WTBU fires DJ for profanity

After The Steve Vitolo Show was taken off of WTBU's program line-up on Feb. 28 for repeated policy violations, the show's host and namesake claimed the program was unjustly removed from the Boston University radio network.

The show, created in 2002, was removed from its Sunday evening timeslot because of four "strikes" - including failing to censor two expletives in a single show.

WTBU General Manager Jeff Katten said Vitolo understood the policy when he violated it.

"We have policy in place for everyone," said the School of Management senior. "The entire staff is well aware of the things that constitute receiving a strike. [Vitolo] violated station policy four times."

Vitolo, a College of Communication senior, accused WTBU of being hypocritical and claimed his show was unfairly dismissed from the station.

"[WTBU is] going to say that their policy is 'three strikes and you're out,'" he said. "Well, apparently that only applies to us, and maybe whoever they feel like kicking off the air."

Vitolo said the individuals in charge of WTBU were "unprofessional" and did not "know their own policy."

"I feel a great deal of animosity toward certain people on the executive board at WTBU," he said. "I think those people should be ashamed of their activities and I hope that future leaders at WTBU can learn from their terrible mistakes."

Vitolo claimed WTBU Station Administrator Lauren Yang committed similar on-air offenses with impunity.

"The station administrator, the woman that gave us the strikes, committed four strikes of her own in the two week period right before they suspended our show," he said. "She, in my opinion, committed the most egregious strikes by playing the song 'Creep' by Radiohead and letting the word [f---] be played three times during the song, on the show that aired on Feb. 18, 56 minutes into the show."

Yang said that strikes are given at the discretion of the station administrators.

"Strikes are pretty personal," she said. "We don't talk about them. We deal with them on a case-by-case basis. Whether I received strikes or not, [Vitolo] wouldn't know because it's not his show."

Katten said he was unsure whether or not Vitolo's accusations of Yang were true.

"I don't know where [Vitolo] got that information," he said.

While Yang played the unedited version of "Creep" and apologized for it immediately following the song, she said she could not recall whether she was reprimanded for playing the song.

Jeff McAulay, who co-founded The Steve Vitolo Show with Vitolo, said he also felt "animosity" toward WTBU.

"I feel like we got dumped," the College of Engineering senior said. "WTBU broke-up with us after three years of being together."

Katten said the show was not a grave loss to the station.

"The Steve Vitolo Show is just one of over 70 shows that we have on WTBU and they are all very good," he said. "Quality is important and we certainly have other quality programs. They also have not violated station policy."

As a result of the show's departure from WTBU, they will be moving to The Stream Rogue Network, a startup internet radio station set to debut early next year, in which they will now have to pay for air-time.

McAulay said the show will gain more freedom with SRN.

"Before we were kids riding the WTBU school bus - granted we were the cool kids sitting in the back, but we were restricted to the regular bus route," he said. "[With SRN] we're cruising down the highway in a brand new 2005 Mustang GT."

"We have a lot more maneuverability and control over our own destiny - we just have to pay for gas now," he said.

Editor's Note: Lauren Yang is a current staff writer and former Muse editor for The Daily Free Press.