Turbanhead and Anna post about a Philly radio DJ who abused an Indian call center worker on air (listen to the audio clip, courtesy of Edward Champion):
STAR (morning DJ on Power 99): I was surprised when I got somebody on the line in East India… [on phone] This call has been outsourced to India?
TINA: That’s right.
STAR: Well, ma’am, what the eff would you know about an American white girl’s — uh, uh — hair? And quick beads.
TINA: Just to inform you, ma’am, we’re a national chain services company. And we’re just taking calls on the opposite…
STAR: Listen, bitch! Don’t get slick with the mouth! Don’t you get slick with me, bitch!
TINA: Now if you continue to speak this language, I will disconnect the call.
STAR: Listen to me, you dirty rat eater. I’ll come out there and choke the eff out of you. (laughter) You’re a filthy rat eater. I’m calling about my American six-year-old white girl [Star is black]. How dare you outsource my call? Get off the line, bitch! (laughter, applause)
Yeah… hilarious. It’s several cuts below Beavis and Butthead. Shock jocks have spewed racist bullshit on air for years, getting away with it when the minority group they cuss out is small or disorganized. This is nothing new.
But, this time it’s personal: on my trip to India a couple of weeks ago, I just learned that my niece and my sister-in-law, two beautiful, intelligent women in their mid-20s, are working in call centers in Gurgaon. One remarked drily that she handles metro Manhattan, ‘so if you’re a Citibank customer, gimme a ring.’ The thought of some racist asshole insulting my sweetheart of a niece makes me want to beat the shit out of him.
Even worse, the hit show is getting picked up by a New York station on Jan. 17, 2005 at a cost of $17M. Like stand-up comedy 50 years ago, it’s racial abuse for profit.
Here’s what the DJ said a couple of years ago when Jennifer Lopez casually used the N-word:
“Why is she using a word that’s derogatory to blacks?… If you’re a so-called role model, don’t spit in the face of African-Americans.”
Hypocrite.
Edward Champion dug further:
When he worked at WQHT, he played plane-crash sound effects when Aaliyah died, complete with a woman screaming, causing his former co-host Miss Jones to walk out…Star’s real name is Troi Torain. He’s also made anti-Semitic comments… Apparently, Torain’s former New York employer Emmis has been trying to block his WWPR gig. Torain was suspended after the Aaliyah incident. The clause in his Emmis contract has kept him off New York radio until this year. That didn’t stop him from ripping about 20 award plaques from WQHT and storming off the office. And there’s more, even a book deal.
If you’re in Philly and you really want to solve this, listen to the station for a couple of hours and make a list of their advertisers. Call up those advertisers and threaten to boycott them unless they pull their ads from Power 99. Advertisers are pretty risk-averse; they’re just trying to go about their business, not get caught in political controversy. And the business end of a radio station is far more responsive than the programming end, which often brushes off shock jock complaints.
Sharon says one of the local papers is doing a blurb on this:
… Philadelphia Weekly is going to do a story on the whole Power99 ‘Call to India’ thing, and if any of you actually heard the call live, please notify: fhrubino@comcast.net, phone is (215) 467-2089.
Here are the stations’ contact info:
Philadelphia, WUSL
Business line: 215.483.8900
Studio hotline (toll-free): 800.669.99FM
Studio hotline (local): 215.263.6699
Attention: Richard Lewis & Thea Mitchem
Power99 WUSL-FM
440 Domino Lane
Philadelphia, PA 19128
Director of Urban Programming/Program Director: Thea Mitchem
Music Director: Coka Lani
News & Public Affairs Director: Loraine Ballard Morrill
New York, WWPR
Program director: Michael Saunders, msaunders@clearchannel.com
Request line: 800-585-1051
Business line: 212-704-1051
More posts: MoorishGirl, SAS, Sharon, Half the Sins, Tiffinbox, Currylingus, Hollywood Masala, Steamed Rice, YellowWorld, Varnam
Anna may be posting on this shortly as well… we’ve all got some strong feelings about this.
Hold on a second. It is so inappropriate to field this as an attack on Indians, because you are still considering yourselves an individual group, which is again considered racist, just the oppositte way round. Field this attack as abusive against a fellow human being, irrespective of what style it was taken in, and then people will consider everyone a single community. He will have abused a fellow person, and from that end alone, people should have him shut down. Defend the situation like that and you will have much better results.
