Fla. Station Fined $4,000 for Castro Prank

[SpeakEasy]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2004/apr/24/042404348.html

Fla. Station Fined $4,000 for Castro Prank MIAMI (AP) - A radio station that crank-called Cuban President Fidel Castro and broadcast the recording should be fined $4,000, the Federal Communications Commission said.

The Spanish-speaking hosts of "The Morning High Jinks" used snippets of an earlier prank involving Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to move the call from a receptionist up the chain to Castro in a five-minute broadcast June 17.

The hosts of the show on WXDJ-FM, Joe Ferrero and Enrique Santos, fed pleasantries to Castro before breaking in and calling him an assassin. The conversation ended after Castro denounced the callers with a stream of vulgarities.

It was unclear whether the station had been fined for the prank involving Chavez five months before.

[DAGDA56]

1. Actually, this is a pretty cool stunt...

...and they've already got more than $4k in publicity in the Hispanic community (both Cuban and otherwise) The really cool part is the only indecent language appears to be from Castro. Maybe Fidel should pay the fine.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

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[Renew Deal]

2. That's pretty unbelievable.

Pranking dictators? They have raised the bar.

[0rganism]

4. They should try it with bush!

Call bush a tyrant, and see what happens. Maybe start by prank-calling Prince Bandar, to get some sound bites to move up the Whitehouse call chain.

[Scurrilous]

5. Transcript of call:

http://johnford.net/mt/archives/004250.html

Olga: "One moment. It seems that they are establishing a communication through another line. Maybe we can establish a bridge. Explain this to the president."

The DJs pretend to explain this to Chavez.

Recorded Chavez: "Yes, yes. Correct."

Olga: "We've just made a communication. One moment President. You will hear some music but it's only for a few seconds. It's just to transfer you. One moment. I'm transferring you."

Chavez: "Yes, yes. Of course."

Voice identified by the DJs as Castro: "Hello."

Ferrero, pretending to be a Chavez aide: "Lt. Camil is speaking."

Another person named Balenciaga comes on the line in Havana.

Balenciaga: "Ah, Camilo. Do you have president Chavez on line?"

Ferrero: "Yes, yes."

Castro: "Hello."

Chavez: "Fidel, good morning. Do you hear me? Hello. I thank you. I spoke to German yesterday."

Castro: "Tell me. I'm listening. Oh, yes."

Chavez: "Yes."

Castro: "Yes, yes."

Castro: "There are a lot of issues."

Castro: "I am listening."

Chavez: "Yes."

Castro: "I am listening."

Ferrero: "We have a third person on the line and it's my duty to let you know. Do you understand?"

Castro: "Yes."

Chavez: "Yes, brother. How are you?"

Castro: "Tell me and let me see if I hear you. Tell me you haven't returned yet."

Ferrero: "We have a problem with the line."

Castro: "I can't hear him. I hear certain words. I hear him say Fidel. And then I don't hear anything else. What do you think we should do?"

Ferrero explains to Castro that there was an issue with one of Hugo Chavez's suitcases that got lost when he went to Argentina last month. Castro was there, too.

Ferrero: "Do you know about the lost luggage? It has sensitive material. President Chavez is extremely worried because of that. Now in Venezuela the situation is grave and it has something to do with this. Do you understand?"

Castro: "Correct."

Chavez: "Correct."

Ferrero: "Fidel, we have to investigate this."

Castro: "Correct. I understand. We have to investigate into that."

Chavez: "Good."

Ferrero: "Your agents that were with you in Argentina must make an extensive search. And the people that are responsible for this must be told. Are you informed that this is a number one issue?"

Castro: "I am informed and absolutely in agreement."

Ferrero: "So you agree with the (expletive) that you have done to the island, assassin?"

Castro: "What?"

Ferrero: "Enrique Santos and Joe Ferrero from Miami, El Zol 95.7 You fell just like Hugo Chavez."

Castro: "What did I fall for you (expletive)? What did I fall for (expletive)?"

Ferrero: "All of Miami is listening to you."

Castro: "What did I fall for, you big (expletive)?"

Ferrero: "What do you have to say?"

Castro: "(expletive)"

Castro: "I won't say anything.... shove it in your mother's (expletive)."

Ferrero: "Miami is listening to you Fidel Castro."

Source: Radio station WXDJ-FM.

[Voltaire99]

6. Right wing assholes...

...radio can't get enough of them.