Last Thursday, Mr. Madden made a comment about Senator Ted Kennedy, who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. Mr. Madden, acting as his usual crass self, said, "I'm very disappointed to hear that Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts is near death because of a brain tumor. I always hoped Senator Kennedy would live long enough to be assassinated. I wonder if he got a card from the Kopechnes." Mr. Madden later apologized on the show. Pittsburgh Post Gazette Sports Writer and classic old man Pirates lover, Bob Smizik, had an article in the Friday edition that went over Mr. Madden's "Outrageous" comments and called for the station to fire him. Thanks to Bob's article, the station suspended Mr. Madden on Monday, and then removed him from the air permanently on Tuesday because of the comment.
The fact is, Smizik used his column in the Post-Gazette to fuel the fire in his personal vendetta against Mr. Madden. Anybody who listens to Mr. Madden's show on a daily basis knows that since the begining of his show in Pittsburgh, Mr. Madden has brought the character of a wrestling superstar to the Pittsburgh airwaves. His character has not only made him #1 in Pittsburgh time and time again, but he's used it to question the greatness of some Pittsburgh sports legends that no one else has the guts to question, such as Willie Stargell, Myron Cope, Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis, and most recently, 'Whines Hard' (Hines Ward). If you listen to the show (which it's obvious that the people who are upset about the comment don't) you know that Mr. Madden thrives on these off-color comments. This most recent comment about Ted Kennedy is not only a comment that his faithful listeners would rarely take exception to, but is no worse than some other comments by radio shock jocks on the day of this announcement. For example, talk show host Michael Savage dedicated the majority of his show to it by calling Senator Kennedy senile, conducting an in-depth interview and discussion about the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, and playing songs by the "Dead Kennedys".
Tell ESPN to bring Mark Back!Pittsburgh is about to lose the only sports radio host/broadcaster/writer that will speak his own mind. The true "voice of the new generation of sports talk radio listeners," Mr. Madden is the only one who sets the facts straight about the Steelers and Pens. He also knows that the less he goes over the Pirates, the more his listeners stay tuned in, unlike the columnists for the PG and Trib who are in the back pocket of the Pirates' owners.
I call on all the fans to email the ESPN Radio brass and tell them to bring back Mark Madden to the Pittsburgh airwaves. Better yet, email the other stations in Pittsburgh to hire Madden. FM Talk 104.7, who is Pittsburgh's home of Michael Savage, would love to have the additional controversy and ratings on the FM dial for the evening rush hour time slot.
Feel free to leave your comments to express other ways that we can get our fix of Mark Madden in Pittsburgh!
