Brownwood "Hate" Radio ?
" KXYL FM NEWSTALK 96.9 - is the trade area's only news, sports, and information radio station. People are hungry for information and we are willing to feed the starving minds. Talk Radio is addictive. The more we feed them, the more they want. This is news and talk radio at its best, delivering your advertising message (7) days a week, 24 hours a day " ( visit their website: http://www.wattsradio.net/about_us.htm )
The Texas Observer
GOOD MORNING, BROWNWOOD. The year is 2001. So some Brownwood residents were dismayed on June 6 to hear Mikey Wayne, one of the hosts of a conservative talk show on talk/news station KXYL, refer to "fags" in a discussion of gays and the Boy Scouts. Wayne apologized the next day, but meanwhile City Councilman Ed McMillian, a regular caller to the show, telephoned to say he had bet a friend a six-pack that other people would be upset by the remark, and encouraged Wayne to say it again so he could win another six-pack. According to Brownwood deli owner Steve Harris, who testified at the Capitol during the hearings on hate crimes legislation this spring, Brownwood has seen a number of violent crimes and incidences of harassment against gay people in recent years. In light of that history, "fag" just doesn't fly, he says. "It's like we're living in a freaking dark hole."
Cathy Marie Hail, station manager for KXYL, says that the controversy has been a learning experience for the 6-week-old station. "'Fag' was a very harsh terminology," she says. "I felt it was harsh myself. I'm from Southern California, and in Southern California they refer to themselves as fags.... But Mikey Wayne used an improper term that is not appropriate for this area."
source:http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleFileName=010622_pi.htm
Site text search results for search string: brownwood
Pineapples vs. Chicken-Fried Steak (Dateline Texas 9/14/01)
A multi-purpose activist in Brownwood.
Political Intelligence (6/22/01)
Flip-Flops All Over the Place
Two Cheers for the Hate Crimes Bill (Editorial 3/16/01)
The Hate Crimes Bill satisfies neither conservatives nor liberals but is probably the best bill we can expect from the current legislature.
source: http://www.texasobserver.org/search_results.asp?SearchText=brownwood
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From: Steve Harris and Steve Puckett
Date: Sun May 23, 2004 04:49:00 PM US/Central
To: steve_squared@verizon.net, Jake Bernstein
Subject: airwaves of Central Texas
T A L K R A D I O source: Brown County Democratic Newsletter September 2003
NEWS/TALK Radio 96.9 FM has lost a listener. I’m so tired of the continuous right-wing babble coming from the local jocks here in Brownwood --Ted and Marion in the morning with their little smirks and jabs and James in the afternoon with his always trashing the Democrats. I’m not even talking about Rush and Laura Ingraham and Hannity. They’re bad enough. Somehow, I take the local stuff more personally. It's poisoning my brain and making me downright irritable. I’ve caught myself screaming at the radio one too many times, so, my radio listening days are over until KXYL decides to put on something with at least a centrist political view, or even maybe some non-political talk.
James Williamson was at the Post Office the other day seen attempting a conversation with a local Democrat. The Democrat was having none of it! It apparently hurt James’ feelings because he mentioned it on his show. All I can say to James is, “what do you expect? Do you think you can call us Democrats roaches, slime, perverts, etc. then expect us to be civil to you?” We Democrats have taken a lot from our local station and I think more and more of us will switch off our radios and stay away from sponsors who finance rightwing "hate" programming coming from anywhere!
From: Steve Harris and Steve Puckett
Date: Fri May 21, 2004 11:56:22 PM US/Central
To: Sheila Richardson
Cc:
Subject: Brownwood's kxyl "hate radio" connection (cockroach etc.)
In the weeks prior to the mass killings in Rwanda, RTLM repeatedly characterized the rival Tutsis as "cockroaches".
