According to an article on boston.com: “Jay Severin, the fiery right wing talk show host on Boston’s WTKK-FM radio station, was suspended yesterday after calling Mexican immigrants “criminaliens,” “primitives,” “leeches,” and exporters of “women with mustaches and VD,” among other incendiary comments.”
Comments of this sort add nothing to the debate on immigration and are simply uttered to inflame. As I posted yesterday, talk show hosts want ratings. If Severin encouraged intelligent debate on the issue, his ratings would probably drop as the emotional reaction that comes from name-calling would be removed from the equation. I believe this man’s show is local – however there are national television and radio hosts who have a much wider audience and also are adept at finding clever, catchy, inappropriate names to brand various immigrant groups. Perhaps this man will appear on CNN’s Lou Dobbs Tonight to get a sympathetic shoulder to cry on – as well as some national exposure…not too bad.
From a practical point of view, someone I know was purchasing radio advertising spots for a company and was getting quotes from various local stations. When an internet search showed that one of the stations was WTKK-FM, the station on which Severin’s show is heard, a decision was made to go with an alternative radio station. These stations may be owned by the same company for all I know. However, to have a radio personality turn off a potential advertiser to such a degree is simply bad for business. If one owns a small local business – would they really want their commercials to air during the breaks for such a show? Some do – but I personally would make a mental note to avoid them.
