John DePetro
Encyclopedia
John DePetro is an American talk radio
host on WPRO (AM)
, television host and analyst, stand-up comedian,on-line columnist
.
, the youngest of seven children to Thomas and Virginia DePetro. With seven children in the house, the DePetro household was always bustling with a combination of comedy and debate. The DePetro children were encouraged to be competitive in both academics and athletics. At a young age DePetro was a competitive basketball and baseball player. Remembered by childhood friend Mayor Steve Laffey, "John DePetro was one of the fastest players I had seen in Edgewood sports. In baseball he could steal at will. In basketball he could race down the court making easy layups. I had never seen anyone so competitive at such a young age."
Attending St. Paul School, DePetro was an honor student who also showed an early interest in comedy and broadcasting. In the sixth grade he interviewed Rhode Island radio icon Salty Brine
. DePetro told Brine he aspired to also be on the radio someday. Brine laughed and told him he sounded perfect for the business. DePetro then proudly played the interview for the students of Miss Gannon's class at Show and Tell on a new tape recorder that he had received for Christmas
. As president of the eighth grade class, DePetro told of his desire to host a talkshow on the radio and TV. While classmates listed pro-hockey
player and astronaut
as desired professions in the class yearbook, DePetro listed "To talk on the radio". DePetro attended Bishop Hendricken High School
where he developed a reputation as a confidant comedian
. While a freshman at Hendricken he volunteered at WBRU, the Brown University
station, in Rhode Island
. By his senior year Bishop Hendricken began to give credits for work at WBRU.
After high school DePetro stayed in Rhode Island where he majored in Communications at Rhode Island College
. He quickly made an impact on the campus radio station, WXIN, first becoming the music director, followed by Program Director and finally, General Manager. He parlayed his position into an internship at KROQ in Los Angeles.
From 1990 to 1998, he worked for ABC Radio in New York City
. DePetro was torn between his desire to be on-air or broadcast management. In 1998 DePetro left New York City to be the full time host of the John DePetro Show on 920 WHJJ in Providence. He has been listed on the “Heavy One Hundred”, a list of the 100 most important radio talk-show hosts in America. In Providence, DePetro had a six-year run on WHJJ
where he commented on corruption involving Rhode Island officials. He devoted much air-time to high profile public officials like congressman Patrick Kennedy and Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci
. DePetro achieved local minor celebrity status in Providence by becoming an on-air critic of the Mayor of Providence. As documented in the book "The Prince of Providence" DePetro tore into Cianci on a daily basis. DePetro was a regular on MSNBC's Imus in the Morning
program, appearing more than 15 times as he commented on Cianci's federal trial.
The John DePetro Radio Show was also simulcast daily on COX 3 Television, a local Public-access television
cable TV show. While in Providence, DePetro's program was the forum for the revelation that sexual harassment charges against the Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives had been settled. The controversy ultimately led to the departure of John Harwood as speaker.
DePetro was the host of The John DePetro Show on WRKO
in Boston, Massachusetts
, for several years, from 9:00am to noon. He was fired after calling a gubernatorial candidate a "fat lesbian". Earlier he had been suspended for calling Massachusetts
Turnpike Authority head Matt Amorello "Fag Matt. Wife wears the pants."
DePetro made appearances on Fox News, CNN
, ABC News
and MSNBC
. He has also been a guest on Sean Hannity Show
Dan Abrams and Bill O'Reilly's the Factor.
On February 7, 2007, it was announced that DePetro had been hired by WPRO AM 630 in Providence
to do a daily talk show beginning Feb. 14, 2007.
In October 2007, DePetro again achieved notoriety by uttering the phrase "White people go to Harlem for "either" drugs or prostitutes," earning him a derogatory mention on Countdown with Keith Obermann.
DePetro is married with three children; Daniel, Kate, and Jacqueline.
DePetro received heavy public criticism after one of his radio broadcasts when, in March 2006, he had blamed murder victim Imette St. Guillen
for her own murder, saying she was partly to blame.
In July 2006, DePetro was suspended for calling former Massachusetts Turnpike Authority chairman Matthew J. Amorello
a “fag”.
In November 2006, a day after the last gubernatorial debates, he called the Green-Rainbow Party candidate Grace Ross
a "fat lesbian
".Although he apologized on air after saying it and calling Ross and apologizing to her personally, WRKO still fired him and his show's engineer.
