JV and Elvis in the Doghouse with API Groups

Asian American Justice Center Joins Advocacy Groups to Condemn Insensitive On-Air Remarks on CBS Radio, Call for Firings

Washington, D.C. – The Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), a leading national civil and human rights organization, and its affiliates – Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Asian Law Caucus and the Asian American Institute – join advocacy groups nationwide in strongly condemning CBS Radio, demanding a more racially sensitive programming ethos, and calling for the firing of two hosts at WFNY, its New York affiliate, following an inexcusably crude and offensive tirade against Chinese restaurant workers on “The Dog House with JV and Elvis.”

In the six-minute segment, which aired on April 5 – and re-aired on April 19 – shock jocks Jeff Vandergrift and Dan Lay made a call to a Chinese restaurant in which they ordered “shrimp flied lice,” sexually propositioned a female waitress, and referred to another employee’s body part as a “tiny egg roll.”

“While we welcome the prompt apology from the station and suspension of the two employees, we believe this is far from enough, given the very gratuitous nature of this episode,” said AAJC Deputy Director Vincent A. Eng. “We believe the station should terminate them and their producer, and improve and re-issue guidelines for offensive and discriminatory and objectionable terms.”

Asian Pacific American Legal Center Executive Director Stewart Kwoh added, “In addition to developing guidelines on offensive and discriminatory terms, those involved with radio production must be regularly trained and reminded of such guidelines, and the guidelines should be shared with community groups so that the station is accountable to our community.”

“CBS Radio needs to take steps to ensure that the industry, and its own employees in particular, uphold standards of professionalism that merit their use of the public airwaves,” said Malcolm Yeung, a staff attorney at the Asian Law Caucus. “In granting a license, the federal government requires that radio programming be responsive to community needs. Continuing to employ racist shock jocks violates this criteria.”

“I find it appalling that this kind of outrageous behavior was allowed on the airwaves, and only merits a suspension,” said Tuyet Le, executive director of the Asian American Institute in Chicago. “Radio executives should show greater responsibility by firing these employees.”

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