- Here, Mr. Mfume, Is The Problem -


August 24, 1998

NAACP National Headquarters, Office of the President
Mr. Kweisi Mfume
4805 Mt. Hope Drive
Baltimore, MD 21215-3297

RE: Westinghouse, CBS, and the KKK

Dear Mr. Mfume:

This letter will serve two purposes. First, it serves to clearly memorialize my concern for the deep rooted racism being broadcast on Westinghouse/CBS owned radio stations and, secondly, to ask for the intervention of the NAACP in this matter. I do not speak too dramatically when I state that it is a matter of great urgency which is foundational to the NAACP cause and an issue which the NAACP must address.

As a point of background, I offer the following:

1) Westinghouse Electric Company (President, Michael Jordan) owns CBS.

2) CBS (President, Mel Karmazin) owns, produced, broadcasts and syndicates The Howard Stern Show.

3) The Howard Stern Show is broadcast to more than 25 million listeners, nationwide and in Canada, each weekday on Westinghouse/CBS owned radio stations. (In Baltimore you will find The Howard Stern Show on Westinghouse/CBS owned WJFK)

4) In addition to the "company owned" stations, Westinghouse/CBS syndicates the Stern show to more than 25 other broadcasters throughout the United States and two broadcasters in Canada.

5) Howard Stern is under contract to Westinghouse/CBS and is their biggest money draw on the CBS Radio Network.

6) Howard Stern is a racist!

Howard Stern's particular brand of racism is of the most heinous type. You see, Stern guises his racism in the thinly veiled white linen sheet of "humor". Whether it's broadcasting the KKK hate message or telling nigger jokes, Stern maintains he is a comedian and, therefore, can not possibly be a racist. Stern maintains that by repeatedly using the word 'nigger', the word loses its impact. Although I do not agree, there may be some social studies majors who subscribe to that theory and were this simply a matter of the use of the word in isolated instances, I might assign more credibility to Stern's hypothesis.

Nigger jokes, radio games like "Guess My Color" and repeated appearances on Stern's show by KKK recruiter, Daniel Carver, is but one example of the overall racist policy of Westinghouse/CBS/Howard Stern. Mr. Carver appears on Stern's show as a movie reviewer and rates movies with "Nooses", "Burning Crosses" and "Hoods". A good movie receives 5 Burning Crosses from Mr. Carver.

The heinousness of Westinghouse/CBS/Howard Stern's racism is all the more impactful when you consider that Stern's radio sidekick is an African-American woman named Robin Quivers.

Ms. Quivers receives her multi-million dollar salary from Westinghouse/CBS, merely to act as an "Aunt Tomassina" who serves to insulate Westinghouse/CBS/Howard Stern against racism charges. This is witnessed by the typical Westinghouse/CBS corporate dogmatic insistence, 'How can Howard Stern be a racist, Robin is black.' Really? If we follow that logic we would arrive at a point of believing that one's business relationships negates one's racism.
As we used to say on the streets of West Baltimore where I grew up, "that's more than a pound of bullshit!"

Westinghouse and CBS both, individually, and as a broadcasting conglomerate, enjoy the high income that the Stern show produces and, in an effort to perpetuate those profits, both corporations profess the corporate policy that Stern's message of racial hatred, indecency and obscenity is a matter of freedom of speech.

Certainly the enclosed material bears witness that this claim be false.

The quick litmus test to all of this is the following two "jokes" as broadcast on Stern's program:

Caller : "What do black people and apples have in common?"
Stern cast member : "They both look best when hanging from a tree."

Caller : "What would they have called the Million Man March if it was raining?"
Stern cast member : "Gorillas in the mist."

If those same 'jokes' were told in any boardroom in corporate America, one would expect the NAACP to jump on it with both feet, because racism on that level most emphatically creates a hostile and racist working environment throughout the corporation. As foundation for that argument I would only say one word, "TEXACO".

