I have been looking forward to the day when Jay Severin was taken off the air. But not like this.
We don’t know yet exactly why he was suspended – I have an alternative theory below – but it appears that it was related to his most recent (but certainly not new) comments about Mexicans.
Here’s some of the reporting about the suspension:
This development disappoints me because …
- If Jay Severin had been suspended every time he said something offensive about a group of people, he would have had many more days off the air than on in these past 10 years. Has anyone at Greater Media ever listened to his show?
- Jay and his sycophants can now rightly complain that he was taken off the air merely for expressing his opinion, and they’ll bring out the old “free speech” and “censorship” arguments. (These arguments are specious, because there is no right to express yourself on the radio, and a broadcaster is under no obligation to broadcast whatever its employees feel like saying. Nevertheless, Jay will get to play the martyr.)
- 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.
It’s possible that there’s another story going on here. Earlier this week – Tuesday or Wednesday, I think – I heard Jay lead off the 6:00 hour (if memory serves) with a very curious monologue. Referring back to the St. Patrick’s Day incident, Jay told his listeners that he had “another Imus story.” He declined to tell the story and made some opaque comments about who knew the story and who didn’t, why he wasn’t at liberty to tell the story just yet, and why he was even mentioning it at this time. Jay was pretty ticked off about the whole thing, though – he even said “God damn it” on the air.
It would not surprise me at all to learn that Jay Severin has been suspended not for demonizing the citizens of Mexico but rather for picking a fight with his cellmate. After all, having Jay Severin say something bad about Don Imus could be bad for ratings.
5 Comments
I kind of agree in that Severino has said many comparable (if not worse) things in his years of poisoning the air – it seems odd that now is the time chosen to “react”
I’m not sure about the Imus situation – we’ve seen him suspended for similar slips of the tongue. I suspect the sensitivity surrounding this whole Swine Flu hysteria could be to blame – They simply may not be able to afford a voice on the radio essentially demonizing mexicans and increasing the likelihood that people will actually react violently against mexican immigrants. Who knows – either way, IT’S ABOUT TIME.
One thing to be happy about is the press coverage does bring up his fake master’s degree and fake Pulitzer Prize….something many of his “best and brightest” were not aware of.
Knowing Severin and his ilk, I have a completely alternate theory.
David, do you not see this is as a completely obvious ploy to get ratings
and attention? In Severin’s world, there is nothing called negative coverage.
Because of this incident, WTKK gets hits from curious viewers who have never
heard of Severin and lo and behold, they have an ad featuring Severin on the front page.
I think this might be a coordinated attempt to get a higher ratings bump when
he is reinstated with the usual mea culpa.
I don’t think this is far fetched, given the money grubbers at WTKK and the
desperation of Severin (remember after the Imus incident, Imus’s representative told
off Severin’s agent by saying “no wonder his career is in the dumps” (not an exact quote).
But on your general point, I agree: he has said far worse things on the air.
I heard Jay the night he talked about Imus and thought the same thing. He said that even his station did not know what was happening behind the scenes regarding the St. Patrick’s Day debacle. My thought was that one of Imus’ buddies might have heard the broadcast and passed along the implied threat of a lawsuit to Imus.
Sure Jay is harsh and offends people but that is what Jay does. I listen to Jay and I dont agree with evrything he says. I am tired of people saying he doesnt like immigrants and he is raceist. Sorry people he has nothing against immigrants but he does against illegal aliens. With all the problems they are causing I agree with alot of what he says about them. Where were the bulk of people with swine flu comming from. I watched on tv a few months ago where they were talking about diseases that were almost gone have made a comeback in mexico and the border with the U.S. That is where he says about the illegals spreading the disease. How come we dont see the news media talk about al sharpton and jesse jackson being raceist you always hear them spew hate. How about reverend wright and his hate speech. If it wasnt for Jay and other talk radio shows we never would have heard about that raceist. I have a novel idea if you dont like Jay or other talk shows then turn the station or turn it off. Im tired of all the p.c.ers yelling and screaming about what I should listen to. I will tell them where to go.
Bill, my understanding is that the first cases reported in Massachusetts were in a family of U.S. citizens who had been vacationing in Mexico. Diseases don’t ask for identification.