Talk Radio Hosts Encourage Killing Cyclists

Cycle America said:

How much lower can we go? Each and everyone of of us must take action
now. It's almost as if life has become disposable in Iraq so we can
drive our cars and if you don't support that war for oil by not driving
that your un-Americanism warrants death here as well. Who can reply with
email addresses to WRKO and WNNX so we can bury them with our reaction?
This is horrific:

http://www.wrko.com/contact.asp

WNNX doesn't seem to have an email contact on it's web site.

Snail mail:

99X
780 Johnson Ferry Road.
Fifth Floor
Atlanta, GA 30342

Main Phone: 404-497-4700
Request Line: 404-741-0997
Fax: 404-497-4735

Quoted message said:

On April 16, Howie Carr on Boston's WRKO-AM said,
"They [bicyclists] are the biggest pain...if there is a sidewalk,
I don't care what the law is, ride on the damn sidewalk, OK?
You don't belong on the road. You don't. That's all there is to it.
You belong on the sidewalk."

This is the same Howie Carr who wrote a Boston Herald column in 1997
that began:

Quoted message said:

I'm an American driver and I'm consumed by road rage
and much of it has been caused by overexposure to one
group of road miscreants -- bicycle riders.

In 2001 he said:

Bicycles are OK in the driveway if you're 6 years old.
Once you get your driver's license, it's time to lose
the bicycle, or at least confine its use to dirt paths,
or the woods. But stay off our highways.

Last month, he was [censored] about the cost of John Kerry's Serotta.

Carr is a former frat-boy who has figured out how to make a living by
posing as an Archie Bunker-style right-wing [censored]. You can write to
the Boston Herald at:

[email hidden]

--
It's not about anger -- it's about peace.
It's not about power -- it's about grace.
It's not about knowing your enemy -- it's about knowing yourself.

Already I am receiving a lot of mail about this insanity. Here for
example, is what Kern has done:

========================================
At 8:56 AM -0700 5/4/04, Kern wrote:
Thanks for sending this, Martin. I've written letters to the two
station owners involved, and the FCC as well. I'm furious that this
kind of [censored] would be tolerated on the air, while stations and station
owners are publicly castigated for showing nudity. What an immorality!

-- Kern
========================================

here is what Steve S said:

========================================
Your most recent regarding the radio hosts is very sad. In light of our
dwindling oil supply, the increase in demand over the ability to produce
and the resulting rise in oil prices, one would think the U.S. would
cheer those who choose to ride their bike rather than use up such a
precious commodity and further pollute our air. We are a spoiled
society and these remarks are one of the best examples.

Warmest regards,

Steve
========================================

and Joe M:

========================================
Hello
As one who has bicycled from Fairbanks, Alaska to Key West, Florida and
many other places in North America and Europe, I am outraged by the
attitude of many americans toward bicyclists.

Bicyclists do not belong on the sidewalk. They have every right to use
the roadway.
========================================

In article <[email hidden]>,

Cycle America said:

How much lower can we go? Each and everyone of of us must take action
now. It's almost as if life has become disposable in Iraq so we can
drive our cars and if you don't support that war for oil by not driving
that your un-Americanism warrants death here as well. Who can reply with
email addresses to WRKO and WNNX so we can bury them with our reaction?
This is horrific:

TALK RADIO HOSTS TARGETING BICYCLISTS--AGAIN
Radio talk show hosts are targeting bicyclists again. Stations in three
cities in the last two weeks have made disparaging, incorrect, and at
times dangerous remarks about bicyclists and encouraged listeners to
call in and share their views about bicyclists. On April 16, Howie Carr
on Boston's WRKO-AM said, "They [bicyclists] are the biggest pain...if
there is a sidewalk, I don't care what the law is, ride on the damn
sidewalk, OK? You don't belong on the road. You don't. That's all there
is to it. You belong on the sidewalk." Later on, he said, "I don't want
to share the road."

On April 23, DJs on the Don Miller show on Atlanta's WNNX-FM (99X)
repeatedly ridiculed bicyclists. One host said, "I can't stand them,"
and referred to cyclists as "[censored]." Of the law giving cyclists the
right to use the roads, they said it's a "horrible law" and that
bicyclists should "get on the sidewalk where they belong." When a caller
wanted to let the hosts know about Atlanta area cyclists who'd been
killed in traffic crashes, the response was, "...and I wanna let you
know how many people care about those cyclists." Most alarmingly, one DJ
said he would "nudge them [bicyclists] right off the road into a tree."
When challenged by a colleague that he hadn't done that, he said,
"You've never done that? It's so much fun. Smoke a little weed, get
behind the wheel...wheee!"