"It was RTLM's relentless dehumanization of the 'enemy' that was adjudged as an incitement to violence," Lynch says. "The hateful messages reaching listeners across the US today are dangerous in the same way. Our own intensively mediated societies are also vulnerable to such baleful messages, if repeated often enough."
source: http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0521-13.htm
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From: Steven Puckett/ Steve Harris
Date: Sat Mar 01, 2003 10:51:31 AM US/Central
To:
Subject: letter to the editor rough draft
Kudos and Much Appreciation to Howard Payne University School of Music and Fine Arts, Dr Nancy Jo Humfeld, The Cast, The Production Staff, and those special individuals listed under "acknowledgments" in the "And Then They Came for Me" program. I attended Friday nights performance and was very moved by not only the play but more importantly by the attendance of Eva Schloss, a Holocaust Survivor. Afterwards,Mrs Schloss was kind of enough to field many question from the audience members. I was moved by her "spirit". I'm also thankful for her sharing her direct knowledge of the events that took so many innocent victims to their deaths due to other peoples hatred and indifference to the daily barrage of the very well crafted & controlled print and radio media. Why should any one of us be surprised when those who are compared to cockroaches and rats on a daily basis by this "media forum" are eventually attacked physically ? Can this happen again ? I've experienced this same type of "Goebbels type" (Goebbels - Hitler's Nazi Minister for Propaganda media for many years in Brownwood via several (same host different microphone) local radio stations. I refer to one as "Hate Radio" or " Radio with a Bad Attitude". Their constant barrage of personal and hate filled attacks (comparing those who they disagree with as cockroaches ! ) directed to those who are "different" ( Liberals, Democrats, Pagans, Gays, Lesbians, Immigrants, etc, etc,, etc. ) It's very obvious that this group (Name Callers) relishes in the controversies because it's the point of talk radio to create as much controversy as possible. It's all about the money, right, so who cares who gets hurt in the process ? I've heard individuals in our community say that these folks should just be ignored and "they've always been this way" ( even in High School ! ). It's one thing to have differing opinions, it's another thing to encite people with hateful words. Their counterparts in Nazi Germany proved to me what happens when a community fails to confront the daily barrage of hateful words. Ignoring the hate today will manifest itself to physical assaults just like it did in the Europe of the 30's the 40"s against those who were deemed rats, cockroaches, diseased,etc. Proof of this is a recent critical letter that was read on air and the host refused to tell the listeners the name of the critic for his fear that a cross would be burned it the yard or a rock through the window by one of his listeners ! He must know his audience ! Same tactics = same results ! I have chosen to "not remain silent" regarding this issue and have exposed many "outsiders" to the "local" atrocities that are the direct result of a community who chose to remain silent while members of it's community were beaten, intimidated, driven to suicide(?),sexually assaulted, & murdered because of their "difference". What struck me most in last nights performance was when the young Nazi Hitler youth recited his pledge several times in the play. The words " Under God " were a part of their (Nazi's) pledge ! Radical Fundamentalism has a strange way of always wrapping itself in "God's Cloth" so that anyone who questions these people become the enemy ! For those "locals" who have chosen "God's Cloth" and have made it their mission in life to abuse people of our community (even in putting together real estate deals!), let this be my public statement that I find it an honor to be labled your "enemy". For the local press, and other very educated people, who have "decided" to not confront this daily barrage of "Hate", I pity you, for you represent a very large layer in what is commonly referred to as the "sin of omission" ! I believe the HPU production of "And Then They Came for Me" was timely and very powerful as the note from the director stated; "This is a powerful story and serves to remind us of what can happen when ideologies overcome humanity."
Steve Harris
Brownwood, Texas
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Gary Bledsoe of Austin, president of the Texas Conference of the NAACP, places blame for what he says is waning tolerance and anti-political correctness sentiment squarely on the back of talk radio, which he said has made people feel emboldened to express hate.
"If you listen to talk radio, 98 percent of it is hate," Mr. Bledsoe, 51, said. "You drive around listening to it, people are mocking, poking fun, speaking in black dialect trying to be funny. It's almost like inciting a riot."
Mr. Bledsoe says it is clear to him that "people who are hostile to minorities, people who harbor racist views, are able to manipulate others" into believing that they shouldn't feel guilty about using derogatory or insensitive terms.
And Mr. Bledsoe goes further. He even takes issue with the term "political correctness," saying he believes it trivializes the actions and thoughts of those who tried to be more tolerant in their views and dealings with others.
"I don't agree with the term," he says forcefully. "That was a term brought in by the far right. It became political correctness when you're trying to educate people. To sit in a room and not call somebody a nigger, that's just fundamental. It is not political correctness."
source: http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/dn/opinion/sundayreader/stories/041104dnsunpc.f17c.html
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Yeah, I'm not surprised. It's kind of scary on your end of the district.
Things will blow over with Lester though. People will forget about him and
things will be forgiven and forgotten.
On the Bulletin, we've come to expect it. You can't control the press though
and they did cover the story pretty fairly so we should comment them for
that.
