Toby Keith Vs. Peter Jennings

Country Music Weekly ^

[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.

[Motorcycle Cowboy]

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?

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[katze]

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. ;-)

[ThreePuttinDude]

I'm right there with ya'....Give this jerk the BOOT

[breakem]

what year was this?

[pointsal]

Heck, I got some old boots.... anybody have an address for Peter Jennings?

[FreeperinRATcage]

Published on: July 19, 2002

Hardly current events. This was hashed out here repeatedly last summer.

[BOBWADE]

ping

[tutstar]

And it is ABC who plans to Janeane the bean Garofalo on her own show......hmmmmmmmmmm

[3AngelaD]

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.

[Motorcycle Cowboy]

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

[Motorcycle Cowboy]

what in he11 does that mean?

[Becki]

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

[OneVike]

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.

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

I vote for Toby. Hands down.

And I didn't even read the article.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Keith Jennings

[Motorcycle Cowboy]

The Flameworthy awards were great! Anytime the dixie chix get booed it's a good night!

[YaYa123]

Tobey Keith interview coming up now on 60 Minutes II.
8pm CBS, 29 Oct.