The Sickness is Deep
The anecdotes provided by John DePetro in this piece are, unfortunately, entirely predictable:
Callers from North Providence were calling in to my show on WPRO regarding the FBI arresting three members from the council. Some of the comments:
* “It wasn’t taxpayer money they took.”
* “25 grand ain’t a lot of money. It ain’t like they was greedy.”
* “They come from nice families.”
* “Everyone in Rhode Island has their hands in the cookie jar.”
* “The real bad guy is the rat who went to the FBI”.
We get the government we deserve.
It’s basically gang warfare in North Providence. Some force has to sweep both the Bloods and the Crips out of power in this town (problem is, the Bloods go on an anti-union tirade and the Crips go on an anti-liberal tirade, and thus the voters enable these charlatans again).
Funny how the anti-union “gang members” are the honest, anti-corruption types and the crooks are the ones most closely associated with unions.
Hard for a left-winger to find a place to call home in RI, isn’t it Rhody
Rhody-who’ere you waiting for?Take ’em on boy.I mean you live in that craphole of a town and all.
Glad I don’t.Oh,yeah,you’re the guy who hides behind an alias.Well,that’s life pardner.
I actually have a very good city councilman-I don’t know if he’s liberal or conservative-I just know he pays attention to issues that affect his constitutents and responds to requests without trying to hawk fundraiser tickets.
When the spring results were released last month, WPRO-AM was ranked the highest-rated station in the Providence metro area. Days later, Arbitron began investigating its data at the request of Clear Channel Radio, owner of WHJJ (920-AM), one of WPRO’s chief competitors.
Arbitron released new ratings two weeks ago without Kristen DePetro’s radio diaries. WPRO-AM dropped to the number-two spot overall, behind WCTK (98.1-FM) Cat Country. WPRO’s ranking in the popular morning drive-time category — when John DePetro is on the air — fell from fourth to ninth place.
“We are shocked and disappointed at [yesterday’s] news that fraudulent ratings diaries have come from the home of an on-air personality at WPRO,” wrote Bill George, program and news director for WHJJ. “Arbitron ratings are an important part of our business and it is disheartening to learn that a competitor may have had the ability to influence their outcome.”
In a letter he sent to Clear Channel advertisers that helped publicize Arbitron’s investigation, George said Arbitron reported that the six questionable diaries came from one household in East Greenwich. He said Arbitron also discovered the diaries were from six people in that home, “three women and three men, ages 27-34.” And the alleged six collectively listened to WPRO — between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. — for more than 109 hours in one week.
This is from the Providence Journal written by Alisha Pina on August 22, 2008.
What can you believe about radio in a city where the leading “commentator”, “host”, is a convicted felon?
I don’t care if John Dillinger is the host,if people call in saying those things,I guess it speaks for itself.
I don’t listen to Depetro,so I wouldn’t have heard it.
Lotta corruption all over the country.This is kiddie school stuff compared to Chicago where I lived for about 8 years.
Doesn’t make it ok,just saying.
Marc how ironic yet appropriate that some of the responses to your post continue along the same moronic putrid Rhode Island gene theme as the radio comments you cited.
So embarrassing!
Hi!
There are good and bad in both parties but North Providence really has no Republicans challenging local Democrats so the real choice is made in Democratic primaries or the Democratic Town Committee in that town.
The real problem is the extent of an attitude this is acceptable by MULTIPLE officials doing this, and condoning by MULTIPLE voters. NOT ALL OFFICIALS ARE CORRUPT OR TAKE BRIBES!
In closing, all are innocent under proven guilty, however the mindset that tolerates this behavior, is more offensive than the act itself!
Regards,
Scott
I wouldn’t worry too much about what John DiPietro or his listeners have to say.
I’ve long wondered if the historical (and still somewhat present?) influence of the Mafia in Rhode Island has been a factor.
It seems that throughout RI, or at least the urban areas, there’s a sort of “good fellas” mentality that deems gaming the system / working the sytem in illegitimate ways are “macho” and to be looked upon with esteem … and meanwhile, for the politicians, if they aren’t conducting hits and cement-shoeing bodies into the Providence River, in this environment they feel rather “upstanding” in comparison.
North Providence doesn’t have a GOP because its righties are Dems. It’s part of the front-running mentality – these folks have to be able to brag they’re on the winning side no matter what.
And I would run, if I didn’t have a family that would also have to bear the consequences of fighting the power.