NY POST HOT97 CEO admits "screw ups"

CEO SMACKS DOWN HOT 97
By NEIL GRAVES

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Jeff Smulyan, head of Emmis Communications which owns Hot 97 (WQHT-FM), told a Banc of America Securities conference Wednesday that he'd "never seen a couple [of] screw-ups like what we've seen in New York," according to Radio & Records, a newsletter that tracks the radio industry. Hot 97 broadcast a "Smackfest" — featuring two women standing toe to toe, slapping each other silly for a $5,000 jackpot — and the boneheaded "Tsunami Song" — a mockery of the victims and survivors of the horrific south Asian disaster by a morning-show host and crew. "The 'Tsunami Song' was an egregious mistake," said the Indianapolis-based Smulyan, according to the newsletter. "We're not proud of it." Smulyan, nonetheless, said the latest preliminary ratings book, which shows the station's rating jumping 0.6 to 4.8, is "wonderful." "It happens," he said of the negative publicity. "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." Hot 97 has taken a series of hits this past year. Gunfire outside the station's West Village studio in 2001 resulted in rapper Lil' Kim being found guilty last month — for lying about the shootout. As her trial played out, more shots were fired outside the station between supporters of rapper 50 Cent and his rival protege, The Game. The live "Smackfest" was discontinued, but the video was streamed over the Internet until last week. Smulyan said the station has been losing revenues to its sister station, adult contemporary KISS 98.7, the newsletter said. Additional reporting by Philip Recchia " name="text" type="hidden"> Email Archives Print Reprint

April 1, 2005 -- The CEO of controversial rap station Hot 97 — awash in negative publicity especially from its recent brutal "Smackfest" segments — said staffers at his top-rated station have been behaving like "screw-ups."

Jeff Smulyan, head of Emmis Communications which owns Hot 97 (WQHT-FM), told a Banc of America Securities conference Wednesday that he'd "never seen a couple [of] screw-ups like what we've seen in New York," according to Radio & Records, a newsletter that tracks the radio industry.

Hot 97 broadcast a "Smackfest" — featuring two women standing toe to toe, slapping each other silly for a $5,000 jackpot — and the boneheaded "Tsunami Song" — a mockery of the victims and survivors of the horrific south Asian disaster by a morning-show host and crew.

"The 'Tsunami Song' was an egregious mistake," said the Indianapolis-based Smulyan, according to the newsletter. "We're not proud of it."

Smulyan, nonetheless, said the latest preliminary ratings book, which shows the station's rating jumping 0.6 to 4.8, is "wonderful."

"It happens," he said of the negative publicity. "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."

Hot 97 has taken a series of hits this past year. Gunfire outside the station's West Village studio in 2001 resulted in rapper Lil' Kim being found guilty last month — for lying about the shootout.

As her trial played out, more shots were fired outside the station between supporters of rapper 50 Cent and his rival protege, The Game.

The live "Smackfest" was discontinued, but the video was streamed over the Internet until last week. Smulyan said the station has been losing revenues to its sister station, adult contemporary KISS 98.7, the newsletter said.

Additional reporting by Philip Recchia