SHOCK JOCK ROCK: Do you think KPWR-FM...

SHOCK JOCK ROCK: Do you think KPWR-FM (Power 106) morning man Jay Thomas acts crazy? Demented? How about rude and obnoxious? Maybe that’s what the popular dance-music station wants you to think. Power 106’s current $1-million ad campaign includes late-night TV spots and several thousand bus billboards, all which display a photo of the station’s wild guy with the slogan: “We apologize for Jay Thomas this morning.”

At a time when the Federal Communications Commission’s crackdown on Shock Radio has rattled the entire broadcast industry, KPWR program director Jeff Wyatt acknowledges that the disclaimer is all too appropriate.

“Probably more than we’d like,” Wyatt said. “Jay really is a guy you end up apologizing for, as our complaint file would attest. We see the billboards as a way of making people even more curious.”

In recent months, the morning madman has sparked controversy with an array of equal-opportunity insults. According to Wyatt, the station received complaints after Thomas dubbed the station’s general manager a “cheap” Jew and came on the air after playing the Bangles’ hit “Walk Like an Egyptian” and quipped, “Walk like an Egyptian, smell like an Arab.”

Wyatt said this latter slur prompted a heated call from Casey Kasem, who is active in the Arab-American anti-discrimination movement. “It was a well-founded complaint,” Wyatt said. “Though it was a tough call for me, because my mother is Lebanese, so I share his concerns. I tried to explain that Jay’s remarks were meant in a lighthearted way, without any malicious intent.”

If these flaps weren’t enough, Thomas was also involved in a recent incident in which an emotionally distraught man made repeated visits to the station, claiming Thomas had stolen his wife. During one visit, the man waved a knife at several KPWR staffers, prompting police to arrest him on charges of trespassing and assault with a deadly weapon.

Still, Wyatt defends his morning deejay, pointing to strong ratings and loyal listener appeal. “Jay’s not a phony like some other people on the air here,” Wyatt said. “There are definitely people who listen to Jay just to hate him. Then there are people who are crazy about him. But they all listen.”