Gary: I missed this this morning. What did he say? Flo

I missed the broadcast, what did he say?

Most of the time this guys is a prick about whatever he is talking about. Sometimes I agree with him, sometimes I don't. But, its radio, being "edgy" and "controversial" is what gets people to listen....maybe that's why I just listen to CDs now!

-bcreager

No kidding. I mean, seriously, does anyone listen to the radio anymore? Ever since I got satellite radio, the "terrestrial" radio is unbearable.

---

______________________________________________
Father Kevin

http://www.churchofcycling.org

[reply]I missed the broadcast, what did he say?

[/reply]

http://www.760kfmb.com/podcast/rick/RickRobertsShow2Hour-3-20.mp3

while i agree with your stance on this, a lot of what he brought up is true. Cyclist can be a bunch of yahoos they way they ignore the rules of the road, run light just so they dont have to put there foot down, run 5 abreast through town to look cool, wear the latest cool team jersey du-jour. That is his beef and he is right on that. The way he rails on clothing etc. is just plain ignorance, and really what does one expect from the US media?
I don't think his show makes the roads worse for cyclists

I gotta agree with tridptri.

Most of what the broadcast brings to point is what car drivers usually remember...which is the bad behavior of a few (or a lot) of bad cyclists.

Mostly why I ride solo.

When I'm joining with Swami's / B&L , the Reynold's, or even the SDBC A/B ride there are a few dumb asses that make the rest of us who actually obey the law look bad.

Makes me embarrassed sometimes...

---

=====================================
"Yeah you point a finger back far enough and some germ gets blamed for splitting in two."

Colonel Saul Tigh from Battlestar Galactica

I get upset with those group rides all the time, because they make the roads unsafe for the rest of us. I hate seeing the group rides that go through elfin forest, they take up the entire road, and its a twisting-turning blind corner no shoulder kind of road! So I am the same way, solo riding most the time for me.

I'm listening to the broadcast now. While I may agree with some of his points, I think this is the wrong way to bring awareness to the riders, and validates drivers treatment of cyclist..."well other feel the same way, so its ok". I think it should start with the clubs, educating their riders before club rides, and make sure the cyclists set the good example, and follow all the rules of the road.

-bcreager

This ass hat would get his walking papers were he a DJ in Austin.....

Even if there is a point in there (sometimes cyclists do not ride appropriately) he's certainly a talentless hack resorting to the LAMEST of attacks.

Humans as a group are dangerous, ignorant animals. There is nothing humans love more than to attack others. Cyclists are a small group in American society and a super easy target. We do not fit with most couch potato football fans that frequent the local "hooters". Therefore, who better for this clown to attack and get support from his fans (with an apparent IQ of 70 something). He's sure to get plenty of "hell yahs" from these morons.

You can find several radio broadcasts from the 30's, 40's and 50's that are full of hatemongering. Today those remarks would be branded as what they were: "racist", "sexist" and sometimes even "really f*king stupid".

The lowest common denominator in our society will always want to hate others and feel superior. It's hardwired into their tiny little brains.

Don't write to him - write to the corporation that owns his inbred ass. Write to them with the lawyer of a local bicycle advocacy group. Explain to the people that sign his check that they are allowing someone to advocate violence to a minority. Let's see what they say then. (I should mention that they will not care at all unless it's negative publicity and VERY public.)

---

-----
"I do my best to slay" - Matt Pike

Listen to Rick Rogers' broadcast this morning, just a minute or two into the broadcast http://www.760kfmb.com/podcast/rick/RickRobertsShow2Hour-3-20.mp3

You're giving one guy way too much credit, Gary.

This is simply a standard formula that has been played out in various markets around the country for years. It brings tons of negative reation from a tiny minority and ends up actually raising listenership. I remember this very type of broadcast in Ohio somewhere about a year ago...before that it was somewhere in TX. I'd wager that it''s an edict from the top...was this a Clear Channel staion? It always seems to be them.

Quit listening to conservative radio. What's he gonna do, defend Iraq some more? He's probably out of subject matter.

---

______________________________________________
Father Kevin

http://www.churchofcycling.org

This broadcast frustates the hell out of me. I wish EVERY SINGLE cyclist in San Diego County would listen to it....and then go out and obey every rule of the road just to spite this ass-spelunker!

Gary, let me know if you need any sort of support for your open letter.

-bcreager

He mentions running over cyclists several times, even playing truck and crunching metal noises.

I just finished my letter to the VP of KFMB, mailing it out tomorrow.

I'm 35 minutes into the broadcast, and it just gets worse and worse. Anyone that advocates injuring people, should be fired on the spot as far as I'm concerned. This isn't even shock jock kind of stuff, its plain stupidity!

-bcreager

Hour 3 and he read my letter!

http://www.760kfmb.com/...tsShow4Hour-3-20.mp3

1/4 way into the hour, he reads the intro to my letter regarding Captain Patrick M. Klokow, and of course, he says I'm an idiot and a bumblebee.

When he comes out of the studio run over the prick on your mountain bike at about 25 mph. Oops!

---

_________________________________
I'll be what I am
A solitary man

Gary
I've heard about this kind of thing from Clear Channel stations in the past also. A rider from one of the states where this happened emailed www.Roadbikerider.com (RBR) and they published the incident in their newsletter. End result was more bike awareness programs and the jocks got fired. It deeply disappoints me to hear that a jock in one of Bicycling Mags best cycling cities has stooped this low. He ought to get on a bike and ride LEGALLY down the coast and see how long his arse stays clean. He may have the stones to talk that way on the radio, but that's because he can hide behind the mic and hang up on anyone that challenges him. I'll be writing an email to RBR tonight or tomorrow. They encouraged members to report these occurences and can employ more help to get these guys off the air.

