John Dennis (talk show host)
Encyclopedia
John Dennis is an American radio talk show host for WEEI
, known for the Dennis and Callahan show.
in telecommunications and journalism, magna cum laude, at Kent State University
in 1974. At age 22, he served as sports director and weekday anchor for WDAF-TV
, an NBC
affiliate in Kansas City
, Missouri
. He later became a studio anchorman at WPSL
radio. In 1977, he joined WNAC-TV Channel 7 (later WNEV and now WHDH-TV
) in Boston. Over the next 21 years he covered the Boston sports scene for the station holding the following roles: weekend and weekday sports anchor, sports producer, sports director as well as producing several sports features and investigative reports. John Dennis is involved with several Boston based charities, raising money for the Jimmy Fund, the Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation and he is on the board of directors
for the Mutual Funds Against Cancer
Organization. Dennis has made cameos in many of the Farrelly brothers
' films.
after columnist Ron Borges
appeared on the show and used a racial slur to describe New York Yankees
pitcher Hideki Irabu
. After the ban, WEEI retaliated by banning Globe sportswriters from all WEEI programs.
remarks while discussing a story about an escaped gorilla
. The gorilla had escaped from the Franklin Park Zoo
and had been recaptured at a bus stop. Their on the air banter included these lines:
METCO
is a state program that buses inner-city Boston students to nearby suburban schools. Many perceived the comments to be comparing poor, mostly African-American children to gorillas.
On September 2, 2003, according to the Boston Globe, "Wellesley boy put on Metco bus by mistake". Three days later the Globe reported: "A black kindergartner who lives in Wellesley was mistaken for a student in the Metco desegregation program, put on a Metco bus after school, and erroneously dropped off in Dorchester. The boy, was returned home after the parent of a Metco student who saw him get off the bus in Boston called his family.
The executive director of the Wellesley Community Children's Center, yesterday called the mixup inadvertent. But said she has launched an investigation into whether racial bias clouded the judgment of the white teacher who directed the child to the Metco bus on the first day of school. Wellesley's school superintendent, Matthew King, called the METCO incident "outrageous".
Uncertainty over how such a mistake was made has prompted some soul-searching in Wellesley, a predominantly white community that is proud of its participation in the voluntary desegregation program, which buses minority children from Boston into suburban public schools."
On September 20, 2003 the Globe reported, "Franklin Park gorilla escapes, attacks 2" "Ape cuts girl, 2, and bites zoo worker before recapture"
In his second escape in two months, a 300-pound gorilla stormed out of the Franklin Park Zoo last night, attacking a 2-year-old girl and a zoo employee and leading authorities on a massive chase until his capture nearly 2 hours later.
The adolescent male gorilla was shot at least four times with tranquilizer darts. The animal, described as nervous outside his enclosure and energized by adrenaline, eluded authorities despite the initial shots of sedatives, drawing large crowds of curious spectators and even pausing for a rest at a bus stop. Mark Matthews, a firefighter who lives on Seaver Street, heard the reports of the gorilla chase on his police scanner.
"I saw the gorilla sitting at the bus stop. Everybody was scared, including the police. They hit him twice with a tranquilizer gun," Matthews said."
Dennis and Callahan, were joking about the accompanying news photo of the gorilla standing next to the bus stop sign near where the boy from Wellesley was dropped off by the METCO bus, and confused the town of Wellesley with Lexington. The two bus stops are 1.25 miles apart and both are adjacent to Franklin Park, the location of the zoo.
WEEI general manager Tom Baker suspended both hosts for two days, then extended the suspension to two weeks after the Blue Cross-Blue Shield (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
) pulled $27,000 in ads and in turn donated that money to METCO. Dunkin' Donuts
responded by ceasing all advertising that involved the voices of John Dennis or Gerry Callahan. Both hosts apologized, though in a way many thought was sarcastic and insincere, and were sent to sensitivity training
. WEEI also agreed to provide free advertising for the METCO program on the radio station. In November 2003, WEEI General Manager Tom Baker was replaced by Julie Kahn. Station executives denied there was a connection between the METCO incident and Baker's replacement. Nowadays, both Dennis and Callahan regularly mock their sensitivity training punishment and seemingly the victims of their taunt.
, a New England Patriot commentator at WBCN
, during which he left Rusillo a voicemail. following a conversation between John Dennis's daughter and Mr Rusillo at a local Boston bar. Subsequently, and perhaps from Dennis's intervention and close relationship with Patriot's owner Robert Kraft, Russillo lost that job. Russillo currently works for ESPN, which is heard in part on WEEI.
