Urgent help needed for all cyclists!

[Grasshopper]

I live in Raleigh NC and this is what we woke up to this morning.. this is our largest radio station and the weight they carry with their listeners is incredible!! I'm already writing a letter to the editor of the largest NC papers with the help of my lawyer bosses, and I'm trying to create interest through my next door neighbor who is a news anchor. Unlikely but maybe......

This is absolutely WRONG!!!! Here is the post from Ral, NC.....


So it must be corporate policy to have morning DJs talk about how annoying cyclists are and encouraging drivers to throw things and try to hit them. It happened on a Clear Channel station in Ohio last month, and yesterday apparently the Bob & Madison show did the same thing... The OH incident flooded the email server at Clear Channel so much that they had to automate a response. I don't know if they do this on purpose to get free press, or if they are really truly evil, but if you'd like to complain, I suggest sending Clear Channel an email or 1,000.

Form the deOro list:

So this morning on the Bob and Madison morning show on G105 out of Raleigh, they were going on for awhile about how fun it is to run cyclists off of the roads, and how we don't deserve to be there. And so on and so forth.

...one woman called in and said her dad hit a cyclist on purpose on his way to church one morning (very Christian of him) when she was 12 or something. She said he just hated bikes being on the road. The intern said there is an old man that lives in her neighborhood that shoots a pellet gun at a group of 30 or so that ride by their house daily I think she said. He tries to hit their tires to make them crash.

I don't have the e-mail address, but if you Google for it, you should be able to find it.
So send something in if you're concerned about radio personalities in the Triangle area, or anywhere for that matter, basically saying that they want to run us over.

Tom

[spokes]

i would absolutely LOVE to send nasty e-mails to this station but had no luck with google. anyone who is more familiar with these people happen to know their website?

[Irulan]

try searching under "clear channel communications" or the stations call letters.

[Trek420]

"try searching under "clear channel communications" or the stations call letters."

Since clear channel is a "repeat offender" this was in a previous thread titled "we need to act now-serious" has all the info, phone numbers etc

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?threadid=564&highlight=clear+channel

[Trek420]

sorry, me again...the post noted below also has the contact information for the FCC who I think should be notified too.

Also any LAB members? If LAB gets it's members in on this...

clear channel's "syndicated" broadcasting (one DJ aired simultaneously in dozens of markets. You think they are your local station because they insert local ads. The show is produced ...who knows where) So the local broadcast you hear is simultaneously being aired in many communities which makes their editorial policy a great threat

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?threadid=564&highlight=clear+channel [/B][/QUOTE]

[kparrish]

One word: a-s-s-a-u-l-t

... with a deadly weapon, whether that be with a vehicle or with objects thrown at you. I've heard stories of riders getting slapped on the rear end by passengers riding in a slow-moving vehicle. Assault again.

Don't worry - karma pays back tenfold. It just takes a little time...

[MightyMitre]

:mad:This is totally unacceptable. How can the radio guys be so irresponsible. I also hope the guy who purposely knocking a rider off and the the guy who claimed shooting riders with a pellet gun realise they're proudly owning up to a criminal offence.

I agree karma will pay back 10 fold but I haven't got that long to wait....:mad: :mad:

Would these people be so proud in owing up to shooting pedestrians or running over people as they crossed the road???

[Grasshopper]

I agree with you mightymire - and the thing that is very scary is that at least 2 of the stations that have aired this crap are sindicated. Who knows how many cities have actually heard this stuff!! There has to be a line somewhere than DJ's are not allowed to cross - I think that encouraging others to commit crimes - especially those that cause bodily hard to innocent people - is way beyond that line!!!

[Trek420]

"Would these people be so proud in owing up to shooting pedestrians or running over people as they crossed the road???"

Probably yes, but they're morons. It's sad when cousins marry ;-) Just kidding about that ;-)

They are little, lazy, weak, mean spirited people whose only sense of power is when they get behind a gun or 2 tons of steel or both.

If they got their sedentary butt out of the car and faced a fit cyclist ...or if they thought for just one moment "hey, that could be my kid"...

I'd call and debate myself but as Oscar Wilde once said "I refuse to have a battle of wits with the unarmed"

A truly skilled driver would be proud of being able to maneuver around cyclists. If they can't avoid something roughly 2-3' wide then it's time to hang up the keys and take the little bus.

Nuff said.

Suggestion: anyone e-mailing clear choice also cc the sponsors of the program who should be listed on the stations website.

Hit 'em where it hurts...the wallet.

[Irulan]

whether you love her or hate her or find her amusing, "Dr. Laura" professes to be a bicyclist on her show, which is distributed on guess whose radio network, Clear Channel Comminications.

how about dropping Dr Laura the cyclist a fax ( no emails) telling her to "do the right thing" and ask Cleear Channel, her distributor, to lay off violencec towards cyclists.

fax # 818-461-5140

seriously.