---

John

Anyone who mentions making a cyclist into a hood ornament is just sick.

They are 19-20 MB each, and can be found here:

Rick Roberts Show - 03/20

• Hour 04
• Hour 03
• Hour 02
• Hour 01

Amazing! I can't stand that guy and now I like him even less. He's nothing more than an airbag and his show is mindless. My wife is a grief counselor and she has 2 clients that lost loved ones to cycling accidents (both were hit by motorists breaking the law). I would love for one of my wife's clients to call this idiot and see what his response is to their story.

Send an email to the radio station vice president, Mr. J. Tracy at

TracyJ@kfmb.com

and

programming@kfmb.com

Let him know ... I just sent an email out.

- Gary

Gary

Just sent an e-mail and posted this link on roadbikereview.com. Suggest that others post this link on other cycling forums as well. The more the better.

Mike

I emailed his boss. Everyone here should do likewise

My sense with "shockjocks" like this is that they're basically wanna-be demagogues, except that they usually want to be funny in the process - like some sort of overgrown schoolyard bully. And yeah, used to be they'd pick on other races, now that that's verboten they pick on other weaker groups.

Getting him to ride in traffic would be the best remedy, but in general, rather than seeing one of them get 'in trouble' I think the most effective response would be to somehow see them get humiliated - they can dish it out, can they take it? Or do they take themselves too seriously?

Sending these emails to the shockjock and his boss is basically asking them to police themselves. They've already shown they have no character or sense of human decency. I don't think it will be effective.

The only impact they will react to is their bankroll.
Identify who their advertisers are. That's where the emails and letters need to go.

who are the show's sponsors?

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

[reply]who are the show's sponsors?[/reply]

That is how you deal with people like this. Never go after them personally since that is what they want. Attack the sponsors and I guarantee you will get your desired effect.

"Attack the sponsors and I guarantee you will get your desired effect."

oh, heck yes. let's see who the advertisers are. there are a LOT of places they can put their money. is the sort of programming they want to endorse? if so, i wonder whether a slowtwitch reader boycott can more than overcome whatever converts the shock jock makes? i guarantee this is the sort of thing an advertiser would like to know about.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

a list of sponsors for the radio station can be found at

http://www.760kfmb.com/advertisers/index.php



please let these sponsors know how you feel about their support of this type of programming

"http://www.760kfmb.com/advertisers/index.php"

that's a mother lode, isn't it? seems like a worthy endeavor. i'd say what we need is an apology from the station manager on the rick roberts show. and every one of these advertisers gets an opportunity to join in with us. i would recommend we pen a standard letter, and send off to the CFO of every one of these companies.

this should be a letter from the "Slowtwitch community," and i'll generate some stats to attach, not forgetting the $10,000 it raised for Challenged Athletes Foundation.

so, you know, "for every dollar we raise helping Challenged Athletes to ride a bike, Rick Roberts is trying to find ways to make these athletes more challenged yet, as they become his readers' hood ornaments."

get to work crafting the letter, and then let's divvy up the sponsors. as a Farmers and DirecTV customer, i'm happy to bite off those. i'll also point out that Pearson Ford is on the list, and i find that interesting considering Ford's relationship with the race this past weekend.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

What's the best way to go about this....tell the advertisers how disappointed we are that they affiliate themselves with such a program? Threaten to boycott their products/services? Both?

-bcreager

My suggestion would be to hit up the big money sponsors first. Like the banks, car sales, well anything in big sales and I think I saw some financial stuff on there as well. Then see if there are any athletic ttpe of stores as well.
Very good ideas.

Might be a good idea to remind the sponsors that the targeted people have an average household income of well into six figures...

---

----------------------------------
"Go yell at an M&M"

Don't forget your local new stations. They always love a little controversy and making the whole thing as public as possible is how the sponsors will squirm the most.

Find someone in the area that is a top notch speaker. Fill him / her with all the important stats (cyclists killed, number of pros in san deigo, challenged athletes, etc). Call the local stations and have them follow him/her around as they go to each sponsor face to face with a list of the facts and a recording of the program.

Guaranteed 100% removal of sponsors. Not one wants to be on the local news in a negative light.

Shortly thereafter, "Rick Roberts" will be looking for employment elsewhere.

---

-----
"I do my best to slay" - Matt Pike

[reply]Don't forget your local new stations. They always love a little controversy and making the whole thing as public as possible is how the sponsors will squirm the most.

Find someone in the area that is a top notch speaker. Fill him / her with all the important stats (cyclists killed, number of pros in san deigo, challenged athletes, etc). Call the local stations and have them follow him/her around as they go to each sponsor face to face with a list of the facts and a recording of the program.

Guaranteed 100% removal of sponsors. Not one wants to be on the local news in a negative light.

Shortly thereafter, "Rick Roberts" will be looking for employment elsewhere.[/reply]

Remind me not to piss you off. ;) Good idea.

"Threaten to boycott their products/services?"

to farmers: "is this the message you'd like your customers you insure to hear?" if so, fine, advertise here, but in this case there are any of 50 other insurers nationwide that our readers can turn to for insurance."

to pearson ford: "your company pays to sponsor the greater ironman series of races, as well as the local event just staged this past weekend. your continued sponsorship of this station, and the message of making bicyclists hood ornaments, seems at cross purposes with your brand's marketing effort. there ought to be better places you can spend your advertising dollars. if not, there are better places the triathlon community can spend its vehicular dollars. we hope you stand in solidarity with us."

stuff like that.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Hard to fight fire with fire.....

