The heat is raining down on KSFO and their crew over the hate speech that permeates the airwaves. Already almost 15,000 people have listened to this
January 9, 2007

spocko-cbs.jpg The heat is raining down on KSFO and their crew over the hate speech that permeates the airwaves. Already almost 15,000 people have listened to this audio that typifies what we're talking about. Morgan, Sussman and Lee tried to get Spocko's site closed down by ABC.

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Morgan: Senator Obama, who is, as you call, a 'Halfrican' --
Sussman: Halfrican and, again, his father was -- his father was from Kenya, his mother's white ... My opinion as your average white guy -- he is not allowed to wear the African-American badge because his family are not the descendants of slaves.

ABC's not going to change the hate, they're just going to go after the people that point it out. Very nice. The KSFO crowd can keep saying what they like, but don't expect advertisers to pony up for it. We're all very partisan, but we use facts to make our case and not some weird fascination with violence. And bloggers like Spocko will have C&L's support when they expose it. (h/t Joe for the video)

(CBS 5) SAN FRANCISCO At least two major corporations have pulled their advertisements from San Francisco radio station KSFO-AM after bloggers publicized clips of broadcasts in which hosts took aim at politicians and a listener believed to be Muslim. (full transcript below the fold)

CBS: A series of remarks that aired on KSFO over the past year has sparked fury in the blogosphere. In recordings made by one blogger and posted online, talk show host Brian Sussman, who is a former CBS 5 weathercaster, grills a listener over whether the man is Muslim.

Sussman: I would take it that you are probably Muslim.
Caller: No, I'm independent. I do not subscribe.
Sussman: You don't ... Well, why don't you just right now say, "Allah is a w****" and that would prove it to me.
Caller: Allah ... I would not say that. Because I'm not ...
Sussman: Say, "Allah is a w****," and that would prove to me that you are not an Islamist.
Caller: I'm not an Islamist. No, I do not believe in religion.
Sussman: Okay, prove to me you're not a Muslim. Say that you love eating pig.
Caller: I do love to eat pork. I am a big fan of it.
Sussman: Okay, that's great.

A blogger known as Spocko said he was so upset when he heard the broadcast that he decided to record the programs, including one where host Melanie Morgan takes aim at newly elected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

"We've got a bull's eye painted on her big, wide laughing eyes," Morgan says in the recording.

In another recording, both hosts are heard referring to Sen. Barack Obama's racial background.

Morgan: Senator Obama, who is, as you call, a 'Halfrican' --
Sussman: Halfrican and, again, his father was -- his father was from Kenya, his mother's white ... My opinion as your average white guy -- he is not allowed to wear the African-American badge because his family are not the descendants of slaves.

Spocko began posting the recordings in October 2005 on his blog, which evolved into a campaign to E-mail the clips to advertisers and urge them to drop their ads from KSFO.

"The advertisers, in a lot of cases, don't know this is going on," said Spocko. "They hear it, and they can choose to say, 'Well, that really doesn't reflect our corporate brand.' "

It worked.

MasterCard and Bank of America confirmed to CBS 5 they have withdrawn their ads from KSFO. More have followed suit, according to Spocko.

ABC, which owns KSFO, did not comment.

However, in a letter sent to the company hosting Spocko's blog, ABC warned that "flagrant use of KSFO's material" was a "clear violation of ... copyright" and demanded the material be removed immediately.

In response, 1&1 Internet Inc., the Pennsylvania Internet service provider, pulled the plug on Spocko's entire Web site.

"I felt like I was being crushed and the whole weight and force of a major corporation was coming down," Spocko said.

Matt Zimmerman with the Electronic Frontier Foundation said Spocko is well within his rights to post the audio clips, under a legal doctrine known as "Fair Use."

"If you are engaged in criticism or commentary or teaching -- those kinds of activities -- then it's acceptable to use copyrighted works to further those aims," Zimmerman said.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is now backing Spocko with legal support.

The Daily Kos and dozens of other blogs are also coming to Spocko's defense and began carrying KSFO's audio clips.

Sussman, on his Web site, calls his own comments about Obama "insensitive." He told CBS 5 by E-mail that he is not doing any interviews about the broadcasts.

Spocko changed Internet service providers and is back online, once again posting KSFO material.

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