WEEI
WEEI is a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts, that broadcasts on 850 kHz from a transmitter in Needham, Massachusetts, and is owned by Entercom Communications. The station is one of the top-rated sports talk radio stations in the nation. Studios are located in Brighton, Massachusetts...
, known for the Dennis and Callahan show.
Biography
Mr. Dennis earned a bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in telecommunications and journalism, magna cum laude, at Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
in 1974. At age 22, he served as sports director and weekday anchor for WDAF-TV
WDAF-TV
WDAF-TV, virtual channel 4.1, is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Kansas City, Missouri-Kansas designated market area. The station is owned by Local TV LLC, the media arm of private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners. Its studios and transmitter are located in the Signal Hill...
, an NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. He later became a studio anchorman at WPSL
WPSL
WPSL may refer to:* Women's Premier Soccer League* WPSL , a radio station licensed to Port St. Lucie, Florida, United States* National Pro Fastpitch, formerly known as the Women's Pro Softball League...
radio. In 1977, he joined WNAC-TV Channel 7 (later WNEV and now WHDH-TV
WHDH-TV
WHDH, digital channel 42 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest NBC station not owned by the network. Owned by Sunbeam Television, WHDH is a sister station to CW affiliate WLVI...
) in Boston. Over the next 21 years he covered the Boston sports scene for the station holding the following roles: weekend and weekday sports anchor, sports producer, sports director as well as producing several sports features and investigative reports. John Dennis is involved with several Boston based charities, raising money for the Jimmy Fund, the Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...
Foundation and he is on the board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
for the Mutual Funds Against Cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
Organization. Dennis has made cameos in many of the Farrelly brothers
Farrelly brothers
Peter John Farrelly and Robert Leo "Bobby" Farrelly, Jr. , professionally known as the Farrelly Brothers are screenwriters and directors of ten comedy films, including There's Something About Mary; Dumb and Dumber; Kingpin; Hall Pass; Me, Myself & Irene; Shallow Hal; Stuck on You; Osmosis Jones;...
' films.
Boston Globe Ban
In 1999, the Boston Globes executive sports editor, Don Skwar banned its sportswriters from the Globe from appearing on the Dennis & Callahan morning show because of its perceived lowbrow humor. This came two weeks after he banned Globe sportswriters from appearing on WEEI's afternoon The Big ShowThe Big Show (sports radio show)
The Big Show is a sports talk radio program on Boston's WEEI 850 AM. Started in August 1995, the show is hosted by former Boston Celtics play-by-play announcer Glenn Ordway and former Boston Globe columnist Michael Holley...
after columnist Ron Borges
Ron Borges
Ron Borges is currently a sportswriter for the Boston Herald. He previously wrote for The Boston Globe, and was a regular guest on Michael Felger's radio show The Mike Felger Show, which aired on 890 ESPN until July 2008. Borges also was a regular contributor to the until 2008...
appeared on the show and used a racial slur to describe New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
pitcher Hideki Irabu
Hideki Irabu
was a professional baseball player of Okinawan and American mixed ancestry. He played professionally in both Japan and the United States.-Early life:...
. After the ban, WEEI retaliated by banning Globe sportswriters from all WEEI programs.
METCO controversy
On September 29, 2003, during a segment called 'headlines', where they read and comment about current news stories, Callahan and his morning co-host John Dennis made racially insensitiveRacism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
remarks while discussing a story about an escaped gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
. The gorilla had escaped from the Franklin Park Zoo
Franklin Park Zoo
The Franklin Park Zoo is a zoo located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is currently operated by Zoo New England, which also operates the Stone Zoo in Stoneham, Massachusetts...
and had been recaptured at a bus stop. Their on the air banter included these lines:
Callahan: "They caught him at a bus stop, right -- he was like waiting to catch a bus out of town."
Dennis: "Yeah, yeah -- he's a METCO gorilla."
Callahan: "Heading out to LexingtonLexington, MassachusettsLexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...
."
Dennis: "Exactly."
METCO
METCO
METCO stands for the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity. Founded in 1966 in Boston, Massachusetts, METCO is the longest continuously running voluntary school desegregation program in the country and a national model for the few other voluntary desegregation busing programs currently...
is a state program that buses inner-city Boston students to nearby suburban schools. Many perceived the comments to be comparing poor, mostly African-American children to gorillas.
On September 2, 2003, according to the Boston Globe, "Wellesley boy put on Metco bus by mistake". Three days later the Globe reported: "A black kindergartner who lives in Wellesley was mistaken for a student in the Metco desegregation program, put on a Metco bus after school, and erroneously dropped off in Dorchester. The boy, was returned home after the parent of a Metco student who saw him get off the bus in Boston called his family.