I don't know the background of this guy, but I'd rather chip in $50 to buy the guy a bike, have him join a group ride, get him enrolled into a triathlon...and let him live the life of a healthy American. Special Forces vs. Air Assault.

Start a "Rick Roberts Challenge" in which he gets his fatass out to a race.



BUT....most of these DJs are headcases and difficult to work with as they like to stir the pot. If that's the case, march forward with the battle.

"Hard to fight fire with fire"

fighting fire with fire would be engaging him directly. i advocate the end run, and i am quite sure 4 or 5 calls from the advertisers to the station manager does the trick. otherwise, i'm QUITE happy to boycott any services i don't absolutely need. i don't see what's bad about taking a stand about this.

as monty pointed out when we were talking about this this morning, we support challenged athletes, but we're interested in mitigating the challenge they face, not standing by while more challenged athletes are created through the careless comments charging up angry trailer trash.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

he is talking about cyclists on his show right now.

specifically he is talking about gary tingley

says he is going to sue Gary T for lying if Gary does send a retraction in 48 hrs. Roberts is a douche.

---

Ryan Levinson

Yeah pretty interesting. Now he's threatening to sue gary for slander.

What's he claiming Gary lied about?

FYI - Ford also signed a multi-year title sponsor contract with the Tour de Georgia. Ford is supporting multisports and cycling in a big way. Not that I have a choice- I live in Georgia and have to drive a truck- i think its like state law :-)

That's why I don't have a CV kit.

;)

---

______________________________________________
Father Kevin

http://www.churchofcycling.org

Seems like he can dish it out, but can't take it very well.

He claimed numerous times that he would make cyclists a hood ornimate....sound like a threat to me

Numerous times he called cyclists gay idiots....sounds like slander to me.

Numerous times he called us all "lance-wannabees", not like cyclists are racing, get off the roads and get out of your black panties with the build in butt-checks....sounds like stereotyping and group discrimination to me.

We live in a free country, and your free to say whatever you want, but don't dish it out if you can't take it. From what I read of Gary's open letter, nothing in there was offensive, off-collar, or derogatory in any ways shape or form.

Sounds like we got a war on our hands....REGULATORS, MOUNT UP!

-bcreager

"He claimed numerous times that he would make cyclists a hood ornimate....sound like a threat to me"

i would be happy to take up this cause to a limited degree. write letters, etc. what i would like, tho, is exact quotes, and accompanying background, that is, a "hood ornament" phrase against the sound of crashing metal.

anybody can get me that, it would be appreciated.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Send a retraction? Sue? Come on. The guy read the letter HIMSELF on the airwaves. Gary didn't publicly (at least not to Roberts' knowledge) slander the guy. He wrote him a letter.

Give me a break.

I like Slowman's idea about the sponsors. Also, try not tuning in. If nobody listens he'll be back to spinning top 40 tunes in Wyoming.

---

______________________________________________
Father Kevin

http://www.churchofcycling.org

Lots of examples of that. I have the podcast from yesterdays show downloaded at home....I'll see if I can pick out some of the examples tonight.

I haven't listened to todays show, but the podcast is already up.

http://www.760kfmb.com/podcast/rick/

-bcreager

It sounds to me as though either a) Gary misunderstood something, and blew it out of proportion, and is wrong... or b) Gary was spot on, RR is wrong, and is painted into a corner, and is now spinning this, and applying "the best defense is a a good offense".

At the end of the show, he had on some guy from the SDBC claiming that Gary was wrong. He also claimed that they've been trying to get ahold of Gary all morning to have him on the show...dunno if that's true, either.

Oh, yeah...he also claimed that the whole thing was parody/satire, and you, Gary, just don't get it. I think this is called "Doing an Al Franken".

Disclaimer: I haven't heard the original show yet...I tuned in yesterday at the end, as he was making fun of the 85 year old cyclist, and he seemed to be in a mean mood.

---

---
"You'll find a slight squeeze on the hooter an excellent safety precaution, Miss Scrumptious."

"I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong." -- Richard Feynman

Oh, the old, "just kidding," routine. Nice.

---

______________________________________________
Father Kevin

http://www.churchofcycling.org

Just emailed the station manager, and program manager....asking for transcripts other then podcast mp3s.

Can we write our own transcripts off the audio? or does it have to be straight from the source?

-bcreager

I think you can / need to send a COPY of the mp3s to a service for official transcript.

I tried to listen to the podcast last night. No go. Will try again. It doesn't matter if he was joking or not. His making those statements puts it in the heads of other sickos that that kind of attitude and actions are shared by others and therefore in some sick and twisted way are ok to commit. I live in El Cajon and I USED to bike commute 17 miles each way to work before moveing out here. Now I live 5 miles away and drive because of so many out here that buy into similar beliefs and attitudes as RR's. Let's smoke this guy. I find it hard to believe that he really had someone from SDBC on the show. Sure as hell WAS NOT me!

---

John

You may have a point. The guy that claimed to be from the SDBC was named Steve, and he seemd to be speaking on behalf of the SDBC, as though he were the president, or some other officer--I was driving the 5 at the time, and could only allocate a certain amount of my attention to details like that, so I missed his last name, andthe office that he claimed to hold--sorry 'bout that.

Edit: I just listened to this part of the show again. His name is Steve Taylor, and he said he "is with the San Diego Bicycle Club". He did not claim an office. I see from the sdbc website, that he is the newsletter dude, and listed on the board of directors, but not as an officer.



