Angelo Cataldi Suspended

[Bret Walker]

OK first thing's first. Who's Angelo Cataldi, you say? He's the morning show host on WIP 610 AM, the Philadelphia sports talk radio station. I listen to Angelo just about every morning.

Now, with that in mind, here's the news story, from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

WIP host in trouble over rant

This was on the front page of the Inquirer. Today, I read that his agent, Steve Mountain, issued a statement that said that Angelo would return to the broadcast booth tomorrow, and without apology.

Good for him. The statements that Angelo made - particularly that the Lincoln Financial Field security should wear swastikas, and that the Eagles were acting as if it were 1942 Germany [in regards to banning outside food from the Linc] - were well within his first-amendment rights. That WIP should suspend him without pay for two days is ludicrous, but not unexpected. WIP's parent company, Infinity Broadcasting, also owns the Philadelphia station 94 WYSP, which broadcasts the Eagles games on the radio. When the Eagles complained about Angelo's comments, WIP suspended him. It's as cut and dry as that.

But Angelo's comments are nothing compared to the Eagles' own comments over the flap of banned hoagies. Dave Spadaro stated in an article titled A Mixed Up, Confused Feeling (PhiladelphiaEagles.com, July 16th) of the fans who are upset over the Hoagie controversy: "I don't want you. The Eagles don't need you." And that, to me, is a more offensive statement than what Angelo said.

[Bret Walker]

Angelo's back today, and he's not being quiet about his suspension and he hasn't apologized for his comments. He read a statement that was pretty cool, as soon as he posts it on his website, I'll repost it here.

[Lost]

They said banning food for sucuity?(SP?) Afraid poeple will get stabbed witha hotdog?

[Bret Walker]

Some people tried to smuggle beers into the game once in a hoagie roll. Security figured, if they could smuggle beer cans in a hoagie roll, what else can they smuggle in? So they decided to disallow any food brought in at all. To be honest, I think people are making way too much of it. But then again, the people of Philadelphia are not subtle people.

[Bret Walker]

ANGELO'S STATEMENT

The statement I'm about to read was approved by no one in Infinity Broadcasting, the Philadelphia Eagles or WIP Radio. These are my words -- frustrated words about a company that I have served with loyalty and dedication for 13 years.

This is my statement:

Infinity Broadcasting chose to suspend me for two days earlier this week because of comments I made about the policies of the Philadelphia Eagles and rules they have imposed in their new stadium. Infinity officials said a comment I made suggesting that the Eagles' new rules are so strict that "their security people should wear swastikas" violated the company's policy against personal attacks. Do I wish I had used a different analogy? Yes, I do. The last thing I was trying to accomplish was to alienate anyone of the Jewish faith, or of any faith, for that matter.

But the truth is, I didn't. There were no calls of complaint to this station -- not one. I didn't even receive a single e-mail complaining about the unfortunate characterization. My co-workers never even mentioned it after I had made the remark.

I was suspended anyway. Through my union, I plan to fight this suspension with the same vigor that I argue every issue on this station. At this point, I am still trying to get a clear understanding of what Infinity considers a personal attack. I don't believe what I said was an attack against anything but the policies of the Philadelphia Eagles. It had nothing to do with any individual on the Eagles. I was angry at the rules. So were thousands of others.

The Eagles' possible involvement in my suspension has been a major topic of speculation for days. I can honestly say I do not know what communication took place between the team and my bosses after I made the remark. And I don't really care. Teams have called this radio station for many years complaining about things they heard. In the past, the station has defended our right to express our opinion, regardless of the style in which we did so. It is the absolute responsibility of this station, and every station, to protect our right to say what we feel. It is why they hired us in the first place.

My first inclination after the suspension was to resign. If I can't do the show the way I've always done it, why do it at all? But I'm back today because I don't really know if that's true yet. I've decided to come back to find out if I can. I'm going to do this show the way I've always done it - speak out when I think I need to, openly criticize people when I think they deserve it, and provide an open forum for people who disagree with me -- including the Eagles or any other team, all of whom have an open invitation to return fire, uninterrupted, against me on this show whenever they want.

I also hope to avoid launching into the kind of personal attack that Infinity Broadcasting prohibits. I'm not a complete idiot here. I'd really like to keep this job.

Finally, I want to thank the thousands of people who have phoned WIP or e-mailed me their support over the past few days. It was a welcome message to me. I hope it was a message to some other people, too.

-Angelo Cataldi

[The Vonz]

We've never been able to bring in food, etc. to sporting events in Tampa. They charge like $7 for a thing of french fries, it's fucking genious. Rich cunts.

[Lost]

OutcastedMisfit said:

We've never been able to bring in food, etc. to sporting events in Tampa. They charge like $7 for a thing of french fries, it's fucking genious. Rich cunts.

Same in Jax.

And I owuld hide an exacto knife in a hotdog and stab somebody with it , just becuase.

[Bret Walker]

It's not like Philadelphians are not used to such a ban on outside food. For one thing, you can't take food into the First Union Center where the Flyers and the Sixers play. They've never allowed it. EVER. And nobody ever made a stink about that. There's 14 other football teams whose stadiums don't allow outside food to come in. I say, eat your fucking hoagie, then go inside. How hard is that? It's a three hour game. You're not gonna starve to death.

Still, Angelo was well within his first amendment rights to say what he did. Like the Supreme Court said in their unanimous decision in Jerry Falwell vs. Larry Flynt, the first amendment protects not just the speech that you want to hear, but also the speech that you do not want to hear.

[Lost]

Yea , thier point is that if your kid is hungry you have to spend $3 on a hotgdog and $2.50 on a drink , whichk they are not going to eat anyways.