Radio show employees fired

[jidar]

Following up the previous story, the employees were fired.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6164262.html

Wii-contest radio station fires 10 staff
KDND 107.9's Morning Rave off air indefinitely after the death of a woman in a water-drinking competition.
By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UK
Posted Jan 17, 2007 5:56 am CT

A California radio station has fired 10 employees, including five on-air personalities, after Jennifer Strange, a mother of three, died following her participation in a "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" competition, reports the Sacramento Bee. The 28-year-old died of water intoxication, having consumed an estimated two gallons of water in an attempt to win a Nintendo console for her children. The winner of the contest was to be the person who managed to drink the most water without going to the bathroom.

Strange called into her office after the show and told a coworker that she had a "really bad" headache and would be going straight home. She was found dead in her Rancho Cordova home on Friday afternoon by her mother, who had gone to check on her after being contacted by the concerned coworker.

The DJs had made comments joking about people dying from water intoxication during the show, according to the Sacramento Bee. There was even a discussion about a "poor kid in college"--presumably Matthew Carrington, who also died from water intoxication after a fraternity hazing ritual. One person dismissed the link by saying, "Yeah, well, he was doing other things." During the show, one DJ also admitted, "Maybe we should have researched this."

Two hours into the contest, a female caller, who identified herself as Eva, phoned in to warn the radio station that drinking too much water can kill. She said, "Those people that are drinking all that water can get sick and possibly die from water intoxication." One DJ replied, "We are aware of that," while another added, "They signed releases, so we're not responsible. It's OK."

Twenty contestants took part in the competition, including Strange, who was the runner-up. Other participants said that they became concerned when one woman lay on the ground, with her teeth chattering, and looking pale. At one point Strange was lying on the ground but told staff that she "could probably drink more" if someone could pick her up.

Despite the sackings, the Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness said that there would not be a criminal investigation. He said, "It's not as if she was somehow in their custody and they had a role to care for her. Rather, it was an invitation to a contest that was clearly ill-advised. She was exercising her free will."

A notice on the radio station's Web site stated that an investigation was underway. It reads, "First and foremost, our thoughts and sympathies go out to Jennifer's family and loved ones. I also want to assure you that the circumstances regarding this matter are being examined as thoroughly as possible. We are doing everything we can to deal with this difficult situation in a manner that is both respectful and responsible."

Wow. Just wow. How stupid are these people? All of that warning and they continued.

[Eleazar]

I'm not normally a proponent of our litigation culture, but jeez. Those people need to be sued into oblivion.

[crazycoffey]

They had it coming to them. I mean it's stupid to not check something out, if you are warned about something, maybe you should consider that they are right.

Information is so readily available on the net.

http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm

Can You Really Drink Too Much Water? In a word, yes. Drinking too much water can lead to a condition known as water intoxication and to a related problem resulting from the dilution of sodium in the body, hyponatremia. Water intoxication is most commonly seen in infants under six months of age and sometimes in athletes. A baby can get water intoxication as a result of drinking several bottles of water a day or from drinking infant formula that has been diluted too much. Athletes can also suffer from water intoxication. Athletes sweat heavily, losing both water and electrolytes. Water intoxication and hyponatremia result when a dehydrated person drinks too much water without the accompanying electrolytes.

[chagrin]

Disgusting, the whole situation is horrible

[Redrum_69]

R E P O S T

[jidar]

Originally Posted by Redrum_69

R E P O S T

Please don't make me ban you, jidar.

[Reerun_KC]

Stupid women. I wouldnt drink a ounce of water for a WII for my family..


That is just plain stupidity and ignorance.

[Redrum_69]

Originally Posted by jidar

WRONG AGAIN (erased just to be a nice poster...THIS ONCE)

You been reading Pak1983's posts way too much

[jidar]

Originally Posted by jidar

Please don't make me ban you, jidar.

what the hell. I thought the filter would get it.

somebody click the case insensitive string match checkbox.

[Bugeater]

From AOL news, this article has some dandy quotes in it:

Police Probe Death After Radio Contest
AP
(Jan. 17) - Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a woman believed to have been killed by drinking too much water in a radio station contest.


Jennifer Strange apparently died from water intoxication after taking part in a contest to see how much water one could drink without going to the bathroom.

On a tape of the Jan. 12 show, disc jockeys on KDND-FM's "Morning Rave" joke about the possible dangers of consuming too much water, at one point alluding to a college student who died during such a stunt in 2005.

A listener called the show to warn the DJs that the stunt was dangerous and that someone could die.