Who are you? Are you a SDBC board member? If so, maybe you folks need to circle your wagons, and get on the same page, because this person (the alleged SDBC person) is going to be on again tomorrow.

---

---
"You'll find a slight squeeze on the hooter an excellent safety precaution, Miss Scrumptious."

"I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong." -- Richard Feynman

I haven't read all the reply's, so I don't know if this has been covered. Advertising is what makes the station money for this clown to have a job. Complain to the advertisers, have a group of people that listen to this radio station send letters to the companies that advertise and copy those letters to the radio station itself- stating that you will no longer use or buy their product if they continue to advertise with them. If that radio station losses just one ad because of this jerk off he will be trying to find a new place of employment.

I'm a new member, but have ridden with them for almost a year off and on and regularly from November 05 through January 06 until I can down with PFS. I'll post on their club forum and make some calls.

I've made a post and will try some calls next.

---

John

Here my start to the "cause".....I'm going to mull over it at lunch, edit, and then its off to Ford North America and Peterson Ford of El Cajon:

To whom it may concern:



In 2006, Ford has aligned itself with the multi-sport and cycling community by sponsoring the premier events held in North America. As the title sponsor for Ironman North America’s 70.3 and Ironman events, Ford has created a positive marketing image in the triathlon and cycling communities. One such event, Ironman California, was held just this last weekend here in Oceanside. This image is being further enhanced this year, as Ford became the title sponsor for the Tour De Georgia, the premier professional cycling event in North America.



Peterson Ford of El Cajon is also a sponsor of local radio station KFMB. On March 20, 2006, Rick Robert’s show took up the topic of cycling in San Diego. For the next 4 hours, the host threatened, belittled, and made derogatory comments about the cycling community in San Diego. This anti-cyclist stance does not juxtapose well with Ford’s current market image. The complete broadcast show can be heard here: http://www.760kfmb.com/podcast/rick/ .



There ought to be better and more appreciative places to spend your advertising moneys. If not, there are better places for the triathlon and cycling community to spend there vehicular dollars.



Concerned Cyclist and Triathlete,

William R. Creager

-bcreager

Just heard some more of this clown make a statement implying that he'd like to see cyclist's get injured from losing their front wheel.

Again. Let's make him HAVE to ride a bike and hell, be homeless too!

---

John

I can't help to think that Captain Patrick M. Klokow's Marine unit should know about this.

---

_________________________________
I'll be what I am
A solitary man

That would be classic.

This is mostly just venting now and I defintely am not an advocate of this, but maybe someone should email this prick this link....

http://www.cyclingforums.com/t180561.html

Being Mr. Conservative he'd have to pick. Side with cyclists (and think twice about schitty driving toward them) or side with gun control.

---

John

The station should be able to provide a transcript. If I remember correctly, it is an FCC requirement for them to retain transcripts of their broadcasts.



Ed

---

_________________________________________________

LLLEEEEEEEEEEEERRRROOOYYY JEEENNNNNKKKIIINNNNNS!!!

I sent this quick email to www.cicle.org in L.A. Above is the link to a thread in a forum I belong to. The jock states that he would like to make cyclists his hood ornaments and goes on to attack them for two to three days. This is actually a continuing issue as he is supposed to have someone on his show on Wednesday. Any help in getting the word of this unspeakable act to the masses would be greatly appreciated. Maybe a station parking lot filling bike protest could be organized. A fan of your site from the brother city to the South, I've also sent an email to www.roadbikerider.com RBR Another incident of bashing/endangering cyclists on the radio!!!!!!!!!! Here is a link to a thread in the www.slowtwitch.com forum that has all the info about what has been going on. http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=755232;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread Apparently it's not over either. The jock seems to be making it a personal battle over the radio with a person that wrote him a letter concerning the incident and is dragging the subject through at least three days of broadcasting! Gotta get back to work...

---

John

I've listened to a large portion of the broadcast but admittedly not all of it. I have yet to hear any thing where he advocates harming or harrassing cyclists. The last hour is certainly the most heated and he does have the clip of a Mack truck honking its horn. I was just wondering if someone could point me to an offending passage from the broadcast. If someone could point me to the time in one of the mp3s posted above where he advocates harming cyclists, or even the hood ornament comment, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

at the beginning he is reading a letter and says (to the author) "I'd like to make you my hood ornament" and I beiieve he repeats himself a few times. It's there clear as a bell, just take a listen.

---

-----
"I do my best to slay" - Matt Pike

Not directly advocating violence but distasteful nonetheless 3/20 hr 3:

That little lane over there, that “scootchy one” that’s yours, the other one’s mine and I’m going to use every bit of it Jack, so stay in yours and I’ll stay in mine. Y’know you never want to run into a bicyclist, number one it’ll dent your car, crack your windshield, you never know. You may get home and find one of these little bumblebees is hanging onto your bumper then you gotta take them all the way back to their bicycle. Y’know I hate it when that happens.

As a local San Diego rider I know how dangerous our roads can be without Rick Roberts encouraging road rage towards cyclists. I am also aware of my responsiblities to obey the rules of the road.

Mr. Roberts mentions Bicycling Magazine during hour 3. I have written to Bicycling Magazine to inform them of the broadcast and I've asked them to do a feature on it. I encourage you to write to Bicycling Magazine as well: http://www.bicycling.com/...us/0,3264,s1,00.html

I know that Rick Roberts mentions cycling on the 3/20 show for hours 1-4. Can anyone post the other dates/hours that mention cyclists?

