UPDATE: KRXQ Radio Host Rob Williams Declares Failure
June 7, 2009 by Andy Marra, Senior Media Strategist @ GLAAD
I received a tip from a GLAADblog follower about a statement posted by KRXQ radio host Rob Williams who owns the “Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning” show. At 11:50am PST, Williams issued a statement about their May 28 segment where Rob and Arnie made offensive remarks against transgender children. They refused to apologize on a follow-up show.
The statement comes after a week of turmoil for the radio station. On June 1, GLAAD issued a Call to Action that mobilized hundreds of people to contact the radion station and voice their concerns. You can read more about that here and here.
Huffington Post blogger Michael Rowe and Pam’s House Blend contributor Autumn Sandeen were key reporters regularly following the issue. Their crucial coverage and GLAAD’s Call to Action resulted in a flurry of media pick-up. Concerned community members also began to contact companies and urge them to pull their advertising contracts from KRXQ. I then ended up fielding emails and calls from companies who wanted GLAAD to post and distribute their statements to either pull or not renew advertising on the radio station due to the offensive broadcast. You can read more about that here.
GLAAD received an email on Friday, June 5 at 5:28pm EST from KRXQ station management indicating a desire to speak with us about a possible resolution for their defamatory and dehumanizing remarks. We were told that KRXQ would call us on Monday, June 8 to hear their proposal. Then radio host Rob posts a statement on the incident.
GLAAD looks forward to hearing from KRXQ management and their proposal of concrete assurances that will rectify their previous coverage on transgender children. GLAAD will continue to consult with our partners on this issue to ensure the community is well-represented when speaking to KRXQ.
Stay tuned for more details. Please check back with us for updates on this developing story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
Rob Williams Statement:
UPDATED JUNE 7TH, 2009, 11:50AM
TO OUR LOYAL ROB, ARNIE AND DAWN FOLLOWERS,
WE HAVE FAILED YOU. AS A SHOW, AS PEOPLE, AS BROADCASTERS, WE HAVE SIMPLY FAILED ON ALMOST EVERY LEVEL.
WE PRESENTED OUR OPINIONS ON A VERY SENSITIVE SUBJECT IN A HATEFUL, CHILDISH AND CRUDE FASHION; AND THEN, GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO RETRACT THOSE REMARKS, WE DEFENDED THEM.
SINCE THEN, YOU, OUR LOYAL LISTENERS, HAVE MADE IT CLEAR TO US THAT WE WENT TOO FAR. THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN OVERWHELMING. NONE OF YOU SAID THAT WE COULDN’T HAVE OPINIONS, YET SO MANY OF YOU SAID THAT THE WAY WE GAVE THEM CROSSED THE LINE. FURTHER, YOU SAID THAT OUR ATTEMPT TO MASK OUR COMMENTS AS “JOKES THAT WOULD BE UNDERSTOOD BY OUR AUDIENCE,” WAS UNACCEPTABLE. I WOULD SAY NOW THAT IT WAS WORSE THAN THAT, IT WAS COWARDLY. YOU HAVE MADE THAT CLEAR.
WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO VARIOUS GROUPS AND ASKED FOR A CHANCE TO MAKE THIS RIGHT; TO RESPOND, WITH THEIR PARTICIPATION, TO THE EDUCATION THAT OUR AUDIENCE HAS PROVIDED US. THAT OPPORTUNITY HAS BEEN GRACIOUSLY GRANTED THIS THURSDAY MORNING, JUNE 11TH. AT 7:30 A.M.
THE WORD APOLOGY APPEARS NO WHERE IN THIS LETTER FOR A REASON. WE ALREADY HID FROM DOING THE RIGHT THING ONCE AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN. APOLOGIZING IN A WRITTEN, POSTED STATEMENT IS A FORM OF COWARDICE. WE WILL SAY WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID THIS THURSDAY.
ON A FINAL, PERSONAL NOTE, AS THE LEADER AND OWNER OF THE SHOW, I HAVE MADE THE DECISION THAT WE NEED TO REFRAIN FROM BROADCASTING NEW EPISODES UNTIL WE CAN ADDRESS THIS ON THURSDAY . WE WILL RETURN TO THE AIR AT 7:30 A.M. JUNE 11TH.
ROB WILLIAMS
ROB, ARNIE AND DAWN
Open letter to Rob Williams
Dear Mr. Williams, I hope you’re sincere in your contrition and not resentful that the politically correct liberals have co-opted your sponsors. Remember that you always have the option of ignoring your critics. However, as you have seen, it will cost you your sponsors and ratings. Say what you want; it’s still a free country. But I think you’ve learned that we who do not tolerate intolerance will not be silenced.
Let’s not declare victory yet.
As mentioned by those who’ve dealt with this show before (when they were mocking SIDS), they are capable of the apology with crocodile tears.
If they resign (or whatever you do when syndicated) from the station, do work for transgender kids to make amends, and otherwise display themselves as good citizens, they’re welcome to go back to work again elsewhere without further community protest.
Otherwise, in my book, it’s all a bunch of hooey.
Interesting how the GLAAD folks would praise bloggers for regularly following the story, but no mention (or links) to the mainstream media folks who regularly stayed on top of the story: The Associated Press, the Sacramento Press, FOX40 News and News10.
Hey Meko…and everyone….they definitely will not resign. This isn’t big enough (sorry to say) for that. Same building a couple of years ago, a woman died at a radio station promotion (not on Krxq, but another station under same ownership). That was big enough to get the morning show fired.
