Thursday, May 30, 2013

NJ 101.5 Radio Hosts Get Heat For Animal Abuse Comments


Franco, Malloy (Star-Ledger photo)
WKXW NJ 101.5 radio hosts Dennis Malloy, Judi Franco and Ray Rossi are under fire after controversial conversations they had on air last week about animal abuse.

During a mid-day and overnight radio show on May 21, hosts brought up the topic of animal abuse and Sammy, the Cocker Spaniel that was abused and brought to the Associated Humane Society in Tinton Falls in a plastic bag and covered in urine.

According to a posting on the station website, social media posts said Malloy and Franco said animal rights activists need to get their priorities straight, while a statement from 101.5 said “there were spirited discussions of the relative importance of human rights and animal rights, as well as the passions of animal rights proponents, which involved calls from audience members.”

A tweet was also sent by @JLNunyabusiness to Franco stating "R U not aware that animals feel pain, fear, emotion just like us? Would U like 2B concreted in your own urine & feces? Starved?" Franco, using the Twitter handle @judifranco, replied stating, “actually they don't. But thanks for listening!!"

The tweet and Franco’s account have since been deleted.

Sammy
Sammy supporters and loyal listeners who were outraged took to social media to express their disgust with the comments made on the show.

The Associated Humane Society also discussed the talk show on their Facebook page.

“Wow.....very disappointed in our New Jersey radio station, NJ 101.5. Their talk show hosts, Dennis and Judy, have poked fun several times over the years at ‘animal rights activists’.....which are merely people that care about animals and take an interest in their well-being,” the post said. “We would like to invite those at this radio station to come and visit our facility, or any of our three facilities, and see for themselves that animals DO in fact feel pain and have emotions. And that the people that work with them and care for them do NOT have their priorities mixed up.”

According to the Sammy the Cocker Spaniel Facebook page, Rossi also allegedly said 'untrue, hurtful' statements on air about Martin Mondoker, one of the pages administrators. Rossi posted an apology on the Facebook page.

“I would like to take this time to apologize for some things that were said about Martin that had nothing to do with his position on seeking justice for Sammy the cocker spaniel,” Rossi posted without elaborating on what was said.

People also called on the station on social media to release full transcripts or recordings of the show. The 101.5 statement released Tuesday included a partial transcript of the show with the hosts stating they do not support animal cruelty.

Facebook user Dawn Witzel Lowery wrote on the 101.5 page, "If you have nothing to hide, release the FULL Sammy transcript. People who think animal abuse is funny are no better than the actual abusers themselves. These 3 people should not work in public media. Get them out of there!!!”

Franco, Malloy
A petition on change.org calling for Rossi, Franco and Malloy to be fired has also reached more than 6,000 signatures, and several Facebook pages were created on Sunday asking people to boycott the station and fire the hosts.

The 101.5 statement also talked about the show and social media conversation surrounding animal abuse.

“Unfortunately, some of the online commentary regarding the discussions which transpired on these programs has become dislocated from the facts,” the statement said. “New Jersey 101.5 and its employees do not condone or make light of animal abuse. Animal abuse is a vile phenomenon and perpetrators should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There is no place for animal abuse in civilized society.”

Click here to read the full statement released by 101.5


“Judi and I were simply attempting to have a discussion about changing opinions on animal cruelty in the last few years,” Malloy said in the statement. “We referenced a recent criminal case related to animal cruelty in New Jersey. We pointed out several times the heinous nature of the acts involved in the criminal case. We were attempting to draw out a discussion regarding the appropriateness of equating the life and rights of an animal with those of a human.”




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