"Yeah, we're aware of that," one of them said.

Another DJ laughed: "Yeah, they signed releases, so we're not responsible. We're OK."

"And if they get to the point where they have to throw up, then they're going to throw up, and they're out of the contest before they die, so that's good, right?" another one said.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department decided to pursue the investigation Wednesday after listening to the tape, obtained by The Sacramento Bee newspaper, sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said.

Jennifer Lea Strange, a 28-year-old mother of three, was one of about 18 contestants who tried to win a Nintendo Wii gaming console by determining how much water they could drink without going to the bathroom. The show's DJs called the contest "Hold your Wee for a Wii."

"Hey, Carter, is anybody dying in there?" a DJ asked during the show. "We got a guy who's just about to die," the other responded, and all the DJs laughed.

"I like that we laugh about that," another said.

"Make sure he signs the release. ... Get the insurance on that, please."

Strange participated in the contest during the morning in the studio and was found dead that afternoon. The county coroner said preliminary autopsy findings indicate she died of water intoxication.

Other contestants said Strange may have ingested as much as two gallons of water. Several hours into the contest, Strange was interviewed on the air and complained that her head hurt.

"They keep telling me that it's the water. That it will tell my head to hurt and then it will make me puke," she said.

Strange won the second-place prize, tickets to a Justin Timberlake concert. She commented on the tape that she looked pregnant, and a female DJ agreed.

"Oh, my gosh, look at that belly. That's full of water. ... Come on over, Jennifer, you OK?" the DJ asked. "You going to pass out right now? Too much water?"

On Tuesday, KDND's parent company, Entercom/Sacramento, fired 10 employees connected to the contest, including three morning disc jockeys. The company also took the morning show off the air.

Station spokesman Charles Sipkins said Wednesday that the company had not yet heard from the sheriff's department but that it would cooperate with the investigation.

Attorneys for the Strange family said Wednesday they plan to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the radio station.

[jidar]

Update:

A criminal investigation has been opened and there is a possibility of charges being filed.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6164325.html

Wii-contest DJs could face criminal charges
New information comes to light from audio recordings of the show; Sheriff opens investigation into the death of mother-of-three Jennifer Strange.
By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UK
Posted Jan 18, 2007 7:27 am CT

The death of a 28-year-old woman who entered a California radio station contest to "Hold your wee for a Wii," has become the basis of a criminal investigation, reports Reuters.

Jennifer Strange, who lived in Rancho Cordova, had been trying to win one of Nintendo's new consoles for her kids. During the competition, which challenged contestants to drink as much water as they could without going to the bathroom, she got through an estimated two gallons of water.

After the radio show, she called in sick to work, and was later found dead at her suburban home by her mother. The initial findings of the coroner said the death appeared to be consistent with water intoxication.

Initially, County Sheriff John McGinness had said that there were no plans to open a criminal investigation, since Ms. Strange had entered the contest on her own free will.

But in audio recordings which have been posted on the Internet, the DJs are heard joking about contestants dying of water intoxication, even referencing the death of Matthew Carrington, a student who died after drinking too much water during a fraternity hazing. A caller, who identified herself as Eva, also phoned in to the show to warn that the stunt could kill, but she was dismissed by being told that contestants had "signed releases, so we're not responsible."

In light of the new information from the audio tapes, an investigation has been launched, stated a spokesperson for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Sgt. Timothy Curran said, "We have decided we will open a death investigation which will take weeks and on conclusion our findings will be forwarded to the local district attorney to decide whether to lay criminal charges."

KDND 107.9 has also fired 10 staff, including five on-air personalities, over the incident, as part of its own investigation.

[memyselfI]

Originally Posted by jidar

Update:

A criminal investigation has been opened and there is a possibility of charges being filed.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6164325.html

Good. I think the DJs are guilty of negligent involuntary manslaughter. They should at least be fined or SOMETHING for their utter disregard of the health of the contestants and the warnings by the nurse.

[Hydrae]

Did her kids get a Wii anyway? Would be a shame to lose their mother and not at least get a game console.


Ok, I may be going to hell now.

[King_Chief_Fan]

Originally Posted by memyselfI

Good. I think the DJs are guilty of negligent involuntary manslaughter. They should at least be fined or SOMETHING for their utter disregard of the health of the contestants and the warnings by the nurse.

stupid contest.

really stupid contestant. are you suggesting that she has no liability for the stupid decision she made to continue after warnings were given?

[Skip Towne]

With God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.