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"Keep Fucking That Chicken" Double Standard?
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 19, 2009
Modified Sep 19, 2009
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with co-anchor Dari Alexander
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 19, 2009
Modified Sep 19, 2009
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Everyone loves to "Keep fucking that chicken!" Well, at least say the bizarre yet irresistible catch phrase coined by WNYW Fox 5 anchor Ernie Anastos. If it's not Jon Stewart being jealous that Anastos got to use it first, then it's the Reverend Al Sharpton guessing that term's meaning. The Reverend told City Room, "It could be a kind of phrase: ‘Well, keep doing what you are doing. Keep going after it.' Even if you are tired or distracted, keep on doing that chicken, that kind of thing." We don't think fatigue or distraction will ever keep us from saying "Keep fucking that chicken!" (and then giggling for a few minutes).
Former mayor Ed Koch also spoke to City Room, "It has a nice sound to it. It could become a phrase that people could use." Maybe the "nice sound" is why Anastos hasn't been reprimanded—the Post points out that while WNYW vice president Lew Leone expressed disappointment in the anchorman's f-bomb chicken combo, he, "news director Dianne Doctor and station President Dennis Swanson all held the exact same positions at Channel 2 in 2005 when they axed" Arthur Chi'en, who yelled two Opie & Anthony fools, "What the fuck's your problem, man?" (Video after the jump.) It later turned out that an arbitrator found CBS 2 shouldn't have fired Chi'en. Chi'en is now a reporter at WPIX Channel 11.
The Post reports, "A Channel 5 rep yesterday declined to discuss any parallels between Chi'en and Anastos, who has not been disciplined, at least as of" Thursday night. Then again, when beloved WNBC 4 anchor Sue Simmons dropped the f-bomb during a pre-new broadcast promo (video also after the jump) while off-camera, she wasn't fired either.
WCBS... WNBC... WNYW — this means that WABC is next! If only Steve Bartelstein were still on, though maybe that would be too predictable.
Arthur Chi'en:
Sue Simmons:
Ernie Anastos:
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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