Radio Stunt Gives S.F. Commuters a Bad Haircut Day

A radio station stunt poking fun at President Clinton’s now-famous $200 haircut left Wednesday morning commuters furious--and some disc jockeys facing possible criminal charges.

Details remain murky, but the California Highway Patrol knows this much: Four vehicles blocked all San Francisco-bound lanes on the Bay Bridge at the peak morning commute hour as a man from the radio station known as “Wild 107” got a haircut.

Commuters who rode BART trains to work may have enjoyed a chuckle over the stunt, a spin on the flight delays at Los Angeles International Airport caused when Clinton had a rendezvous with the shears aboard Air Force 1 on May 18.

But bridge-bound drivers--snarled in a nasty jam that lasted more than three hours--were not amused. Surgeons, in particular, flooded Caltrans with calls from their car phones, screaming that the delay had made them late for the operating room.

CHP officials dubbed the caper “irresponsible, dangerous and immature.” Lt. Jim Innes said a criminal investigation was under way and could lead to charges, among them vehicle obstruction, delaying traffic and conspiracy.

Officials at radio station KSOL-FM were mostly silent when questioned about the episode. Michelle Linn, promotions director, would only say that management had not authorized the joke and that appropriate disciplinary action would be taken against the perpetrators.

But the station’s drive-time morning personality, known as Mancow, defended the haircut. In an interview with a reporter for radio station KCBS-AM, Mancow said: “We didn’t want to upset anybody at all. We were trying to make a point.”