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N.J. Radio Station Hosts Accused of Hate, Anti-Asian SentimentAmong other comments, 101.5 FM’s ‘Jersey Boys’ call APAs ‘fringe people’ and stir up debate about free speech and hate media
Even before the dust settled around HOT 97 FM’s controversial tsunami parody song, two New Jersey radio station hosts have re-ignited the Asian Pacific American community’s rage with their recent on-air racially derogatory comments about a local Korean American mayoral candidate and “Orientals.” The incident is prompting APA groups to say same racist words, different radio show. During the April 25 morning drive-time show, New Jersey’s 101.5 FM (WKXW FM) hosts “The Jersey Guys” Chris Carton and Ray Rossi used a stereotypical Chinese accent to criticize Jun Choi, a candidate in Edison’s Democratic primary for mayor. According to a transcript of the show Carton said, “No specific minority group or foreign group should ever dictate the outcome of an American election. I don’t care if the Chinese population in Edison has quadrupled in the last year, Chinese should never dictate the outcome of an election, Americans should.” Carton went on to call APAs “fringe people,” “Orientals” and illustrated his point of view by saying, “Ching, chong, ching, chong, ching, chong” in a stereotypical, high-pitched voice. Carton also complained about the lack of “Americans” in American. “It’s like you’re a foreigner in your own country, isn’t it?” Radio station vice president and general manager of Millennium Radio (101.5 FM’s parent company) Andrew Santoro made a public apology April 27 claiming that the “Jersey Guys” were “having fun with the topic” with their “tongue-in-cheek” humor, but they never wanted to “hurt” anyone. APAs are not amused and they are not taking the insults lying down. Many groups and politicians have held news conferences calling for the boycott of the radio station’s sponsors and the termination of Carton and Rossi. The Korean American Lawyer Association of Greater New York has publicly announced that they will file complaints with the Federal Communications Commission and the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. Asian Media Watch launched an online campaign against the “Jersey Guys” (www.asianmediawatch.net/jerseyguys/) demanding accountability for “racist propaganda targeting Asian Pacific Americans.” And JACL Midwest Director William Yoshino sent a scathing letter to 101.5 FM Program Director Eric Johnson reminding him “that those who spew hatred of racist views on the air are undeserving of this public trust” and called for the removal of Carton and Rossi from the air. JACL National Executive Director John Tateishi, who said he was offended when he read the transcript of the show, called this “typical shock jock behavior” that will ultimately stir up Anti-Asian sentiment. “This is the kind of racist view that we as Asian Americans have to deal with all the time when fighting racism in the country. I really think these shock jocks are clever and dangerous with their wide listening audience,” said Tateishi. Choi is also angry about the comments made against him. “Ethnic jokes are un-American,” Choi told the Pacific Citizen via telephone while campaigning in Edison. “It’s sad and unfortunate that even with all the civil rights advancement that Asian Americans have made, shock jocks can go on-air and try to undo all the progress by saying something like this and trying to get ratings.” Despite the mounting controversy, Choi said he is trying to remain focused on the campaign he wants to win. “I can’t be distracted by it,” he said, adding that incidents like this “is another reason why Asian Americans need to continue to be politically active.” This isn’t the first time the “Jersey Guys” have landed in a firestorm of bad publicity. In January, Carton mocked New Jersey Gov. Richard J. Codney’s wife for her battle with mental illness. This certainly is not the first time a radio station has lashed out at the APA community either. Many draw parallels to New York’s HOT 97 FM’s tsunami parody song fiasco that cost the hip-hop radio station and its parent company Emmis Communications (already besmirched with door-front shootings, continued allegations of racial slurs and now an attorney general’s investigation into their face-slapping competition) more than $1 million dollars in charitable donations to tsunami relief and a couple of employees. CAHM, a diverse coalition of national and community-based organizations whose mission is to promote equality and balanced representation in the media, formed directly in response to the HOT 97 FM incident. To date, they have continued to demand accountability from Emmis even while the national attention has waned and the best known HOT 97 FM host associated with the tsunami parody song, Miss Jones (Tarsha Nicole Jones), has returned to the airwaves. CAHM recently met with New York State Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi, who then made a written inquiry to Emmis demanding explanation for the company’s “poor judgment.” As state comptroller, Hevasi is the sole trustee of a fund that currently holds 225,500 of Emmis’ shares. Karri Kokka of CAHM and JACL New York, said CAHM will be actively involved in the fight against Millennium, 101.5 FM and the “Jersey Boys.” The string of racially charged and anti-Asian broadcasts on the radio has fueled the debate on freedom of speech. Although 101.5 FM’s officials have issued an apology, they qualify Carton’s and Rossi’s comments as entertainment and the “‘Jersey Guys’ being the ‘Jersey Guys.’” Tateishi, however, said that if the radio station sanctions this type of behavior then “we’ll respect their freedom of speech.” Choi said, “I draw the line at shock jocks saying that Chinese Americans and Asian Americans are not American. They call themselves the ‘Jersey Boys,’ but they are the most un-Jersey and un-American people I know.”
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