Text size:

Latinos not laughing at WBAB radio bit

BY BART JONES | Newsday Staff Writer

May 12, 2006

In heavily accented English, a WBAB radio fake commercial invited landscapers and dishwashers to head on over to the "Wetback Steakhouse."

The taped spot on the popular Roger and JP morning show on 102.3 FM yesterday encouraged the workers "to take a break from all that weed-whackin' and standin' on the side of the road waiting for work and come on down to the Wetback Steakhouse."

Then it urged them to "try our new 'especiales' - lawn mower - beef with rice and beans; the weed-popper - chicken with rice and beans; the leafblower - shrimp with rice and beans; or the cucharacha - rice and beans with beans and rice."

The fake commercial drew sharp criticism yesterday, prompting the Babylon-based radio station to apologize and pull it off the air. A spokesman for the station said the minute-long segment, which has aired several times, was a good-natured effort at humor by the show's morning hosts, John Parise and Roger Luce.

To Latino immigrants and their supporters, the bit was not funny. They said it could only worsen tensions on Long Island over illegal immigration and the presence of undocumented workers.

"It has a profound dose of racism," Mario Sanchez, owner of a real estate business in Hempstead, said in Spanish. "Whatever effort by another nationality to denigrate us has to be confronted."

After a reporter played a tape of the fake ad, Nadia Marin-Molina of the Workplace Project, an advocate for Latino immigrants, called it "disgusting. ... It's really just outrageous that somebody would think that is a responsible thing to put on the air."

A WBAB spokesman, Todd Shapiro, said the station did not mean to offend anyone, and he pointed out that no one has called to complain about it.

"We at the radio station have provided entertainment and parody for over two decades," he said. "We recognize the rights and feelings of all of our listeners and in no way did we mean to offend or insult anyone."

He added, "We poke fun at all people equally, including ourselves. ... However, as always, we listen to the communities' wants and needs. ... We apologize to anyone offended by it."

Shapiro said Parise and Luce would not comment. Station officials also declined to be interviewed.

Yesterday's segment was replete with stereotypes. "All the dishes are made from all-naturalized ingredients, so lace up your pointy shoes and visit our original location in Farmingville," the narrator said. "Plus, park your 1984 Nissan Sentra with red door and black hood at our curbside."

The spot is one of several about immigrants that Parise and Luce have aired on their show on WBAB, which calls itself "Long Island's No. 1 rock station." Until it was pulled yesterday, "Wetback Steakhouse" was listed among "Roger and JP Listener Favorites" on the station's Web site. It was removed minutes after Newsday called for comment.

Luce is also an independent contractor for Newsday who narrates the newspaper's daily radio promotional spots. Newsday spokeswoman Deidra Parrish-Williams said there has been no discussion about action against Luce.

Officials at the Federal Communications Commission said yesterday they were not immediately aware of complaints against the program. A spokesman said the agency's mandate is to enforce laws against "indecency," generally defined as having to do with sexuality.