Monday July 15, 2002
Movin' on Down
Sung to the tune of the "Theme From The Jefferson's"
Parody Lyrics by Surf and Steve Bryant
Well, you're movin' on down,
Jefferson's MIDI file removed
From the Mainline.
From a mansion that's worth about 2 mil.
Movin' on down,
From the Mainline.
You got to pay a heavy legal bill.
You and Tawanna were bitchin';
Threw her out in the nude.
You and your Uncle went looking',
With a bad attitude.
But now you're up in the big leagues
If you were wearing that gun…
You'll be in a cell for quite a long time,
Bendin' over just to have your fun.
Well, you're movin' on down,
From the Mainline.
Dodging all the news crews as you go.
Movin' on down,
From The Mainline,
You lost it all but saved talk radio.
Friday July 12
Dom Giordano has a column in the Inky Op-Ed Page
No defending a possible crime
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/3648886.htm________________________
Is the Allen Iverson story hot with you?
Kudos to Dom Giordano (1210 AM) for breaking the Allen Iverson story on his show.
(And not going overboard)
Story in today's Daily News by Al Hunter Jr. covering Talk Radio's reaction to Allen Iverson.
For Talk Radio, It's Irresistible
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/3640655.htmExcerpt ...
Talk radio has yet to have its fill of the Allen Iverson drama.
And as long as new details emerge concerning the case of the Sixer superstar, his wife and a gun, mouths are going to keep yapping.
An important story? Not necessarily. Irresistible? Absolutely.
The Iverson story has it all, says the publisher of a talk-radio-industry magazine: a high-profile sports personality possibly involved in a crime.
"There are some stories that are better than others," said Michael Harrison, of Talkers magazine. "An important story isn't always the best or most attractive or entertaining story."
So this is entertainment. And talk-radio stations like WIP (610-AM), WPHT (1210-AM) and WHAT (1340-AM) are riding the wave.
Since the story broke late last week, the airwaves have been full of opinions, speculation, accusations and defenses.
The story is a perfect fit for Sportsradio WIP. Yesterday afternoon, the irascible Howard Eskin, after briefly complaining about baseball's All-Star Game ("That was just a flat-out joke"), said sarcastically, "The city awaits the arrest of Allen Iverson," then criticized the Sixers' management for its statement that seemed to support Iverson. "Whether convicted or not, he did something really, really wrong."
Over at WPHT, a more cerebral Michael Smerconish spent most of his first hour talking about a controversy at Augusta golf club on whether women should be admitted as members, then opened his second hour with a presentation from former prosecutor Paul Diamond about the A.I. case.
Over at WHAT, "the voice of the African-American community," host Karen Warrington entertained other topics, including the story about three inmates who died within 17 hours in Philadelphia prisons.
But then she turned to Iverson, whom she said was respected by many in the community for doing things "his way" and not being "homogenized," and who "in spite of the job he does on the court is constantly bombarded by negative stories."
"It's a sad day," she told listeners. And if the charges stick, "it is an indicator once again the toll guns are taking on our community."
The universality of the Iverson discussion points out how talk-radio listeners - everyday people who are trying to do their jobs, go home and take care of the bills - identify with sports figures, said the Webmaster of Philly Talk Radio Online.
"The only stuff that pops up on their radar screen is the stuff that demands their attention," he said.
Meanwhile, a gay-and-lesbian activist group is upset at WIP management, alleging some hosts have made derogatory remarks on air about a person in the Iverson case.
Asa Khalif, president and founder of the group Racial Unity, said the hosts have made "homophobic statements" about Charles Jones, identified as the roommate of Iverson's cousin Shaun Bowman.
"They were mean-spirited types of comments," Khalif said. Messages seeking comment from station manager Tom Bigby were not returned last night.
So how do you think the media has responded?
I recently asked Dave Warren
(1340 WHAT AM Sat. 6-10 PM) about the media reaction to the Allen Iverson story and here is his response...
I did an interview for a talk radio program in Chicago (Monique Cardigan "Mo in the Midday" WVON-Chicago) and I mentioned the reality is yes they blew this out of proportion but not because he's black but because he's a star athlete that has done more to change the perception and view of athletes. Allen is a icon love him or hate him if it was you, me or Joe Smith from South Philly no it would have gotten no press but because this is a superstar athlete yes the press went bananas. The Daily News even realized that they went crazy with the story (10 straight days AI on the cover!) But it sold papers and after all isn't that what it's all about? Allen has to take responsibility for what he did (if he did anything) what would make him think he could act a fool and no one would notice? We didn't talk much about it on my show, but on Monique's show we took several calls and everybody had a different opinion or view -- too bad it was all about the press coverage and the press conferences and none on what actually happened and if the life style Allen is trying to live is really keeping it real. None-the-less I don't think any sense can be made out of this, you can't compare it to (Gary) Condit or OJ (Simpson) for that matter -- it's a whole new event that has no comparison. I think it's beyond comprehension. In a nutshell it’s the lifestyle/issues/troubles of the 21st Century professional athlete.
Allen Iverson stars in New Movie
A.I.
Artificial Intelligence, A mind is a terrible thing to waste
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