| OCR Text |
Show Chronicle - Page Five Friday, January 13, 1989 ACC ENT Movie reflects real-lif- e dangers of controversial 'shock radio' talk shows By Isaiah Stewart taining motion picture, but he feared the movie might influence possible terrorist Chronicle staff writer behavior. Death and spiteful violence can result "There are enough squirrels in the world that somebody may just get an idea talk radio, insulting and outrageous words are a commodity that brings additional Crenshaw said talk radio serves as an effective medium for presenting counterarguments and pushing controversy to provide lively, probing entertainment "The whole concept of talk radio is to give all sides of an issue and to present controversial topics that people otherwise are not exposed to or don't bother to think about," he said. Crenshaw added shock radio broadcasting can be useful but it's also an irresponsible medium. He prefers a compromise between shock radio and what he calls "plain vanilla radio," radio that doesn't address controversy. "Shock radio is OK in some markets," he said. "I think there are times when you have to jolt people out of their apathy. But I don't see confrontational radio as being the most effective format" Crenshaw said he believes the talk show is the most informative and entertaining format of on-a- ir radio broadcasting. "I think broadcasting as a whole is a monumental bore," he said. "But I think talk radio is the last frontier of human communication." Crenshaw said because arguing over the . .air can make disagreeing listeners emotional and bring potential danger, he is life. alert and careful in his 'Tnrcautious. I take rational precautions ":tb make sure that Tm hot leaving myself overly exposed," he said. "I look at my vehicle and I check things out pretty take a lot of precautions." -- from words that trigger hateful and destructive emotions. In the business of from the movie," he said. liste- ners-more money. Talk Radio, a film by Oliver Stone, has issues of brought to the surface extortion and terrorism in the field of "shock radio," radio geared to be often insulting and probing and always contro' versial. The idea of Talk Radio was inspired by the true story of Denver radio host Alan Berg, who on Yom Kippur, the holiest of Jewish holidays, invited listeners to call in and express their personal dislike for fact-bas- ed Jews. As a result of counterarguing the calls, Berg was slain in a deliberate plot perpetrated by the group The Order, the "silent brothers." .In setting up the execution-styl- e hit, the group carefully stalked Berg in advance, and even sent a spy to monitor his habits ' and movements. While murders aren't common in the world of controversial hosts, insults and threats of violence are. Mills Crenshaw, a Salt Lake radio said he and his host for have colleagues personally, encountered endangering threats. "We've had threats on our lives," he said. "I had one extortion threat that we It goes with the terturned over to the FBI. ' anti-Semit- ic neo-Na- talk-sho- zi w talk-sho- w K, ritory." v V Crenshaw,, added he .thought Tgfc Radio would be an informative and enter , day-to-d- ay care-fully- -I - J Although many local disc jockeys have not experienced the extortion and terrorism Barry Champlain experiences in Talk Radio, some have personally encountered endangering threats. FBI Special Agent James T. Screen said see if there's any immediate danger," he the bureau is responsible for bomb threats said. "If we know there is an immediate and terrorist assaults. danger, we'll call in the local bomb If a radio personality received a bomb squad. Then we'll search and evaluate threat, Screen said the bureau wouldn't the place-a- ll the normal procedures to : work in a protective capacity; rather, they protect the person." But threats of violence constitute only a would move on the terrorist threat itself, "We're really not a protective agency. few symbolic brush strokes in painting But if there's a threat made we'll definitely the entire picture of talk radio. look into it," he said. "We've had a number By often publicizing insulting behavior of investigations this year. If it's a crank and driving raw nerves to the surface of call, it's usually from someone that's upset listeners, talk radio is a formidable, powabout something where there's a protest ; erful .force of cpmmuicatiph.VThe late ' Alan ' Berg called the talk show "the last going on." Screen explained how the FBI would . neighborhood in town." operate if, it obtained a report that r a ' , "The talk show is the last town meeting radio personality "had received a bomb in the world where people have a chance to really have an impact on their governthreat. .' j. "We would start an initial' investiga- ment," Crenshaw said. "Talk radio can tion