Jackson Is Still ‘The King of Pop’ for His Fans

In Michael Jackson’s new hit single, he plaintively sings “Will You Be There?” Although the song has nothing to do with his recent problems related to allegations of sexual abuse, fans and radio stations are vowing to “be there” for Jackson--at least for the time being.

Numerous young and not-so-young admirers of “The King of Pop” in recent days have jammed phone lines to music stations and radio talk shows, crowded around Jackson’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and otherwise pledged their support for Jackson, who is under investigation for alleged sexual molestation of a 13-year-old boy.

At the same time, executives at several youth-oriented and adult contemporary stations say they will continue to play Jackson’s music as often as they did before the accusations, even though some listeners have complained that Jackson songs are still on the air while the investigation is ongoing. The program director of one station urged other stations not to react hastily to the allegations and for the stations to continue to play Jackson’s music. MTV officials said Jackson’s videos would still be played and the story would be covered by MTV News.

But some fans said they felt that Jackson, if not guilty of the charges, may have put himself in a compromising position.

“I don’t believe it’s true,” said Derek Dupree, a 25-year-old musician. “But he really should hang out with people his own age. Something was bound to happen.”

One prominent record company chief said Jackson’s career could be irreparably damaged by the controversy.

“The minute this broke, this put him in the category where you’re asked, ‘When did you stop beating your wife?’ ” said the executive, who declined to be identified.

Although other industry officials said it was too early to tell if the investigation would have an effect on Jackson’s record sales, the executive said his image was already tainted, which would result in decreased popularity and sales.

Yet J. Randy Taraborrelli, the author of the unauthorized biography “Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness,” said the controversy may possibly have a positive effect if Jackson is cleared of the accusations.

“Certainly if the worst-case scenario happens and he’s found guilty of any of these ridiculous charges, it would be the end of his recording career,” said Taraborrelli. “But, if it’s not true, I have a sense that his fans, who are such an incredibly loyal bunch of people, will still support him. I also have a feeling that this may even bring a new artistic depth to his music that would command respect from critics that he has hoped for.”

Most fans calling in to radio stations expressed confidence that Jackson would be cleared. They blamed the news media for whipping the story into what they felt was a gossip frenzy unsubstantiated by facts or real evidence.

“I’m amazed at the number of calls that are pro-Michael,” said Diane Cridland, director of programming for KABC-AM (790) talk radio. “Even when he’s not the subject of one of our shows, people want to call up and express their opinion. For the most part, they feel that the media has made a real circus out of this.”

The other Michael Jackson--the KABC talk-show host with the same name--said he was amazed at the emotion expressed by callers about Jackson.

“As a subject, it’s taken off with the same intensity as the Gulf War,” he said. “It has the same intensity as the initial discussion when the Los Angeles riots broke out. I’m getting 10- and 11- and 12-year-olds calling up calling Michael a child. Not one young person believes it. They liken him to Peter Pan, saying he’s eternally young.”

He added, “I’m hearing a lot of pained people who are upset about this person they love who may have loved them.”

Some radio station callers said that they now hear Jackson hits such as “In the Closet” and “Pretty Young Thing” in a different light. Despite some complaints, many stations said they would not take Jackson off their playlists.

“We’re standing behind Michael at this point until we know there’s a reason to judge him harshly,” said Jeff Wyatt, program director for KIIS (102.7 FM and 1150 AM). “He’s done too much for radio and the music industry for us to turn our back on him now. His music is in heavy rotation now, and we are not altering that for charges that are unsubstantiated.”

Greg Dunkin, program director of the New Star (98.7 FM), aired a commentary during the last several days saying that the media should approach the investigation objectively and without bias, adding that they would hate to see “Jackson or his career unnecessarily hurt.”

“Our position is not pro- or anti-Michael,” said Dunkin. “We just want to encourage the other radio stations to slow down the mental process of deciding his guilt or innocence.”

The consensus of record shoppers surveyed at the Tower store on Sunset Boulevard is that Jackson is the victim of false charges, although about half said they thought it was “possible” that the accusations may be true.

“I don’t want to think about it,” said Taline, 20, a student. “I like him, and I don’t think he did it. But, if it’s true, I wouldn’t like him. His music is still good, but I would get disgusted.”

Another customer, Sam Kupfer, 30, said, “I think it’s just somebody trying to take advantage of his name. I’m not a fan of his, but I just don’t like to see anyone raked over the coals if they’re innocent.”

While most of those polled made a reference to Jackson’s involvement with children, they were pretty evenly split between whether that was a reason to believe the charges or not.

“The whole reason behind what he does is children, so he wouldn’t do this,” said one woman who asked that her name not be used.

Sandra Laione, 30, said she believed this--and many other past rumors or allegations against Jackson--could just be publicity stunts dreamed up by the singer.

“But this would be a terrible publicity stunt,” she added.

Tammy Laub, manager of Tower Records, said there has been a slight increase in the sales of Jackson records in the last few days. “Consumers are still buying, but a lot of the increase is due to the media coming in and buying his records.”

Free-lancer Steve Hochman contributed to this story.