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Belling returns to radio spot
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by Ryan Masse
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Milwaukee radio-station talk-show host Mark Belling made his return to the airwaves this week, but the controversy his inflammatory comments spawned continues to draw heated argument among loyal listeners and local activists.
While many have called for Belling’s permanent removal from News/Talk 1130 WISN, some groups are ready to put the incident in the past.
“The apology and Mr. Belling’s absence from the airwaves to date showed that the gravity of his comments is being understood,” Bob Gonzalez, president of the Minority Contractors’ Association, said in a press release. “To mandate his removal does not help us heal and does not represent the interests of many Hispanics.”
Speaking on the upcoming election during his Oct. 27 program, Belling referred to illegal voters as “wetbacks,” a derogatory term for illegal Mexican immigrants. Amid outcry from the Milwaukee Hispanic community, Belling issued a sarcastic apology and was subsequently suspended from his show.
The beleaguered host returned to the air Monday, but a consortium of Belling foes are still not content with the punishment. They say WISN’s parent company, radio giant Clear Channel Communications, should remove the talk-show host for good.
Others believe the suspension, coupled with a heartfelt apology, prove Belling understands the seriousness of his comments.
“Belling’s audacious comments have been properly and strongly condemned,” Maria Monreal-Cameron, president of the Wisconsin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. “I feel it is time for healing and promoting unity. We must move beyond the Belling issue and concentrate our efforts on other pressing issues affecting our community.”
Jack Mitchell, a University of Wisconsin professor and former employee of National Public Radio, said the one-week suspension struck him as a “weird compromise.”
“The station did it just to save face — I don’t think it was a very effective move,” Mitchell said. “The station should have either defended him or let him go.”
Given Belling’s track record, the comments should not have come as much of a surprise, Mitchell added.
“I don’t think the comment was right, but given the kind of show it is … it fits,” Mitchell said. “I’m sort of surprised that this one was singled out, when this is kind of usual for him.”
Mitchell said Belling is unlikely to experience a decline in listenership due to the off-color comment. Belling’s show regularly ranks as the top-rated program in the Milwaukee area during its afternoon time slot.
“He’s provocative, and that’s what makes him interesting … that’s his style,” Mitchell said. “I’m sure they’re not interested (in appeasing dissatisfied listeners), because they know that a radio station makes money right now through a niche. In Milwaukee, if you get 3 or 4 percent, you’re getting your share. [WISN] is just going for their niche and you can forget about the rest of radio listeners.”
—Matthew Dolbey contributed to this report
Mark Baumgardner (November 18, 2004 @ 7:30am):
I feel this was a fair story in covering this event. The one misconception people seem to have is that Belling issued a sarcastic apology and that he did not make a sincere apology until much later. That is not the case.
Belling made a sincere apology and then when the media kept doing story after story on the incident, he realized that many had other motives (getting him removed from the air) for keeping the story alive. That is when he started joking around. Was that stupid for him to do that? Of course it was. But that sarcasm should be put in the proper context- he was taking shots at the constant media coverage of the story, not those offended by his use of the term he used.
I believe the only people that are in a position to judge what he did are those who were actually listening to his show, not just reading the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's coverage of this. As someone who listens to a portion of Belling's show every day, and listened to those days of controversy, I was extremely disgusted with their coverage which consistently featured quotes and reporting without the full truth and without proper context. It is incredibly unfair to use their coverage (and subsequent coverage from other mainstream media outlets in Wisconsin) as the sole source of information on this story.
I commend the authors of this story for doing a good job in going beyond the usual sources most people have relied on for coverage of this story.
