KCRW Reinstates Sandra Tsing Loh

[DudeAsInCool]

L.A. Performer Thrown Off the Air Over Obscenity

Thu Mar 4, 9:32 PM ET

By Gina Keating

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A popular Asian-American radio commentator has been thrown off a Los Angeles public radio station for using a four-letter word, becoming the latest casualty in the cultural war over obscenity on the airwaves.

Commentator Sandra Tsing Loh said her use of the f-word in a prerecorded segment was an editing error but what KCRW-FM's general manager Ruth Seymour said on Thursday was that Loh made calculated use of obscenity in a politically charged time.

"It is the equivalent of the Janet Jackson (news) performance piece and there is not a radio or TV programmer today who does not understand the seriousness involved to the station," Seymour said, referring to the now infamous breast-baring halftime show for the Feb. 1 Super Bowl.

She rejected Loh's contention that the station had been at fault. "It her responsibility to deliver a program that is ready for broadcast," Seymour said.

Loh, 42, learned on Monday from Seymour that her six-year run on KCRW-FM had abruptly ended a day after the station aired her three-minute riff on a Bette Midler (news) concert she attended and in which her musician husband played.

"My husband, my soul mate, my ROOMMATE of 15 years -- he sleeps LATE, doesn't LISTEN, moves my STUFF around. But he DOES play guitar for Bette Midler on her MASSIVE new STAGE show. There are times he STANDS within five FEET of her!," the script read. "So I guess I have to f&*k him."

Although the quirky, uneven cadence of Loh's delivery makes it appear that the segments materialize in her mind as she walks into the recording studio, they are carefully scripted, she told Reuters.

"We discussed it and (the engineer) said, 'Say it and I'll bleep it out," Loh said.

The irony of the incident is that she feared Midler would be angry about her commentary and fire her husband.

She finds equal irony in being mentioned with shock jocks like Howard Stern, who recently lost several stations over obscenity claims. She noted that she just completed a five-part series on knitting.

"It's shocking and I would never have toyed with saying that," Loh said. "Of course I shouldn't say that word on the air. It was never intended to be on the air."

Loh will remain an occasional commentator on Minnesota Public Radio's Marketplace, syndicated to about 300 U.S. stations, and as a reviewer for Atlantic Monthly.

"We don't see any reason why we would change our relationship with (Loh) because it wasn't on our air," Marketplace Executive Producer J.J. Yore said. "This is really an unfortunate situation and that it happened at a time of such heightened (paranoia)..

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid..._dc_1&printer=1

[DudeAsInCool]

This is shocking, given that it happened on the most progressive radio station in LA. I wrote them a letter of protest...

[Malicious Intent]

The best radio swearing incident was on Radio 1 during the school run. It is an interview with Ali-G, who said, "why can't I say M blank blank blank Fucker? It's part of my culture"

[DudeAsInCool]

Well, he's right in a way. Language has changed--what's acceptable among younger generations and cultures isn't acceptable in others--but what gives one the right to impose their views on another. There's certainly nothing wrong with classy presentations--but the rules need to be bent based upon propriety.. Theres a time and a season for everything...

[MikeHunt]

DAIC...I agree w/ you.. I will be sending them a letter of protest as well!

Today its so damn hard to define obsenity.

And when I watch HBO ...everyone says the F word etc...change the channel and its 'little bo-peep' time...now thats getting scary.

... and we still gotta worry about her brother Won Hung Loh :P

[Ken]

Fuck censorship.

Just another excuse, to impose upon others what YOU think is appropriate for THEM.

:angry:

I couldn't find a fuck you smilie, so I posted an angry one instead.

May flaming dog crap end up on the FCC's and this Los Angeles public radio station's doorsteps.

:shootin: :duck hunt:

[slum_goddess]

  I wrote them a letter of protest...

please give us the link--we (well, i) wanna write as well.

I couldn't find a fuck you smilie,

my BF made this one, for freea3 when he did the redesign...shit, can't post an image here. anyway, it's a yellow fist w/middle finger extended, which code is :flipoff: but hey, you'll have to use your imagination. B)

[DudeAsInCool]

You can contact them via their website at http://www.kcrw.com. This actually is a terrific station--so I will forgive them, but begrudgingly...