to find out if it's just a threat-- to open people's eyes." . . , team wites Fafttneir-dawglMe- ii : manual selff-tnel- p professor, high school junior offer suggestions for being 'happy student' U. "Most of what we say is pretty commonly accepted by people in the Awakening program. Although these are useful skills, we wouldn't want to take the credit for By Jennifer Peterson Chronicle staff writer v Few students can imagine spending three months working closely on a project with their fathers, let alone finishing a book by the age of 16. However, the daughter of a University of Utah professor has done just that. The first edition of How to be a Happy Student, by Adrian Palmer, a U. English and applied linguistics professor, and his daughter Vivienne Palmer, was released earlier this month. "I got the idea for the book about a year ago but was going to focus on the troubles with teaching.-I- was going to be called How to be a Happy Teacher," Adrian said. He said although he usually finds it much easier to write when he has a specific audience in mind, he decided to write to the larger student audience. Since his daughter is still in high school, he thought it would be the perfect time to write it. He said he hopes to have all the time he needs to finish his teachers' version later. Although the title refers to students, the contents can be used by all sorts of people at all stages of their lives. It offers different and perhaps new ways of dealing with disparents, teachers and self. Among other topics, it stress and relationships. cusses Though the intention was to write for a high school d crowd, the exercises work outside and these settings. "The ideas expressed are valid for all people although I wanted to write for a specific audience. It deals with said. experiences every human being has," Adrian This is not the first involvement the team has had with this type of material. Both are deeply involved with "The Awakening,? a training program exercises; which focuses on "I have learned a tremendous amount about myself " and these ideas by working with my dad Vivienne, a Highland High School junior, said. alternaThe book is a workbook of sorts which offers tive methods of dealing with people. It is based on ideas the Palmers have learned from their colleagues in The college-ag- e ., co-author- ed t self-estee- m, college-oriente- . father-daught- self-improvem- 17-year-- Awakening. ; er . them," Adrian said. One of the Palmers' beliefs discussed in the book is that what people dislike in others is really what they dislike in themselves. ? "All we ever see in other people are parts of our-- , selves," Vivienne said. "We don't give ourselves a chance to act how we feel is natural. We instantly judge ourselves. Ultimately what we see in others is what we see in ourselves." The book offers exercises in practicing understanding ideas and skills the Palmers and others find useful in daily fife. "We hope the book is more than just a source of information, but more a process of getting a feeling for the ideas," Adrian said. The book is not the typical version of a manual. Rather than dealing with g skills, time management, study habits and the book discusses how to deal with people. "All students have one thing in common and that one thing is teachers," Vivienne said. No, the Palmers are not saying all teachers are difficult to deal with. However, teachers are people and dealing with people is the emphasis of this book. The program also carries over to life beyond the realm of education. Because the same types of things which make one upset with a teacher could happen with a boss, the skills recommended can work in relation to both kinds of individuals, the Palmers agreed. "In fact, we have already had a case in which a woman used the skills in the chapter about teachers on her boss V"'-' v. very successfully," Adrian said. who The Palmers hope those purchase the book are affected by it. They hope the ideas within the binding will be as useful to others as they have been to them. "I really do want to make a difference. In my life I want to do my best to make education an enjoyable experience," Adrian said. "I want people to enjoy school. If it's something you will be doing for at least 12 years why not enjoy it?" ... ill note-takin- ' , Chronicle photo by Guy E. Elder University of Utah professor Adrian Palmer and his their daughter Vivienne have first book, How To Be a Happy Student. co-autho- 17-year-- li j Vivienne said. ve never seen a situation that cannot "I'm an optimist-I'be helped in such a way that it creates happiness on both sides. I'm not saying we are a couple of enlightened gurus. We are not happy all of the time. We are ordinary people. But when we use the skills, we are amazed how much they help," Adrian said. , , . |
