Talk Radio Hosts Encourage Killing Cyclists - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

05-04-2004, 05:51 AM

How much lower can we go? Each and everyone of of us must take action
now. It's almost as if life has become disposable in Iraq so we can
drive our cars and if you don't support that war for oil by not driving
that your un-Americanism warrants death here as well. Who can reply with
email addresses to WRKO and WNNX so we can bury them with our reaction?
This is horrific:

TALK RADIO HOSTS TARGETING BICYCLISTS--AGAIN
Radio talk show hosts are targeting bicyclists again. Stations in three
cities in the last two weeks have made disparaging, incorrect, and at
times dangerous remarks about bicyclists and encouraged listeners to
call in and share their views about bicyclists. On April 16, Howie Carr
on Boston's WRKO-AM said, "They [bicyclists] are the biggest pain...if
there is a sidewalk, I don't care what the law is, ride on the damn
sidewalk, OK? You don't belong on the road. You don't. That's all there
is to it. You belong on the sidewalk." Later on, he said, "I don't want
to share the road."

On April 23, DJs on the Don Miller show on Atlanta's WNNX-FM (99X)
repeatedly ridiculed bicyclists. One host said, "I can't stand them,"
and referred to cyclists as "bastards." Of the law giving cyclists the
right to use the roads, they said it's a "horrible law" and that
bicyclists should "get on the sidewalk where they belong." When a caller
wanted to let the hosts know about Atlanta area cyclists who'd been
killed in traffic crashes, the response was, "...and I wanna let you
know how many people care about those cyclists." Most alarmingly, one DJ
said he would "nudge them [bicyclists] right off the road into a tree."
When challenged by a colleague that he hadn't done that, he said,
"You've never done that? It's so much fun. Smoke a little weed, get
behind the wheel...wheee!"

To hear the heinous 99X broadcast segments, for more details and to take
action to stop this onslaught of broadcast harassment, visit
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. None of the stations involved are owned by
Clear Channel Communications. Last year, following a string of similar
incidents, Clear Channel made it clear it would not tolerate such
behavior on its stations. Visit [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] to hear radio
PSA recorded by Clear Channel to promote bicycling and sharing the road.

To hear these broadcasts again:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

M A R T I N K R I E G : "Awake Again" Author
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Bent Since '83, Car Free Since '89, '79 & '86 TransAms
Coma, Paralysis, Clinical Death Survivor
Can You Change it with Love?
N A T I O N A L B I C Y C L E G R E E N W A Y