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Troi Torain Fires Back,
Plus: Why The "Female Talk" Debate Is Bogus.
Sure enough, we haven't
heard the last of DJ Star.
Until his abrupt removal
from Power 105 FM in May and subsequent arrest, Troi Torain was a
major player in New York City radio. As a morning co-host on
WWPR-FM, Torain, known as DJ Star, had even been syndicated to a
number of other large markets across the country.
All of
that came crashing down on him two months ago, when Torain stepped
way over the line by openly calling for the molestation of a rival's
four-year-old daughter, even looking for tips from listeners on
where to locate the child. After the public outcry that resulted, he
found himself in a heap of trouble.
Luckily for Star, the
charges have been dropped, as long as he meets certain conditions.
But can he ever hope to work in radio again?
While there
have been rumblings of a broadcast return for DJ Star, nothing
specific has yet materialized. But instead of focusing on getting
his career back on track, Torain and his mother have initiated legal
battles against those who dared to criticize their previous
behavior.
According to various reports, Torain has sued New
York City Councilman John Liu, who led the battle against him back
in May. Liu held press conferences, highlighting not only the
predatory nature of Torain's comments, but also the anti-Asian slurs
that were included in his tirades.
In addition, Torain's
mother has filed suit against Torain's former crosstown rival
station Hot 97 and owner Emmis Communications. She says she was
slandered by Hot 97's own morning team.
I'm no legal expert,
but my guess is that as a public person, Torain doesn't have a
prayer of getting anywhere with his action, while his mother might
have a slim chance of succeeding. If she can prove she was somehow
damaged by the alleged comments, Hannah Hightower might be able to
show that she's a private person, rather than an active participant
in Torain's local fame.
That could put her outside the reach
of the US Supreme Court's New York Times v. Sullivan decision
of 1964 (and subsequent rulings that clarified the difference
between public and private persons).
Aside from their legal
chances, which are best left to the lawyers rather than this
columnist, let's talk about Torain's career image: if he really does
want to get back on his feet, is this a good time to start filing
lawsuits against critics?
Or, would it be far better to show
that he's done some growing up and is ready to move forward?
Could the suits be an admission that he's now unemployable?
Star can either win his war in the courtroom, or on the air,
it's all up to him.
Is the "female talk" debate bogus?
Two new articles prove that women's talk is already out
there and quite successful. So what's all of this about the need for
shows that appeal to females? The problem is that in looking
at the "problem", it's easy to focus on the lack of female- oriented
hosts on traditional conservative talk stations. But what about the
FM music stations? In Thursday's USA Today, a lengthy
profile of Delilah, one of radio's biggest stars, seemed to
emphasize the talk radio aspect of her program's format. After all,
doesn't her show lean more that way, than toward music?
Sure, she takes requests and plays popular songs, but the
majority of the seven million listeners across 200 stations are
there to hear Delilah and her callers. That’s what sets her show
apart from an ordinary hour of music radio. From the story:
"A lot of people just need to
feel like someone gives a damn," says Delilah, 46, who hosts a
nightly five-hour radio talk and music show broadcast by more than
200 radio stations across the USA and heard by 7 million people.
Every day, 100,000 to 150,000 people call and an additional 1,500
e-mail.
Part DJ, part therapist, part minister — and a big
dose of mom — you could call Delilah, born Delilah Rene Luke, the
real "night listener."
Delilah experiences that intimacy
daily. "People think I'm their big sister, and they trust me sharing
things," she says.
In this day of confrontational talk
radio, Delilah "wants to be a friend to people, whether they're in
her personal life or listeners of her show," says Delilah producer
Jane Bulman.
You might hear a mother calling in about her
daughter going to Iraq, but you won't hear anyone talking about what
they think of the war. You might hear Delilah promising to pray for
her listeners, but you won't hear her debating abortion or gay
marriage. You might hear her talking about her two divorces and her
multiracial family of seven kids, biological and adopted, ages 6
through 21. But you won't hear her talking about the politics of
race.
Is this how talk radio can be sold to a female
audience, via non-confrontational talk? Perhaps the real truth is
that women can't be lumped into any one category.
Why, for
example, does a highly confrontational female host such as Dr. Laura
Schlessinger do so well with both men and women alike? In the most
recent Arbitron survey, Dr. Laura surged ahead in Los Angeles, with
a 14% book-to-book gain among adults 25-54.
In fact, she's
the second- highest rated KFI talker, based on AQH listening and
easily crushes all of her market competition, handing John & Ken
a great lead-in audience for their afternoon drive program.
Dr. Laura proves every day that female listeners aren’t
afraid of real debates and tough-love confrontations.
And in
New York, Hot 97 FM weekend talker Lisa Evers has been performing
well for years by tackling major issues with a young audience of
hip-hop fans.
There's no fear of taking stands on her
program, as New York Daily News radio columnist David Hinckley
explains:
Lisa Evers could have told the radio suits a
decade ago that talk programming could work on FM and a lot of young
listeners who only seem interested in music know a lot about what's
happening in the world as well.
Evers has been talking to
them for years on her Sunday night "Street Soldiers," 9-10 on WQHT
(97.1 FM).
"The hip-hop audience is absolutely interested in
issues," says Evers, who since 2003 has also been a regular reporter
for WNYW/Ch. 5 news. "And I see it growing all the time."
Hot 97 originally saw Evers' show partly as a way to fulfill
its public service programming requirement.
But the fact
they put it on in prime time, says Evers, "shows they thought it had
potential and were willing to support it. The station has been just
great to me."
She also has no limits on topics, so she has
discussed everything from violence in hip hop, with memorial shows
for slain rappers like Notorious B.I.G., to Hurricane Katrina
victims.
In the end, what makes the "female talk" debate
bogus is the fact that it overlooks many women who are already out
there succeeding in the business of talk radio.
By Brian
Maloney
Brian@insideradio.com
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