You Pistons fans better mind your manners if you win.....or be prepared to call and apologize to Jimmy.........
http://www.detnews.com/2004/pistons/...ons-180037.htm
WXYZ pulls Kimmel's show
Comedian's lame fire joke draws ire of Channel 7, fans.
By Joanne C. Gerstner / The Detroit News
AUBURN HILLS -- It all started with ABC late-night talk show host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel making a not-so-funny joke about Detroit on Tuesday's Game 2 halftime show of the NBA Finals.
One wonders if Kimmel is laughing now, since his show was temporarily pulled off the air in Metro Detroit on Wednesday evening.
Kimmel's show did not air in its customary midnight slot on Detroit's local ABC affiliate WXYZ (Channel 7). The removal could be part of the station's formal protest against the comedian. Late-night attempts to reach management at WXYZ were unsuccessful.
In place of Kimmel's show, the station ran an episode of the "Wayne Brady Show", and a crawl across the bottom of the screen saying Kimmel would not be seen. The lifting of Kimmel's show capped off a day that saw Metro Detroiters and Pistons fans light up abc.com's Internet board, the network's Los Angeles offices and local talk-radio shows with anger at Kimmel and his remark.
So what did Kimmel say to ignite this chain reaction?
“They're going to burn the city of Detroit down if the Pistons win,” Kimmel said during halftime of Game 2, using his customary snarky tone.
ABC broadcaster and Ann Arbor resident Mike Tirico objected immediately, saying, “Hey, hey, hey, be careful. That's my home state.”
Kimmel looked a bit stunned at Tirico's objections, then backtracked a bit by saying analyst Tom Tolbert's eye-popping plaid suit should instead be burned.
Grace Gilchrist, WXYZ's general manager and vice president, just happened to be in Los Angeles on Wednesday for an affiliates meeting. Andrea Parquet-Taylor, Channel 7's news director, said Gilchrist personally expressed her outrage at Kimmel's comments to ABC's brass.
Parquet-Taylor hinted that Kimmel was in for some punitive action by her station.
“We are pretty livid about the entire situation,” Parquet-Taylor said. “Grace gave them an earful. We think that there is a lot of discussion about how Jimmy Kimmel has jeopardized his right to have clearance in this community. Totally out of line. We have got probably one of the strongest audience bases in the country for him.
“An apology is not going to cut it at all. We're not going to accept that from him. He owes this community much more.”
Kimmel issued a written statement Wednesday afternoon to address the furor. He refused requests to interview him personally.
“What I said about Pistons fans during halftime last night was a joke, nothing more,” Kimmel wrote. “If it offended anyone, I am sorry.
“Clearly, over the past 10 years, we in L.A. have taken a commanding lead in post-game riots. If the Lakers win, I plan to overturn my own car.”
WDFN 1130 mid-morning host Sean Baligian fielded an hour of calls Wednesday, fueled by people outraged at Kimmel.
“It was unreal. Man, did that statement ever touch a nerve,” Baligian said. “People are mad. They're offended. I have never received such a quick reaction.”
Callers to Baligian's show were mad that Kimmel slammed Detroit without cause.
“Caller after caller, and people who were e-mailing me, were mad because what Kimmel said is simply untrue,” Baligian said. “It's not true. Detroit does not burn when teams win. It's a lie, and people are mad that somebody would say something so terrible about Detroit on national TV.
“Jimmy Kimmel is a funny cat, he doesn't need to go somewhere as lame as making a lie up about Detroit. And he wasn't even funny on top of it.”
Big business
Kimmel's not-too-bright statements went out to a big audience, as Game 2 proved to be another ratings blockbuster for ABC.
It was the No. 1 show on Tuesday, drawing a 12.3 rating and a 30 share. That rating is 68 percent higher than last year's Game 2 between the Nets and Spurs.
Detroit also did well in the ratings, with 37.6 rating and a 53 share -- meaning that 53 percent of all the TV sets turned on were watching the Pistons.
