They are going after a "right winger" as we speak.
Back on the air after suspension, Belling says talk show will not change
By GEORGIA PABST
gpabst@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Nov. 15, 2004
Mark Belling returned to his afternoon radio talk show Monday with a "Buenos dias," after a weeklong hiatus sparked by reaction to his use of an ethnic slur to refer to illegal Mexican immigrants.
He did not immediately address the controversy that led to his suspension, but did tell a joke in which the punch line was Vice President Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter. He said the joke was aimed at testing how long a leash he will now have at his station, WISN-AM (1130). He also joked that he would welcome pickets at the station if they were waitresses from Hooters.
But in his last hour, Belling got serious and discussed what he termed "the event." He said he has formally apologized for his offending remark and his initial mishandling of reaction to it, and realizes he offended some. But there are "deliberate attempts to use the situation to silence me," he said, referring a drive to get him off the air permanently.
"Many hope or fear this will change me and my program and that I'll be on my constant guard and will pull punches . . . that I've been neutered and I'll be more careful," he said. "This show ain't changing at all."
He also said he would not promise that in the future he might not say something offensive that he might later regret. "That's the way I do my show, and I won't change anything about it," he said. "I believe management knows and understands that."
Belling's use of the term "wetback" on Oct. 27 and his subsequent sarcastic apologies led to protests by Latinos. Three businesses dropped advertising on the show, and efforts continue to have him fired.
But some, such as Maria Monreal-Cameron, president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, have said that it's time to move on, forgive Belling and tend to other matters in the Latino community.
Others in the coalition that formed after Belling's remarks have now adopted a name - the Coordinating Committee Against Hate Speech. The spokesman for the group, Enrique Figueroa, director of the Roberto Hernandez Center at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said the group intends to hold another rally on Sunday. The group also plans to ask city officials in San Antonio, the home of WISN owner Clear Channel Communications, to take a stand against Belling.
Belling said he has received thousands of e-mails in support.
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