Radio Host Mocks Lost NFLer At Sea

Wednesday, March 04, 2009


Man, there are low things that people say all the time, but this one might actually take the prize. Radio Host, Mike Valenti of the “Valenti & Foster Show” on WXYT-FM in Detroit, made a joke about a capsized boat and apologized for the comments today. Via MLive....

Valenti read two comments from listeners about college basketball and one about baseball, then a joke about a capsized boat in Lake St. Clair. The hosts laughed, and crumpling paper could be heard.

Valenti declined to comment to the Free Press. But on the air, he said: “I just offer you my sincerest apologies. It was completely ridiculous to put it on the air, and again, it comes to me. The only thing I can promise you as my listeners, it won’t happen again. Otherwise, I’ll tell you right now, I don’t deserve to be around.” Debbie Kenyon, the station’s market manager, said: “We fully agree that the comment was absolutely inappropriate.”

Asked if Valenti would face further discipline, Kenyon said: “I think I’ve said enough. We’ve addressed the issue with Mike the way we feel is best. The on-air apology is pretty big. We don’t do that very often.”
Wow. Not only are you making a joke about people who are presumably dead at sea, but you're doing so in the market of one of the players. That's the height of idiocy and just downright despicable.

Radio host apologizes for 'reprehensible' comments about Lions' Corey Smith (M Live)

Posted by Awful Announcing at 3:56 PM

9 Comments:

is it just me...or do all detroit sports media people suck?

First we have rob parker asking marinelli if he wishes he had a different son in law, and now this douche bag makes a joke about people drowning lost at sea.

sag969 said...
Mar 4, 2009, 4:36:00 PM  

And to think their competitor was gutted a month or so ago. *sigh*

Anonymous said...
Mar 4, 2009, 4:42:00 PM  

You left out Jemele Hill, sag.

Yeah, no lie, Shaggy. I don't think I've listened to one second of 97.1 since its inception. Rizzo & Reghi are good on KNR, but there's nothing for me to listen to locally with bozos like Valenti around.

Mar 4, 2009, 4:46:00 PM  

Bring back Stoney & Wojo.

49er16 said...
Mar 4, 2009, 5:01:00 PM  

Asked if Valenti would face further discipline, Kenyon said: "He already lives in Detroit. What more can we do to the guy?"

GMoney said...
Mar 4, 2009, 5:22:00 PM  

I'm sorry, but since he's the man behind my all-time favorite on-air meltdown, he gets a freebie.

It runs about 15 minutes, and is worth every second...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWmXe1w6XBk

Mar 4, 2009, 6:20:00 PM  

As a regular listener to the Valenti and Foster show, let me provide a little context.

The station's website has an ability to send in short comments, called Instant Feedback. The hosts will read a selection of the comments on the air throughout the course of the show. The Instant Feedbacks often take on a joking or mocking tone, occasionally they are over-the-top, and on rare occasions they cross the line.

It was absolutely wrong and an inexcusable lapse in judgment for Mike to have read those comments on the air. But it's not like he wrote the jokes himself intending to get an actual laugh. If anything, I think it reflects badly on the Detroit sports fans who were sending in the Instant Feedback all day.

N--k G-----n said...
Mar 4, 2009, 10:47:00 PM  

They should be fired. Plain and simple.

JamesCraven said...
Mar 5, 2009, 12:45:00 AM  

Fired? The on-air apology "was pretty big. We don’t do that very often.”

Also not done often on radio: making fun of people lost at sea, 3 of whom are now dead.

The Zoner said...
Mar 5, 2009, 9:28:00 AM  

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