In 2008, the ratings agency that tracks listeners revealed that someone at John DePetro's address sent back numerous responses to an survey about listeners. John DePetro promptly blamed his wife on air and said he was unaware. http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view/2008_08_22_John_DePetro_blames_wife_for_radio_ratings_scandal/srvc=home&position=5
In 2010 Depetro was named in an ugly divorce case. Court documents allege that John DePetro sent text messages that are perceived to be threatening. Louis Cicerone indicated that he felt intimidated "The emotional strain and mental strain learning this throughout the last few months," Cicerone said. "I've been threatened. I've been insulted." Cicerone, according to court records obtained by NBC 10 from the Providence District Courthouse, is in the middle of a divorce in which he claims that his wife was "having a relationship with an individual named John DePetro." Cicerone said he went to the state police during this time to report text messages that, according to the court records, he claims "my wife showed me because she is afraid." Cicerone said he took the alleged threats seriously, and so did state police. "On September 29th, State Police called John DePetro to the Scituate barracks ... At that time, after meeting with Mr. Cicerone ... DePetro was put on notice to stay away from the complainant and their family," state police Capt. James Demers said.
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Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
host on WPRO (AM)
WPRO (AM)
WPRO is a radio station located in Providence, Rhode Island. The station is owned by Cumulus Media, and airs a talk format. WPRO's studio and transmitter are located in East Providence, at the Salty Brine Broadcast Center, named after WPRO's longtime morning host...
, television host and analyst, stand-up comedian,on-line columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
.
Background
DePetro was raised in Edgewood, Rhode IslandEdgewood, Rhode Island
Edgewood is located in eastern Cranston, Rhode Island. It borders Warwick to the southwest, Providence to the north, and Narragansett Bay to the east. To the south it borders Pawtuxet Village....
, the youngest of seven children to Thomas and Virginia DePetro. With seven children in the house, the DePetro household was always bustling with a combination of comedy and debate. The DePetro children were encouraged to be competitive in both academics and athletics. At a young age DePetro was a competitive basketball and baseball player. Remembered by childhood friend Mayor Steve Laffey, "John DePetro was one of the fastest players I had seen in Edgewood sports. In baseball he could steal at will. In basketball he could race down the court making easy layups. I had never seen anyone so competitive at such a young age."
Attending St. Paul School, DePetro was an honor student who also showed an early interest in comedy and broadcasting. In the sixth grade he interviewed Rhode Island radio icon Salty Brine
Salty Brine
Walter L. Brine Jr. , invariably known as "Salty", was a well-known broadcaster in Rhode Island.At age 10, he lost one of his legs, attempting to jump onto a freight train near his home in Arlington, Massachusetts...
. DePetro told Brine he aspired to also be on the radio someday. Brine laughed and told him he sounded perfect for the business. DePetro then proudly played the interview for the students of Miss Gannon's class at Show and Tell on a new tape recorder that he had received for Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
. As president of the eighth grade class, DePetro told of his desire to host a talkshow on the radio and TV. While classmates listed pro-hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
player and astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
as desired professions in the class yearbook, DePetro listed "To talk on the radio". DePetro attended Bishop Hendricken High School
Bishop Hendricken High School
Bishop Thomas Francis Hendricken High School is a Catholic, all-male, college preparatory high school located in Warwick, Rhode Island, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence....
where he developed a reputation as a confidant comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
. While a freshman at Hendricken he volunteered at WBRU, the Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
station, in Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. By his senior year Bishop Hendricken began to give credits for work at WBRU.
After high school DePetro stayed in Rhode Island where he majored in Communications at Rhode Island College
Rhode Island College
Rhode Island College is a nationally ranked, coeducational, state-supported comprehensive college founded in 1854, located in Providence, Rhode Island, USA...
. He quickly made an impact on the campus radio station, WXIN, first becoming the music director, followed by Program Director and finally, General Manager. He parlayed his position into an internship at KROQ in Los Angeles.
From 1990 to 1998, he worked for ABC Radio in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. DePetro was torn between his desire to be on-air or broadcast management. In 1998 DePetro left New York City to be the full time host of the John DePetro Show on 920 WHJJ in Providence. He has been listed on the “Heavy One Hundred”, a list of the 100 most important radio talk-show hosts in America. In Providence, DePetro had a six-year run on WHJJ
WHJJ
WHJJ is a radio station in Providence, Rhode Island. The station was previously assigned the call letters WJAR, adopting its current call letters in 1980 when previous owner Outlet Communications sold the station.-History:...
where he commented on corruption involving Rhode Island officials. He devoted much air-time to high profile public officials like congressman Patrick Kennedy and Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci
Vincent Cianci
Vincent Albert "Buddy" Cianci, Jr. served as the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, from 1975 to 1984 and again from 1991 to 2002...
