Photo by Leslie Berestein Rojas/KPCC
A protester's sign outside the Clear Channel offices in Burbank, Calif., Oct. 13, 2011
Several Latino organizations took their complaint against KFI-640 AM’s “John and Ken” talk show to the street today, picketing outside the offices of Clear Channel Communications in Burbank to call for the firing of hosts John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou.
The conservative talk radio duo came under fire recently after giving out the phone number of an immigrant advocacy group’s spokesman on air, resulting in the man being subjected to hundreds of hate calls. Today, representatives from the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), the League of Latino American Citizens, the National Hispanic Media Coalition and other groups staged a rally outside the media company’s offices at 3400 W. Olive Ave., attended by few dozen protesters.
“We call on KFI to fire them immediately,” said Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, a Pasadena-based media and civil rights advocacy group.
On the receiving end of the hate calls was Jorge-Mario Cabrera of CHIRLA, whose number was given out as the radio hosts railed against the recently-signed California Dream Act. Cabrera received a string of expletive-laced rants along the lines of up “go back to wherever it is you came from” and worse, some of them threatening.
During the press conference today, Nogales read from transcripts of a few of the calls made to Cabrera, including this one: “Listen you pile of garbage, I hope you get f***ing cancer tomorrow and start to die. You need to pack your sh*t up and go back to wherever it is that you came from. Nobody wants you here. You are invading the legal people that are in this country and ruining this country. I hope you choke in your own vomit.”
Clear Channel released a statement this afternoon. An excerpt:
We’ve had some very productive and meaningful meetings with a broad coalition of influential leaders in our community including the Latin Business Association, the Latino Institute for Corporate Inclusion and the Latino Coalition. We believe we are starting an important dialogue and building relationships.
These organizations have decided to engage constructively with KFI so that we can address their concerns and understand one another better. We are grateful for their willingness to engage in thoughtful discussion with the goal of building bridges and better serving Southern California.
Unfortunately, some groups continue to have a non-negotiable demand as a pre-condition of working together.
