To Whom it May Concern;
12:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day I was listening to my was favorite radio station WGRR here in Cincinnati when I heard the following re-broadcast from Chris and Janeen morning show.
“A teacher had sent out a letter to students stating that not all families celebrate Thanksgiving! Native American consider Thanksgiving as a day of mourning due to 500 years of repression.” Janeen made the comment that “They needed to get over themselves!” I was so offended I’m not sure what Chris’s next comment was but something to the effect of “Who (referring to the teacher) put something in his noodles!”
Needless to say the more I thought about it the madder I got that anyone in radio or TV would be so insensitive as to make such a comment about any group of repressed individuals. They would not have said such a thing about African American’s or Hispanic’s and gotten away with it on the air so why would WGRR permit such a comment about Native American’s????
I am sending this letter to every American Indian organization I can find on line and other groups that are willing to show support for the American Indian population and that we demand an on air PUBLIC APPOLIGY for showing such disrespect to Native Americans.
Please forward this letter on to any organizations, or friends, and ask that they call, email or write asking for a retraction of the comment. Contact WGRR at the following:
Www. WGRR. Com in regards to the Chris O’Brien & Janine Coyle 103.5 5-9 a.m. show
103.5 WGRR Cincinnati, 895 Central Ave, Suite 900, Cincinnati, OH. 45202
Or contact: Keith Mitchell, Program Director, keith.mitchell@cumulus.com
(513) 241-9898
Respectfully yours;
Rev. Dan Newman
UPDATE: November 26, 2007 reply from WGRR
Ms. SiJohn,
Chris O’Brien and Janeen Coyle will be airing an apology for their “Thanksgiving letter” remarks that aired last week. They sincerely regret making the comments.
I have attached a copy of their statement that will be on WGRR 11/27 at 6:20am (the time they made remarks last week).
Keith Mitchell
103.5 WGRR Program Director
895 Central Avenue, Ste. 900
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone 513-241-9898
Copy of the Apology:
Dear WGRR listeners or to whom it may concern,
Last Tuesday on our Married with Microphones morning show, during our 6am hour, we reported a story that has come to our attention as being offensive and insensitive to some in our community. The story involved a school district in Seattle sending a memo to teachers reminding them that Thanksgiving is not a happy family time for Native- American students. The memo said Thanksgiving is a time of mourning since it represents 500 years of betrayal. After Chris reported the story, I, Janeen, made the comment of “Oh please get over yourself.” This comment was in no way directed toward our first people, Native Americans. It was a spontaneous comment directed at the school district. At the time, it seemed as if they were trying to spoil a beloved holiday. In retrospect, any comment that demeans another’s deeply held feelings and conviction is insensitive. We as a family have always sympathized with the plight of Native Americans, both historically and presently. Immeasurable harm has been done to them and we in no way were trying to make light of that fact. We appreciate this comment being brought to our attention and we deeply regret and apologize for any pain it has caused in our community and beyond.
Sincerely,
Chris O’Brien
Janeen Coyle