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Toby Keith Vs. Peter Jennings
Country Music Weekly ^
Posted on 04/15/2003 6:30:13 PM PDT by Motorcycle Cowboy
[Toby Keith] was booked in May to sing his patriotic anthem on an ABC-TV special set for a live July 4 broadcast. Asked to open the show with "Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue," Toby was glad to do it. It made sense to kick off an Independence Day program with a song that had tapped into what a lot of Americans were feeling and it would serve as a tribute to his father.
But something unexpected happened. The host of the program, ABC network newsman Peter Jennings, decided he didn't like the song, and he pulled the plug on Toby's performance slot.
"We got a call on June 12 from the producer's office saying we didn't need to show up," notes Toby. "They explained that Peter Jennings said he would not have the song on his show. He objected to the 'lyric content of the song.' So they kicked me off."
The reaction against ABC was swift. Phone calls, e-mails and letters poured into the network, and Canada-born Jennings became an instant punching bag for Toby's legion of fans, free speech proponents and politicians. U.S. Senator Zell Miller harshly criticized the TV network for refusing to let Toby perform, and he officially entered the lyrics of Toby's song into the Congressional Record. The senator accused ABC executives of "engaging in the rankest kind of hypocrisy. These so-called advocates of free speech, who complain loudly at any hint of censorship, are now guilty of it themselves."
Some radio stations even collected truckloads of old boots from listeners and shipped them off for delivery to Jennings' office -- giving him "the boot."
Unfortunately I can't copy the rest of the article from the website, but it goes on to say that Jennings lied on television and told viewers that toby couldn't make it because of a scuffle with an airline.
TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: abc; angryamerican; boot; countrymusic; media; news; peterjennings; tobykeith
IF he truly beleived the song was that bad, he could have at least defended his thoughts.
I say we deport him to canada, whos with me....eh?
To: All
PRETTY IN PINK
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2
posted on
04/15/2003 6:31:09 PM PDT
by
Support Free Republic
(Your support keeps Free Republic going strong!)
To: Motorcycle Cowboy
Poor old Peter, the only time anyone notices him is when he does another gaffe. I think he is still bitter that his wife left him for a network exec. ;-)
3
posted on
04/15/2003 6:36:41 PM PDT
by
katze
To: Motorcycle Cowboy
I'm right there with ya'....Give this jerk the BOOT
4
posted on
04/15/2003 6:38:15 PM PDT
by
ThreePuttinDude
(The only thing worse than a Frenchman, is a Frenchman from Canada)
To: Motorcycle Cowboy
what year was this?
5
posted on
04/15/2003 6:40:38 PM PDT
by
breakem
To: ThreePuttinDude
Heck, I got some old boots.... anybody have an address for Peter Jennings?
6
posted on
04/15/2003 6:45:15 PM PDT
by
pointsal
To: breakem
Published on: July 19, 2002
Hardly current events. This was hashed out here repeatedly last summer.
7
posted on
04/15/2003 6:47:01 PM PDT
by
FreeperinRATcage
(Tell CNN: NO BLOOD FOR RATINGS!)
To: zip
ping
8
posted on
04/15/2003 6:50:37 PM PDT
by
BOBWADE
To: Motorcycle Cowboy
And it is ABC who plans to Janeane the bean Garofalo on her own show......hmmmmmmmmmm
9
posted on
04/15/2003 6:52:17 PM PDT
by
tutstar
To: Motorcycle Cowboy
Mr. Cowboy's quite a newcomer, isn't he? This and other posts of his look like a setup to me, of some sort. Perhaps he's one of our DU visitors, cunningly disguised.
10
posted on
04/15/2003 6:54:38 PM PDT
by
3AngelaD
To: breakem
you asked "what year was this?"
"Published on: July 19, 2002"
yeah, I know it's old, but it wasn't up on the web until now
To: 3AngelaD
what in he11 does that mean?
To: Motorcycle Cowboy
They explained that Peter Jennings said he would not have the song on his show. He objected to the 'lyric content of the song.' :
Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon have nothing to complain about. This is real censorship, and I don't hear Toby running around whining.
Becki
13
posted on
04/15/2003 7:32:48 PM PDT
by
Becki
(Pray continually for our leaders and our troops!)
To: Motorcycle Cowboy
Hold on Cowboy,.. I do not think angel ment any harm, it's just that we covered this last year to the point it was eventually burried. I personally enjoyed the Flameworthy awards where Toby cleaned up!. And the Ditsie Chicks got booed.
14
posted on
04/15/2003 7:41:54 PM PDT
by
OneVike
To: Motorcycle Cowboy
I vote for Toby. Hands down.
And I didn't even read the article.
15
posted on
04/16/2003 5:01:40 AM PDT
by
Sweet_Sunflower29
(Snapping fingers in a *whatever_shape_it_is* for emphasis.)
To: Motorcycle Cowboy
To: OneVike
The Flameworthy awards were great! Anytime the dixie chix get booed it's a good night!
To: Motorcycle Cowboy
Tobey Keith interview coming up now on 60 Minutes II.
8pm CBS, 29 Oct.
18
posted on
10/29/2003 4:59:19 PM PST
by
YaYa123
(@Hubba Hubba.com)
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