COO of HOT97 calls it a "screw up"

Thursday, March 31, 2005
Jeff Smulyan Admits Revenue Drop After 'Tsunami Song' Fiasco

The head of Emmis Communications yesterday commented on the recent problems at CHR/Rhythmic WQHT (Hot 97)/New York, telling those in attendance at the Banc Of America Securities conference that he's "never seen a couple screw-ups like what we've seen in New York" -- namely the now-infamous "Tsunami Song" parody and a "Smackfest" promotion. Smulyan said, however, "It happens. In any business over a course of time, you're going to have things that go really right and things that go really wrong. The ironic thing is, if you look at the Arbitrend ratings that came out two days ago, Hot 97 had a wonderful book. I can tell you that it wasn't part of our plan to have this controversy that would increase our ratings, but clearly it has affected us."
Smulyan also notes that WQHT has seen some loss in business but has made some strides. "Some of the business we lost at Hot went to [Urban AC sister WRKS] Kiss, but I can't defend it," he said. "The 'Tsunami Song' was an egregious mistake; we're not proud of it." The Indianapolis Star recently reported that, according to unnamed Emmis officials, the company lost "millions" in advertising over the controversy surrounding Hot 97.