Latino and other civil rights groups stepped up their efforts this week to knock the “John and Ken Show” off the air at KFI radio.
Along with a public picket line outside KFI studios in Burbank, the groups have been pressuring advertisers to withdraw from the controversial radio talk show.
Several dozen protesters marched outside KFI’s offices shouting “Stop the hate!”
Alex Nogales (pictured), president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, claimed ongoing protests had convinced Vons, Ralphs, Verizon FIOS and AT&T Wireless to withdraw their commercials from the show.
The rights groups accused the “John and Ken Show” of targeting an immigration rights activist, Jorge-Mario Cabrera, during a rant attacking the California Dream Act.
They gave out the office and personal phone numbers of Cabrera and encouraged their listeners to call him.
Cabrera had included the phone numbers as contact information in a press release.
Cabrera allegedly received more than 430 abusive and threatening phone calls with many of them threatening his and his family’s health and lives.
Many smaller advertisers have also pulled their advertising from the show, but they are afraid they will subject to a backlash from John and Ken, according to Nogales.
Clear Channel, which owns KFI, has refused to deal with Nogales because of his demand that John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou be fired.
KFI officials defended the program, releasing a written statement which said, "expressing your opinion is not a firing offense."
"KFI stands behind John and Ken and their right to speak their minds – opinions shared, incidentally, by over a million California listeners each week and protected by the 1st Amendment."
KFI said it has met with Latino groups to try to resolve the issue, but refused to meet with Nogales’ organization over the demand that John and Ken be ousted.
Nogales said his organization is now looking into possible legal options including seeing whether it has a case that can be filed with the Federal Communications Commission.
The National Hispanic Media Coalition claimed its efforts to oust the radio show has the endorsement of more than 30 other organizations including America’s Voice, the Asian American Justice Center, Communications Workers of America, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA).
