Shock jock is a slang term used to describe a type of
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcaster (sometimes a
disc jockeyA disc jockey is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, dis
k referred to phonograph records, while dis
c referred to the Compact Disc, and has become the more common spelling...
) who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive. The term is usually used pejoratively to describe provocative or irreverent
broadcastersA presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
whose mannerisms, statements and actions are typically
offensiveOffensive may refer to:* Offensive , a political party* Offensive , an attack...
to many listeners.
The idea of a performer or entertainer who breaks
tabooA taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and forbidden. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society. The term comes from the Tongan language, and appears in many Polynesian cultures...
s or adopts a career in the realm of the currently
offensiveOffensive may refer to:* Offensive , a political party* Offensive , an attack...
is not a new one.
Shock jock is a slang term used to describe a type of
radioRadio is the transmission of signals by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcaster (sometimes a
disc jockeyA disc jockey is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, dis
k referred to phonograph records, while dis
c referred to the Compact Disc, and has become the more common spelling...
) who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive. The term is usually used pejoratively to describe provocative or irreverent
broadcastersA presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
whose mannerisms, statements and actions are typically
offensiveOffensive may refer to:* Offensive , a political party* Offensive , an attack...
to many listeners.
Background
The idea of a performer or entertainer who breaks
tabooA taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and forbidden. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society. The term comes from the Tongan language, and appears in many Polynesian cultures...
s or adopts a career in the realm of the currently
offensiveOffensive may refer to:* Offensive , a political party* Offensive , an attack...
is not a new one. Despite insistences of some
decencyDecency is an individual's adherence to social standards of appropriate speech and conduct.Standards of decency vary greatly depending on the cultural context...
activists, there are few eras of history in which there have not existed notoriously offensive performers (
PetroniusGaius Petronius Arbiter was a Roman courtier during the reign of Nero. He is speculated to be the author of the Satyricon, a satirical novel believed to have been written during the Neronian age.-Life:...
,
Benny BellBenny Bell was a Jewish American singer-songwriter who reached popularity in the 1940s, with a comeback in the 1970s. He is particularly remembered for his risqué but cheerfully optimistic songs.-Career:Benny Bell was born to an immigrant Jewish family in New York City...
,
Le PétomaneLe Pétomane was the stage name of the French flatulist and entertainer Joseph Pujol . He was famous for his remarkable control of the abdominal muscles, which enabled him to fart at will. His stage name combines the French verb péter, "to fart" with the -mane, "-maniac" suffix, which translates...
,
Redd FoxxRedd Foxx , born John Elroy Sanford, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life and career:...
and
Lenny BruceLenny Bruce , born Leonard Alfred Schneider, was an American stand-up comedian, writer, social critic and satirist of the 1950s and 1960s. His 1964 conviction in an obscenity trial led to the first posthumous pardon in New York history.-Early life:Bruce was born in Mineola, New York, grew up in...
for example). Shock jocks, as the current incarnation of this phenomenon, entered the American radio scene during the 1970s, and are still common into the 2000s.
Shock jocks may be informally identified by a number of common behaviors or conditions. Many such broadcasters revel in the fact (or belief) that a good portion of their listening
audienceAn audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
consists of people who strongly dislike them; which of course, is an ironic but welcome boost to the broadcaster's
ratingsAudience measurement measure how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also newspaper and magazine readership, and increasingly, usage of websites, to help broadcasters and advertisers determine who is listening, rather than just...
.
Shock jocks also tend to push the envelope of decency in their market, and generally show a lack of regard for communications regulations (e.g.
FCCThe Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, directed, and empowered by Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President...
rules in the U.S.) regarding content. It is not at all uncommon for a shock jock to be fined by regulators for "going too far"; in fact, some broadcasters consider such an incident as a "badge of honor". Also, such incidents are typically followed by a
media circusMedia circus describes a news event where the media coverage is perceived to be out of proportion to the event being covered, such as the number of reporters at the scene, the amount of news media published or broadcast, and the level of media hype. The term is meant to critique the media by...
, which of course provides more promotion for the broadcaster and brings more attention to their antics.
Popular envelope-pushing areas for shock jocks include
sexIn biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
ual (especially
kinkIn human sexuality, kinkiness or kinky , is a term used to refer to an intelligent and playful usage of sexual concepts in an accentuated, and unambiguously expressive form....
y) and/or scatalogical (
toilet humourToilet humour, or scatological humour, is a type of off-colour humour dealing with defecation, urination, flatulence, vomiting and other bodily functions. Public reference to bodily functions is taboo in many cultures...
) topics, or just unabashed
innuendoAn innuendo is, according to the Advanced Oxford Learner's Dictionary, "an indirect remark about somebody or something, usually suggesting something bad or rude; the use of remarks like this: innuendoes about her private life or The song is full of sexual innuendo." The word is often used to...
