NY City Council members also after Hot 97
Emmis' WQHT-FM NY (Hot 97) may be in yet more trouble - - this time for running a contest in which women smack each other in the face to win big bucks, reports the NY Post. Six City Council members have asked state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to throw the book at the controversial hip-hop station for airing "Smackfest," which they say violates a state law prohibiting unlicensed fights.
Launched last year, the show featured women striking one another in the face to compete for a grand prize of 5,000.
The politicians say such violence is illegal under a law that bans combative events other than boxing, sparring, wrestling and martial arts.
Although "Smackfest" was canceled last month due to short staffing, videos of the contest remain active on Hot 97's website.
In one match, a female contestant dubbed "Kemeisha" of Queens took on "Ray Ray" of Brooklyn.
Halfway through the event, Hot 97 DJ Ebro Darden stopped the brutalities, saying, "We got mouth blood" - - only to bring the women back moments later for more beatings.
The council members say Spitzer should prosecute Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan and other Emmis execs "with the appropriate criminal and civil charges for such violations."
The complaining council members are John Liu, Charles Barron, Letitia James, Diana Reyna, Robert Jackson and Leroy Comrie.
Emmis spokesperson Alex Dudley tells RBR: "No investigation has yet been launched that we're aware of. There's nothing illegal about Smackfest. We ask that Smackfest be compared with similar programming, like Celebrity Boxing on Fox or MTV's Jackass. This is an event that was participated in by consenting adults who volunteered, showed ID, signed a waiver, and had fun."
RBR observation:
It's the same city councilman behind this that's still upset about the Tsunami song. Emmis is just going to have to deal with very raised antennae to its comings and goings in NYC for a while. If they keep their chin down, all should go well.