. DePetro achieved local minor celebrity status in Providence by becoming an on-air critic of the Mayor of Providence. As documented in the book "The Prince of Providence" DePetro tore into Cianci on a daily basis. DePetro was a regular on MSNBC's Imus in the Morning
Imus in the Morning
Imus in the Morning is an American radio show hosted by Don Imus on Cumulus Media Networks , and simulcast for television on Fox Business Network....
program, appearing more than 15 times as he commented on Cianci's federal trial.
The John DePetro Radio Show was also simulcast daily on COX 3 Television, a local Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV show. While in Providence, DePetro's program was the forum for the revelation that sexual harassment charges against the Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives had been settled. The controversy ultimately led to the departure of John Harwood as speaker.
DePetro was the host of The John DePetro Show on WRKO
WRKO
WRKO is a radio station based in Boston, Massachusetts, currently owned by Entercom. Its transmitter is located in Burlington, Massachusetts, next to the Burlington Mall.-1920-1940:...
in Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, for several years, from 9:00am to noon. He was fired after calling a gubernatorial candidate a "fat lesbian". Earlier he had been suspended for calling Massachusetts
Turnpike Authority head Matt Amorello "Fag Matt. Wife wears the pants."
DePetro made appearances on Fox News, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
and MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
. He has also been a guest on Sean Hannity Show
Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
Dan Abrams and Bill O'Reilly's the Factor.
On February 7, 2007, it was announced that DePetro had been hired by WPRO AM 630 in Providence
to do a daily talk show beginning Feb. 14, 2007.
In October 2007, DePetro again achieved notoriety by uttering the phrase "White people go to Harlem for "either" drugs or prostitutes," earning him a derogatory mention on Countdown with Keith Obermann.
DePetro is married with three children; Daniel, Kate, and Jacqueline.
WRKO
DePetro received much criticism after the Station Fire in Warwick RI where 100 people died. Saying the owners of the club were great guys and the band that played that night, Great White, were a bunch of long haired pot smoking losers who "probably" started the fire. The two owners of the club, the Derderian brothers, were sent to jail. It turned out DePetro went to college and was friends of one of the brothers.DePetro received heavy public criticism after one of his radio broadcasts when, in March 2006, he had blamed murder victim Imette St. Guillen
Imette St. Guillen
Imette Carmella St. Guillen was an American graduate student of Venezuelan and French Canadian descent who was brutally raped and murdered. She was studying criminal justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City at the time of her death...
for her own murder, saying she was partly to blame.
In July 2006, DePetro was suspended for calling former Massachusetts Turnpike Authority chairman Matthew J. Amorello
Matthew J. Amorello
Matthew John Amorello is a former Massachusetts state senator and former chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority who presided over the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel Project from 2002 to 2006...
a “fag”.
In November 2006, a day after the last gubernatorial debates, he called the Green-Rainbow Party candidate Grace Ross
Grace Ross
Grace Ross, is a Massachusetts activist. Ross was a Democratic candidate for governor of Massachusetts in 2010 until she left the race, citing a lack of signatures. She is from Worcester, Massachusetts...
a "fat lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
".Although he apologized on air after saying it and calling Ross and apologizing to her personally, WRKO still fired him and his show's engineer.
In 2008, the ratings agency that tracks listeners revealed that someone at John DePetro's address sent back numerous responses to an survey about listeners. John DePetro promptly blamed his wife on air and said he was unaware. http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view/2008_08_22_John_DePetro_blames_wife_for_radio_ratings_scandal/srvc=home&position=5
In 2010 Depetro was named in an ugly divorce case. Court documents allege that John DePetro sent text messages that are perceived to be threatening. Louis Cicerone indicated that he felt intimidated "The emotional strain and mental strain learning this throughout the last few months," Cicerone said. "I've been threatened. I've been insulted." Cicerone, according to court records obtained by NBC 10 from the Providence District Courthouse, is in the middle of a divorce in which he claims that his wife was "having a relationship with an individual named John DePetro." Cicerone said he went to the state police during this time to report text messages that, according to the court records, he claims "my wife showed me because she is afraid." Cicerone said he took the alleged threats seriously, and so did state police. "On September 29th, State Police called John DePetro to the Scituate barracks ... At that time, after meeting with Mr. Cicerone ... DePetro was put on notice to stay away from the complainant and their family," state police Capt. James Demers said.
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