Radio station crank calls Castro, gets fined - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

denim · 04-24-2004, 01:54 PM

This article on CNN.com says:

Quote:

$4,000 fine for station that cranked Castro

MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- A radio station that crank-called Cuban President Fidel Castro and broadcast the recording should be fined $4,000, the Federal Communications Commission said.

The Spanish-speaking hosts of "The Morning High Jinks" used snippets of an earlier prank involving Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to move the call from a receptionist up the chain to Castro in a five-minute broadcast June 17.

The hosts of the show on WXDJ-FM, Joe Ferrero and Enrique Santos, fed pleasantries to Castro before breaking in and calling him an assassin. The conversation ended after Castro denounced the callers with a stream of vulgarities.

The FCC concluded Friday that the station should be fined for the broadcast. It rejected the station's claim that a rule requiring people to be notified before their voices are used does not apply to people in Cuba.

Payment of the fine or a request for cancellation or reduction is required within 30 days.

It was unclear whether the station had been fined for the prank involving Chavez five months before.

There was no answer at the station's business line Saturday, and a call to the station's Washington attorney was not immediately returned.

Apparently, annoying the leader of a country can get you a slap on the wrist. I'm surprised they got through.

SecretMethod70 · 04-24-2004, 02:29 PM

That's SWEET! A cookie to anyone who can provide a link to the audio

Strange Famous · 04-24-2004, 02:32 PM

Am I the only one thinking they should be extradited to Cuba to face charges there?

denim · 04-24-2004, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Strange Famous
Am I the only one thinking they should be extradited to Cuba to face charges there?

Look, even the FCC didn't see this as a serious offence.

SecretMethod70 · 04-24-2004, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Strange Famous
Am I the only one thinking they should be extradited to Cuba to face charges there?

What the hell. For a prank call? I can understand agreeing with the fine - I do too - but extradition to Cuba to face charges? *shakes head*

KellyC · 04-24-2004, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Strange Famous
Am I the only one thinking they should be extradited to Cuba to face charges there?

Yeah..so far..its just you. I think they should be applaud for pranking Castro...not everyone can do it ya know.

sailor · 04-24-2004, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SecretMethod70
That's SWEET! A cookie to anyone who can provide a link to the audio

Haha, yeah it is. Childish and immature? Check. Hilarious? Check.

Quote:

Originally posted by Strange Famous
Am I the only one thinking they should be extradited to Cuba to face charges there?

Yeah, I think so. Lighten up. Prank calling someone is not a reason to throw them in jail. Regardless of who they prank called, it is a misdemeanor, not something you extradite people for. Sheesh...

yakimushi · 04-24-2004, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SecretMethod70
That's SWEET! A cookie to anyone who can provide a link to the audio

No luck on audio, but I do have a link to the transcript.

Half a cookie?

DelayedReaction · 04-24-2004, 05:14 PM

That's quality. Should've done something funnier than call him an assassin though, like ask for some cigars.

Yakk · 04-25-2004, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Strange Famous
Am I the only one thinking they should be extradited to Cuba to face charges there?

I don't think so. Do you have any justification?

Cuba and USA are not on friendly terms. Currently, the USA holds that the entire Cuban government are thieves. Given that Cuba refuses to extradite "criminals" to the USA on the demand and say-so of the USA, the USA is pretty justified in refusing to extradite "criminals" to Cuba.

fallenangel · 04-25-2004, 01:00 PM

People make jokes and pranks all the time, their fine that they received is sufficient. Anything more is beyond necessary.

*giggles to self*

Strange Famous · 04-25-2004, 01:05 PM

Well, I dont see it so much as a prank call, as someone who slandered a respected world leader on live radio... they should get the same punishment as someone who called up George Bush and called him a murderer on live radio, no more and no less. I just feel that they should face the consequences of what they did in the nation where the offence was caused.

tisonlyi · 04-25-2004, 01:07 PM

Am I the only one who took StrangeFamous's line as humourous?