Los Angelenos might have lost a few people to chilling on the beach, posting a lower 29.7 rating and a 44 share.
http://www.detnews.com/2004/pistons/...ons-180037.htm
WXYZ pulls Kimmel's show
Comedian's lame fire joke draws ire of Channel 7, fans.
By Joanne C. Gerstner / The Detroit News
AUBURN HILLS -- It all started with ABC late-night talk show host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel making a not-so-funny joke about Detroit on Tuesday's Game 2 halftime show of the NBA Finals.
One wonders if Kimmel is laughing now, since his show was temporarily pulled off the air in Metro Detroit on Wednesday evening.
Kimmel's show did not air in its customary midnight slot on Detroit's local ABC affiliate WXYZ (Channel 7). The removal could be part of the station's formal protest against the comedian. Late-night attempts to reach management at WXYZ were unsuccessful.
In place of Kimmel's show, the station ran an episode of the "Wayne Brady Show", and a crawl across the bottom of the screen saying Kimmel would not be seen. The lifting of Kimmel's show capped off a day that saw Metro Detroiters and Pistons fans light up abc.com's Internet board, the network's Los Angeles offices and local talk-radio shows with anger at Kimmel and his remark.
So what did Kimmel say to ignite this chain reaction?
“They're going to burn the city of Detroit down if the Pistons win,” Kimmel said during halftime of Game 2, using his customary snarky tone.
ABC broadcaster and Ann Arbor resident Mike Tirico objected immediately, saying, “Hey, hey, hey, be careful. That's my home state.”
Kimmel looked a bit stunned at Tirico's objections, then backtracked a bit by saying analyst Tom Tolbert's eye-popping plaid suit should instead be burned.
Grace Gilchrist, WXYZ's general manager and vice president, just happened to be in Los Angeles on Wednesday for an affiliates meeting. Andrea Parquet-Taylor, Channel 7's news director, said Gilchrist personally expressed her outrage at Kimmel's comments to ABC's brass.
Parquet-Taylor hinted that Kimmel was in for some punitive action by her station.
“We are pretty livid about the entire situation,” Parquet-Taylor said. “Grace gave them an earful. We think that there is a lot of discussion about how Jimmy Kimmel has jeopardized his right to have clearance in this community. Totally out of line. We have got probably one of the strongest audience bases in the country for him.
“An apology is not going to cut it at all. We're not going to accept that from him. He owes this community much more.”
Kimmel issued a written statement Wednesday afternoon to address the furor. He refused requests to interview him personally.
“What I said about Pistons fans during halftime last night was a joke, nothing more,” Kimmel wrote. “If it offended anyone, I am sorry.
“Clearly, over the past 10 years, we in L.A. have taken a commanding lead in post-game riots. If the Lakers win, I plan to overturn my own car.”
WDFN 1130 mid-morning host Sean Baligian fielded an hour of calls Wednesday, fueled by people outraged at Kimmel.
“It was unreal. Man, did that statement ever touch a nerve,” Baligian said. “People are mad. They're offended. I have never received such a quick reaction.”
Callers to Baligian's show were mad that Kimmel slammed Detroit without cause.
“Caller after caller, and people who were e-mailing me, were mad because what Kimmel said is simply untrue,” Baligian said. “It's not true. Detroit does not burn when teams win. It's a lie, and people are mad that somebody would say something so terrible about Detroit on national TV.
“Jimmy Kimmel is a funny cat, he doesn't need to go somewhere as lame as making a lie up about Detroit. And he wasn't even funny on top of it.”
Big business
Kimmel's not-too-bright statements went out to a big audience, as Game 2 proved to be another ratings blockbuster for ABC.
It was the No. 1 show on Tuesday, drawing a 12.3 rating and a 30 share. That rating is 68 percent higher than last year's Game 2 between the Nets and Spurs.
Detroit also did well in the ratings, with 37.6 rating and a 53 share -- meaning that 53 percent of all the TV sets turned on were watching the Pistons.
Los Angelenos might have lost a few people to chilling on the beach, posting a lower 29.7 rating and a 44 share.
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