admin @ Mon, 2006-09-18 11:00
The $10 million lawsuit filed against Clear Channel by fired WWPR (105.1 FM) morning host could toss into the legal system a question that's been debated in radio for years.
In a suit filed last week in Southern District Court, Star () charges Clear Channel hired him for his "controversial style," repeatedly told him to continue it and dumped him when one remark sparked a firestorm.
Star claims Clear Channel breached his contract by firing him. His contract specifies, he says, that if he, "in Clear Channel's good faith belief, exceeded the bounds of propriety," the penalty would be suspension, with or without pay.
In early May, Star and his morning rivals on WQHT (97.1 FM) - and , in particular - were engaged in what Star called "known insult games... where the disk jockeys exchange barbs or insults with each other."
Star took heat for several comments in the exchange, but what got him fired was a reference to Envy's 4-year-old daughter. He said he would "disrespect [Envy's] seed" and "do an on her."
After an avalanche of criticism in the media and from public officials like Councilman . Star was suspended, fired and then arrested. He eventually did three days of community service.
Now "enjoying myself" and "weighing several offers" for his next media gig, he has also filed a defamation suit against Liu, who called him "a loser pedophile."
The war of words with Hot-97, which he says the station encouraged. A few days before Star was fired, the suit says, WWPR produced an on-air promotion referring to Miss Jones as "that fat, nasty, gap-toothed b----" and concluding, "Hey, isn't that b----'s kid out of wedlock?"
Clear Channel directing him to play songs with lyrics he says were "in a very similar vein" to his comments. He cites 's "Super Ugly," which says "left condoms in the baby seat," and Notorious B.I.G.'s "Brooklyn's Finest," with a line that says, "Shoot your daughter in the calf muscle."
"Continuously expressed support" for the show from Clear Channel programming executives that Star says included and . Star says Poleman told him "he wanted more references to 'hate' in the station's major marketing campaign," alluding to Star's description of himself as "The Hater."
Direct support from Clear Channel CEO , who told Congress in 2004 his company has a "zero tolerance" policy toward offensive programming. Hogan "encouraged [Star] during one personal meeting to continue doing what he does," according to the suit.
During his nearly two years with Clear Channel, says the suit, Star was disciplined once and only asked to stop discussing one subject: who is on rival WBLS (107.5 FM), but is syndicated through a Clear Channel company.
Ironically, Star's argument that Clear Channel can't put all the responsibility for this incident on him is an argument critics like Liu have made for years. By hiring and encouraging edgy hosts, these critics say, ownership is just as culpable.
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