Right now… 12:30 PM, May 4.
Tom, what’s their handle K…? I can’t find it on the net radio station guide.
Tom,
Heard you call in. Nice Job.
Well, I got on the show for a moment but I don;t think they found my “common sense” approach to the topic too interesting so they hung up.
In general, the show and their hosts didn’t seem too well informed. They kind of joked with me, I tried to make a point (which I didn’t do very well honestly) and they went to another guest.
Unfortunately we can;t listen too well here in the store since we are on the XM Satelite network in the store and if I want to listen to the radio I have to do it in my car.
Ahhh, if anyone heard what I said… Please let me know so I know…
Live 97.1 WKRK - Detroit - http://www.live971.com
.
Thanks, Bnasty.
Its important to keep the pressure on 97.1FM as they did respond and have readdressed the issue. I’m impressed by that. Good for them, at least they came back to the topic.
That means our collective efforts worked. Keep it up!
I went out to my car to listen to what they had to say. I missed the first few minutes and also your call Tom.
About the only threat I heard Henson make was that he would throw a coke bottle and poopy diaper at “Ken’s” head if he ever emails him again. There was the typical mocking of clothing and what-not. He’s also denied advocating violence against cyclists.
It seemed to me that the hosts were just getting people to call in. The most offensive thing I heard was a guy who had hit and killed a cyclist at 16 (allegedly from the cyclist running a stop light/red light). He stated that he gets pissed (understandably so) when cyclists disregard the law. The disturbing part was that he said when he gets pissed, he’ll drive as close so to the rear-wheel as possible and that he’ll “run 'em over” (paraphrasing) if they fall.
The other thing to note was another big name sponsor the Vermont Teddy Bear company.
Any other comments? I’m not sure what to think. On one side I think these guys have backed off a bit from their statements, but I don’t think they have gone far enough. I didn’t hear the whole show, so I can’t say this with complete confidence.
Has anyone had any luck getting the transcripts from the show? It’s pretty hard to go forward without knowing exactly what was said. We only play into their hands if we keep listening waiting for them to say something more offensive again.
Kind of a lame job at fixing the problem.
There are those cyclists that screw it up for rest of us. A local club comes to mind. There is no reason to let people make threats on the air and get everyone stirred up.
I live in the Detroit area and have had objects thrown at me by kids behind the wheel but most of the traffic I encounter is courtious and I offer the same courtesy. Most of the time I will get a comment about every third ride I do, but last Saturday’s ride I had 5 people yell something at me. Is that a coincidence? I don’t think so.
Hines drive was one of the places that was discussed, It’s a park!!! It also has a 10 foot shoulder, there are very few places that I will slow traffic, I don’t understand why someone would complain about that stretch of road.
I will continue riding there and offer courtesy to all of the traffic reguardless of what they yell at me. Hopefully, other cyclists will get the idea that we are a part of traffic (a small part) that can cause problems if the rules of the road are not followed and we should try to make the smallest impact on traffic that we can.
jaretj
Tom, I only heard part of you, and you tried to make good points. But, Ken is a buffoon and played right into their hands. Instead of trying to educate someone he gave a-holes more reason to f with bikers.
Yup. Who the heck was that “Dan” guy they had on there? It fries my potatoes when they call cyclists “bikers”. “Bikers” are guys who ride Harleys and wear leather. “Cyclists” are people who ride bicycles.
I did get a reply back from Gregg Henson and I feel it was a good reply. I think we were successful in reaising some awareness and in establishing that cyclsits are a somewhat unified group with a voice. That is good.
I am impressed with this response.
Thanks Tom,
We clearly don’t wish any harm on cyclists.
We are just trying to be entertaining.
I will check out your site.
Gregg Henson
Air Personality/Motor City Middays
Live 97.1 FM-Detroit
15600 W. 12 Mile
Southfield, MI 48076
Gregg.Henson@live971.com
www.gregghenson.com
My favorite is when big fat guys (young or old) in trucks yell out, “fag!” In my opinion, thats probably the best way to show the world youre not only a fat redneck, but also a bigot too. I take some comfort in the fact that in a few years, with lifestyles such as thiers, that theyll be seeing me (or someone like me) to fix their heart which has given out because they are so fat and lazy. Am i a bad person for thinking that? It just pisses me off so much that someone would actually wish harm on someone becaue they ride a bike. I would love to meet them face to face (which they wouldnt do b/c theyre cowards) off the bike, and embarrass them with their own behavior.
