Jesse wants to heave 'ho' off the airwaves

[musicradio77]

From the Daily News:

Jesse wants to heave 'ho' off the airwaves

By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

The Rev. Jesse Jackson renewed his call for radio stations to "draw the line on dignity" during a visit yesterday to WBLS (107.5 FM).

Speaking with Paul Mooney, Ellen Cleghorne, Ann Tripp and Mark Jordan on the morning show, Jackson linked radio stations cleaning up their act with several other causes, including renewal of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Jackson is promoting a petition, which he hopes will get a million names, in support of retaining key clauses in the law.

Moreover, he warned, imperiled voting rights reflect the country's broader lack of commitment to equality and a troubling pattern of preference for privileged social and economic classes.

For instance, he said, a disproportionate number of lower-income people are fighting the Afghan and Iraqi wars.

"For people at Yale and Columbia, this war is academic," he said. "For us, it's bloody."

But Jackson also said black people need to take more responsibility for their own lives.

"We need to respect ourselves," he said. "We must maintain our own dignity." Which is where radio and the entertainment industry come in.

Jackson accused some radio stations, not by name, of "making a profit from degrading us." He cited popular songs that refer to women as "ho's" or "pregnant doges," as well as songs that use the N-word.

"I'm distressed when I go to a club and see people dancing to songs that use these words," he said. "We should never dance to degradation. It's diminishing the worth of our life."

Jackson drew a parallel between the entertainment industry, "where some companies seem to think it's cute to call black women 'ho's'," and college athletics, where black athletes often have a low graduation rate.

Both situations add up to exploitation, Jackson said. "When you leave school with no diploma and a few clippings, you have wasted a great opportunity."

The use of the N-word and terms like "ho" has been debated for years on radio, with some stations and hosts arguing it just reflects what listeners say to each other.

AROUND THE DIAL: Eugene Bergmann, who has written a comprehensive biography of the late Jean Shepherd titled "Exclesior, You Fathead," will talk about the book and Shep tomorrow with Leonard Lopate, noon-2 p.m., on WNYC (93.9 FM, 820 AM). ... Fans of Zacherle will be pleased to hear he's back in the studio, re-recording his classic "Dear Valentine." He's 87, by the way. ... The morning show on WBAI (99.5 FM) yesterday did a sympathetic two-hour special on Ward Churchill, the Colorado professor who has come under widespread fire for suggesting Sept. 11 was in part a response to U.S. excesses in other nations. Churchill has taken a regular roasting on much of talk radio. ... WXRK (92.3 FM) is promoting its Internet sister, KRock2 (www.krockradio.com), by having tickets to Tuesday's Coldplay show at the Beacon available only through KRock2. ... Got some old radio memorabilia lying around? The Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago is looking for just that sort of thing. Contact Bruce DuMont at BruceDuMont@Museum.TV.