Radio song parody still roils waters

The music swelled, sounding the familiar first notes of the vintage charity hit “We Are the World.” Then the lyrics kicked in -- a torrent of bad taste, ethnic slurs and cruel insults about the killer south Asia tsunami.

The parody, aired during morning drive time on New York radio’s WQHT-FM, lasted three short minutes. Nearly three long weeks later, the self-proclaimed “premier hip-hop station in America” is still reeling: One of its morning co-hosts was fired, the show’s producer was dumped, and five other employees remain suspended.

The “USA for Indonesia” song offended not only tens of thousands of listeners but advertisers like McDonald’s.

“It’s a mess,” said Tom Taylor, editor of the trade publication Inside Radio. “It’s taken on a life of its own. Clearly, this has touched a nerve.”

Asian American and Muslim groups were among those infuriated by the song, which mocked victims of the tsunami.

The controversy was a slow starter, with word of the song spreading on Jan. 21. Executives at both the station, which calls itself Hot 97, and parent company Emmis Radio did not immediately return phone calls for comment, and it seemed the protest disappeared over the weekend.

But the anger didn’t dissipate; it grew. By the middle of the following week, the station suspended its entire morning show staff, announcing their salaries would go to tsunami relief.

The move failed to appease the protesters.

The station amped up its response: Morning show producer Rick Del Gado, who once worked with shock jocks Opie and Anthony, was dismissed along with show co-host Todd Lynn. Emmis Radio donated $1 million to tsunami relief. The suspensions were extended to two weeks; they end Wednesday.

“What happened is morally and socially indefensible,” said an apology issued by Rick Cummings, president of Emmis Radio.

Still, that was not enough for some. Several New York City Council members called for a donation of $10 million or a week’s worth of corporate revenue.

“This should serve as a lesson to people who profit from hate that it’s going to cost you, and it’s going to cost you dearly,” said City Council member Letitia James.

The blame extends beyond the morning crew, said one industry watcher. “It’s very much like ‘Mission: Impossible,’ ” said Michael Harrison, founder of the trade publication Talkers magazine. “They send you out on a mission. And if it implodes, they will disavow any knowledge of you or the mission.”