TAMPA, Fla. -- Radio giant Clear Channel Communications agreed to fire popular radio talk show host Bubba the Love Sponge after deciding his raunchy radio show didn't fit its standards, company president John Hogan said Tuesday.
In a statement, Hogan said Clear Channel Radio supported the decision of the local managers of WXTB-FM in Tampa in severing its contract with the talk show host whose name originally was Todd Clem before it was legally changed to reflect his radio moniker. His sexually explicit morning show prompted a proposed $755,000 fine from the Federal Communications Commission last month.
The firing of the top-rated morning talk show host whose program aired in four Florida cities including WPLA-FM in Jacksonville was announced by WXTB General Manager Dan DiLoreto Monday night.
"After conducting an internal investigation, we concluded that Bubba's show will no longer be carried on any Clear Channel Radio station," Hogan said in his statement. "This type of content is inappropriate and not reflective of the way we run our local stations or Clear Channel Radio."
Messages left for the disc jockey with friends were not returned Tuesday.
The FCC is seeking to fine Clear Channel for segments of the Bubba the Love Sponge show, which aired on four Florida radio stations between 6:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. It was the single largest fine ever proposed for indecency.
The segments -- which aired in Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Fort Myers and West Palm Beach -- included graphic discussions about sex and drugs that were "designed to pander to, titillate and shock listeners," the FCC said.
One segment featured the cartoon characters Alvin the chipmunk, George Jetson and Scooby Doo discussing sexual activities.
The segments ran 26 times and the commission proposed fining Clear Channel $27,500 for each airing, or $715,000.
The disc jockey was acquitted in 2002 of animal cruelty charges stemming from the on-air slaughter of a feral pig. The animal was castrated and slaughtered during a show in February 2000.
The syndicated show also can be heard on satellite radio.
Copyright 2005 by News4Jax.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Local Man Relieved 'Bubba' Is Out