To hear the heinous 99X broadcast segments, for more details and to take
action to stop this onslaught of broadcast harassment, visit
http://www.bikeleague.org. None of the stations involved are owned by
Clear Channel Communications. Last year, following a string of similar
incidents, Clear Channel made it clear it would not tolerate such
behavior on its stations. Visit http://www.bikemonth.org to hear radio
PSA recorded by Clear Channel to promote bicycling and sharing the road.

To hear these broadcasts again:
http://www.bikeleague.org/mediacenter/quickresponse.htm

M A R T I N K R I E G : "Awake Again" Author
http://www.bikeroute.com/AwakeAgain
Bent Since '83, Car Free Since '89, '79 & '86 TransAms
Coma, Paralysis, Clinical Death Survivor
Can You Change it with Love?
N A T I O N A L B I C Y C L E G R E E N W A Y

AustinMN said:

Cycle America said:

How much lower can we go? Each and everyone of of us must take action
now. It's almost as if life has become disposable in Iraq so we can
drive our cars and if you don't support that war for oil by not
driving that your un-Americanism warrants death here as well. Who can
reply with email addresses to WRKO and WNNX so we can bury them with
our reaction? This is horrific:

http://www.wrko.com/contact.asp

WNNX doesn't seem to have an email contact on it's web site.

Snail mail:

99X
780 Johnson Ferry Road.
Fifth Floor
Atlanta, GA 30342

Main Phone: 404-497-4700
Request Line: 404-741-0997
Fax: 404-497-4735

To get e-mail addresses for WNNX go to the Station/Contact page and click
on any of the names that show up. E-mail all of them. They probably
could use the company.

e.g. general manager Mark Reiner: [email hidden]

-Bill "Share the Love" Asher

"Cycle America" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

How much lower can we go?

Last night on NPR they had a highbrow essay bashing American cyclists. The
author, reading his own piece, contrasted the virtuous cycling of Amsterdam
vs. that in found in America.

I think that is lower because it is such a pathetic 'me too' disguised as
creative art. They are probably giggling over the letters the spot will
generate. Miscreants.

4 May 2004 20:42:03 GMT, <[email hidden]>,

William Asher said:

They probably
could use the company.

They won't care until their advertisers threaten to pull ads.
--
zk

In article <[email hidden]>,

Cycle America said:

TALK RADIO HOSTS TARGETING BICYCLISTS--AGAIN

....

Quoted message said:

On April 16, Howie Carr
on Boston's WRKO-AM said, "They [bicyclists] are the biggest pain...if
there is a sidewalk, I don't care what the law is, ride on the damn
sidewalk, OK? You don't belong on the road. You don't. That's all there
is to it. You belong on the sidewalk." Later on, he said, "I don't want
to share the road."

I expect Howie (and others) will maintain this ignorant attitude
regardless of any wrong-way/lane-filtering POBs "giving all
cyclists a bad name". We could all ride like perfect, virtuous
saints all the time, and the anti-cyclist drivers will still have
this attitude, because they simply hate bikes. And we're chronically
stuck with them, like herpes or income tax.

It would be easy to suggest Howie gives all drivers a bad name,
but I don't think that's true either. But he sure doesn't help.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

How to Contact the FCC

To Contact the Commissioners via E-mail

Chairman Michael K. Powell: [email hidden]
Commissioner Kathleen Q. Abernathy: [email hidden]
Commissioner Michael J. Copps: [email hidden]
Commissioner Kevin J. Martin: [email hidden]
Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein: [email hidden]

"Cycle America" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

How much lower can we go? Each and everyone of of us must take action
now. It's almost as if life has become disposable in Iraq so we can
drive our cars and if you don't support that war for oil by not driving
that your un-Americanism warrants death here as well. Who can reply with
email addresses to WRKO and WNNX so we can bury them with our reaction?
This is horrific:

TALK RADIO HOSTS TARGETING BICYCLISTS--AGAIN
Radio talk show hosts are targeting bicyclists again. Stations in three
cities in the last two weeks have made disparaging, incorrect, and at
times dangerous remarks about bicyclists and encouraged listeners to
call in and share their views about bicyclists. On April 16, Howie Carr
on Boston's WRKO-AM said, "They [bicyclists] are the biggest pain...if
there is a sidewalk, I don't care what the law is, ride on the damn
sidewalk, OK? You don't belong on the road. You don't. That's all there
is to it. You belong on the sidewalk." Later on, he said, "I don't want
to share the road."