Thanks,
Scott

I think its just yesterday and today's shows. The 3/20 show talks about it for the entire duration. Not sure about today's, haven't listened to all of it yet.

You can download them from here:
http://www.760kfmb.com/podcast/rick/

-bcreager

Rick says he mentioned something on Friday about cyclists. That may be what sparked either Gary's or Bill's emails. I have yet to listen to that show. Nonetheless, he could have found a way to start and carry the topic in a way that wouldn't encourge driver's to go about driving with a cavalier attitude. I know he mentions cyclists on La Jolla Village Dr getting in his way. Uh, ok. That's a two or three lane road. Just how big is your friggin SUV Rick? Or are you that bad of a driver? I gotta go puke.

---

John

Not trying to pick nits, just trying to heppya if you are going to send this to them...I think you mean Pearson Ford. They're in San Diego, not El Cajon (The Ford Dealership in El Cajon is El Cajon Ford--weird, huh? ;-> )

Pearson Ford is at 4300 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego...which is where you may be confused.

---

---
"You'll find a slight squeeze on the hooter an excellent safety precaution, Miss Scrumptious."

"I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong." -- Richard Feynman

Thanks, I caught that right before I sent it. There is actually a Peterson Ford as well....not sure where I got that from....anyways, I got the right name, and email, and sent it off. Still searching for the right email address for Ford North America, haven't found it yet.

In case anyone else wants it: pearsonford@earthlink.net

-bcreager

My e-mail to KFMB: Dear sir... You should know that the anti-cyclist rantings of your DJ, Rick Roberts, is reaching a national level of attention (I live in Ohio). As a cyclist who always obeys the rules of the road, and has had some close calls with drivers in the past, I find what Mr. Roberts said to be offensive in the extreme. At best his comments were juvenile attempts at jokes, at worst they will encourage other motorists to harass and potentially injure or kill cyclists. I would suggest that Mr. Roberts retract his comments and offer an apology on air. If that cannot be accomplished, I will happily begin writing letters to your advertisers. I think they would be interested to hear what Mr. Roberts has said on air, especially after a Captain in the US Marine Corps was struck and killed by a motorist. Have a nice day... George Raihala

---

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

perhaps also include pictures of injuries due to be hit by cars.

I did.

Trisha

Ok, I have to respond to this thread. I have yet to read all all of the posts. Just an FYI, so don't slam me. ;-)

Ok, this Rick guy is lovely, is he not? Nothing like getting people riled up to hit cyclists on purpose no less! He mentioned something in part of his broadcast about riding in the country...whooohaaahaaa! I've almost been clipped 3 times by side mirrors in wine country (away from the wineries by the way) and I've been run off the road by some asshole x1 time. I was riding solo, not 3 deep or 5 deep, so like give me a break. It is dangerous enough out there for us, let alone getting people on the bandwagon to gun for us now with their 2 ton vehicles (or larger if they are wheeling a Hummer).

Yeah, I agree with slowman about giving the sponsors of his program an earful. That is the way to get this guy to at least retract some of his crap spouting.

N~

That's not all. Toward the end of his show he says that cyclists shouldn't be riding where there aren't bike lanes. What an idiot. The bike lanes are only painted in the city.
He also slips in a pot shot at asian drivers during the show. A real winner of a guy.

Has anyone written a letter to Farmer's Insurance yet? I would think that would be one of the main advertisers to take notice. Especially with lines like,"I want you...I want you as my hood ornament."

---

John

Any updates on this situation? Has he made an apology?

Thanks,

Scott

just got this email from the VP of KFMB, oddly she/he didn't even answer my question, and assumed I was asking about the biking incident, very intersting. So Gary, did you write another letter:

Thank you for taking the time to write and express your concerns and opinions about the Rick Roberts Show on March 20, and the topic of cycling.

I heard much of the show to which you refer, and today have listened to the entire broadcast from Monday morning, March 20 and Tuesday morning, March 21.

First of all, Rick’s comments are very clearly directed toward bicyclists who do not follow the laws, just as he is outspoken against bad drivers. Several times in the discussion, Rick expressed that not all bike riders are bad, but a lot of them are.

More importantly, at no time did he encourage anyone to “make cyclists a hood ornament” or cause any damage to anyone. KFMB, and Rick Roberts, would never advocate causing physical damage to anyone. Rick did make a reference to bicyclists “becoming hood ornaments”, in a satirical reference regarding the danger cyclists create when they fail to stay in the bicycle lanes, ride dangerously or ignore traffic laws. In no manner did Rick endorse malicious or dangerous behavior. His comments were satirical, and if you honestly and objectively listen to the full context of the show, it is obvious that he was not encouraging anyone to harm a cyclist. At no time did Rick incite, encourage or even suggest the idea of running into a cyclist.

In fact, on Monday’s show (8am hour), Rick said:

“Nobody wants to see anyone hit, or injured or, God forbid, killed.”



At another point in the show, he said:

“You don’t ever want to hit a bicyclist”



He also clearly made the point that when he encounters a group of bicyclists, he is careful to slow down and actually tries to avoid passing them, in order to avoid making contact with them.

On Tuesday morning’s show, Rick clarified his position and opinion clearly and emphatically. He revisited the topic and addressed the complaints, when he responded to complaints.