.
Many shock jocks have been fired as a result of such punishments as regulatory fines, loss of
advertisersAdvertising is a form of communication used to influence individuals to purchase products or services or support political candidates or ideas. Frequently it communicates a message that includes the name of the product or service and how that product or service could potentially benefit the consumer...
, or simply social and political outrage. On the other hand, it is also not uncommon for such broadcasters to be quickly re-hired by another station or network.
Shock jocks in the U.S. are under greater pressure since the introduction of the
Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005The Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 was legislation in the United States Senate that increased penalties for broadcasters who violate FCC decency standards.The bill was sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas....
, which increased the fines on radio stations for violating decency guidelines by nearly 20 times.
Famous incidents
Some major popularized incidents involving shock jocks:
- February 1974: Larry Lujack
Larry Lujack , a Top 40 Music radio disc jockey, was known for his world-weary sarcastic style, "Klunk Letter of the Day" and darkly humorous "Animal Stories" and "Cheap Trashy Show Biz." He was also referred to as Superjock, Lawrence of Chicago, Uncle Lar, and King of the Corn Belt.Born in...
of WCFLWMVP is the callsign of a commercial radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is owned by ABC. Its transmitter is located in Downers Grove. Its former call sign was WCFL, for the Chicago Federation of Labor....
Chicago responded to a fan's letter on-air by stating he'd play more Jim CroceJames Joseph "Jim" Croce was an American singer-songwriter. Between 1960 and 1973, Croce released six studio albums and eleven singles. His singles "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Time in a Bottle" were both number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts...
records "when Croce goes back into the studio and makes some more." (Croce had died in a Louisiana plane crash five months earlier.) The resulting protests from Croce fans led to an apology and an on-air admission by a Lujack a few days later that the statement was inappropriate.
- July 12 1979: WLUP
WLUP-FM is a mainstream rock FM radio station serving the Chicago metropolitan area. It is owned by Emmis Communications. WLUP transmits its signal from an antenna located the top of the Willis Tower in Downtown Chicago at a height of 1,390 feet with an effective radiated power of 4,000 watts...
Chicago disc jockeys Steve DahlStephen Robert Dahl has been an American radio personality for over thirty years. He was most recently on the air at WJMK , in Chicago, Illinois. Before WJMK, Dahl broadcast with Chicago stations WCKG, WDAI, WLUP, WMVP and WLS...
and Garry MeierGarry Meier is a Chicago-based radio personality, famous in his former role as one half of the "Steve and Garry" team .- Beginnings :...
staged "Disco Demolition NightDisco Demolition Night was a promotional event that took place on Thursday, July 12 1979, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois. It was held during the twi-night doubleheader baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers. During the climax of the event, rowdy fans surged onto...
" at Comiskey ParkComiskey Park was the ballpark in which the Chicago White Sox played from 1910 to 1990. It was built by Charles Comiskey after a design by Zachary Taylor Davis, and was the site of four World Series and more than 6,000 major league games...
between games of a scheduled Chicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
-Detroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in . The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant 10 times...
double-header. Fans were granted admittance to the games for 98 cents if they also donated unwanted disco records to be blown up at Comiskey's second base during the event. After the records were blown up, fans spilled onto the playing field and rioted, causing the White Sox to forfeit the scheduled second game.
- October 1993: Mancow made national headlines while working for radio station KYLD in San Francisco, California. At the time, a story had been circulated that President Clinton had tied up traffic on an LAX runway for over an hour because of a haircut on Air Force One. Mancow staged a parody of this incident on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge during rush hour, using vans to block the westbound lanes of the bridge, while his sidekick Jesus "Chuy" Gomez got a haircut. Muller was convicted of a felony by a San Francisco Municipal Court and sentenced to three years probation, ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and fined $500, while KYLD settled a lawsuit filed by a bridge commuter for $1.5 million.
- April 1995: On the Don Imus
John Donald "Don" Imus, Jr. is an American radio host, humorist, writer, and philanthropist. His nationally-syndicated talk show, Imus in the Morning, airs throughout the United States on Citadel Media.-Personal life:...
radio show, US SenatorThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
Al D'AmatoAlfonse Marcello D'Amato is an American lawyer and former New York politician. A Republican, he served as United States Senator from New York from 1981 to 1999.-Early life and career:...
put on a comical AsianAsian people or Asiatic people is a demonym for people from Asia. However, the use of the term varies by country and person, often referring to people from a particular region or subregion of Asia...
accent and criticized judge Lance ItoLance Allan Ito is an American Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, best known for his presiding decision during the O. J. Simpson murder trial. He currently hears felony criminal cases at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.-Early life and career:Ito was born to Jim and Toshi Ito...
for personal interest in allowing televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
cameras in the O.J. Simpson murder trial; Imus was criticized for keeping D'Amato on air because of the shock value of the senator's comments.