On April 23, DJs on the Don Miller show on Atlanta's WNNX-FM (99X)
repeatedly ridiculed bicyclists. One host said, "I can't stand them,"
and referred to cyclists as "[censored]." Of the law giving cyclists the
right to use the roads, they said it's a "horrible law" and that
bicyclists should "get on the sidewalk where they belong." When a caller
wanted to let the hosts know about Atlanta area cyclists who'd been
killed in traffic crashes, the response was, "...and I wanna let you
know how many people care about those cyclists." Most alarmingly, one DJ
said he would "nudge them [bicyclists] right off the road into a tree."
When challenged by a colleague that he hadn't done that, he said,
"You've never done that? It's so much fun. Smoke a little weed, get
behind the wheel...wheee!"

To hear the heinous 99X broadcast segments, for more details and to take
action to stop this onslaught of broadcast harassment, visit
http://www.bikeleague.org. None of the stations involved are owned by
Clear Channel Communications. Last year, following a string of similar
incidents, Clear Channel made it clear it would not tolerate such
behavior on its stations. Visit http://www.bikemonth.org to hear radio
PSA recorded by Clear Channel to promote bicycling and sharing the road.

To hear these broadcasts again:
http://www.bikeleague.org/mediacenter/quickresponse.htm

M A R T I N K R I E G : "Awake Again" Author
http://www.bikeroute.com/AwakeAgain
Bent Since '83, Car Free Since '89, '79 & '86 TransAms
Coma, Paralysis, Clinical Death Survivor
Can You Change it with Love?
N A T I O N A L B I C Y C L E G R E E N W A Y

Can anybody find a link to this at www.npr.org ?
I can't.

Quoted message said:

Last night on NPR they had a highbrow essay bashing American cyclists.

The

Quoted message said:

author, reading his own piece, contrasted the virtuous cycling of

Amsterdam

Quoted message said:

vs. that in found in America.

"Dan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Can anybody find a link to this at www.npr.org ?
I can't.

Quoted message said:

Last night on NPR they had a highbrow essay bashing American cyclists.

The

Quoted message said:

author, reading his own piece, contrasted the virtuous cycling of

Amsterdam

Quoted message said:

vs. that in found in America.

I heard this when they initially played it. The criticisms of
Americans generally concern the gram counting weight weenies as
witnessed by reference to the "Trek 55000".

http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1869196

In article <[email hidden]>, TM <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

"Cycle America" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

How much lower can we go?

Last night on NPR they had a highbrow essay bashing American cyclists. The
author, reading his own piece, contrasted the virtuous cycling of Amsterdam
vs. that in found in America.

I think that is lower because it is such a pathetic 'me too' disguised as
creative art. They are probably giggling over the letters the spot will
generate. Miscreants.

TM, You have no sense of humor, and are apparently unable to understand
sarcasm. The commentator was Aaron Freeman, a Chicago comedian and
cyclist, I have seen him riding myself. The article was about bike
thieves in Amsterdam.

When one responds humorlessly as TM did, it's difficult to take the
complaint seriously. Humph. Aaron Freeman anti cyclist? I've seen him
in spandex!

steve

"Dan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Last night on NPR they had a highbrow essay bashing American cyclists.
The author, reading his own piece, contrasted the virtuous cycling of
Amsterdam vs. that in found in America.

Quoted message said:

Can anybody find a link to this at www.npr.org ?
I can't.

The audio can be found here:
http://www.npr.org/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=2&prgDate=3-May-2004

Matthew

Lets do the FCC thing again, it worked the last time with CC

Some one post a letter and the email addresses and I'll get letters
going again.

Burr

'Whack a mole' works?

"Burr" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
| Lets do the FCC thing again, it worked the last time with CC
|
| Some one post a letter and the email addresses and I'll get letters
| going again.
|
| Burr
|

TO: Mark Renier, GM Susquehanna Radio Corp Sr. VP - 99X

I'm an aspiring journalist, and an avid cyclist.

