Racism at WNSB?
Joel Kaplan
May 24, 2012
More than two months ago, Laura Keene, a supporter of Norfolk State's public radio station, WNSB, was listening to an interview with black rights activist Mukasa Dada and became quite upset:
"I do not believe that you would want CPB affiliated with the anti-white remarks that were being slung by this person on the radio station. You can support black rights without being anti-white. Many whites nowadays are involved with equality movements so it is a slap in the face to hear such derogatory racial slams be thrown out as though every white person in America personally owned a slave, personally went to Africa and stole a human being from their rightful home, as if every white person born for the rest of time should pay for the injustices of a time that has long passed. I thought you would be interested in knowing what sort of irresponsible, offensive, racist comments were being allowed (not to mention supported by the DJ) on a radio station you support. I have in the past made donations to both WNSB and CPB. I no longer plan to support the radio station in any way. I suggest you pull your sponsorship or demand that a public apology be issued and that DJ be taken off the air if you continue to back them. I have heard that particular DJ make racist comments before, but after that yesterday I have had it. There are things that you just don't say. White people would be hung out to dry for their racial remarks, yet we continue to be bashed and slammed in public venues by the people who want to say we are the racist ones. As long as this type of ignorance continues, we will never be free of racism. It does go both ways."
Norfolk State University is a historically black university founded in 1935. WNSB, like many public radio stations at universities, is licensed to the university's Board of Visitors. It is primarily used as a laboratory for students in the university's Mass Communications & Journalism department. On the day in question, a Norfolk State student was conducting the interview with Mr. Dada.
Douglas Perry, WNSB's professional program director, said the March 13 interview was a carry-over from a previous show. The DJ had some technical problems interviewing Mr. Dada about slavery for a show during Black History Month and so decided to continue their talk with an in-studio interview. Mr. Perry said he could not send a transcript of the show nor provide the name of the disc jockey until he received permission from the university.
One of Ms. Keene's primary complaints was her inability to hear back from anyone at the radio station. That can be a frustrating experience. All public broadcasting stations need to understand that they should answer listener and viewer queries and complaints promptly.
In this case, it took nearly two months for even the ombudsman to hear back from the radio station, only to find out that the student in question was suspended and removed from the radio station shortly before Ms. Keene filed her complaint (a decision that should have been promptly reported by the radio station).
"The station in no way condones the actions that happened on this day," said Mr. Perry. "Mr. Dada was only supposed to have been a guest for Black History Month. I had no clue that the producer had rescheduled a second interview with him until I heard the interview. The student compromised the station and my integrity when he allowed certain views to be expressed without consultation. After reviewing the situation the student was suspended first and then terminated. He has since graduated from the university."
Students will make mistakes. That is understood. What is important is that when such mistakes are made, the radio station promptly and publicly take the necessary actions.
Interestingly, according to Mr. Perry, following that decision he began receiving hate mail and text messages from members of the New Black Panther Party. He called in the university police department to deal with those threats.