Irulan

note: I've been doing some web reading on this radio issue, it's happened **4** times at least: Houston, Raliegh, Cleveland and San Jose. There was a big rally in Portland today. It's not going to go away unless (the collective) we really speak out.

[missliz]

Karma is great, but a civil suit will move faster and change Clear Channels policies faster. LAB is probably the organization to do this.
I also wonder if encouraging felony assault makes them answerable to criminal charges? There are attorney/ riders who would jump all over this with relish- ours moved to Boston, but LAB may have some. Make noise to them, LAB is in a good position to organize this on behalf of cyclists. So is ... it's late, who's the national orginization for the racers? I can see the car sticker but not the name.
This is a VERY serious matter. People could die- several doctors and a judge on an early training ride went down under an angry shack trash types truck wheels here a few years ago. No survivors. And our angry emails just tell these radio jerks we're listening to the advertising, they don't care. A dead stranger means nothing to the accountants at Clear Channel until a lawyer grabs them by the short hairs. Phillip Morris has set that example in stone.
Call your District Attorney or State Attorney General and tell them that this show is encouraging assault on citizens minding their own business. You elected those folks to enforce the law. And this is so hate crime sounding- picking on one subculture and trying to kill them? Do that to black or gay people and the Feds send you to jail for life. This is NOT protected speech under the First Amendment, either. I don't remember the case law, but I got out of the business and don't use it.
Rallies are nice, but just get the show publicity. Didn't you all watch "Frazier"? Controversy gets ratings, and ratings make money. And nothing changes corporate policy like a huge damages award.

Lizzy

[Kathi]

The radio station in Cleveland received so many e-mails from the bicycling community, that the station issued an apology and was supposed to air messages promoting bicycling safety and awareness.

The e-mail that we all received from the station manager claimed that the comments were "in jest" and the listeners understood the "tongue in cheek" humor. They claimed they were not against cyclist and supported many cycling events in the community. According to the station manager the comments were taken out of context and misunderstood.

Unfortunately, Clear Channel began as a small radio station here in Cincinnati in the 70's. Because of buying smaller markets around the country they became a giant and were sold to the Texas owners and are all over the country. The owners are supposed to be very conservative. How they can allow this to go on I don't understand.

When this went on in Cleveland we contacted the FCC, the owners of the radio station, the station manager. Unfortunately, I no longer have the e-mail addresses.

It was interesting that only the station manager replied to our e-mails.

The message went out to the bicycle clubs all across the state of Ohio, Indiana and Ky.

Someone from our club has already sent out a post encouraging a call to action.

I too can not understand the mentally of someone who would suggest that someone inflict harm on another human.

[missliz]

I'm glad that making noise worked- but only in your local market, right? One station heard the "Oh no, we might get sued " undertone to this and backed up, but most people in media are too damn stupid to figure that out. Used to work in that industry. Those lines about "tongue in cheek" are an attempt to diffuse a situation and cover the stations backside- having been hit by a mean jackass in truck I know there are way too many horrible people around who would take that very seriously.
I wrote to LAB- the address is <bikeleague@bikeleague.org> . A legal action against Clear Channel would not only stop this instance, but prevent future such behavior across the industry. Those "morning zoo" shows put a lot of mean spirited and inappropriate ideas in peoples heads, and this is what's called inflammatory speech- encouraging violence. The OK for this behavior comes from the corporate headquarters, and they will have to stop it.
Do you want this to continue nationally? Write to LAB. They're our Washington lobby, and they're the national face of cycling. A grass roots, station by station effort is a big energy drain when we have an organization to deal with the root of the problem. And the longer these fools shoot their mouths off, the more idiots will be inculcated with the idea that we are ducks in a shooting gallery.

Lizzy

[kparrish]

We see a lot of things on TV and in movies that are meant to be "tongue-in-cheek" and "in jest" that are dangerous and downright stupid. The media seem to forget that some idiot will be out there to copy what they've seen and/or heard on TV or radio...

When I say, "Karma pays back tenfold, it just takes a little time," it doesn't mean I'm not for helping it along a little. :D

My brother happens to work for ClearChannel in Texas and I've already made my disgust incredibly clear - he's a cyclist too... But really, the way to go after ALL of the garbage we're hearing on the radio these days is to head straight to the FCC. If there are too many complaints about a station/company, the FCC will fine them, and if it persists, they'll yank their operating license. That will hit 'em where it really hurts.

[Grasshopper]

Well, I have a somewhat nice update to the situation in NC. You might like this.....(BTW Capital Ford is one of their largest sponsors!)

It's small but it's hitting them in the wallet.

http://www.trianglemtb.com/pages/projects/g105.html