Personality Accused Of Mocking Woman With Disability

Q92's Mo

The family of Kellie Baker of Strasburg, Ohio hopes to raise awareness of bullying of people with disabilities after she was mocked by the host of a show on an Alliance radio station.

On Jan. 21, Baker, who has Down’s syndrome was trying to call a friend whom she hadn’t seen for a while. The 30-year-old said she found a piece of paper with a telephone number on it, so she dialed it, thinking it was her friend’s number. Instead, she dialed the number of Q92 in Alliance.

The host of “The Mo Show” answered the phone. “She thought she was speaking with her friend’s dad,” the woman's mother explained.

The radio host kept Baker on the phone for several minutes, and then played a recording of their conversation on the air. Near the end, Mo asked her if she knew who he was. Baker answered, “No.”

“OK, so I can laugh at you and you won’t know who to call and say you’re offended,” Mo said, and then laughed. “Very good.”

Contacted Tuesday by Jon Baker with timesreporter.com, the radio station issued a statement through its attorney, Amanda M. Paar Conroy of Tzangas, Plakas and Mannos of Canton:

“Q92 and ‘The Mo Show’ would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm its support of efforts to raise awareness regarding the challenges faced by those with developmental disabilities.

Specifically, the station wishes to sincerely apologize again for any actions or comments that could be construed as making light of the challenges faced by persons that are developmentally disabled or casting those persons in any humorous light.

The station’s policy is to treat our callers and listeners with the utmost respect, professionalism, and sensitivity.”

This isn’t the first time Q92 has come under fire for ridiculing individuals with disabilities. In 2006, numerous area advocacy groups, including The Arc of Ohio, urged the radio station to stop airing a bit dubbed “Name that Tune with Mongoloid Mike.” The bit invited listeners to “name that tune” after a character voiced lyrics to a popular song as if sung by a person with a disability.

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