Thanks to the success of vaccination, the last natural outbreak of smallpox in the U.S. occurred in 1949. By 1972, routine smallpox vaccinations for children in the U.S. were no longer needed. In 1980, smallpox was said to be wiped out worldwide, and no cases of naturally occurring smallpox have happened since.Today, the smallpox virus is kept in two approved labs in the U.S. and Russia. However, credible concern exists that the virus was made into a weapon by some countries and that terrorists may have obtained it. Smallpox is a serious, even deadly, disease. CDC calls it a “Category A” agent. Category A agents are believed to present the greatest potential threat for harming public health.”So while it COULD be wiped out by destroying the lab samples (supposing there were no unauthorized samples), the CDC thinks a threat exists.Mexicans causing an epidemic is, of course, pernicious nonsense. But it was not THAT long ago that smallpox was being bandied about as a threat, about the same time as bird flu. (LK – hilarious!)
No doubt if I had a radio station it would be suffering for listeners due to boring broadcasts. But, I’d go broke before paying a million a year to broadcast in such a childish way. I’d rather go broke being boring without Severin – – – the preference is toward a little more dignity to the People of the planet, especially the innocent victims and less fortunate. Where would Severin be if he had been born of a poor family in Mexico instead?
On the Jay Severin Watch, David from Brighton is disappointed that WTKK suspended Jimmy Severino for the wrong reasons:”The real reasons that Jay should be off the air – that he presents lies as truth and idiocy as logic – will now get less attention.”
ahh…Peter! Contemporaries! I have appreciated your comments and may have even linked to several of your casino related blogs in the past.I traveled to Europe, knowing I would live there for a period of time, when you could leave the US without a smallpox vaccination, but couldn’t return without one.(There has long been an ethical discussion about destroying the last strains of smallpox and a wide range of other issues that I won’t dally with.)At that time, there were outbreaks of Diptheria in Italy, where I believed I would be traveling.I took a virology course with ‘traditional students’ – the snot-nosed kind who were unfamiliar with polio and several other viruses no longer a threat.Times change. This isn’t about diseases, but about accepting the ignorance that is perpetuated by a few select ….. ‘mouthpieces'(for want of a publicly polite label) in the media.Several years ago, US citizens — men – were traveling to South America, visiting prostitutes and bringing back an STD, then spreading it in the US. What shall we label them? Inflammatory rhetoric apparently sells — but not to me!Tony’s assessment is appreciated, but “Fairness Doctrine”? Should we expect a scientific rebuttal to this level of crap?Why are we even discussing allowing idiots on the airways who spew “unfactual” information? Who is listening to this stuff? Do we have so little to do with our minds that we can afford to cram them full of “misinformation”? Jared Diamond raised many of the issues that relate to Mexico in his book about failed states.Where is our responsibility?
Is it possible that what we are witnessing is a re-shuffle of the shouting vitriol of the past, similar to the re-making of the print media, based on advertising revenues?I don’t listen to this trash and can only figure that there are many, many others who feel the same.Is it time to hold radio to a higher standard? Sorry! But I’ll continue to make my contributions to WBUR. It’s worth the price if Severin is the only alternative.
@Tony Quote:”I don’t have a problem with Severino calling illegal aliens “criminaliens” because, well, that’s what they are. It’s insensitive. It’s not nice. But, it isn’t inaccurate. It’s kinda like calling Grace Ross a “fat lesbian,” which is what DiPetro the pseudo “independent man” did. Well, OK, she is a chubby lesbian, she really isn’t fat. But, that’s what she is. It really didn’t warrant a firing …”I’m usually a lurker but the maddening obliviousness peppered throughout your quoted response to the Jay Severin suspension demands rebuttal. Words have power. Words have the power to inspire or corrupt; the power to reveal a truth or distort it. I doubt you’d walk up to a member of the Latino community and call them a ‘criminalien’, or for that matter, walk up to Grace Ross and call her a ‘chubby lesbian’, right? Of course you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t do it Tony because you know the negative power inherent in such words – especially when used sans anonymity.
Sadly numbers of Mexican citizens have been affected by a flu and some have died. To use this as a typical opportunity to make a million a year offending people is inappropriate. Certainly they shouldn’t illegally be in our country or committing crimes or exploiting opportunities here, but these are the poor people of the world, not the financially well-off talk show hosts or many others in our society.
Derek wrote: “Words have the power to inspire or corrupt; the power to reveal a truth or distort it. I doubt you’d walk up to a member of the Latino community and call them a ‘criminalien’, or for that matter, walk up to Grace Ross and call her a ‘chubby lesbian’, right? Of course you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t do it Tony because you know the negative power inherent in such words – especially when used sans anonymity.””Derek B” did you just become a registered user to make this point and post?You’re correct: I would never say those things on the air or in person. I know Grace Ross albeit not well. I worked for years at a Spanish language radio station and have great respect for Spanish broadcasters. But I honestly have no problem with either of these comments because they were accurate and honest. That’s how I feel about it and that is how I have always felt about it. I don’t think any kind of speech should be censored and there is no “distortion” in those truths – quite the opposite. Just because it isn’t political correct or insensitive doesn’t make it distortion [and it doesn’t make it good broadcasting]. You don’t have to like it either. I have had talk radio shows for more than 13 years and I didn’t spend a lot of time talking about illegal immigration. I preferred to talk about other more important things. Would I base my broadcasting career on being Severino, Howie Carr, Limboob, or anyone else like that? No, of course not. I haven’t and wouldn’t … and, then again, I’ve never made it beyond very tiny stations and tiny markets so, that tells me a lot too.