Some People Who Listen to the Talk Radio Hear Strange Voices

One of my first jobs was at KXNT AM 840 CBS talk radio in Las Vegas. I was new and learned something more experienced radio guys knew: sometimes what you say on the air is not what some people hear.

On air we were having an election for governor. I said, “I don't like the guy who is running for governor. I don't trust him. Who could vote for a guy who doesn't seem to know what he's doing or even care what the issues the people of Nevada are worried about?"

An hour later, we had to call the police. A man showed up at CBS with a bat. He was very drunk and what he said he heard me say on the air was “The guy who is running for governor is evil and there is this woman, (insert name: the guy's wife's name) is sleeping with the governor. This Vegas housewife, well she's a whore.”

The police took him away. This is not a joke. He was screaming that I was calling his wife a whore on CBS radio.

This week on Dominick In The Morning I played an audio clip of someone from the Montana DMV talking to a Montana government committee saying Montana would not be able to make the federal deadline for having Montana smart IDs and smart drivers licenses ready. She said we need more time. I asked my audience: Why is it taking so long?

Some listeners called into the show, yelling that I didn't know what I was talking about. I got all my facts wrong. Montana has decided we will not have smart IDs. I had the facts wrong!

Okay, I played the clip from NPR radio again. Someone from the Montana DMV was talking to a Montana government committee saying Montana would not be able to make the federal deadline for having Montana smart IDs and smart drivers licenses ready.

I asked him if he didn't hear what I had just played again for him. He seemed to ignore what he heard and said that it was not true. I tried to understand. I asked: "Are you saying the Montana DMV is lying?" He just said it wasn't true.

He called back again and again. I was giving false information to the listeners. He began texting the show, "You're wrong!"

Most listeners called and said that guy doesn't know what he is talking about. He calls all the time. He just hates you.

It's more than 15 years since I started doing radio. I know some people don't hear what is being said on the show. They hear something else. The facts be damned, they are right. I know some people hear voices from the radio. It has happened again and again on talk radio. What is the answer? If I knew that we could end war and hatred. There are just somethings we won't understand until we talk to Jesus.

Dominick