The following list of recommendations was delivered by the North Carolina Bicycle Club to Clear Channel Radio Station Manager Ken Spitzer on September 30th, 2003 at a meeting of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Bicycle/Pedestrian Stakeholders Group. The Stakeholders Group voted to endorse these recommendations as a show of support for constructive action that they feel needs to be taken by Clear Channel Radio at the local and national level.
What Clear Channel should do in 2003 to mend relations with
Triangle bicyclists, their families and their friends1. Public apology by Mr. Dumas and Ms. Lane, to be broadcast by the same station and distributed by the broadcaster in writing as a Press Release. The apology will explain why the original broadcast was improper under N.C. law, including the following points:
- that bicycles are vehicles
- that bicyclists are treated as drivers by N.C.’s Rules of the Road
- that bicyclists can use all N.C. public roads, with the exception of freeways, even when they are not traveling as quickly as other traffic
- that intentionally assaulting a bicyclist with motor vehicle can be a Class E felony (NCGS 14-32, Assault with a Deadly Weapon Inflicting Serious Injury)
- if a motorist followed the broadcast instructions while committing such an assault, the offense rises to a Class C felony
- if a cyclist were killed as a result of such assault, the charge would rise to manslaughter or murder
2. Adoption by the broadcaster of an internal policy that prohibits the advocation or promotion of hate crimes. The adoption will be announced in a Press Release. The policy will include
- Specification of consequences for violation of the prohibition
- Annual employee education about the policy
- Annual written acknowledgement by employees of the policy
[Dr. Jack McDevitt, a criminologist, has stated that: "Hate crimes are message crimes. They are different from other crimes in that the offender is sending a message to members of a certain group that they are unwelcome."]
3. The broadcaster will conduct a radio campaign to educate the public about the "bicycle taboo" and the five ways in which the taboo is reinforced. This campaign will total no less than three hours of air time within a period of 6 months. The taboo is defined and the five ways explained in the "Real or Just a Taboo" article, which appeared in "FirstMonday", April 2003, page 24. www.orlando.org/clientuploads/fm_april03.pdf
4. The broadcaster will fund the development of a series of bicycle-driving/share-the-road television Public Service Announcements (PSA) that are suitable for broadcasting by commercial television stations. NCBC/the North Carolina Coalition for Bicycle Driving will have final control of the content of this series, which be produced by reputable television production professionals. Such video PSAs shall be produced for re-use anywhere in the United States and shall be freely redistributable. Estimated cost: $150,000.
5. The broadcaster will provide NCBC/the North Carolina Coalition for Bicycle Driving with an audio copy and a transcript of WDCG’s "Showgram" broadcasts (aka G105's Bob & Madison shows) of September 22, 2003 & September 23, 2003. The audio copy will be unedited, and the transcript will be prepared and sworn to by a court reporter.
6. The station will broadcast an interview by Mr. Dumas and Ms. Lane with Tom Norman (Director of NCDOT’s Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation), about road bicycling in North Carolina.
Bruce Rosar, President, NCBC
Steven Goodridge, Vice President, NCBC