- September 2000: New Zealand radio personality Iain Stables
Iain Philip Stables was a New Zealand disc jockey. Stables worked on various radio stations across New Zealand beginning his radio career on Radio Windy in Wellington at the age of 14, as well as radio Stables had a short stint on Television as a judge on NZ Idol in 2006.During his radio career...
appeared in court in a Superman outfit over a stunt where Stables successfully had his workmates strip searched at Los Angeles International AirportLos Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California, the second-most populated metropolitan area of the United States. It is often referred to by its airport code LAX, with the letters usually pronounced individually...
. Stables called the security at Los Angeles Airport, stating he was from Interpol New Zealand, and he believed that certain passengers on a flight from Auckland to Los Angeles were carrying Kiwi eggs up their rear cavities, these passengers being Stables's work colleagues at The Edge FM. He was fined $1,100 for the incident.
- February 27 2001: Bubba the Love Sponge
Bubba the Love Sponge is a controversial radio talk show host. Bubba's radio shows are broadcast on Howard 101 at Sirius Satellite Radio and on various Cox Radio stations....
had a pigPigs are a genus of even-toed ungulates within the family Suidae. The name hog most commonly refers to the domestic pig in everyday parlance, but technically encompasses several distinct species, including the wild boar...
castratedCastration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testicles or a female loses the functions of the ovaries...
and killed on the air. Bubba was charged with animal cruelty, but was acquittedIn the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the innocence of the accused, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
.
- June 12 2001: Dallas-Fort Worth based radio duo Kramer and Twitch of KEGL told listeners that Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American singer and entertainer. Born in Mississippi and raised in Louisiana, Spears first appeared on national television in 1992 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993 to...
and then boyfriend Justin TimberlakeJustin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician. He has won six Grammy Awards as well as two Emmy Awards. He got his big break when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate...
were involved in an auto accident, leaving Spears dead and Timberlake in a coma. Distraught fans flooded local emergency and law enforcement agencies. The duo were fired from the station on June 18.
- August 16 2002: Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in The United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. It is co-hosted by stand up comedian Jim Norton...
sponsored a contest where the goal was to have sex in notable public places, called Sex For Sam 3. After a couple had sex in a vestibuleVestibule or Vestibulum can have the following meanings, each primarily based upon a common origin, from early 17th century French, derived from Latin vestibulum, -i n. "entrance court".-Anatomy:...
at St. Patrick's CathedralSaint Patrick's Cathedral is adecorated Neo-Gothic-style Catholic cathedral church in the United States. It is the seat of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and a parish church, located on the east side of Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets in midtown Manhattan,...
, the resulting controversy led to Infinity Broadcasting cancelling the Opie and Anthony Show and firing the duo, while Infinity was fined $357,500 USD for the incident.
- December 12 2002: Porn actress Mary Carey submitted to an IQ test on the Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio and media personality most notable for his radio show which since January 9, 2006, has been broadcasting on Sirius XM, an uncensored satellite radio service...
show. She was forced to put her head in Howard's toilet bowl after she flunked the test.
- January 27 2004: Clear Channel
Clear Channel Communications is an American media conglomerate company headquartered at 200 East Basse Road in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, who wields considerable influence in radio broadcasting, concert promotion and hosting, and fixed advertising in...
was fined a total of $755,000 USD for an airing of radio personality Bubba the Love SpongeBubba the Love Sponge is a controversial radio talk show host. Bubba's radio shows are broadcast on Howard 101 at Sirius Satellite Radio and on various Cox Radio stations....
, which included, amongst other things, a scene involving explicit sexual conversations between children's cartoon characters. Bubba was fired on February 25.
- April 8 2004: Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio and media personality most notable for his radio show which since January 9, 2006, has been broadcasting on Sirius XM, an uncensored satellite radio service...
's show was cancelled by Clear Channel CommunicationsClear Channel Communications is an American media conglomerate company headquartered at 200 East Basse Road in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, who wields considerable influence in radio broadcasting, concert promotion and hosting, and fixed advertising in...
after they were fined $495,000 USD for a number of statements made during a Stern show. Stern later used his remaining market shareMarket share, in strategic management and marketing is, according to Carlton O'Neal, the percentage or proportion of the total available market or market segment that is being serviced by a company. It can be expressed as a company's sales revenue divided by the total sales revenue available in...
to criticize Clear Channel and the Bush AdministrationThe Presidency of George W. Bush began on his inauguration on January 20, 2001 as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
, and left the public airwaves to move to satellite radioA satellite radio or subscription radio is a digital radio signal that is broadcast by a communications satellite, which covers a much wider geographical range than terrestrial radio signals....
