f*@&k KCRW
Public Radio Commentator Sandra Tsing Loh Fired over Obscenity
Images from Geffen Playhouse (left) and the Actors Theatre of Louisville (all other pics) websites
Articles on the IncidentReuters: Performer Thrown Off the Air Over Obscenity |
I was very upset to read that public radio commentator Sandra Tsing Loh was fired this week. "The Loh Life" was a weekly three to four minute pre-taped commentary in which she talked about a variety of topics: motherhood, Costco, and living in the not-so-chic L.A. neighborhood of Van Nuys, to name a few. As a transplanted southern Californian, it was always one of my favorites. I've loved her books Depth Takes a Holiday, Aliens in America, and A Year in Van Nuys and I went to see her show I Worry when it came to the Kennedy Center (an Easter Sunday I'll never forget, primarily because I forgot it was Easter Sunday when I made the reservations). Unfortunately, this Sunday's segment included the f-word, she had asked her engineer to bleep the word, however it was not done. She was fired the next day. Since I live out of the area, my access to her show is via audio files posted afterwards. Below is the context of the obscenity (as reported by LA CityBEAT).
Sandra began her February 29 Loh Life complaining that her husband sleeps late and doesn’t listen, “but he DOES play guitar for Bette Midler on her MASSIVE new STAGE show – there are times when he stands within five feet of her! So I guess I have to f*@&k him.” That’s how she wrote it in the transcript, by the way. The intent was never to actually say “fuck” on the air, but to say it while recording the piece – “it works better for the rhythm” – and have the engineer bleep it out later.
Anyone who was familiar with her work would have known that this was unintentional and after six years, KCRW turned their backs on her.
She has also been featured on NPR's This American Life, has her own segment The Loh Down on NPR's Marketplace and is a critic for The Atlantic
Subject: Bring Back Sandra Tsing Loh
I am extremely upset at KCRW's decision to fire Sandra Tsing Loh. No one who listens to the "Loh Life" would ever believe that her use of an obscenity was an intentional choice. I have looked forward to her commentaries every week because I find her unique perspective refreshing in a sea of recycled ideas. Where else can I hear stories about losing her father's Chinese wife at Disneyland or buying clothes at Costco or find a multipart series on the Swiffer (no one else has the nerve to do that many segments on a properly functioning cleaning accessory).
After reading the news on the LA Times website, I checked my bookmarked "Loh Life" page and found an error message instead. The decision to remove archived Loh Life segments from the KCRW website is disappointing -- she has made countless wonderful commentaries over the years for KCRW and yet her work is purged after only a few days.
What I find most disturbing about this situation is that I don't think that KCRW believes that she did it on purpose since it's out of character for her commentaries. The only thing daring about the Loh Life is it doesn't resort to the standard shock material employed by many radio personalities, instead finding humor in the everyday life of a harried mother/author/performance artist. I think you know that it was a mistake but you don't have the guts to support her.
I am afraid that I took it for granted that rational thought and understanding would be exercised in the programming decisions made by an NPR affiliate.
Susan Langan
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The Final CommentariesWhen I checked for KCRW's Loh Life website on Friday March 6, it was not available. However, thanks to Google's feature of caching webpages (and my weekly checking of the website), I was able to resurrect the links to her final commentaries. As of March 6, the audio files are still available, but they may not be there much longer.
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Note: These are the personal views of the webmaster. I wanted to express my disappointment over the KCRW situation. I do not represent Edward Norton, I am only a fan. I do not know his views and my comments should not be connected with him in any way.
Susan Langan (flatbroke)