One of the loudest and earliest objectors to the show is Gary Tingley, a member of the Board of Directors of the San Diego Cyclo-Vets Cycling Club. Gary sent a mass email to groups that misrepresented was invited to appear on the Rick Roberts Show yesterday but after hearing Rick’s explanation on Tuesday morning, sent the following comments via email:

“Now that Rick has clarified his comments were satire, I have changed my opinion. Originally, there was no mention of satire - I actually thought he advocated running down cyclists and make them hood ornaments for his truck - and that is some scary stuff - too many of us have died or been hit this year.”



Gary was invited to appear on the show, but declined.

KFMB welcomes your comments, thoughts and opinions and we invite you to share your thoughts on Rick’s show. He is on weekday mornings from 5-10am. If you, or someone you know, represents bicycling organizations, we would love to offer the opportunity to be a guest on the show for dialogue on the topic.



If you actually listen to the shows (all of the shows are available in podcast form at our website (www.760kfmb.com), you will realize that the claims of Rick Roberts and KFMB encouraging violence or doing harm to cyclists is simply not true.

You may disagree with Rick’s opinion of cyclists. That’s up to you, but the emails that are being spread and claims made about this show encouraging damage or harm to cyclists are simply not accurate representations of the truth.



Again, thank you for your concern and calling our attention to the topic.

Respectfully,
Tracy Johnson

VP/GM

KFMB

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From: Bill Creager [mailto:Bcreager@xxxxxx.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2006 10:50 AM
To: Tracy Johnson; Dave Sniff
Subject: Are program transcripts available?



Hello,



I was wondering if there are transcripts available of your programs. If they are available, what would I need to do to get them?



Thanks,

Bill Creager

Slowman...

Would it be possible to "sticky" this thread until the issue has been resolved?

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John

Wow...I got the exact same letter in response to my e-mail! Now, I clearly remember listening to Rick say he wanted to make that one letter writer his hood ornament. What a bunch of assholes.

Spot

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___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

I remember hearing the same, I'm looking to see if there is an FCC law that required hard copies, and I'm going to request them again. Then reference them with the audio, that is downloaded in my PC at home.

-bcreager

Guys

You heard correctly. As did I. No, Rick never said,"Go out and run over cyclists." He did continuously insult cyclists and rant in an anti-cycling manner that could encourage drivers to take "opportunities" to have accidents w/ cyclists. That's MY beef. You know, any of those radicals that are fed up and just looking for some twisted excuse to believe they are doing no wrong by it. I doubt there are any of those radicals that listen to his show, NOT. You don't need to specifically give someone an order just to plant an idea in his or her head. RR's comments are no help in making things safer for anyone. This man has a show that gives him the power to reach and influence people with his rantings. Someone needs to pull his choker.

As I posted yesterday, I emailed a couple of cycling advocate sites. www.cicle.org being on of them. Take a look over there and see what they have to say.

In case you're looking RR... Bend over I would LOVE to make you my FOOT ornament. OVER and OVER!!!!!!

That was satire you know...

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John

The troublesome part is that the average IQ of a listener to this type of "entertainment" is quite a bit lower than the population as a whole.

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_________________________________
I'll be what I am
A solitary man

I think that they're probably thrilled that people are actually listening to this yahoo.

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______________________________________________
Father Kevin

http://www.churchofcycling.org

Hummm... I just noticed that Gary edited his orginal post on advice from his lawyer. I guess that would explain why he hasn't been posting on this topic.

Any more news on a transcript of the offending parts?

I listened to one of the podcasts and in a discussion with a caller (an 84 year old cyclist) he says:

"All I'm saying is if you don't want to be a hood ornament, keep your butt over there in the bike lane."

How is this NOT a threat? Who talks to 80 year old men this way!?! He ends this discussion with a horn and crashing sound.

Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.

I've been trying to listen to some of the podcasts, however have found it fairly difficult because the guy is an ignoramus. From what I've heard it does sound like he can use the excuse of sature, and the way he gets around things is by getting his callers to say the stuff that would get him in trouble.

I find it ironic that in the 4th hour of the March 22nd broadcast he says that he doesn't advocate sueing, and then continues to say that if Gary doesn't retract then he will sue him.

Anyway, I'm interested to see where this goes. Like one caller on the show said, we all know too many people that have been hit by cars. Drivers must realize that it is not ok to pass a cyclist unless it can be done in a safe manner. Yes, this does mean you may have to drive slow for a while, but it is the law. Abide by it or take the bus.

Amen and well said. Same LAW in my state as well. I printed out some copies of the Ohio Revised Code for bicycles/traffic laws and I printed them on self stick Avery peel paper. If I see a car acting erraticly, cutting off a cyclist, clipping me, etc. and I "catch" them (later at a light, parking lot, etc.). I'll stick the law on their window for them to browse. Gets the message home without much irritation to the driver and honestly, most people don't know that a cyclist has the right to be on the road (unless properly marked) and even has the right under most circumstances to be 2 abrest. I have even been clocked by a police officer (and Park Ranger no less) with RADAR and was threatended a ticket a few times for speeding (actually once with Record10 in a park - who else :)

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____________________________________
Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

 I printed out some copies of the Ohio Revised Code for bicycles/traffic laws and I printed them on self stick Avery peel paper. If I see a car acting erraticly, cutting off a cyclist, clipping me, etc. and I "catch" them (later at a light, parking lot, etc.). I'll stick the law on their window for them to browse.[/reply]



That's huge. How long is it? Just a few bullet points or multiple pages?

No, just some parts pertaining to bicycles (not very long). Just print it, shrink it down, and make sure the chapter, etc. is easily noted on top

Most states bicycle laws can be found online.