, which is not subject to the same FCC decency regulations.
- April 9 2004: The Regular Guys
The Regular Guys is a morning show based out of Atlanta radio station Rock 100.5. Its demographic targets are men ages 25 to 49....
of WKLS 96 Rock in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the state of Georgia, as well as the urban core of one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States....
were fired after a graphic interview with porn movie actress Devin Lane was accidentally aired over a Honda commercial. That interview was intended to be played backwards when they returned from the break, mocking the FCC indecency crackdown at the time.
- May 12 2004: Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the state of Oregon. As of July 2008, it has an estimated population of 575,930, making it the 29th most populous in the United States. It has been referred to as the most...
disk jockeys Marconi and Tiny played the audio portion of the video of Nick BergNicholas Evan Berg was an American Jewish businessman who went to Iraq after the US invasion of Iraq. He was abducted and later beheaded according to a video released in May 2004 by individuals claiming to be Islamic militants...
's murder on their morning program several times, accompanied by music, jokes, and laughter over the scenes. The pair were fired on the same day.
- April 4 2007: Don Imus
John Donald "Don" Imus, Jr. is an American radio host, humorist, writer, and philanthropist. His nationally-syndicated talk show, Imus in the Morning, airs throughout the United States on Citadel Media.-Personal life:...
referred to the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos" on his morning radio show. On April 9, MSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States and available in both the US and Canada. Its name is a combination of "MSN" and "NBC"....
and CBS RadioCBS Radio Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, fourth behind main rival Clear Channel Communications , Cumulus Media and Citadel Broadcasting...
suspended Imus from his radio and television shows for two weeks, and MSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States and available in both the US and Canada. Its name is a combination of "MSN" and "NBC"....
canceled its simulcastSimulcast is a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast", and refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are...
of "Imus in the Morning" on April 11; Imus was fired from CBS Radio the following day.
- May 11 2007: The Dog House with JV and Elvis was cancelled by CBS Radio
CBS Radio Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, fourth behind main rival Clear Channel Communications , Cumulus Media and Citadel Broadcasting...
after they re-broadcast a prank call to a Chinese restaurant in which the caller placed an order for "shrimp flied lice", claimed he was a student of kung fu, and compared menu items to employees' body parts in an exaggerated accent. JV and Elvis were also fired.
- May 15 2007: XM suspended Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in The United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. It is co-hosted by stand up comedian Jim Norton...
for 30 days after a homeless man making a guest appearance described how he would like to have a threesome with the United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and First Lady Laura Bush, and abused Queen Elizabeth II.
- July 29 2009: On his morning breakfast radio show, Kyle Sandilands
Kyle Sandilands is an Australian radio and TV personality. He was the host, with "Jackie O" , of the nationally-syndicated chart show The Hot Hits, the weekday morning radio program The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Sydney radio station 2Day FM and The Kyle and Jackie O Hour of Power which airs on...
provoked outrage when his "Lie Detector"Lie Detector" is a CD single by The Reverend Horton Heat. It was released in October of 1998 on Sub Pop.-Personnel:*Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath - lead vocals, guitar*Jimbo Wallace - upright bass, vocals*Scott Churilla - drums, vocals...
" segment featured a 14 year old girl who, when quizzed on her sexual history by her mother, broke down, revealing she had been raped at the age of 12. Kyle then blew this off saying her mother meant any intercourse other than rape. The show was suspended for one week.
- September 8 2009: Kyle Sandilands provoked further outrage three days after his suspension expired when he made a slur about Jenny Craig
Jenny Craig is an American weight loss guru and founder of Jenny Craig, Inc. Craig was raised in New Orleans and married Sidney Harvey Craig in 1979. In 1983, she and her husband created a nutrition, fitness, and weight loss program in Australia...
ambassador Magda SzubanskiMagda Szubanski is a British-born Australian actress, comedian, television presenter, radio host and writer.Szubanski's career began while she was studying at university and she progressed to television sketch comedy, as both a writer and performer...
, saying she could have lost more weight in a concentration camp. Sandilands was suspended for ten days without pay, and after a review on September 18, had his suspension extended by three weeks. Sandilands returned to air on October 8, apologized for the incident, and was blessed by a priest at the start of the show.
Noted shock jocks
Evocative or outspoken broadcasters have been branded with the "shock jock" label across all ends of the spectrum of radio (and TV) broadcasters. Most range from the sexually indecent to the politically offensive.
Further reading
- Rory O'Connor
Rory O'Connor may refer to:* Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, , king of Connacht and High King of Ireland* Rory O'Connor , an Irish Republican of the 1920s, who fought in the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War...
, Shock Jocks: Hate Speech and Talk Radio: America's Ten Worst Hate Talkers and the Progressive Alternatives, AlterNet Books, 2008.
External links