Radio station fires ten after Wii contest death
One of our readers called it in our comments on the original story: ten people have been fired from Sacramento's KDND 107.9, including several on-air personalities. The names of all ten have not been released, but it seems the parent company, Entercom/Sacremento, is working quickly to handle any issues of liability. Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of rumors surrounding the water-drinking contest that resulted in the death of Jennifer Strange, including one that a nurse called into the show to inform the disc jockeys and contestants that what they were doing was dangerous. All we can say is that we hope this is resolved quickly and, for the sake of the family, disappears into the void of old news stories.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
crumb @ Jan 17th 2007 8:34AM
You know, asking that this story fades away into old news while posting an entry on this subject probably wouldn't help much considering the popularity of this blog and now that you're posting new events on the matter.
Patrick @ Jan 17th 2007 10:12AM
They aren't just fireing 10 people. They are shutting down the radio station. Which I think is stupid. Because some woman killed herself in a contest? It's like the spilling the McDonald's coffe case. It's just someone being an idiot. But don't get me wrong. I happily would have risked my life to get a Wii if I didn't have one.
Cheswick @ Jan 17th 2007 10:29AM
They are shutting down the station not cause someone killed herself in a contest but because they held a contest in which someone died as a direct result of entering. The poor woman likely didnt know the serious consequences of water intoxication, and the station didn't make it clear.
Spekkio @ Jan 17th 2007 11:26AM
Apparently the nurse's warning is not a rumor:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KDND
Bryan @ Jan 17th 2007 12:27PM
I live in Sacramento and have been following this story. While I own a Wii and probably would have done the contest to win one. I don find the radio station at fault. It is a tragedy, she was healthy, had three children, and was married. One of the children was an infant who will never know her mother. This is coming from a father of two, so I do have a different perspective when looking at this case. The radio station should have done a little more research into this, granted who the hell thinks you are going to die from drinking water?? I sure didn't. And no they are not shutting down the radio station. They have cancelled the morning show that put this "event" on. The station is still on the air and the other DJs who weren't involved are still on the air. Just wanted to share my opinion and clear up some mistakes.
Jackson Pritt @ Jan 17th 2007 12:36PM
Patrick, you're an idiot.
Not only are you ignorantly perpetuating retarded pro-business/anti-consumer myths, you're also being glib about a woman's death.
1) The station created a contest in which death was a highly probable result and failed to inform the contestants of that fact, and did not inform them that they were engaging in dangerous activities. At the very least all individuals involved are guilty of criminal negligence.
2) The McDonald's coffee case is constantly bandied about, but almost no one who talks about it actually knows anything about the case. The case involved a 79 year old woman who recieved 3rd degree burns that required an 8-day hospital stay and skin grafts because McDonald's heated their coffee to near-boiling temperatures (190ºF/88ºC). The woman originally tried to settle with McDonald's out of court for $20,000 to cover her hospital bills and pain and suffering, but McDonald's refused to give her more than $800 ($10,200 less than her hospital bills) so she took them to court. The jury tried to award her $2.7 million in damages, but they eventually settled out of court for less than $60,000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald's_coffee_case
Qwikstreet @ Jan 17th 2007 2:23PM
Did I not call this or what in previous Wii water posts.
It's a sad shame for the family and any radio employees that are not directly affiliated with the morning show who lost their jobs or eventually will. Radio jobs are hard to come by these days so those who were let go for no direct reason will have a hard time finding new jobs elsewhere.
Trauts @ Jan 17th 2007 5:41PM
I agree with post #1.
You're either the part of the media plague on modern society that sensationalizes death and violence... or you're not.
Trying to play the middle ground there just doesn't make sense. You recognize that the families probably just want privacy... and say they hope they get it...
But then you go and make this post?