The executive director of the Wellesley Community Children's Center, yesterday called the mixup inadvertent. But said she has launched an investigation into whether racial bias clouded the judgment of the white teacher who directed the child to the Metco bus on the first day of school. Wellesley's school superintendent, Matthew King, called the METCO incident "outrageous".
Uncertainty over how such a mistake was made has prompted some soul-searching in Wellesley, a predominantly white community that is proud of its participation in the voluntary desegregation program, which buses minority children from Boston into suburban public schools."
On September 20, 2003 the Globe reported, "Franklin Park gorilla escapes, attacks 2" "Ape cuts girl, 2, and bites zoo worker before recapture"
In his second escape in two months, a 300-pound gorilla stormed out of the Franklin Park Zoo last night, attacking a 2-year-old girl and a zoo employee and leading authorities on a massive chase until his capture nearly 2 hours later.
The adolescent male gorilla was shot at least four times with tranquilizer darts. The animal, described as nervous outside his enclosure and energized by adrenaline, eluded authorities despite the initial shots of sedatives, drawing large crowds of curious spectators and even pausing for a rest at a bus stop. Mark Matthews, a firefighter who lives on Seaver Street, heard the reports of the gorilla chase on his police scanner.
"I saw the gorilla sitting at the bus stop. Everybody was scared, including the police. They hit him twice with a tranquilizer gun," Matthews said."
Dennis and Callahan, were joking about the accompanying news photo of the gorilla standing next to the bus stop sign near where the boy from Wellesley was dropped off by the METCO bus, and confused the town of Wellesley with Lexington. The two bus stops are 1.25 miles apart and both are adjacent to Franklin Park, the location of the zoo.
WEEI general manager Tom Baker suspended both hosts for two days, then extended the suspension to two weeks after the Blue Cross-Blue Shield (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
) pulled $27,000 in ads and in turn donated that money to METCO. Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin' Donuts is an international doughnut and coffee retailer founded in 1950 by William Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts; it is now headquartered in Canton...
responded by ceasing all advertising that involved the voices of John Dennis or Gerry Callahan. Both hosts apologized, though in a way many thought was sarcastic and insincere, and were sent to sensitivity training
Sensitivity training
Sensitivity Training is a form of training that claims to make people more aware of their own prejudices, and more sensitive to others. According to its critics, it involves the use of psychological techniques with groups that its critics, e.g. G. Edward Griffin, claim are often identical to...
. WEEI also agreed to provide free advertising for the METCO program on the radio station. In November 2003, WEEI General Manager Tom Baker was replaced by Julie Kahn. Station executives denied there was a connection between the METCO incident and Baker's replacement. Nowadays, both Dennis and Callahan regularly mock their sensitivity training punishment and seemingly the victims of their taunt.
Ryen Russillo voicemail
Mr. Dennis had a personal conflict with Ryen RussilloRyen Russillo
Ryen Russillo is an American sports host. He has worked for ESPN Radio as the co-host of The Scott Van Pelt Show since May, 2009....
, a New England Patriot commentator at WBCN
WBCN
WBCN is a digital-only radio station airing on WBZ-FM HD-2 in Boston, Massachusetts and owned by CBS Radio. Before switching to 98.5 HD-2 on 12 August 2009, WBCN ran its rock format for 41 years as an analog radio station on 104.1 MHz . WBCN became a legend in the rock music industry for...
, during which he left Rusillo a voicemail. following a conversation between John Dennis's daughter and Mr Rusillo at a local Boston bar. Subsequently, and perhaps from Dennis's intervention and close relationship with Patriot's owner Robert Kraft, Russillo lost that job. Russillo currently works for ESPN, which is heard in part on WEEI.
Personal awards and recognition
- 1978 Nominated for Regional Emmy for his feature, "Cowboys, Creole and Orange Crush."
- 1978 & 1981 Regional Emmy for specialized reporting.
- 1983 & 1984 Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
(AP) Best Sports Coverage award. - 1983, 1984 & 1985 National Association of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) Boston/New England Chapter Emmy award for "Best Sports Coverage within a Newscast.
- 1983, 1984 & 1985 UPI Best Sports Coverage awards.
- 1986 As part of the WHDH-TV sports team, was awarded the United Press InternationalUnited Press InternationalUnited Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
(UPI) National Broadcast Award in the "Division One Sports Reporting" category. - 1987 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Sports Program within a Newscast."