This probably is an old blog, since this incident happened a few months ago, but since I came accross this today, might as well say sumthing.
I agree with most of you, this racist sob needs to be confronted. Calling up the sponsors of the show is a good idea, but I think bringing him out in open is just golden. Can any1 locate his address? Any other info? Maybe he can be called upon a talk show ? Maybe a morning show, maybe 2 college guys can walk up to his place with a camera in their hand asking for an interview and then confronting him on cam ?
Besides this, I think the MNCs with Call Centers in India need to address this problem of increased hate-calls. Employees should be given freedom to talk back or hang up.
Can you believe if a “cool” RJ calls India and disses at some unsuspecting girl and she comes back and says ” I’m hanging up on you, your such a sexually frustated f*g”. I bet he wouldn’t try it again.
This is a letter I sent to 94.1 WYSP.
I’m going to file an FCC complaint tommorow.
“To Whome It May Concern:
At approximately 6:50 PM eastern standard time on November 28th 2005 I heard your DJ say the following racially derogatory remark, “All black people carry guns.” I was personally offended by this statement and I’m not alone. Several of my friends urged me to contact you regarding the racial slur aimed at black people. I understand that the “target market” for your show is early twenties white kids, but that does not make it ok to slip hate-rhetoric into your time-filling banter. I would like to hear a public apology “broadcast” during his regular show detailing what he said, and why he is sorry. Otherwise, me and my friends will gladly take further action citing your station for blatent bigotry. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Please respond in a timely manner as we your listeners are eagerly awaiting an agreeable resolution.
If no voluntary action is taken I will be forced by good conscience to contact others who would be interested in this “story”.
Sincerely,”
man em happy they played this on radio this shows how stupid some ppl are em sure they must be ashamed them selves for what they did to steena with that kindaa hypocracy you will get no where loosers i work in a callcenter man this happens alot its just this call was recorded so ppl get to knw man but belive me this happens alot to us americans are not at all professional but i wonder why they are laughing that girl was just tying to be polite and trying to help them but they just wanna insult her without any goddamm reason ………..
I have only one statement to give……. don’t balame Troi Torain or whatever the hell this retards name is……the fault lies in the fact of the method he was spawned…UNWANTED i bet…lol
A bunch of people complaining about nothing….please get over it and move on!!!! we have enough to worry about in our homeland(s) than an idiot on a radio. we have idiots in power to worry about!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Damon Roberts
The Social Action Committee
Phone 267-972-2451
Email: damonkroberts@yahoo.com
Protest for Responsible Media
The Social Action Committee protests Power 99 and the Star & Buc Wild Show, demanding responsible and positive radio programs in the African American Community
PHILADELPHA, PA, FEBRUARY 22, 2006 –The Social Action Committee invites concerned Philadelphia residents to attend a protest at Power 99 studios on Wednesday March 1st at 7:30am.
The protest will challenge the commercial media to have positive and responsible messages, especially in programming targeted towards the African American youth. Specifically, the protest is aimed at the Star & Buc Wild Show, a morning show syndicated from a New York radio station. The showÂ’s hosts boast about their offensive use of racial, ethnic, religious and sexual slurs and other derogatory commentary repeatedly throughout the show.
The Social Action Committee demands that Clear Channel, Power 99 and the Star & Buc Wild Show clean up the material on this morning show, and will levy pressure on major advertisers to stop placing ads during that program’s time slot. The Social Action Committee intends for the protest to serve as a community education and empowerment tool.
The Social Action committee hosted a panel discussion on January 26, 2006 called “Protecting the Public Airwaves”, which highlighted the growing influence media has on African American children. The concern is that media has been a major contributor in promoting negative behavior. The Social Action Committee has also filed complaints with the FCC and encouraged advertisers to remove their advertisements from the radio station. So far, in response to Social Action Committee letters, Comcast and Pier One have pulled commercials during the show. Meanwhile, Coca Cola is monitoring the show and is considering removing their advertisements as well. WHAT: Protest at Power 99 Studios DATE: Wednesday, March 1, 2006 LOCATION: Power 99 Studios, 111 Presidential Blvd., Bala Cynwyd, PA TIME: 7:30am-9am
About The Social Action Committee. The Social Action Committee is a group of predominantly African American professionals tasked with providing a social, educational, political and economic impact for African Americans in the City of Philadelphia.
