Limbaugh Rips Sacto TV Station Over Song Parody Poll

Unhappy About TV Poll

A SACRAMENTO TV station's online poll about RUSH LIMBAUGH's controversial "BARACK The Magic Negro" song parody has the PREMIERE syndicated host calling the station "racially divisive." CBS O&O KOVR-TV (CBS13) put a poll on its Web site asking if the parody is racist, drawing LIMBAUGH's wrath.

LIMBAUGH told listeners on MONDAY's show, "I think they (KOVR) just learned over the weekend of the song... They played it a couple times and started doing polls, asking their viewers in SACRAMENTO if they think the song is racist. This has only been going on since MARCH and there has not been one shred of controversy about it among the people who listen to this program. It aired for a month and a half before the [Liberal] Drive-Bys (the most informed among us) heard about it, and then they hear about it, and they start writing about it as though it's something that it isn't. They ignore the lyrics. They ignore every bit of information."

"There is no controversy brewing anywhere except on the air of Channel 13 in SACRAMENTO," LIMBAUGH charged. "They are creating the controversy. This is an important point. We've been playing this parody since MARCH. It didn't create a ripple in this audience. There was no controversy. In fact the votes came in, people thought it was one of the most creative and funny they'd ever heard. Now all of a sudden there's a controversy. I wonder why that would be? Could it be that these sponges who do not listen to the program obviously found out about this from the CHICAGO TRIBUNE story yesterday that -- where did they hear about it? Did they hear about it from MEDIA MATTERS FOR AMERICA? Do any of these people actually listen?"

LIMBAUGH played audio from the KOVR morning show with anchors CHRIS BURROUS and LISA GONZALES and weatherman JEFF JAMES discussing the poll; GONZALES said, "I want to hear from RUSH. I want to know why they made the song," with JAMES adding, "He ought to know better. Once he starts to even go near that line, you know, it's never a good idea" and BURROUS calling the timing "post-IMUS here, a bit much, some are thinking."

BURROUS and GONZALES responded, with BURROUS saying, "We would be members of the 'liberal drive-by media' as he has said today, and often says, if we didn't ask the question. We like the new show on CBS13 in the morning from 5 to 7 a.m. We do news stories and we ask people to call in and e-mail in their thoughts. We don't edit the thoughts. We put them right out on the air and I don't care which way the poll turns out. It's giving viewers a voice and an opportunity to say what ever they want to say about it. I wouldn't care if 90% of the viewers went one way or another on it."

"I think we just wanted to hear what viewers had to say, which I think is exactly opposite of the 'liberal drive-by media' he depicts it," added GONZALES. "Well, I said I wanted to hear from RUSH. So I think he gave us his answer."

The song parody, created by LIMBAUGH contributor PAUL SHANKLIN, is based on a LOS ANGELES TIMES column by African-American writer DAVID EHRENSTEIN discussing how Sen. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL) fits into the cultural device of the African-American "stock character" sidekick who helps a white lead character gain enlightenment; the term became more familiar from SPIKE LEE's use of the term "super-duper magical negro" in talks with college crowds.

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