WALKING THE LINE Greg Diamond – ByrnesMedia The recent dismissal of Don Imus shows us once again how easy it is to cross the fine line between entertainment and disrepute. Plus, it reminds us of how there’s a lot to be said for what’s not said.
For those not having followed the story, Imus recently called members of the Rutgers University women’s basketball team “nappy-headed ho’s.” In a Time magazine article, writer James Poniewozik referred to the remark as “a perfect little diamond of insult.” As he went on to explain, “There was a racial element, a gender element and even a class element (the joke implied that the Scarlet Knights [Rutgers] were thuggish and ghetto compared with the Tennessee Lady Vols).” When initially questioned about the comment, Imus shrugged it off, but soon the story erupted and Mr. Imus eventually lost his morning gig at WFAN, New York – a position he had held for almost 20 years.
It should come as no real shock that a performer like Imus would fall into the trap of saying something to cause such uproar. As a testament to his talent, the greater surprise is that he lasted as long as he did without such an incident. Sure, he ruffled countless feathers over the years, but for the most part he had been able to steer clear of anything quite like the “ho’s” line. Alas, such is the fate of an envelope-pushing jock – eventually he gets tripped up by what made him successful… “the line.”
Imus is by no means the first to have this happen. Another example that comes to mind would be Doug “The Greaseman” Tracht who was let go from stations in 1985 and once more in 1999. On both occasions the cause was for offensive jokes of a racial nature. “Greasy” was an incredibly creative and unique talent (he still is), but the need to keep pushing the envelope caused him to overstep “the line” in sometimes distasteful and boorish ways. Again, while Don Imus wasn’t the first, you can rest assured he’ll not be the last.
This occupational hazard is by no means reserved for just “shock jocks”, either. I once had an announcer that called the McDonalds lunch he was having a “bag of chemicals.” No, this guy was not an outspoken performer and no, he was not malicious or negative in his on-air persona. Instead, he was a fun and friendly-sounding broadcaster who made a simple offhand remark without thinking through the possible repercussions. As it turned out, one of the people McDonalds uses to monitor how their company is treated in the media happened to be listening. The GM ended up having some “quality-time” with the GSM… the GSM did the same with me… I, in turn, passed the message along to the jock.
That incident was actually quite tame with the jock never having been in danger of losing his job and is certainly nothing like what Imus said, but it does illustrate just how easy it is to cross “the line” and put your job and your station’s revenue and reputation in jeopardy.
So, what can we learn from Don Imus, et al?
Err On The Side Of Caution. As mentioned above, you can’t be faulted for what you don’t say. If any doubt exists in your mind as to whether or not your content or choice of words is appropriate, leave it out until you’ve had a chance to run it past the PD. If it’s a great bit, it will likely still be great for the next break, hour, etc.
Keep Your Focus. Distractions are a prime cause of saying things you wish you hadn’t. It may seem obvious that when a jock is on the air the control room door should be shut, the phones should be worked responsibly, and other staff shouldn’t be coming and going at their leisure… but… I’m constantly amazed how such basic broadcasting principles are ignored at many of the stations I visit. Having the control room door open is by far the most pervasive. If the booth is uncomfortable with the door closed, then get the circulation system fixed. Also, leaving the door open makes it too easy and inviting for other staff members to drop by for a visit.
If the jock is constantly on the phone, then they aren’t doing their job. While they need to mine the phones for great audio, they can’t spend all their time chatting. They need to be going over their next break to ensure the best possible execution. Again, you’d think this would be obvious…
Stay Away From Clients’ Names. There are breaks where including a client’s name is good – “We had a great time at McDonalds on McHappy Day.” There are breaks where including a client’s name isn’t quite so good - “We had a great time at McDonalds on McHappy Day… eating bags of chemicals.”
Euphemistically Speaking… The Greaseman was the master of the euphemism. He had his own entire language to describe things that otherwise would have landed him in even more hot water. A personality I worked with was very much the same. He did sports and co-hosted the morning show. His sports casts were so filled with replacement names for teams (e.g. “Ladies In Red” – Calgary Flames), individual players (e.g. “A-Hole” – Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez), etc. that he quickly built an enormous following that listened not so much for the scores, but for the presentation… the “act.”
Be Properly Prepared. It’s when a jock starts “winging it” that trouble can happen. Know what it is you are going to say before cracking the mic and have your plan jotted down in front of you in point form. This break “road map” will allow for a more concise, logical progression from points A to B, while still allowing for a smooth, natural delivery as you “connect the dots.”
Avoid The “So” Crutch. The word “so” is one of the most pervasive and insidious of all performance crutches. Listen to any jock and chances are the word “so” will pop up after he has completed the main thought of the break. For example, you’ll often hear an announcer go through a liner and once finished he will pause slightly and then add “so.” This is actually a setup to provide some form of validating statement to further reinforce why the listener should find the previous content important or engaging. In reality, it takes the talent off the prepared path and forces them to start ad-libbing. You can almost hear the ice begin to thin underneath them and in such situations things can be said that were never intended… things like “nappy-headed ho’s.” The other common response for a floundering jock is to grab back hold of the prepared content lifeline and, in essence, go through most of the liner a second time.
This is ultimately a confidence-based issue (as most performance-related hurdles are), that’s exacerbated by its widespread use in everyday speech. PD’s, work with your jocks to help them identify when this occurs in their execution and then slowly wean them from its inclusion.
By the way, radio actually does a pretty good job of avoiding this problem when compared to television talent. Sports colour commentators are by far the worse culprits. Someone needs to do a better job of training former athletes that get behind the microphone.
Wear A White Hat. Being known for plenty of sincere charitable and public service work can gain a great deal of latitude with the listener. If you are perceived as being a good person at heart, the listener will be more likely to cut you slack by feeling you can be naughty at times, but not really mean-spirited. You can’t overly offend (Imus does a lot of charity work, after all), but “walking the line” is easier when you're a complete communicator.
Chances are we have not seen the last of Don Imus, and I’m sure he’ll turn up in another high profile position in the not too distant future. There’s already speculation that he’ll join his longtime friend, Mel Karmazin, on the satellite side of things. Regardless, wherever he surfaces I suspect he’ll be more careful about what he says, and in the meantime his termination serves as a reminder to all radio broadcasters that “the line” for our medium is still more towards “Safe Land” and crossing it can be a “CLM” – career-limiting move. |