John DePetro, Talk Radio nut Host, Fired?

That's the rumor on the street. For some reason (probably because I must be a masochist), I was listening to the DePetro show today. I guess I wanted to see if he would admit that John Kerry apologized for his gaffe - whereas DePetro was reporting yesterday (and you'll all recall went on the show) that John Kerry didn't. Well, while listening I heard DePetro call Grace Ross "a fat lesbian."

Outraged, I was immediately going to blog about it. Then he apologized. While DePetro pretended that Kerry's apology over the gaffe was insincere, DePetro's apology was a down right faux apology. DePetro went on to explain that calling Grace Ross a "fat lesbian" wasn't exactly appropriate, but it wasn't factually incorrect - as if that made it any better. After all, 'she said on her website she's a lesbian,' and let's not forget she's carrying an awful lot of Prime Ribs for her meager $20k ish yearly salary.

So the blog never wrote itself. Too busy, the apology was accepted from this corner for the time being. However, I didn't know DePetro had a bad history of homophobic remarks. Like when he called Matt Amorello a "fag." But don't worry, he only meant it in the "sissy" way.

"And I don't mean gay fag, I just mean the way when you're a sophomore, juvenile, in grammar school and somebody would say you're like a sissy boy fag," DePetro said on-air. "And I don't mean gay fag. I mean like sissy boy. He's a little sissy boy. Wife wears the pants."

Apparently, the bosses at WRKO are none-too-pleased at the latest outburst. There's a meeting tomorrow - DePetro's being sent to the Principal's office. Anyone care to guess at the odds on whether or not he's getting a detention - or being expelled? I know we'd all be oh-so-heartbroken without one more dime-a-dozen crazy right-wing-nut radio host in Boston.

Some schadenfruede from today's Herald article:

WRKO talk jock John DePetro is back in the hot seat and fighting for his job after calling gubernatorial candidate Grace Ross a “fat lesbian” on his radio show yesterday.

Sources say Julie Kahn, vice president and New England market manager for Entercom, owner of WRKO-AM (680) and WEEI-AM (850), is “furious.”

“This corporation has zero tolerance for this type of nonsense. We have a high standard,” said George Regan of Regan Communications, which represents WRKO.
DePetro was pulled off the air today and has been ordered to a meeting at the station.

The latest on-air insult comes nearly four months after DePetro was suspended for two days and ordered to apologize for calling former Turnpike chief Matt Amorello a “fag” on the air.

Memo to WRKO: If you don't want to have to keep firing and suspending your employees, think about hiring a progressive who... well... actually likes gay people. Most open-minded progressives don't call other people "fat lesbians." Just a tip. After all, progressive talk show hosts sell too, just without all the extra baggage.