Thursday, November 13, 2008

Air Wars: Revenge of the Plumber

We told you the day before the election about the unhinged rant against "Joe the Plumber" by San Francisco talk jock Karel Bouley. Now comes some good news [H/T Political Byline] : He's lost his radio job. Of course the Examiner has Bouley as the victim:

"They silence the most prominent gay voice in the Bay, right as Prop 8 passes. How lovely," said Karel in an email.
How reflexively he plays the homophobia card! There simply can be no other explanation for his dismissal in his mind; his homosexuality innoculates him against any responsibility for his performance.

To hear him tell it, it's all the engineer's fault:
In his defense, Karel says that he was told by the engineer, who left the studio to use the bathroom, that his microphone was off. The engineer was also told, he says, to make sure it is off during breaks because Karel talks to his chat room during the breaks, saying things not appropriate for the air.
I am not a radio professional, but I know that it's normal for every microphone to be equipped with a "cough button", which, when pressed, takes the mike offline momentarily, no matter what the sound engineer may be doing on his board. It allows on-air talent to take responsibility for what comes out of their mouths. Just as a responsible gun user treats every gun as if it's loaded, a responsible broadcaster treats every microphone as if it's hot.

Bouley was irresponsible, and now he's unemployed. May we hope that Helen Jones-Kelley be close behind?

1 comment:

  1. Karel broadcasts from a Tuff-Shed in his backyard.

    I'm not making this up.

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