I would fight to the death for the rights of your station personalities
to voice their opinions--even opinions as malevolent, ignorant, and
injurious as the opinions they've voiced regarding bicyclists.

I would ask, however, that you help your on-air personalities to
understand that the power of the press is formidable, and that, with
those rights, come profound responsibilities.

Their shows regarding bicyclists have been patently irresponsible. When
they disregard the fact that:
a) Atlanta is still in Georgia,
b) Georgia is still in the South,
c) The South is still the epicenter of Strict Fundamentalism...

...then they err with violence as a possible result. Asking, "Do you
honestly think anybody takes this stuff seriously? is a convenient way
for an on-air personality to attempt to expiate their guilt for
irresponsible journalism. Unfortunately, the simple truth is: many
people do take The Word as The Gospel.

--

Quoted message said:

a) Atlanta is still in Georgia,
b) Georgia is still in the South,
c) The South is still the epicenter of Strict Fundamentalism...

=v= I think this undercuts your argument. Atlanta is considered
by many to be a relative oasis of cosmopolitanism. How true
that is subject to some debate, but my concern is that that your
letter will prompt *that* debate instead of any consideration
about cyclists.
<_Jym_>

Jym Dyer said:

Quoted message said:

a) Atlanta is still in Georgia,
b) Georgia is still in the South,
c) The South is still the epicenter of Strict Fundamentalism...

=v= I think this undercuts your argument. Atlanta is considered by many
to be a relative oasis of cosmopolitanism. How true that is subject to
some debate, but my concern is that that your letter will prompt *that*
debate instead of any consideration about cyclists. <_Jym_

Fair point. Perhaps my intent will get lost in that message. I meant to
use the concept of fundamentalism, absent the religious connotations,
but you might be right.

I happen to think Atlanta is an outrageously cool city, btw. Radio waves
stretch out for miles and miles, though. Have you been 50 miles outside
of that town? ;-)

Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

--

"Steve G" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:050520040147039594%

Quoted message said:

I've seen him in spandex!

That might have colored your impression of the piece!

Seriously, I'll take you at your word that this guy is a good cyclist. If
he is a comedian, then he really fell down on this piece. I did not feel
like laughing once. Did anybody else laugh at this?

For the record, I have a good sense of humor and understand sarcasm well.
His essay - er monologue - came off as a wine and cheese version of the shot
and a beer cycle bashing prevalent on commercial fm.

I'll defer to you as to intent, because you know the man, but I feel no
shame in not finding any humor in it. It was not funny. At all.

TM said:

Seriously, I'll take you at your word that this guy is a good cyclist. If
he is a comedian, then he really fell down on this piece. I did not feel
like laughing once. Did anybody else laugh at this?

I didn't laugh once. It was not remotely funny. Maybe one needs to be a
bit more sophisticated than I am to know when to laugh at stuff on NPR?

For the record, I did laugh while listening the to 99X/Don Miller [censored]
from Atlanta-- especially when they were teasing the guy about calling
the FCC. I also thought "these guys make a good case for cycling with a
sidearm" (since I'm not waiting for the FCC to defend my right not to get
run down).

But while I didn't find the NPR guy funny, I did find him thought
provoking. He's got a point that cycling has this weird public image,
The public seems to think the only people are on bikes are either kids,
poor, or Lance wannabes (although the bike messengers are becoming more
and more visible as a distinct type of person on bike, as are the extreme
sports folks-- fading, if they were ever visible at all, are the tourists
and the hardcore environmentalists).

But I doubt that handicapping the Lance wannabes by forcing them to carry
compensating weight in the form of locks will help improve the popularity
of biking in the US. First there needs to be an emergent class of regular
folks riding in a vehicular fashion. Then "normal" folks will see that
"normal" folks can ride bikes for everyday purposes and be perfectly happy
about it.

Either way, it seems to me that most talk radio (especially
morning shows) is geared at people in their cars. This makes these sorts
of swipes at cycling somewhat unsurprising. But it's also additionally
dangerous, since even though motorists probably aren't thinking "yeah,
let's go harrass cyclists", they probably are willing to find this sort of
talk persuasive in terms of the perception that cyclists are "in their
way", when the facts are that cyclists aren't going to slow them down at
all.

But the guy on NPR wasn't talking about motorists at all, just about
cycling. So if a motorist hears that one and thinks anything negative
about cyclists as a result, I think that's their own prejudices working to
color their perceptions of the piece.

-Michael