1/29 - French President Jacques Chirac falls for Canadian Radio Prank
Reuters reported that French President Jacques Chirac was fooled by a pair of DJs known in Montreal as the "Masked Avengers". Chirac thought he had taken a call from the new conservative Prime Minister-elect Stephen Harper. But, after some time, Marc-Antoine Audette of CKOI radio let the 73-year-old Chirac in on the joke.
2/2 - Ryan Seacrest Walks Off New Jersey Radio Show Over "Gay" Question
It's now apparent that what seemed to be an uncomfortable on-air interview for Ryan Seacrest at Jersey 101.5 (WKXW-FM) was really a hoax. The "Jersey Guys" eventually admitted to the stunt. The hoax gained momentum when the following account from Carl Barbati at Trentonian.com was blogged: "After a minute or two of niceties, [Craig] Carton asked Seacrest whom he’d rather spend the night with, past 'Idol' singers Clay Aiken or Kelly Clarkson...'Ryan, are you a homosexual?' With that, Seacrest was headed for the door..."
2/4 - BBC Radio 1 Fakes "Dirty Hot Babes"
ManchesterOnline.co.uk reported: "BBC Radio 1 has been criticised after broadcasting fake adverts [advertisements] for sex chatlines...The promotional ads for 'dirty hot babes' offered listeners the chance to take part in a 'two-hour live sex marathon'...In reality, they were trailers for Radio 1's advice programme Sunday Surgery."
2/21 - Nebraska Lottery Victim of Radio Station Hoax
CNN reported: "Nebraska Lottery officials said Monday they believe they were the victims of a hoax after a call from a potential winner of a $365 million Powerball prize turned out to be from a Colorado radio station."
4/1 - April Fool’s Brings Christmas Music
Lynn Arave reports at deseretnews.com: “KOSY does an early April Fool's Day stunt, claiming to be switching to an all-Christmas music format, and since it's March 31, some listeners are caught unawares [sic], sending in hundreds of e-mails and phone calls; only a few listeners are disappointed that it's not a permanent change ...”
4/6 - Court Punishes Canadian Morning Show For Cake Stunt
From Canada.com: "A Danish court on Wednesday fined three radio talk show hosts 10,000 kroner...each for urging a listener to smash a creamy cake in the face of a bakery shop employee...On their morning broadcast, Freakshow, the three hosts challenge listeners to do pranks in return for money."
9/26 - Car Dealer Drops "Jihad" Radio Ad For "Fatwa Fridays"
From Columbus, Ohio, nbc4i.com reports: "A car dealership's tongue-in-cheek radio advertisement declaring 'a jihad on the automotive market,' will not be aired, according to a press release issued on Monday from the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Several stations rejected the spot from Dennis Mitsubishi, which boasts that sales representatives wearing 'burqas' -- head-to-toe traditional dress for Islamic women -- will sell vehicles that can 'comfortably seat 12 jihadists in the back.'"
12/17/06 - Opie & Anthony’s Homeless Shopping Spree
From boston.com: “Mayor Thomas M. Menino is chastising shock jocks Opie & Anthony and WBCN for broadcasting a live "Homeless Shopping Spree" yesterday where homeless people were given money and were taken to a New Jersey mall. Boston's WBCN preempted its regular programming to air what the radio duo said was their fourth annual shopping stunt, which loaded New York City homeless people into a luxury bus and drove them to an upscale Short Hills, N.J., mall and broadcast their shopping trip.”
