In a victory of sorts, WMMS in Cleveland said earlier today that it has taken disciplinary action against morning show co-host Dominic Dieter for his disgusting advice to a father who thought his daughter might be a lesbian: "You should get one of your friends to screw your daughter straight." From the looks of it, Dieter was suspended at least for this morning's edition of "Rover's Morning Glory" and made to apologize.
The station aired a recorded apology from Dieter, who was not on the air for today's broadcast of the morning drive show, which traditionally stretches the boundaries of taste.Weak sauce, I say--about as weak as GLAAD's initial demand that Dieter only be suspended. Dieter pretty much weakens his apology with the standard "sorry if anyone was offended" business. It cannot be understated enough--Dieter was calling for child abuse, and needs to be off the air for good. The only reason I'm not writing the FCC to complain is that Clear Channel at least took action by suspending him and making him apologize on air."I want to genuinely apologize to anyone who may have been offended by what I said," Dieter told listeners today, according to a transcript sent to GLAAD. "I regret what I did say. My comments were inappropriate. They were inexcusable, and just downright stupid. And I want to make it clear; there was absolutely no intention to promote physical or sexual violence."
"We take matters of this nature very seriously; his comment was thoughtless and unacceptable, and we apologize to those who were offended," said Clear Channel Operations Manager Keith Abrams in an emailed response to a request for comment. "We can assure you the appropriate disciplinary action has been taken, and Dieter has since apologized on air and is fully aware that what he said was unacceptable.
"We also want you to be aware that during Friday's broadcast, he was in fact immediately criticized on-air by the other hosts of the show, and the rest of the segment was dedicated to a productive discussion about the acceptance of all lifestyles," Abrams wrote. "It included call-ins and commentary from members and friends of the gay community. WMMS supports the gay community and again, we deeply apologize."
A Change.org petition calling for Dieter to be fired is at over 1,000 signatures. Keep the pressure on.