DJs Suspended for Playing Dixie Chicks May 6, 12:10 PM (ET) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - Country-music station KKCS has suspended two disc jockeys for playing songs by the Dixie Chicks in violation of a ban imposed after one group member criticized President Bush. Station manager Jerry Grant said he banned the music after lead singer Natalie Maines told a London audience on March 10: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." The comment was made as war was looming with Iraq, and Maines later apologized. But her remark brought the group a flood of criticism and media attention. "We pulled their music two months ago, and it's been a difficult decision because how can you ignore the hottest group in country music," Grant said. He said there has been discussion about whether to reinstate the music, but DJs Dave Moore and Jeff Singer became impatient. "They made it very clear that they support wholeheartedly the president of the United States. They support wholeheartedly the troops, the military. But they also support the right of free speech," Grant said. The station has received a couple of hundred calls and 75 percent favored playing the music. Grant said Moore and Singer will be out for a couple of days. "I gave them an alternative: stop it now and they'll be on suspension, or they can continue playing them and when they come out of the studio they won't have a job." The station plans to play the group's music eventually. "Most stations are starting to play them again anyhow a song here, a song there. I just have a problem with the way this was done. We would have put them in anyhow. But we'd like to do it on our terms," he said.
That is silly. Bosses give you specific instructions and you decide to go ahead and ignore those instructions. They're lucky they just got suspended.
Would you sacrifice your job for the Dixie Chicks? Neither would I. For Jimmie Vaughan, maybe, but not for the Dixie Chicks. By the way, I'm thinking of starting a new all-male country band and calling it the Chicksy Dicks. Whaddya think?
What I find silly is that the Chicks are still banned. Oh well, you can't blame the DJ's for trying to get more people to listen to the station and improve the ratings.
At KTRU, I used to impose bans on myself. For instance, if I had ever stooped to playing the Smiths, I would have given myself a permanent ban. Actually, a caller threatened to kill me once for not playing his Smith's request ... at the correct speed. I don't know why he got so angry at hearing "Meat is Murder" played manually at speeds alternating between 1 rpm and 500 rpm. Weirdo.
I thought all they played was ambient noise and guitar feedback on KTRU. Well, that mixed in between DJ banter that goes something like... "Ok, cool. Uh, that was Johnny Wierdo. Man, I am so stoked about his show at Emo's this week. So, um, I just got this, uh, like, email from some dude who said, "Dear radio dude. I'm so wasted." Huh, huh. Whoa. Allright then. (long pause) So...ok, wait. Uh..." ambient noise returns.
This is r****ded, the Dixie Chicks said stupid things, but Pearl Jam didn't get barred from radio, and I didn't see the copies of "The Shawnshank Redemption" pulled off the shelves at blockbuster because Tim Robbins doesn't support the war.
Jeff, that takes rigorous training. Don't knock it. My show left the airwaves in 1991... not to say I wasn't exactly like your excellent example vignette.
