Initially the campaign targeting shock jock John DePetro focused on one advertiser. But now the group has organized at least 14 high-level politicians who say they won’t spend their campaign dollars on WPRO until DePetro is off the air.
“We’ve appealed to WPRO and Cumulus Media’s sense of decency in requesting that they sever their relationship with a man who degrades women by calling them whores, but it appears the only way to achieve a permanent solution is to further demonstrate just how bad this individual is for business,” said labor leader Maureen Martin, who has been the public face of For Our Daughters, the group that is trying to get DePetro off the air. “We expect others candidates and businesses will join them as our campaign grows in strength and numbers every day.”
In September, DePetro called two female labor activists whores on his WPRO morning radio show. Additionally, he’s made untrue and unfair accusations about many Democrats and left-leaning community and political groups. He was fired from a radio station in Boston for calling a gubernatorial candidate a “fat lesbian.” He and WPRO are bieng sued by a WPRO employee for sexual harassment. His wife took blame for a ratings scandal in which someone from his home address faked industry reporting forms.
Even before this campaign DePetro was widely disliked, untrusted and often even ostracized among the political class in Rhode Island, as well among almost all of his coworkers at WPRO, but station management maintains that he still draws listeners.
Here’s the list of candidates (and one PAC) who said they will not advertise with WPRO:
- US Senator Jack Reed
- US Rep. Jim Langevin
- US Rep. David Cicilline
- Providence Mayor and Gubernatorial Candidate Angel Taveras
- Gubernatorial Candidate Clay Pell
- Secretary of State and Lt. Governor Candidate Ralph Mollis
- Secretary of State Candidate Guillaume de Ramel
- Secretary of State Candidate Nellie Gorbea
- General Treasurer Candidate Seth Magaziner
- General Treasurer Candidate Frank Caprio
- Providence Mayoral Candidate Brett Smiley
- Providence City Council President and Mayoral Candidate Michael Solomon
- Providence Mayoral Candidate Jorge Elorza
- Providence Mayoral Candidate Lorne Adrain
- American LeadHerShip PAC Chair Kate Coyne-McCoy
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