Clear Channel Expands L.A.-Based Shock Jocks to the East Coast

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 12, 2013

                                                                                                            CONTACT: Inez Gonzalez igonzalez@www.nhmc.org (213) 718-0740

NHMC Denounces Move To Broaden Listenership For Show With Track Record Of Hate

Pasadena, C.A. - Los Angeles shock jocks, John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou, hosts of KFI AM 640's "The John and Ken Show," have made their way to WOR AM 710 in New York. The station was recently taken over by media giant, Clear Channel Radio, which owns over 850 radio stations across the U.S. and is known for syndicating irresponsible hosts such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Clear Channel's recent move to promote "The John and Ken Show" in New York is disturbing to Latino watchdog, the National Hispanic Media Coalition ("NHMC").  NHMC, along withover 40 supporting organizations, has led the "Take John and Ken Off the Air" campaign ever since they released the personal mobile phone number of an immigration activist, who as a result of John and Ken's call to action received several hundred hate-filled messages, some of them life threatening. John and Ken have been known to target LGBT people and communities of color throughout Southern California. They also received national attention after calling Whitney Houston a "crack ho" after her death. "We are not surprised by Clear Channel's move.  Clear Channel is known for trafficking hateful programming, however, adding 'The John and Ken Show' to WOR-NYC's line-up despite the program's record for stimulating racial divisiveness, attacks against communities of color and the LGBT community, is blatantly irresponsible and an unacceptable use of the public's airwaves," said Alex Nogales, NHMC's CEO and President. We can no longer ignore the effects of hateful media outlets. NHMC's recent national poll confirms that media consistently promotes negative Latino stereotypes and that those media depictions negatively impact the opinion of non-Latinos towards Latinos," concluded Nogales. "This is just another example of the dangers of media consolidation, and particularly of consolidation in the radio market," stated NHMC's Vice President of Policy & Legal Affairs, Jessica Gonzalez. "NHMC's campaign against John and Ken was hugely successful. We removed dozens of national advertisers from their line-up. Los Angelenos from all walks of life stood up in droves to denounce the program. Yet they remain on the air because Clear Channel was able to shift the risk throughout its eight Los Angeles radio stations. This was a clear example of the failure of the market to remedy racist speech. And now these guys are expanding their footprint to New York. It's a sad day for New Yorkers, and the FCC ought to be watching this situation, especially as it is primed to allow radio conglomerates to buy newspapers, a disastrous idea in my opinion." NHMC has a vibrant presence in New York with board members, Marta Garcia and Angelo Falcón, who currently reside in the area. "John and Ken are not welcome in New York. We already have enough bullies on the NYC radio dial, why would we want two more calling it in from across the country?" remarked Marta Garcia, Vice Chair for NHMC's Executive Board. NHMC will continue monitoring the show bi-coastally. The NHMC/UCLA studies on hate speech; the findings of NHMC's national poll on the impact of media  Latinos; and an exposé on Clear Channel's record of trafficking hateful rhetoric via its radio programs can be found at www.nhmc.org/reports.
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About NHMC

The National Hispanic Media Coalition is a non-partisan, non-profit, media advocacy and civil rights organization established in 1986 in Los Angeles, California. Its mission is to educate and influence media corporations on the importance of including U.S. Latinos at all levels of employment. It augments the pool of Latino talent with its professional development programs. It challenges media that carelessly exploit negative Latino stereotypes. It scrutinizes and opines on media and telecommunications policy issues. Learn more at https://www.nhmc.org. Receive real-time updates on Facebook and Twitter @NHMC.

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National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) is a woman-led 501(c)(3) non-profit civil and human rights organization that was founded to eliminate hate, discrimination, and racism toward the Latino communities.
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