If a hostile working environment is created because of 'black jelly beans' then the same can be said about the hostile and racist working environment created within corporate Westinghouse/CBS which not only plays the material within company owned radio stations, but Westinghouse/CBS also produces this racist material in a 'company owned' radio station (WXRK-FM, New York) and syndicates this racist material throughout the country to other Stern show affiliates. Imagine how an African-American secretary at Westinghouse/CBS owned WJFK-FM in Washington, D.C. must feel after hearing Howard Stern's nigger jokes and the KKK hate messages broadcast on, and syndicated by, the radio network that employs her. But, then again, maybe there are no African-American employees at WJFK-FM.

I maintain that by producing, syndicating and broadcasting Stern's racism, Westinghouse/CBS creates a hostile working environment for any minority employee in the employ of Westinghouse and CBS. In addition, any company that would broadcast such material, let alone produce it and syndicate it to other radio stations, is merely a recruiting conduit for racism and, most disturbing, the KKK itself. Westinghouse/CBS wears an Empirical Electronic Hood that is as clearly visible as a hood made of white linen. This being the case, the NAACP can not stand by and allow this to continue.

I am not dealing with subtle racism or an off-hand comment made behind the closed doors of America's boardrooms. I am not talking about a "Little Black Sambo" cartoon on an office wall or a nigger joke told 'round the water cooler. We are not dealing with the flag of Dixie flying from the work cubicle of some employee of a non-descript company in Podunk, Iowa..

I am talking about the blatantly verbalized racist comments, nigger jokes, racist 'comedy skits', and KKK recruitment messages broadcast by America's largest radio broadcasting corporation. I am talking about the documented racist corporate policy of Westinghouse/CBS. I am talking about a multi-national corporation that wraps itself in the United States Constitution while broadcasting blatant racism to more than 25 million loyal listeners a day.

As you will see by the enclosed materials and transcripts of Stern's programs, Howard Stern's racist broadcasts are not a matter of the occasional racist remark but, rather, they are a matter of Westinghouse/CBS's systematic corporate policy of racism and self-serving public pronouncement of Constitutional interpretation. It is a continual message of distain, denegration and ethnic dismissal that is filtered through an illwoven cloth of 'humor'.

As I have clearly stated, this is racism of the most egregious nature and I ask your assistance in bringing Westinghouse and CBS into accountability. This letter is merely the 'tip of the iceberg' and I can assure you that I can document my statements to the extreme.

In the heart, soul and mind of every African-American, nay, in the heart, soul and mind of every American, be they hyphenated or not, there is little distinction between TEXACO's "black jelly beans" and Westinghouse/CBS's "gorilla's in the mist". And if such distinction would be made, it would only be in the magnitude of Westinghouse/CBS's actions.

I apologize to you, Mr. Mfume, if you have been offended by my words and, in particular, my use of the word 'nigger'. Unlike Westinghouse, CBS and Howard Stern, it is not my intention to use it to gain ratings and attract advertisertising revenues. I did not use it as a racial slur nor did I use it in any demeaning or dehumanizing manner. I did not use it to get a cheap laugh at the expense of others.

I used it because I have found that, in order to tell a story written by a racist, one must use the words of the narrator and, in this story of 'Racism For Fun and Profit', the narrator is the trifecta of Westinghouse, CBS and Howard Stern.

Finally, let me suggest that fighting racism in the broadcasting industry is not a new battle field for the NAACP. I remember the "Amos 'n Andy" television program several years ago. It was the NAACP's contention that the Amos 'n Andy show portrayed blacks in a demeaning and stereotypical racially light. As I recall, the NAACP called for a boycott of the program's sponsors and eventually Amos 'n Andy was taken off the air.

Now, we find George "Kingfish" Stevens, "Andrew H. Brown" and "Algonquin J. Calhoon" replaced by Michael Jordan, Mel Karmazin and Howard Stern and, whether it's the "Mystic Knights Of The Sea" or "Nigger Hatin' Hats", the NAACP must heed the call to action. Toward that objective, I can provide you with the names, addresses, ownership records and all other corporate information regarding all of the radio stations that broadcast Stern's program. I can also provide you with tapes and transcripts of Stern's racist broadcasts, as well as, names and addresses of Stern show sponsors.

Keep in mind that 25,000,000 people are listening to Howard Stern's racist radio program, even as you read this letter!