Jeff
He and his people are out of touch with reality. They believe that they can
do or say anything in the name of God and it's ok. We ran into it all over
during the campaign. But we know now that it's only a small segment of the
population...About 25% :)
We are going to just let things settle down in Brownwood for a little while.
And then we will kiss and make up.
Jeff, In todays Brownwood Bulletin Editorial it was written that Bill
Lester ran a clean campaign. Am I missing something ? I find his run
for office comparable to the FreePAC'rs and our community has had plenty
of experience with them ( We and Mayor Massey publicly stood up against
their dirty campaigning as well ! ) What are your thoughts ?
fyi - wanted you to have this record of KXYL on air comments.
Subject: should be concerned if you are living/visiting within these
public airwaves
Mikey Wayne - I've got a cure for aids (after spending time discussing
gays and South Africans) it's a M16 Rifle !
Bob Clark - two weeks prior to Sept. 11, 2001 while talking about Gays
and the military looking for a new place to practice bombing (since the
Puerto Rican Island of Vieques was being abandoned due to too much
opposition ) Bob said " Why don't we just bomb San Francisco ? "
Phil Watts ( studio guest Dia Catalani ) after listening to James
Williamsons show, Phil states
" the only good liberal is a dead liberal ". After Paul Wellstone's
death I asked James Williamson (on air) if this was what he meant by
"the only good liberal is a dead liberal". He had a chance to correct
the saying and chose to not do so. James has also made it a point that
"our enemies at home (liberals) are more of a threat to us than our
enemies abroad. " If we are actively trying to kiil our enemies
abroad, what is James inferring we should do to the enemies (Liberals)
at home ? Is it very clear ?
Connie Carmichael on Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ; " I hope that
Mel makes so much money on his film and bulldozes Hollywood down."
Pete Monday on " leveling (bombing the hell out of them) Iraq and
lettting God sort it out ".
KXYL's defining of Liberal ? :
Most all of the media except for Fox news and Newstalk.
anyone pro choice (pro baby killer), pro equal rights, or anybody else
who does not believe exactly like them on religious issues, anyone
"left" of their "Hard-right" position !
I was once a guest (talking about our ad) on Newstalk 969 FM (behind
the mic with Phil Watts & Marion Bishop) and was on the receiving end
of a call from Connie. She said everytime she heard our commercial "if
you don't love your neighbor you don't love God" that she got furious
because she knew that I recorded the show and in her words was "playing
gotcha" and was changing the "rules of the game" (I have no idea what
rules she is referring to and when asked (on air) she could not tell
me !). She also stated that I was working with groups like the ACLU
(which is true- however they would defend their right to free speech !
I'm working with them on other issues like "Hate crimes" etc.) and that
this was the reason for my recording the shows. As usual and as in
this example Connie does not know her facts before she states them on
the air. I purposely did not correct her on her misinformation. It
was not the ACLU who had requested the recordings, I had been asked to
record the shows by the FBI because of the terroristic nature of the
(comments) threats (see above). Also outside media is very interested
in the taped recordings. There is quite a public viewable paper trail already !
So when a candidaate like Bill Lester uses the local airwaves and
constantly labels his opponent (in the same party) as a"Liberal" it
should be no surprise what that means to the listener of KXYL. What I
find very telling is that the "liberal record of Mike Conaway"
disappeared from the front page of Bill Lester's website immediately
after Mr Lester's defeat ! Like the "damage" can be undone with the
click of a button !
----------------------
From:
Date: Thu Aug 05, 2004 10:04:09 AM US/Central
To: Steve Harris and Steve Puckett
Subject: Re: FYI - more hate from Brownwood's KXYL airwaves !
Reply-To:
--- Steve Harris and Steve Puckett
Yesterday morning around 8:45am while discussing Farenheit 911 coming to
Brownwood/Early, Marian Bishop (morning host) on Newstalk 969FM made the
statement " ya'll don't fire-bomb the theater because this was a
corporate decision and not a local decision ". note: The movie starts
showing here Friday !
On James Williamnson's show yesterday afternoon James began his show
with the Missouri vote rejecting gay marriage. His first caller was so
enraged that he made the comment that gays better not get married in
west texas because " all of us rednecks " will drag them behind trucks.
James just laughed it off and only later after being challenged on his
encitement of violent acts against Gays and Lesbians by Fred (caller
from Hawley) did he back down.
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