KNBR's Gary Radnich Classless Handling Of MLK Day Talk

Richard Liberman, who listens to San Francisco Bay Area radio so I don't have to, sent an email explaining that KNBR's Gary Radnich was making comments that, put together, add up to a classless discussion of the Martin Luther King Holiday.

This is what Richard (who's no friend of KNBR by the way) explains via email and on his blog:

Gary Radnich made a comment about it "not feeling like a 'holiday today'" on his KNBR show. Of course, Radnich was referring to the fact that today is Martin Luther King, Jr day, a national holiday. Many media people are working and the stores are open, but the banks and schools are closed, noted Radnich.


Fair enough.


But then a caller, (a regular, who happened to be black,) chastised Radnich and his cohorts for making light of the remarks. Radnich, predictably, mocked the caller and promptly cut the call.


I don't think Radnich intentionally tried to de-ligitimize the MLK holiday. In fact, he's married to an African-American woman.


But he clearly crossed the line by making fun of the caller's legitimate questions.

I'd like to know more about what Gary said, exactly. But for me, why not take time to remind listeners of the importance of remembering Martin Luther King? Yes, Gary's wife is African American, and he has a lovely family (in the photo above), but that doesn't mean he's going to rubber-stamp the MLK Holiday.  

But that's just the point: if Gary can't get behind it, then he should explain why and allow others to talk about it on the air.

We can't forget how the USA has evolved and how fast, just over the last 40 years, and really over the last 10 years too.    Martin Luther King Day should be a day we celebrate what's right with America, not lament what's wrong with it.

We have a great country.  Only in America could a society of people come so far, so fast.   Just six years ago many said America would never have a black president.    Then, that year, a young Senator Barack Obama spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and the talk started.

Amazing.

Gary Radnich should talk about that; I think he'd agree.