You crazy ameeeriicans, you needs to get youselves some cents of humour...

tisonlyi · 04-25-2004, 01:07 PM

My bad, he silly man.

denim · 04-25-2004, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Strange Famous
Well, I dont see it so much as a prank call, as someone who slandered a respected world leader on live radio...

Beg to differ. They called Fidel Castro. I don't know who you are referring to, but the general attitude toward him in Miami Florida USA is not remotely related to "respect".

Yakk · 04-25-2004, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Strange Famous
Well, I dont see it so much as a prank call, as someone who slandered a respected world leader on live radio... they should get the same punishment as someone who called up George Bush and called him a murderer on live radio, no more and no less. I just feel that they should face the consequences of what they did in the nation where the offence was caused.

If you did this in Cuba, I would suspect you would get no punishment.

Reminds me of an old story.

An American and a Russian mathematician where at a confrence in Italy, and they had started talking about the relative merits of their system of government.

Back and forth the arguement went, covering topic after topic. The discussion, however, ended with this.

"America is special. In America, I can stand in front of the whitehouse, and call the president a dirty rotten motherfucker, and I won't get punished," said the American.

"Ahh, but you see, I can do the equivilent as well!" pointed out the Russian. "If I went to red square, in front of the guards, I won't be punished if I point out what a dirty rotten motherfucker your president is either!"

SecretMethod70 · 04-25-2004, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Strange Famous
they should get the same punishment as someone who called up George Bush and called him a murderer on live radio, no more and no less.

That's what they've received. There's nothing illegal about calling the president a murderer on live radio, beyond broadcasting someone without their knowledge.

I'm not even gonna touch the concept of Castro as a respected world leader...

04-24-2004, 02:29 PM	#2 (permalink)
SecretMethod70 Human Administrator Location: Chicago	That's SWEET! A cookie to anyone who can provide a link to the audio __________________ Le temps détruit tout "Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

04-24-2004, 02:32 PM	#3 (permalink)
Strange Famous follower of the child's crusade?	Am I the only one thinking they should be extradited to Cuba to face charges there? __________________ "Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate, for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain without being uncovered." The Gospel of Thomas

04-24-2004, 05:14 PM	#9 (permalink)
DelayedReaction BFG Builder Location: University of Maryland	That's quality. Should've done something funnier than call him an assassin though, like ask for some cigars. __________________ If ignorance is bliss, you must be having an orgasm.

04-25-2004, 01:00 PM	#11 (permalink)
fallenangel soaring Location: near the water	People make jokes and pranks all the time, their fine that they received is sufficient. Anything more is beyond necessary. giggles to self __________________ all I wanna do is - give the best of me to you

04-25-2004, 01:05 PM	#12 (permalink)
Strange Famous follower of the child's crusade?	Well, I dont see it so much as a prank call, as someone who slandered a respected world leader on live radio... they should get the same punishment as someone who called up George Bush and called him a murderer on live radio, no more and no less. I just feel that they should face the consequences of what they did in the nation where the offence was caused. __________________ "Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate, for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain without being uncovered." The Gospel of Thomas

04-25-2004, 01:07 PM	#13 (permalink)
tisonlyi Nothing	Am I the only one who took StrangeFamous's line as humourous? You crazy ameeeriicans, you needs to get youselves some cents of humour... __________________ "I do not agree that the dog in a manger has the final right to the manger even though he may have lain there for a very long time. I do not admit that right. I do not admit for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place." - Winston Churchill, 1937 --{ORLY?}--

04-25-2004, 01:07 PM	#14 (permalink)
tisonlyi Nothing	My bad, he silly man. __________________ "I do not agree that the dog in a manger has the final right to the manger even though he may have lain there for a very long time. I do not admit that right. I do not admit for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place." - Winston Churchill, 1937 --{ORLY?}--