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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

94.1 WHJY Whale Tail Contest Deemed In ‘Poor Taste’


The Whaling City Festival in New Bedford, MA has withdrawn its sponsorship of a controversial WHJY 94.1 FM radio competition many described as derogatory to the city's heritage — and women in general — after facing an intense backlash on social media earlier this week, according to southcoast.com.

"I was offended by the connection to our storied whaling history," said city resident Jennifer Smith, who took to the festival's Facebook page Monday night to protest its sponsorship of Providence classic rock station 94.1 HJY's "Show Us Your Whale Tail" contest. "I'm just glad" they pulled the sponsorship.

A "whale tail" occurs when a thong's Y-shaped waistband rises over the waistline of low-cut pants or a skirt, giving the appearance of a whale's tail fluke coming out of the ocean.

HJY's contest seeks to find the "hottest" whale tail in Southern New England, asking women to "unleash your sexiest thong exposure" for the chance at a $494 American Express gift card, according to its website. The contest asks for women to send in their best "whale tail" photos, which will be voted on by the public after the entry period closes June 23.

The radio station intends to continue the contest without the festival's sponsorship, which originally was going to pay for the gift card, organizers said. Festival organizers also defended themselves by saying the radio station designed the competition, not them.

Neither WHJY nor the station's parent company, Clear Channel Communications Inc., responded to an email request for comment.


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