At 02:41 AM 3/5/2004 -0800, DudeAsInCool wrote:

>To the Mgmt:

>

>I'm writing to protest Ms. Loh's removal from your station. I might be

>able to understand a strong warning, or a temporary suspension, if the

>problem was not compounded by the technical glitch of your engineer.

>Perhaps, if your station had a delay like the networks do, you could

>have caught the error. So, since you didn't, don’t you share

>responsibility, too? I think so.

>

>We live in the United States of America. We have a constitution that

>protects free speech. Do you really think the use of a swear word (or

>seeing a female breast) is worth getting in a fuss about? R rated films are

>more provocative than this. If Lenny Bruce were alive today, he would

>be rolling in his grave.

>

>I would sincerely hope you reconsider your position on this matter.

>Otherwise, I really don’t want to tune into a station that is narrow

minded and promotes the values of the Christian Right and John

>Ashcroft.

>

>Sincerely,

>

>DudeAsInCool

**

Their response:

There are some things in life that you go to the wall for. The right to use obscene or indecent language on the radio is not one of them.

The Loh Life feature that caused KCRW to cancel Sandra Tsing Loh's program uses this language in an intentional and unambiguous way. Moreover, it was presented in a context that shocked and offended listeners who phoned, wrote and e-mailed the station after the broadcast.

This language violates KCRW's policy on offensive language. It could endanger the station's license and/or result in heavy fines.

In the wake of recent events, is there a radio or TV programmer today who is not aware of the serious risks involved?

KCRW is original, idiosyncratic and adventurous. It is also realistic and grown-up. We know access to the airwaves is both a privilege and a responsibility.

The station has fostered an independent, free-thinking spirit that pervades its influential public affairs and cultural programming and its trend-setting music broadcasts.

These programs and that spirit are far too important to put the station at risk over a crude four-letter word.

Sincerely yours,

Ruth Seymour

KCRW General Manager

[slum_goddess]

excellent message, DudeAIC and thank you for the link...off to compose something (sans my usual foul-mouth, out of respect an' all).

[DudeAsInCool]

Dear Concerned Listener:

KCRW and Sandra Tsing Loh have released the following joint statement:

*****

KCRW-FM and Sandra Tsing Loh announced today that the station has

decided to reverse its decision to take Loh off the air after an

indecent word was inadvertently broadcast during one of her taped

commentaries. But Loh has turned down General Manager Ruth Seymour's

invitation to resume "The Loh Life" on KCRW.

"When I made the decision to cancel 'The Loh Life,' I was not in

possession of all the facts regarding this unfortunate incident,

specifically that it had been Sandra's practice to leave instructions

for her engineer to bleep out certain words, and that this practice

had never before gone awry," said Seymour. "I regret having jumped to

conclusions about what happened and for erroneously accusing Sandra

of an 'intentional' breach of our broadcast standards."

"I appreciate the station's willingness to acknowledge that it was

wrong to cancel my show as well as its invitation for me to return,"

Loh said. "And while I do wish KCRW well, I personally don't think I

could be comfortable working there anymore."

******

KCRW runs a free-spirited station with few restrictions on

programmers, who produce their shows without interference from

management. The station attracts many independent and edgy thinkers

and artists who enjoy the freedom to express themselves on the air.

When I initially spoke to Sandra about her February 29 feature, she

did not tell me that it had been her practice, with previous

commentaries, to leave an editing script with instructions for her

engineer to bleep out offending language. We were not informed that

this was being done. This is a risky way to work. There were no

safeguards in place to make sure that the editing of the language was

cleared and was completed.

The recent Congressional decision -- which passed by a vote of 391-22

-- to massively increase fines for obscene and indecent material, as

well as to trigger license review, is an indication of just how

seriously the lawmakers regard an infraction of FCC regulations. This

is a huge bipartisan vote, which indicates support from all sides of

the aisle.

It is a lot easier for Congress to concentrate on the use of

four-letter words and the image of a woman's breast than it is to

deal with the disappearance of local radio from the American

airwaves. The FCC has allowed multi-conglomerates to buy up hundreds

of radio stations across the country. Where there were once many

local stations in a market, today in fact, public radio represents

that local voice.

I know that you are concerned about the issues involved and that you

support Sandra. Though I regret that she has made the decision not

to return, KCRW will implement safeguards to protect the station from

any further incidents without impinging on the freedom of its

programmers.

This is a truly regrettable incident and we wish Sandra the best.

Sincerely,

Ruth Seymour

General Manager