WXDX's Madden: "Get in the kitchen, have a kid, dance round a pole"

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Clear Channel’s Alternative 105.9 The X Pittsburgh host Mark Madden (Monday-Friday 3 pm – 6 pm and sports talker 3 pm – 6:30 pm on Penguins gamedays) had some pretty harsh words for one female follower, Lacey Brunell. Madden, no stranger to controversial statements, is facing some public backlash after offensive tweets to Brunell “@ZbynekGirl”, who blasted him for ripping on a Pittsburgh Penguins blog– thepensblog.com.


He responded: “Look, ur a girl, so … u know nothing & ur opinion is useless,” he tweeted. “Get in the kitchen, have a kid, dance ’round a pole, something.”

He took down the post shortly after, but not before it was caught by thepensblog.com.

Brunell fired back with a series of tweets calling Madden fat and threatening to go to WXDX GM Mike Thompson: “If you’re the professional you say you are you wouldn’t be so f—- disrespectful,” she said. “It’s a shame mark I enjoyed your show.”

Madden continued to engage with her in an embarrassing exchange between the two that totaled more than a dozen tweets, reported The NY Daily News: “Well I haven’t been pulled off the air yet. You must not be an influential as you thought (sic) #barefootandpregnant,” he last tweeted.

In an email to the blog Jezebel, Madden apologized to women in general but argued that his Twitter war was justified: “I owe women in general an apology. Maybe not that one. Her language and attitude toward me has always been abusive. But I got a bit carried away playing my radio character, which is a TV wrestling bad guy. I used to be one of those, w/WCW as a color commentator. I deleted the tweet because a teacher lectured me via Twitter, and I felt bad because my late mother was a teacher. So, mea culpa to anyone who feels one’s coming their way. I thought it was just show biz,” he wrote.

Madden has previously been fired from ESPN Radio 1250 in the ‘Burgh, the now-defunct WCW and a local TV station throughout his career.

RBR-TVBR observation: This is a whole new territory—these statements were not said on-air, so the FCC has no jurisdiction. So it could have been much worse without getting the station in legal trouble. But the same rules apply because it is still a media entity that relies upon advertising and ratings—tick off the wrong listener or group and it could erupt into protests, boycotts, etc.