Elliot pulls a Kornheiser

From the Mid-Atlantic Bicycle Racing Association listserv via Chris about the tacks on the bicycle race course story

"the DC101.1 radio show Elliot in the Morning had a mention of this incident this morning. one of the co-hosts (i think her name is Diane) mentioned that police were still investigating the case and Elliot interjected saying that 'it made for a really funny video.' Almost immediately they received a lot of feedback denouncing his comment, after which he spent the next half hour defending himself in a way that just made him look more of a jerk. Even his co-hosts were backing away from him. His defense that none of his listeners would be encouraged to do something similar to other cyclist backfired on him when 3 listeners immediately called in and shared stories of their own "pranks" done to injure or scare cyclists. So far he's yet to apologize and the negative feedback is apparently building up."

Comments

[John]

Elliot made himself "look more of a jerk". He's not exactly clearing a high hurdle.

[Jimmy]

I used to think Elliot was funny. But I stopped listening a couple years ago because he just seemed like more and more of a jerk every day. Not to mention really ignorant on a lot of issues. It reached a point where nearly every day they were providing bad information. They can't even seem to fact-check by doing a quick Google search.

[Scott F]

Did you notice how wildly successful Kornheiser's stunt was from a PR perspective? By offering a half-assed apology later on, he got tons of attention, Lance Armstrong on his show, and he made himself out to be not such a bad guy after all. All possible because he angered cyclists.

This time around, the guy looks bad enough already. Let's just leave it. No more stories, no impassioned pleas to DC101 management to make him apologize or cancel his show. Let it be. What bullies hate the most is being ignored.

[pete]

Man, I feel like just moving back to Chicago or Tucson. Does 99% of the population out here hate cyclists?

[Jeremy]

I agree with Scott F. The outrage is probably counter-productive. This guy is a shock-jock, which means the point of his show is to say and do mean-spirited things in order to offend and harm innocent people.

[washcycle]

I think the Kornheiser thing was better for cyclists than Kornheiser. It may have been a win-win, but we got:

1. Time for LA to go on a show aimed at drivers to talk about how to behave around cyclists and to defend cycling, cyclists and even bike clothes. And TK agreed with it all.

2. national publicity that brought attention to safety and bike lanes.

3. TK will never make these kind of comments on air again.

4. We showed that we have numbers, are organized and are not to be F%$#ed with.

5. I suspect more people stopped listening to TK than started.

Maybe it was a win-win. But I feel like we won more.

[Brendan]

As a cyclist, I'm expendable. As a father, I am not.

[JeffB]

I've got to wonder whether posting the video was the best idea.

[Michael H.]

Listening to Elliot in the Morning is like having someone scratch a chalkboard with 30 forks at once. I'm only surprised that this is the first such statement. (There are probably many more.)

Kornheiser is a much more "mainstream" radio personality, partly because of his audience from "Pardon the Interruption" on ESPN and the columns in the Washington Post. Elliot basically plays to high-school kids and immature 20-somethings.

Unfortunately this kind of aggressive, in-your-face, blathering idiot act is more popular these days because of Howard Stern and various shows on MTV and similar "youth-targeted" outlets. Freedom of expression or "creativity" or something like that, so I hear. More like freedom to be obnoxious, idiotic and violent.

I've always thought of Elliot as the type of person who would drive past pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists and fling open the car door to smash them in the face and knock them on the ground and cause broken bones and concussions. Sounds like my perception wasn't that far off.

[twk]

Wasn't it Clear Channel that got into trouble a few years back for this kind of thing? I seem to remember some statement about zero tolerance for making fun of hitting cyclists. DC101 is a Clear Channel station.

[Brett Wagner]

Elliot is the best. And, he rides a motorcycle, --------. None of you heard him so you don't know what you are talking about. -----------.

[Eric_W.]

Dear Brett (WC: note that I am not using the word describing someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community),

The topic here is bicyclists not motorcyclists. The fact that he may or may not ride a motorcycle is of no consequence.

I watched the video of the crash and I can tell you it did not make "for a really funny video."