AZ Radio: Furor Continues Over KAVV Kiddie Porn PSA

Furor over a public service announcement aired by KAVV  CAVE 97.7 FM in Benson, AZ  continues to draw ire.

At issue is an announcement which had been aired for about two years during the midnight to 4 a.m. hours. The announcement, created by station manager Paul Lotsof and which has since been pulled from the airwaves, stated in part, “Never keep paper pictures, tapes or films of naked juveniles where anyone else can find them.” The message goes on to state that owners of such images should put them on an external hard drive and hide it where it cannot be found, thereby saving taxpayers’ dollars for the impending jail sentences that would await culprits.

Lotsof has since pulled the announcement from the airwaves. The incident has drawn attention from area media outlets and those throughout the region, nationally and internationally, with the British Broadcasting Corporation [BBC] in the United Kingdom also airing reports.

Lotsof, and CAVE Radio, continue to feel the ramifications of the announcement unknown to on-air radio, according to willcoxrangenews.com.

“I would like to emphasize that this announcement was on the air for about two years,” said Lotsof.

“I don’t know why it’s getting such a big fuss now, but I’ve taken it off the air, and it does not advocate child pornography, it does not advocate the production of child pornography, it doesn’t advocate the possession of it. All it does is it says two things: No. 1, that the penalty for possession of this stuff is crazy. It’s 10 years for every image found, and the other thing is it suggests that if a person for any reason in the world does have this stuff in their possession that they try to avoid being caught by not putting these items in places where they’re likely to be found. It doesn’t advocate perversion of any kind. It just says the penalty is terrible, know what the penalty is and it says if for some reason you have this stuff try not to spend the rest of your life in prison. That’s all it does, nothing more, nothing less. I don’t know why this is such a big deal.”

Lotsof, who has managed the station in Benson since 1983, said he does not plan to step down and likened the current situation to that of a wildfire that will eventually burn itself out.

Sheriff Mark Dannels

Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels on Thursday morning reiterated the Sheriff’s Office stance on the situation. Dannels said while fully supporting one’s rights to free speech, the announcement crossed the line.

Dannels went on to say the sheriff’s office is in the process of conferring with Cochise County Attorney’s Office. Asked about the sheriff’s comments,Lotsof implied the sheriff is merely being a “politician.”