Please help in this battle against Westinghouse/CBS's corporate policy of racism. Although I do not know what I expect you to do, I trust you will do something.

Sincerely,

/ signed /

______________________________________
Al Westcott

cc:

Roy Innis
CORE
30 Cooper Square
New York, NY 10030


Kweisi Mfume, President NAACP, August 20, 1998 - Enclosure 1

Westinghouse, CBS, Howard Stern and the Klu Klux Klan

Daniel Carver is a recruiter for the Klu Klux Klan who appears with alarming regularity on The Howard Stern Show.

Mr. Carver's ruse is that of a movie reviewer for The Howard Stern Show. Rather than rate movies with "stars" or "thumbs up", KKK member Carver rates movies with "Burning Crosses, "Nooses" and "Hoods". It should be noted that along with Mr. Carver's movie reviews comes his racist commentary.

Fortunately for Mr. Carver being a racist is not against the law, however it is a simple truth that by creating and broadcasting Carver's racist material, Westinghouse and CBS have created a racially hostile work environment for their African-American employees. And a racially hostile working environment is against the law.

The following is a partial list of Mr. Carver's appearances on Westinghouse owned CBS radio.

Movie Title - Date Reviewed - Carver's Rating

Pricilla, Queen of the Desert - 08/07/1998 - 1-Burning Cross
Sister Act - 3-Burning Crosses
Vampire In Brooklyn - 1-Burning Cross

The Crying Game - 06/30/1998 - 2-Burning Crosses
The Magic Hour (TV) - 1-Burning Cross
The Wiz - 1-Burning Cross

Blackula - 06/08/1998 - 1-Burning Cross
Boys In The Band - 1-Burning Cross
Bulworth - 2-Burning Crosses

Yentl - 05/22/1998 - 1-Burning Cross
Driving Miss Daisy - 2-Burning Crosses
In And Out - 1-Burning Cross

Gung Ho - 04/29/1998 - 2-Burning Crosses
Shaft - 1-Burning Cross
Tu Wong Fu - 1-Burning Cross

Do The Right Thing - 03/31/1998 - 3-Burning Crosses
Dog Day Afternoon - 2-Burning Crosses
Schindler's List - 1-Burning Cross

Rosewood - 02/27/1998 - 5-Burning Crosses
Torch Song Trilogy - 1-Burning Cross

Shakazulu - 02/06/1998 - 1-Burning Cross
Tarzan - 4-Burning Crosses
The Color Purple - 2-Burning Crosses

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan - 01/16/1998 - 3-Burning Crosses
Philadelphia - 1-Burning Cross
The Bird Cage - 2-Burning Crosses

Metro - 12/19/1997 - 1-Burning Cross
The Nutty Professor - 3-Burning Crosses
The Preacher's Wife - 2-Burning Crosses


Blazing Saddles - 12/03/1997 - 3-Burning Crosses
Cinderella - 1-Burning Cross
The Bodyguard - 2-Burning Crosses
The Toy - 4-Burning Crosses

Fridays - 11/13/1997 - 2-Burning Crosses
New Jack City - 1-Burning Cross
White Man's Burden - 3-Burning Crosses

House Party - 11/05/1997 - 3-Hoods
To Kill A Mockingbird - 2-Hoods
Waiting To Exhale - 1-Hood

Booty Call - 10/16/1997 - 2-Nooses

A Time To Kill - 09/17/1997 - 1-Burning Cross
Ghost Of Mississippi - 1-Burning Cross
Private Parts - 4-Burning Crosses

Kweisi Mfume, President NAACP, August 20, 1998 - Enclosure 2

A few examples of the many racist jokes broadcast on
The Howard Stern Show
________________________________________

Question : Why aren't there more blond haired black people
Answer : How dumb do you want them to be?
________________________________________

Segment Entitled: "Stump The Jokeman"
(The 'Jokeman' is Stern show cast member, Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling)

Caller: Hello, Howard, yeah I want to stump the jokeman.
Caller: What do you call a white guy surrounded by 10 niggers?
Stern: What do you call a white guy surrounded by 10 niggers? That's a terrible joke.
Jackie: The answer is coach, but that's not it.
Jackie: OK, quarterback.
Caller: No, the boss.

