'John and Ken' Boycott is on After Canceled Meeting

The National Hispanic Media Coalition is moving forward with a boycott of the John and Ken radio show after KFI management canceled a meeting with the immigrant rights group. “I’m more than happy to sit down with anybody who has a concern and talk it out but we’re not going to be held hostage to demands that are outlandish,” Greg Ashlock, market manager for Clear Channel Radio Los Angeles told the Los Angeles Times. The group is upset over John and Ken giving out the cellphone number of Jorge-Mario Cabrera, an immigrant rights activist for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. Cabrera received more than 400 phone calls as a result. After the jump are statements from KFI and the National Hispanic Media Coalition. KFI's Statement on John and Ken: "Expressing your opinion is not a firing offense. KFI stands behind John and Ken and their right to speak their minds- opinions shared, incidentally, by over a million California listeners each week and protected by the First Amendment. A handful of individuals who claim to speak for the Southern California Latino community have exaggerated or misrepresented what was said on the air in a transparent effort to advance their own political agenda and their own personal ambitions. However, the station wants to be sure that there are no misunderstandings between us and LA’s important, vibrant and diverse Latino community. We are meeting with a larger, more representative group of local Latino leaders – including representatives of LULAC, the nation's oldest and largest Hispanic Civil Rights organization, the Latin Business Association, the nation's largest Hispanic business group, and others – to have an open, fruitful discussion about any concerns they may have. Because KFI refuses to fire John and Ken, as demanded by these few individuals, they have called for a boycott of their show and the station. We’re not going to validate the political agenda of a few and we reject their efforts to intimidate us, or to interfere with our relationship with our listeners." National Hispanic Media Coalition's Statement on John and Ken: "This cancellation is only one incident in Clear Channel and KFI's disappointing pattern of disregard for the Latino community. Clear Channel and KFI have proven that they are hate profiteers. Their refusal to face the music regarding John and Ken's egregious behavior shows us that they are not concerned with the people they harm but only their bottom line. This is not the kind of response we would expect from responsible broadcasters. By their actions, Clear Channel and KFI have sent a strong message - they have blessed John and Ken's hate-filled rants while at the same time demonstrated their complete disregard to serving the Los Angeles community."

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'John and Ken' Boycott is on After Canceled Meeting

Marcus Vanderberg

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Marcus Vanderberg