UTV apology admits show 'out of control'

The two students fired from University Television last semester for a lewd program used the same airwaves last night to publicly apologize for the broadcast. "We lost control, and we're sorry. We don't want it to be a litmus test of our character," Rothstein said. During the 45-minute talk show, which aired October 2, the two discussed oral sex in graphic detail, flashed pictures of nude models, mocked the dating of Jewish women and aired surprise telephone calls to women selected from The Freshman Record, all while drinking a bottle of tequila. The two said the alcohol was the "catalyst" for their behavior. "Richie and I don't drink that much, so when we did drink this large amount of alcohol, we got out of control," Fumo said. Last October, much of the attention over the program was focused on the phone calls made to women listed in the Record. The hosts had identified female students by first and last name and broadcast their room numbers just before they asked them on dates. Rothstein said he and Fumo believed that since the names were published in a directory they were "public domain" and fair game for comedy. The duo also apologized for a string of ethnic jokes, saying they had intended to refrain from using such humor, but were overtaken by a "being-on-TV-lets-be-funny attitude" once the live show began. As for the nude photographs and related discussions, Rothstein said they "tried to have a candid, mature discussion about oral sex, but it got out of control." During the eight-minute statement last night, the students appeared relaxed and spontaneous, often breaking into dialogue to illustrate their arguments. The apology also said the former producers have undertaken "serious self-evaluation" since October. The October incident sparked a probe and subsequent settlement by the Judicial Inquiry Officer. Last night's broadcast was reportedly part of the settlement agreed upon by the JIO and the hosts. Another provision of the settlement requires Rothstein and Fumo to show the apology at four campus locations Sunday -- at 6 p.m. in High Rise South 16th floor lounge, the McClelland Hall television lounge at 7 p.m., at 8 p.m. at the television lounge at Hill House, and at the King's Court/English House courtyard at 8:30 p.m. JIO Constance Goodman said last night the punishment includes additional sanctions, which she declined to specify, citing University confidentiality policies. Outrage over the program also prompted changes in UTV station policy. After last night's apology, Station Manager Kirk Marcolina appeared on the air to reiterate those changes. According to Marcolina, all program debuts must be monitored by station management. In addition, UTV has prohibited alcohol in its studios. "Again, I apologize to anyone who was offended by Pig Penn," Marcolina said. Staff writers Emily Culbertson and Roxanne Patel contributed to this story.

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