I know this is an old thread, but I came across this while googling “Troi Torain”. Read an article on Reuters just now about another incident in relation to threatening a child on air. What I find really surprising is why is this guy still on the air?? Besides which, who finds this crap funny anyway..?
This would certainly not continue if it were broadcasted here in Australia. It would offend everybody, not just specific minority groups; being 1st generation Australian of Eurasian descent I would know.
Good luck with booting him out of business. You would definately have my support.
We covered that latest incident. We then updated that post with a bit of good news. 🙂
Troi is an unreconstructed racist thru and thru. He hates people whose skin color is different from his; whose culture is different from his. He is a disgrace to American values What is really too bad is that he has an audience of millions who apparently approve of him. Still he does NOT represent America. He will either be prosecuted for his threats, and be fined or spend a little time in jail thinking, or his advertisers will cut him off. Either way he will pay a price for his racism.
By the way, “Black guy” (#30 on the blog) is also a racist and just about as bad as Troi.
I’m an African-American and let me tell you, that guy doesn’t respresent anything beyond exemplifying ghetto, crass-ass willful ignorance and malice. What a disgusting, perverted piece of trash – I bet if someone spoke to his Mama or daughter like that, he would go “buc wild”! He’s a coward – let him go to India and try to talk slick to someone’s female relatives like that!
True African-American culture is based on respect and propriety (i.e. think Arthur Ashe’s family, Lena Horne, etc.), not this ass-backwards, commodified ghetto culture sold to the world as “Black Culture tm”. Star should be shunned!
That’s okay! If a crazy pack of buff Punjabi boys, outraged fathers of toddler girls and an attorney from Aaliyah’s estate show up at Star’s house to “handle some business”, he won’t get any sympathy from Brown or Black folk alike!
I think to many people are offended to easily. Star is not a racist b/c he talks about everyone no matter what color, gender, or background. He is not afraid to tackle any subject and he gives his honest opinion on matters. He keeps it 100 with the listeners just like he says. I can’t say that I agree with him all the time b/c God knows I don’t. Especially when it comes the recent events and the threatening of a little girl and all. He definitely went too far there. Firing him was the right choice, but arresting him? Come on …
Push comes to shove and you all might hate him but in the end it is entertainment and its on the radio. If you hate him that much then turn the channel.
Troi Torain is a PIG! wallowing in his filthy racist remarks.
Im sorry about your loss girl, you have to learn to deal with racist bastards and bitches, they are everywhere!
You should have called him fuck off rotten bastard and hung up! Never say Sir/Mam to a rude caller, talk loud and dont fear that u’ll be fired, when you’ll be fired you’ll have other opportunities after a little frustration! So stay tuned to your self esteem and dont give a damm about these chicken shits!
Poor, ugly and week people are usually racist and abusive, guess what they are 90% of world population, I face these freaks in US everyday. I treat them like dirty tissue papers and they dont dare to mess with me!
–Yash
Troi Terrain should be fired!!!!
Again I’m reminded why citizens of other countries can’t stand Americans. To the Indians on this board, many Americans were appalled and embarrased when hearing about this radio incident. The majority of Americans do not hold this pathetic attitude. I have no problem with outsourcing. Indian tech support personnel have always been nice over the phone and helped me out tremendously when I had computer problems. It is a shame that if you are African-American you can be racist and no one does anything, but if you are of another race and say anything bad about African-Americans they come after you with a vengeance (Jesse Jackson, etc.). Racism in any form or fashion is wrong (YES YASH EVEN WHEN YOU ARE BEING RACIST).
Sooner or later all races are going to have to learn to respect each other.
lets let him know that this behavior will not be tolerated and he could damage the lucrative relationship america has with india and also damage international relations. does not want to do that does he?
Thanks, Alex. That’s a point I forgot to make.
Oooh Yash, I’m just soooo scared of you!! It’s pretty hypocritical to judge all Americans by the actions of a few.
hi could you please delete my comment the one by a#l##e#x B#O#r#S#o#d#y, please? its messing up my google search results of my name.
thanks