Sacramento Radio: R-A-D Pulled Off-Air At KRXQ

FRIDAY UPDATE:  An Entercom official is now saying  there’s no definite return date for the syndicated show R-A-D to return to the air.

Rod, Arnie & Dawn have been pulled off the air at Entercom’s KRXQ 98 Rock after a morning show bit about making a  list Top 5 reason To Hate Boston.  The list bit never did air.

But the controversy is heating up. (See original posting, Click Here.)

The trio hope to return to the Sacramento air on Monday. However, Entercom management may reconsider after the following posting to the Rob, Arnie & Dawn website:

...On Wednesday, April 17, our show came under attack from a Sacramento radio host who would love to call himself a 'competitor,' but who instead is just another bottom-feeder looking and hoping for ways to better himself by disparaging and defaming us, our show and others in the local media market.  Outrageously, he came out claiming that we in some way intended or were being insensitive or callous to the victims of the Boston tragedy.   We refuse to stoop to this individual's despicable level, but instead want our listeners to know and understand that we did not, would not, and under no circumstances have intended in any way to have been insensitive, callous, dismissive, disparaging or otherwise to or of the victims of the Boston tragedy.  To the contrary, of course we are and have been sickened, disgusted and angered at whomever the cowards who carried out the senseless and disgraceful terrorist acts and the terrible injuries and harm caused to innocent victims. 

The Nature of our show demands honest, noble and real discussions, debate, emotions and, at times, irreverence. For the past two days we have engaged, for hours, in heated exchanges with one another and with you, our loyal listeners, to try to make sense of the non-sensical acts perpetrated on not just Boston, but our nation as a whole. We have expressed fear, anger, outrage, disbelief, and at times everything from great despair to unbridled hope. During rare moments when there was laughter, it had nothing to do whatsoever with the tragedy, but instead was intended to divert, distract and bring much-needed levity to an awful event and situation. 

For reasons unclear to us, our Sacramento carrier, 98 Rock (KRXQ), allowed itself to be bullied and misled by the local radio host who so grossly distorted truth and facts, and in 98 Rock's ill-judgment, it informed us late Wednesday evening that we are pulled off the air until Monday.  We understand a radio station's desire and instinct to protect itself for economic and political purposes, but this is absurd.  Our Sacramento carrier has elected a knee-jerk reaction to a fabricated and manufactured smear campaign by a local thug who is more than happy and willing to politicize and sensationalize the Boston tragedy for his own short-term gain.  To this, we at the Rob, Arnie and Dawn Show say, you're a sad, pathetic character, shame on you, and shame on 98 Rock and their parent company, Entercom Communications.

98 Rock aired music during the morning time slot Thursday.

Meanwhile, crosstown Ron Geronimo Thursday morning aired clips of the R-A-D show from Wednesday morning.  The trio were heard joking about the "top 5 list" with Arnie claiming he could come up with nine things, discussing how a man whose legs were blown off while watching his girlfriend run could "hold that over her head forever," and asking whether it was too soon for jokes about Boston.