Station suspends DJ after music videos draw fire

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This article was published 10/04/2016 (3135 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A popular radio DJ in Winnipeg has been suspended for producing a pair of videos on YouTube considered by many to be racist and sexist.

Dave Wheeler of 92 CITI FM was suspended, the station said this morning on air at about 7:30 a.m., although the length of the punishment wasn’t disclosed.

An apology, written by Wheeler and read aloud by another on-air personality, Rena, acknowledge the videos “Transcona Girls” and “North End Boy” were inappropriate.

“I want to apologize to our loyal viewers, listeners and the city of the Winnipeg for the two videos that were posted on our site (Monday). They were insensitive and went too far. We love this city, we live and work here like all of you, I never meant to offend the great people of Winnipeg; for that I am truly sorry,” statement read.

“Every day we try to entertain our audiences but sometimes it can go too far, and that’s what happened (Monday). There comes a point where something intended as a joke just isn’t funny.

“Our community has gone through a lot and been called a lot of things. The best thing we can do right now as a community is come together and build each other up. We’ve heard the concerns of our community clearly, and apologize for the videos that were offensive and in poor taste.”

Another on-air personality, Philly, added afterward that none of the staff at the station takes this situation lightly.

On Monday night, the station was compelled by online backlash to remove the videos from social media posted by the show Wheeler in the Morning. The radio station tweeted “As per the wishes of the program director of 92 CITI FM, ‘North End Boy’ and ‘Transcona Girls’ have been taken down from social media.”

“Transcona Girls,” to the tune of “California Girls” by The Beach Boys, includes the lyrics “North End daughters really like to stab and steal your bike, and the Wolseley girls with their hairy pits, they keep their girlfriends warm at night.”

“North-End Boy,” a spoof of “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” by John Denver, has more offensive lyrics: “Well there’s holes in the wall and blood stained red, I try to fall asleep but I got no bed, I go outside try not to end up dead, thank God I’m a North-End boy.”

Meanwhile, members of the city’s indigenous community have called for Wheeler’s termination, and are staging a protest today at 1 p.m. outside the home of the radio station at 4 – 166 Osborne St.

Last year, Wheeler asserted Winnipeg isn’t a racist city during an interview with Maclean’s writer Nancy MacDonald, who wrote the now-infamous article “Welcome to Winnipeg: Where Canada’s racism problem is at its worst.”

“When you talk about race and people damaging their own race, to me, that’s not racism,” he said during that interview.