Here is a link with LOTS of info for Ohio and links to a few other states (CA as well and PA)

http://www.ohiobike.org/ORC_Proposals.htm

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____________________________________
Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

ahaha, you and record10 got pulled over? i love that! don't tell me, Caesar Creek...

gary, its unfortunate that you folded on this issue. I went back and listen to the broadcast on 3/20 in hour 2....the email that he reads says the same thing that yours does..."that advocates violent towards cyclists". That's the same thing that he has a problem with in our email. So why didn't he threaten to sue the first guy??

-bcreager

The first guy (Bill) called back on 3/21 hourr 4 about 5 minutes from the end of the broadcast and said his comments were tongue-in-cheek or some such nonsense and that he never thought that RR was advocating violence. Crazy stuff. I'd guess RR's lawyer has boilerplate text for getting him out of these types of jams.

Let's not count Gary out yet. He may really be following the advice of his attorney. Many of us don't have the resources to be able to afford to go head to head with a guy that has a station paid attorney in office- and you know they do because of what they do daily. From what I read RR hasn't a leg to stand on in a lawsuit and he is just being the bully trying to scare us. He picked Gary because he sees him as the "captain of this ship" However, I am no lawyer and I don't know for sure what Gary might have sent to RR and others in his mass emails.

What I do know is that even if Gary is out, I'm sure he had his reasons and we shouldn't let that tear us apart. I've done about all I can and notified a few advocacy sites, as mentioned earlier, and I think we need to just be very systematic if we want something done. If RR has ground just from Gary saying that RR advocated violence, then we have a lot more ground for harassment, both in group discrimination/intimidation and even assaults on sexual identity. (b.t.w. I do remember him making an all-encompassing statement containing the words,"all cyclists") We also have plenty of podcast instances of him saying things that are extremely hateful in tone and verbage. He could be construed as an instigator at the least. He said on air that he has no problem with us expressing our opinions so let's hit the advertisers with letters stating our opinions about how he makes us feel- how we think that his words and actions create a major negative association with them. We have quotes we can use. JUST MAKE SURE YOU GET THE QUOTE EXACT AND DON'T STRETCH TO PULL IT OUT OF CONTEXT.

For ideas on how to state your points check out www.cicle.org They put a well written article about RR on their front page. The wheels are turning...don't lose the momentum.

---

John

[reply]ahaha, you and record10 got pulled over? i love that! don't tell me, Caesar Creek...[/reply]

Yup - we were leading last years training ride back in through the park and we were screaming down toward the lake at 30mph + The Park Ranger asked us if we were racing. Nope we said. Then he said he clocked us at whatever speed. Record10 was just about ready to bust out laughing and I was trying to be serious ... Until ... he said we could get points on our license (which we can't). He most certainly could give us a speeding ticket - which I would willingly pay AND FRAME. :)

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____________________________________
Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

So, is there any update on this Story? From what I gathered on yesterday's podcast there was supposed to be some sort of response today. Can someone who listened to this today give a summery?

The whole...."that was satire" lol....gimmie a break...

You can't throw gasoline on a fire and then step back and say..."wait...but I didn't START that fire...it was already here...besides...it was all in good fun"

:rolls eyes:

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The world is full of pricks who can only criticize. Are you one of them?

Your time and energy are limited. Are you wasting them by talking shit on the forums? -Dave Tate

Gary was invited to appear on the show, but declined.

KFMB welcomes your comments, thoughts and opinions and we invite you to share your thoughts on Rick’s show. He is on weekday mornings from 5-10am. If you, or someone you know, represents bicycling organizations, we would love to offer the opportunity to be a guest on the show for dialogue on the topic.

Here's an idea, why not have a family member that lost a son, daughter, husband or wife, to an irresponsible driver on his show...let him explain his ignorance face to face to someone who lost a family member to a tragic cycling accident...

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-----------------
http://www.konashelley.blogspot.com

yeah....why couldn't gary (or anyone else that wrote letters) claim the same thing he did....oops, I forgot to mention that was satire

-bcreager

I have a question:

Does anyone have a link to the city of SD Tourism board/department?

I'd like to write them and tell them that this is very bad publicity for SD tourism, since quite a few people visiting the area would probably be on a bike (and be it only on the boardwalk).

I'd like to tell them that I got some questions from people who are concerned visiting SD because of the fact that there is a local radiostation that actively contributes to an hostile/negative athmosphere towards cyclists by constantly targeting/ridiculing them (it really doesn't matter if it is satyrical or not in this context).

I.M.O. this sheds a negative light on the general friendliness of San Diego citizens / businesses towards active people that would consider visiting SD.

Please feel free to use this line of thought to get some more people involved to help get that guy off the air.

---

adrialin

(BOMK, racing drug and supplement free since 1985)

Lots of email addresses here:
http://www.sandiego.org/nav/Visitors/Resources/AboutSDCVB

-bcreager

I sent my e-mail to Rick directly and cc the station mgr. Volume is key here.

after listening to one of the segments - ditto

Yeah, that's a really good idea. Normann Stadler posts here, doesn't he? And doesn't he also train in San Diego all the time? We should ask Normann as a IM winner to send a letter to the city of San Diego Tourism department saying that he feels unsafe and that he considers taking his training elsewhere, just for effect(nobody has to know that it's not true;);))! Certainly would be impressive when such a big name does it, right?