On the Velonews website there is a letter from a radio listener in Atlanta with a link to some audio clips from the 99x station down there.
http://www.goodmorningblues.com/Sounds/99x.htm
It’s absolutely infuriating. Basically, their position is that cyclists are an inconvenience, and since we wear lycra, we are by definition effeminate and deserve to be run off the road. And asserting one’s right to the road apparently is also an invitation to drivers to use their cars as weapons.
I know we are trying to take the high road, but listening to this made my blood boil as I wanted to reach through and throttle these idiots. They then tried to back off and say they weren’t advocating violence against cyclists, even though they had just said that cyclists should be run off the road into trees.
You know, we like to think that something this stupid will simply die a quiet death, but we also know or at least suspect that there are enough idiots out there that this could conceivably cause a problem. It reminds of a book I read about the SUV industry - basically car companies sold and advertised SUVs on the basis of this mythical “ownership” of the road; i.e., you’re big, who’s going to screw with you. It’s this same attitude I find when discussing cyclists and sharing the road. It seems more than criminal to be using death and metal as the currencies of right and wrong when discussing this.
Once again, my idea of physically threatening DJs in like fashion has a certain visceral appeal to me…
"My favorite is "
Here’s mine in descending order:
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young rednecks in pickup trucks
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guys with beards and beer bellies driving commercial trucks
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middle aged guys in SUV’s talking on the cell phone
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young oriental guys in rice rockets
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soccer moms in mini-vans
Did I miss anybody?
I ride in NYC, and the unifying enemy here is the yellow taxi.
Interestingly enough, I don’t have much of a problem with drivers here, just pedestrians, who seem to have forgotten the whole look both ways rule. They seem to be basically retarded, and I have the bruises to show for it.
Tom,
In your opinion, was this broadcast as inflammatory, more inflammatory or less inflammatory than the first broadcast, Friday April 30, 2004.
Thanks for you evaluation. I missed this broadcast yesterday.
“I ride in NYC”
I really love NYC (to visit!). Never taken a bike there. Any suggestions for good bike routes?
Someone else posted about this being an on-air troll, and I can’t agree more. Every city has its token idiot “shock jock,” the rudest emotional retard on the block, sitting behind a mic talking hard-guy crap and slamming other people sarcastically. I don’t bother with these types - the guy is a jerkoff, and I don’t listen to him or put any weight behind anything he says. There’s going to be arguments that he influences other people and makes it okay for them to run cyclists off the road, but that’s just not the reality of it. Anyone who listens to this guy and follows his lead on anything is already the kind of person who’d run me off the road. Confronting this guy on air, etc. is just taking the bait. As soon as I respond, however diplomatic or crass, he’s gotten the result he was looking for.
I stick to my business, which is when someone cuts me off or tries to run me off the road, I get to make a decision - grab the guy out of his car and beat him within an inch of his life, flip him the bird, spit, or maybe just give the idiot a pass, ignore it and move along my merry way. Besides, the fact is, not every bike/car conflict is purposeful on the part of the driver anyway. Lots of times the driver’s just not paying attention, or misjudges our speed, or whatever. Stuff happens. I bike around Chicago, and trust me, I eat quite a bit of crow on the roads. I’m sharing my experience here because I used to get worked up about this stuff and it either costs me my peace of mind or, if I really blow it, I can end up in jail for beating someone down in the street. This Gregg character incites nasty, reactive behavior for a living, and he does it for his own amusement. I’m sure he doesn’t lose sleep at night thinking about all the people who are pissed off at him, so why should I?
I agree with most of what you say, other than the fact that the people who harass us will do it whether or not he incites them to or not. There are many insecure people out there who are followers. They can’t sense when something is over the line or not and do things when they think it will gain them social acceptance. I look at getting these guys to recant their statements and apologize as a way of influencing these types. Obviously it won’t change the DJ’s opinion, and as he’s stated, he was just joking. But they need to realize that there are mindless lemmings out there, and as a public figure they have persuasive power over these people.
I feel the absolute worse thing to do is to call in and get all fired up and throw insults back at these guys on the air. However, a calm and articulate response, whether on air or through other means, goes a long way to showing this is serious. If they’re statements have the potential to influence just one person to make a bad decision which results in significant bodily harm on another person, then isn’t it worth an attempt to get a public apology? Also, I look at this as an opportunity for cyclists to take the public stage and present ourselves differently than how we are seen by those with little interaction with cyclists.