High Desert Radio Talk Show Host Launches Racial Assault, Stuns Community
Posted by: SB Insider | 04/28/2007 1:42 PM
As referenced in the April 28, 2007 San Bernardino County News Roundup, this shocking story filed by Mitch Deacon of the Victor Valley Daily Press reports the on-air outburst of Barb Stanton, host of her eponymously-titled political affairs program on Apple Valley-based Talk 960 radio station. According the news account, Stanton's live on-air media meltdown this past week resulted in her hurling ethnic slurs directed at members of the region's growing Asian-American community. Additionally, Stanton may also have violated federal banking laws.
Excerpts from the V V Daily Press article:
In a provocative outburst on radio station 960, talk show host Barb Stanton on Thursday cast aspersions on the recent merger announcement between Desert Community Bank and East West Bank, calling it a “dirty little trick.”
Responding to a caller on her show who mistakenly claimed that DCB had been taken over by a Chinese bank, Stanton implied that the bank merger would be prejudicial to American citizens doing business with the bank.
“We are going to see more Chinese faces in the bank than ever before, I predict. They’re going bring their own staff,” she said.
“Oh yeah, it’s going to be a big time for all, except for us, the true Americans. ... The big players have got it all laid out and panned out and, unfortunately, we are going to be at the bottom of the pan,” she said.
Stanton also urged her listeners to withdraw their money from the bank.
“I hope you all suck your money out of DCB so quick,” she said.
According to Alan Rosen, the legal counsel for Desert Community Bank, Stanton’s comments could potentially constitute a violation of banking law.“There is a financial code provision that makes it a violation of law to make disparaging remarks against a bank that are untrue and that would cause financial hardship for the bank,” said Rosen, partner with the Calabasas-based law firm Horgan, Rosen, Beckham & Coren.
“Encouraging people to withdraw money from the bank on a wholesale basis could theoretically cause financial hardship,” Rosen added.
If the Daily Press' published news account of Barb Stanton's comments is accurate - and there is no reason to think it is not - then Ms. Stanton needs to take the honorable step and immediately issue a full statement of apology to her audience and all those who were deeply and understandably offended by her racially-tinged remarks.
It's not just the Asian-American community who deserves an apology. It's every American, regardless of ancestry. Every American should be outraged at verbal displays of racism. Stanton's level of racial discrimination is four-square against the principles of equality, fairness and respect for all that this great nation represents.
Furthermore, Talk 960's parent corporation, Clear Channel Communications, needs to re-evaluate its relationship with Barb Stanton. If Barb Stanton - on her own free time - wants to level racial slurs and assaults on ethnicities of which she doesn't approve, that's her business. But it shouldn't be the business of Clear Channel to fund and provide a megaphone for the purpose of expressing vile and ugly words that offend so many citizens.
As we all know, earlier this month John Kerry supporter Don Imus was fired from CBS and NBC for using derogatory racist and sexist statements towards members of a university athletic team. Stanton's comments directed at Americans of Asian heritage are equally-offensive, if not worse.
Basically, Stanton is encouraging whatever listeners she may have to avoid patronizing businesses with Asian employees or owners, whom she literally deems as not being "real Americans." Stanton's request likely reminds many Red County readers of a certain ugly chapter in 20th century history.
Ironically, Stanton's report that a local bank had been purchased by a China-based financial institution was totally false.
Barb Stanton is an embarrassment to Talk 960. Their listnership deserves better than a radio host who clearly is in way over her head and has no idea what she's talking about on banking issues, exposes a radio station to legal ramifications, and instead relies on caustic insults to generate larger audience numbers (and hence, a larger salary) for herself.
As a former fan of Barb Stanton and husband to a Korean American, I feel Barb’s comments were very unfortunate. All I ask is for her to apologize for her words.
Barb needs to go! She the female Imus.
You people in an office should REALLY find out how us every day citizens feel ! It don't matter what color we are, the bottom line is we don't like mixing of colors and when you think of the real dark skinned people there are NOT many of them that have anything going for them ! All these people thats been brought over to our country need to go back to there own and let us true american have a chance to have a life !!
Americans WAKE UP before it's to late!!!
These United States are doomed, this has been happening since Carter brought in all the Boat people!!
Send them all back to their countries!!
God Help Us--NO one else is listening!!
The white people don't have all the holidays etc. just for them because they had a ruff begining! They did not have it easy either!!
As an Asian American and High Desert resident I’m absolutely appalled by the comments by Stanton. They were ranting, unwarranted, and ill based. The previous post doesn’t represent the people of the High Desert and that is one person’s bad opinion.
Clear Channel needs to do the right thing and remove her.
To complain about the racist tirade of Stanton contact:
Clear Channel Communications
348 East Avenue K4, Lancaster, CA 93535
phone: (661) 942-1121
I usually listen to 960 talk and turn off the radio when Barbara Stanton comes on. She often has her "facts" wrong and she sounds like a harpy. I had been outside working on the yard and when I came in she was in the middle of her racist remarks. I worked long and hard during the 1960's to end discrimination in this country. I have written to Clear Channel both here and at the Corporate level. I have also filed a general complaint with the FCC. I hope Clear Channel has the good sense to reject this kind of racist garbage and removes her show.
Better contacts:
12370 Hesperia Road #16
Victorville, CA 92392
(760) 241-1313
joe@talk960.com
I compared an unedited recording of the show segment, taken from the transmitter signal. The actual segment was about two minutes and forty three seconds in length. Someone, at the newspaper cut a total of about one minute and seventeen seconds out of it, leaving a carefully edited sound bite of about one minute and twenty six seconds that was used on the Fastrack Local News on the newspaper WEB site. It is quite clear that the newspaper cherry picked segments of the original audio to create a new context. In communication the context is just as important as the actual words. Whether it is from the same medium or converted from one medium to another, as in audio to print, the definition of Transcript is an accurate copy of the material. What they called a Transcript in the newspaper was not an accurate copy of the original material or even their edited sound bite. By calling it a Transcript they lied. Although some things may have been better left unsaid, IMO the segment, in context, should not of been a fireable offense. It would appear that many, if not most, of the people that formed their opinions based on the newspaper article, including possibly the financial institution and radio station officials, were IMO victimized by a Yellow Journalism Hit Piece that would have been better in the opinion section rather than masquerading as a news story.
Bruce:
You are like, a week late and several dollars short.