This time, I think their apology will be sincere, BUT….Thursday? This is typically the biggest ratings day of any week for radio stations. The reason is kinda old and long, but just know, if someone is going to give KRXQ a ratings boost, it will come on a thursday. This is why they are “self governing themselves” to wait until Thursday.
So there is only some sincerity in their efforts. Not 100% real. And given Arnie’s continued gay bashing and misunderstanding of the alternative lifestyle that happens that is sprinkled throughout the year, doubtful this will be the last gay, lesbian, or tg incident from them!
I found the audio of the segment on your site, and now I wish I hadn’t. I was overwhelmed by Rob Williams hatred and loathing for transgendered people. Seriously, he sounded almost psycho at points. Why is he so angry at people who weren’t assigned the right gender at birth, whether it was caused by nature or by doctors “choosing” which gender to make them?
I’m not transgendered. I don’t know anyone personally that is. But listening to his hate-filled rants, I was blown away. I know people hate us for being gay or transgendered or anything else, but it’s one thing to know it at a safe distance and an entirely different thing to hear it said so angrily and filled with loathing and hate.
I will promise you this. Regardless of what Rob Williams says, I’m keeping track from now on. And any business that advertises on his show nationally (I live in North Carolina) will be boycotted from me from now on.
Hell, I still refuse to step foot in a Cracker Barrel, and I’ve been responsible for more than one large group (20-30) of people eating elsewhere after I explained that I don’t want to eat somewhere where I would not be allowed to work based on my being gay.
Good job GLAAD!
Deal GLAAD – I’m a 49 year old transgender person living in Sacramento. Thank you so much for the outstanding job you have done in taking action against this hate mongering duo. (I never heard of this show until I read about it on the Huffington Post. I’ve listened to the original transcript. Dawn, you’re sweetheart). I can’t adequately express my gratitude GLAAD. I think most people in this city are decent and enlightened when it comes to respecting others who are different from them. Unfortunately, there is also a large segment of the population that is very much behind the times (e.g., apparently much the “Rob, Arnie & Dawn” morning show audience). Seeing these noxious bigots get their comeuppance is very gratifying. However I would be much happier still to learn that their recent apparent remorse is sincere. Perhaps they could even enlighten some of their audience. I know that I am probably in fantasyland with that thought but stranger things have happened….they could undoubtedly extend the national attention they are getting but in a way that attracted sponsors rather than sending them scurrying away.
Received a polite, but neutral letter from State Farm. Jairon L Wills I think they just need to receive more. Text follows.
Thank you for your comments regarding State Farm running advertisements on station KRXQ in Sacramento. We have read your concerns and those of others with similar concerns. We take very seriously each comment we receive.
When State Farm buys advertising, we choose the radio and TV stations, newspapers and magazines very carefully. We consider a lot of research when making our decisions, and as a mutual company with no stockholders, we work hard to be good stewards of our policyholders’ money.
We are sorry there were remarks made on this radio station that offended anyone and we are currently looking into the concern you raised.
Thank you again for your e-mail.
Jairon L Wills
[...] for (finally) taking responsibility but also let them know that an apology is not enough. Check out GLAAD’s call to action and the Boycott KRXQ Facebook Group for ways to stay involved. Below I’ve posted the text [...]
[...] to be a long way from a satisfactory conclusion. The GLAAD blog has a detailed series of posts (start here; the page contains links to earlier posts) but briefly the sequence of events was as [...]
While I am glad that this station is feeling the pressure, I am a bit surprised I do not see anything on Glaad.org in reference to the supreme court’s failure to address don’t ask don’t tell at the behest of Mr. Obama himself. I am not gay, but I am an ardent believer of equality for the gay community. Obama has turned his back on one of his most consistent constituencies. It is shameful. He has changed nothing with this.
[...] Good for them. The hosts continue not to apologize, but it looks like they’re mostly just unable to swallow their pride. They’re also off the air until June 11. [...]
Yes, good job coercing an apology out of the 5 year old, after taking the ice cream away.
I look forward to Thursday’s re-education in the Ministry of Truth.
It’s going to be crocodile tears to get back on the air. Thursday is Arbitron ratings day. It’s just a publicity stunt to them. I hope GLAAD doesn’t let itself get played.
These guys got a massive FCC fine for jokes about child molestation and pulled the same apology routine. They joked about SIDS and were back to their old ways.
It is a service to the community to get them canceled. I hope other organizations join in this boycott as it isn’t JUST about transgender children, but all children, and whether obscene content directed at them should be a source of cash for craven men such as these.
[...] yesterday’s statement noted, KRXQ will be airing a special show on Thursday, June 11 at 7:30am PST. It should be [...]
[...] thought this was worth considering. This is from the comment thread below the [...]
I hope the Rob, Arnie and Dawn show does not apologize. They have done nothing but entertain people. The show is not known for being a new source or a daily variety show, it is popular for its “shock-jock” style and content. All GLAAD has done is encourage the show and gained the show a larger audience.
Since the show is broadcast from California, it has done nothing more than reflect the views of the state on the subject of homosexuality. The state of California has twice voted, overwhelmingly, not to allow gay marriage.
When the majority of a populace bends to the demands of a minority of the populace… isn’t that terrorism? Fear to say anything, on the chance it may offend.
I’m laughing that Guitar Center pulled advertising. That was cute. Clearly the really big companies need to do this so as not to get the choke hold from glaad, too. Glaad is standing there holding everyone by their throats, trying to change minds, when they’re doing no such thing, and what’s sad is …they know it. As long as they can force the right sounding speech, eh…
But Guitar Center. lol.
[...] by WP Greet Box When will these people learn not to say stupid things and make negative comments about people. I suppose when it is going to affect their ratings, advertisers start pulling their [...]