Caller : What do black people and apples have in common?
Jackie : They both look best when hanging from a tree.

Caller : What the five most common words a male nigger hears?
Jackie : The five most common words a black person hears is "Will the defendant please rise"
Caller : I think niggers should be kept in cages.

Caller : What do you get when you take a million lesbians and put em in with the million man march?
Jackie : You get 2 million people that don't do dick.

Caller : What's the difference between a hard working black guy and Bigfoot?
Jackie : Some day we might see Bigfoot.

Caller : If a bus load of blacks going over a cliff is a shame, what's a damn shame?
Jackie : That's when the bus has an empty seat.
Caller : Oh Jackie, it's two empty seats.

Caller : What would they have called the Million Man March if it was raining?
Jackie : Gorillas in the mist.
________________________________________

Kweisi Mfume, President NAACP, August 20, 1998 - Enclosure 3

"What's My Color . . . The Game"
A 'quiz show' game that is designed to denigrate African-Americans.

Two Caucasian men and one African-American man come into Stern's radio studio.

Howard Stern, Robin Quivers and two members of Stern's
production staff are blindfolded and ask questions
to figure out which one is black.

A few of the questions asked by Stern and his crew:

"What kind of cigarettes do you smoke?"

"Can you swim?"

"When do welfare checks come?"
________________________________________

Kweisi Mfume, President NAACP, August 20, 1998 - Enclosure 4

Howard Stern and the KKK

As a regular 'satirical' feature on his radio program, Howard Stern calls the KKK 'hotline' and records their taped message for rebroadcast to his millions of listeners, nationwide.

Here are a few comments from the many KKK messages broadcast by Howard Stern.
________________________________________

"How much money will our Nigger lover Bill Clinton raise our taxes to try to
save these filthy aids carrying jungle savage Niggers . . .
________________________________________

Some Niggers around the country say they will boycott Georgia if the flag still flies,
but who cares where a Nigger boycotts,
who cares where they spend their food stamps and their welfare checks . . .

Most businesses would rather Niggers stay away anyhow . . .

Niggers cause flies to swarm anywhere they show up . . .
________________________________________

Now our Nigger loving President Bill Clinton has the job of finding a new Supreme Court justice
and we all know he'll probably pick another Nigger, this time he'll probably pick a female Nigger . . .
________________________________________

He might as well put a monkey on the high court because
they're about the same qualifications . . .
________________________________________

Niggers have destroyed most of our public schools already . . .

Niggers carry their dope to schools . . . Niggers carry guns to schools . . .

Niggers carry AIDS to school . . .

Niggers stink up the whole classroom . . .

no children want to go to school with these filthy yard apes . . .
________________________________________

Some scientists admit now that Niggers are still in the ape stage . . .

The Nigger and the Ape have the same hair . . .
they both have the same Mellon shaped head . . .
they both have monkey lips . . .
they both have an animal smell . . .
and the Nigger and the monkey both have a small brain . . .
they both have large feet . . .
they both have long arms . . .
the Nigger and the monkey have the same color skin . . .

They are both wild savage jungle animals . . .
female Niggers have even been known to successfully
breed with apes and produce little porch monkeys . .

Kweisi Mfume, President NAACP, August 20, 1998 - Enclosure 5

"Nigger Hating Hats"

A news report about a western music performer led to Mr. Stern's 'satirical' discussion of western hats
and the people that wear them.

Stern's feeling is that anyone who wears a western hat, as Stern says, "hates niggers".

Eventually, "Nigger Hating Hats" became a "Howard Stern Song Parody".
It is played repeatedly on Stern's program as recently as August 17, 1998 and is available on CD!

________________________________________

"Where's my big Nigger hating hat?"
"I never met a Nigger I didn't hate"
"Stomp on their Nigger faces"
"We got our Nigger hatin' hats on"
"How many people here hate Niggers"
"I happen to have here, a big Nigger hating hat"
"I got your Nigger hating hat for you"
"I just hung a Nigger in the yard"
"I'm whittling a big Nigger hating knife"
"There ain't supposed to be no Niggers in Beverly Hills"
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