1015 Bob Rocks Funny Hisitorical Hagerstown

An area radio station is getting blowback from the City of Hagerstown after it attempted to make jokes about drug abuse, prostitutes and violent crime in the city.

101.5 Bob Rocks jokes about cities around the Tri-State area as a part of its "Your Hometown" segments. The station is run by VerStandig Broadcasting based in Greencastle, Pa.

The city is saying the station went too far.

A recording of the broadcast went viral on Facebook after a listener posted it Oct. 6. It was shared more than 2,000 times and had more than 100,000 views on Wednesday.

After several other jokes about prostitution and drugs, the segment ends with the following: "Just remember the old Hagerstown motto. If you're all alone after dark heading back to where you park and want to live to be a year older make sure you watch back over your shoulder."

Councilman Kristin Aleshire brought up the broadcast at the end of Tuesday's Hagerstown City Council work session. The discussion led to a consensus to move forward with potentially pulling the city's approximately $11,000 in advertising with VerStandig Broadcasting.

"They disparaged everything under the sun associated with Hagerstown. Its citizens, its businesses and its cultural places. I understand it was attempted to be humor ... but I have no interest in the city continuing to do any further business or advertising with them," Aleshire said during the work session.

Aleshire said the broadcasting company attempted to offer free advertising or gestures in response to concerns, but he has no interest.

"They sort of apologized to the city privately and they took (the recording) down abruptly, but there are at least a dozen other communities still up on that page since I have checked last," Aleshire said. "Places such as Greencastle, Williamsport, Maugansville and all these other locations and we don't live in a vacuum in this community. These are a dozen other jurisdictions that are our cultural counterparts in this Tri-State region that have equally disparaging bits."

All the "Your Hometown" segments have been taken off the station's website.

The council will make a motion regarding its funding to 101.5 Bob Rocks during its meeting next Tuesday at 7 p.m. inside City Hall in downtown Hagerstown.

C. Blake Truman, vice president and general manager of VerStandig Broadcasting, said the company is taking action.

"Mr. VerStandig, the owner of WBHB-FM, has been informed of the situation, and is extremely concerned that any member of our broadcast family would cast a negative light on any local city, and has decided that appropriate action will be taken internally with regard to the people involved," Truman said.

Truman also said that its "broadcast family has been an active supporter of many, many charities locally, both visibly and anonymously, for over the last 30 years, raising and giving many, many tens of thousands of dollars for those charities, which in and of itself should demonstrate that an isolated comment, made in error, should not paint our broadcast family as other than what it is — a group of people fully involved in and caring for our communities."

Truman said an apology will be issued on air in the coming days.

Daniel P. Spedden, president of the Hagerstown/Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said he is just as upset about the segments as the city council.

"I work with tourists who plan all year and save their money to spend some time with us," Spedden said. "They explore our beautiful parks, attend our signature events, eat in our restaurants, and stay in our lodging. They go home excited about the experience and tell their friends and family how great we are. I wish we could see in ourselves what outsiders see in us."

Despite the radio station quickly pulling the segment, it will continue to live on in social media, Spedden said.

stoughapind1993.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/story/news/local/2017/10/20/city-considers-pulling-advertising-after-bob-rocks-station-mocks-hagerstow/116641232/

Share this post