My latest letter to Tracy Johnson at KFMB: Dear sir... Thank you for your prompt response. I must, however, respectfully disagree with your assessment of Mr. Robert's comments. While he might not have encouraged anyone else to make a cyclist their hood ornament, Mr. Roberts very clearly states (in response to a letter he is reading on air), "I want you....I want you as my hood ornament." While it may be that Rick meant this as satirical, that is difficult to believe when for the much of the show Mr. Roberts puts down and insults cyclists, not only for riding 2 abreast, but also for being "Lance wannabes" and for the clothes they wear. This is another one of his comments:

"That little lane over there, that “scootchy one” that’s yours, the other one’s mine and I’m going to use every bit of it Jack, so stay in yours and I’ll stay in mine. Y’know you never want to run into a bicyclist, number one it’ll dent your car, crack your windshield, you never know. You may get home and find one of these little bumblebees is hanging onto your bumper then you gotta take them all the way back to their bicycle. Y’know I hate it when that happens."

It doesn't seem to me with that comment that Mr. Roberts is just railing against cyclists that don't follow the rules of the road, but anyone who dares to be riding in a road without a bike lane. This type of attitude is rampant, and comments like Ricks do nothing to help. The rest of the diatribe is obviously meant to belittle cyclists and what happens when you run into them...that the damage to one's car is far more worrisome than what happens to the cyclist. Again, you probably think of this is as satire...I think its just plain sick. Sincerely, George Raihala My next e-mail is going to be to Ford, letting them know that while they are spending a lot of $ sponsoring IMNA events, one of their dealerships is pissing off a lot cyclists and triathletes by advertising with these ass clowns. Spot

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___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

you know what's really sad about all of this? Yeah, this guy is a shock jock Howard Stern type on the conservative nutso side, buuuut the big deal is that some drivers will take this to heart and actually head for the cyclist whether in a bike lane or not, or maybe they will just not pay attention to us at all (which is worse IMO) and turn into us, cut us off, etc.

I do like to ride, but lately I've been taking it to the trails on my mt bike and not the roads just because of my close calls and of course reading some of the hits here either fatalities or near fatalities. Sorry, but I don't want to end up in the local hospital or the the morgue for that matter.

After reading the responses from the station director yada-yada. I still think the best bet is to inform the SD transportation and tourism depts. and to flood the sponsers as much as possible with how we all feel about this dude's radio broadcast and that their support for this crap is intolerable.

N~

[reply]I have a question:

Does anyone have a link to the city of SD Tourism board/department?

I'd like to write them and tell them that this is very bad publicity for SD tourism, since quite a few people visiting the area would probably be on a bike (and be it only on the boardwalk).

I'd like to tell them that I got some questions from people who are concerned visiting SD because of the fact that there is a local radiostation that actively contributes to an hostile/negative athmosphere towards cyclists by constantly targeting/ridiculing them (it really doesn't matter if it is satyrical or not in this context).

I.M.O. this sheds a negative light on the general friendliness of San Diego citizens / businesses towards active people that would consider visiting SD.

Please feel free to use this line of thought to get some more people involved to help get that guy off the air.[/reply]

I was thinking the exact same thing. Last time I visited San Diego, cycling and running were one of first things on my mind to enjoy about the area - no now. I'll give second thoughts to visiting San Diego again if I have another choice (which is a shame because I really liked it!)

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____________________________________
Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

Ok, I just listened to the 4th hour of today's (march 23) show. Gary sent a letter stating (more or less) that he misunderstood that Rick Roberts was using satire. RR wants specific quotes that Gary mis-intrepreted or a full retraction in 24 hours or "we will be in touch".

What a freak'in idiot. I'm not a believer in Karma, but this is an instance where I'd like to be convinced otherwise.

BULLY I TELL YOU!!!!!!!!!! He's a BULLY!!!!!!

Here's an idea. There has got to be quite a few cyclists in San Diego that own guns or have at least a minor interest in them. Well... In the beginning of April is the Guns of the West Gun Show at Del Mar. Wouldn't it be nice if the place had bunches of cyclists in their "bumble bee" outfits at the gun show? If they drew enough attention to themselves and got media attention, RR and all the drivers that agree with him would hear about it. Questions may run through their heads...
Did they buy guns?
Did they already own guns?
Can they fit a gun in their bumble..er jersey pockets?????????????

Again... Satire and I don't advocate carrying guns when cycling. Unless you're a cop and I ride with at least three.

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John

don't want to hijack, but this thread may interest you - rather long as I recall

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...t_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;

Please take note.
I am NOT trying to start one of those threads again. RR is captain conservative. While I am also semi-conservative, I only mention what I think would get to the mother f**ker and his radical listeners, making them think twice. Thats all. If anyone wants to scheme on some psy-ops, I'm all for it.

Back to the topic. Let's fry Ricky boy.

I noticed Gary made a post as to how he's doing. Let me be the first to say,"We're behind you 100%."

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John

This has nothing to do with political orientation. Dangerous demagogists (turned dictators, turned terrorists) come from either end of the political spectrum. They should not be given a public forum. Luckily he doesn't have the balls to go the whole nine yards. That's why he is stuck at that insignificant station. Doesn't have what it takes for the big leagues....

Who is the worse criminal? The retard who runs down a cyclist or the guy that planted into his mind that he should/could take care of cylists this way?

On the other side I kind of feel sorry for that overweight guy. Seems like a good candidate for heart failure and/or stroke. He wouldn't be the first....

Anyway,

I did write an e-mail to the board of tourism, stating that I have received e-mails from some cycling friends out east who planned to come visit SD and who are now concerend about the public climate in SD (given the incinerating radio broadcasts featured in cycling e-zines). I also mentioned that some of them may be seriously reconsidering their vacation plans.

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___________________________________________
Ego numquam pronuncio mendacium,
sed sum homo salvaticus

TTT

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John