Larissa
7th January 2003, 13:11
Posted on Mon, Jan. 06, 2003
The joke's on President Chávez
BY CHRISTINA HOAG
[email protected]
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
It was a practical joke that may have worked too well: Two Miami radio-show hosts known for playing outrageous pranks on the air got Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez on a private line this morning by pretending that Cuban leader Fidel Castro was calling him from Havana.
''We still can't believe it,'' said Enrique Santos, co-host of El Vacilón de la Mañana, (The Morning Joker), on WXDJ-FM El Zol 95.7, a Spanish-language salsa station. ``He fell for it.''
The station owner didn't, though, and the DJs were waiting today to find out what would happen.
The joke was part of a segment called Fidel Te Llama or ''Fidel's Calling You,'' in which Santos and his co-host, Joe Ferrero, call various people and play snippets of a controversial conversation between Castro and Mexican
President Vicente Fox that Castro made public in 2001.
Hearing Castro's distinctive rasp, the unsuspecting recipients of the call usually believe it is the comandante himself on the phone. After a few minutes of a disjointed conversation in which the same nonsensical sentence fragments are repeated, the victims get suspicious.
Santos and Ferrero then drop the bombshell that it is a Miami radio station calling.
On Monday, Chávez, who counts Castro as his *strongest ally and unabashedly touts Cuba's Communist system as a role model, fell victim to El Vacilón.
The irreverent DJs said they started calling Miraflores Palace, the Venezuelan White House, on Friday. About 8 a.m. Monday, using a Cuban-accented woman posing as a Havana operator, they got through to a presidential aide who identified himself as Lt. Arcia.
The secretary said Castro was on the line and wanted to speak to the Venezuelan president. Castro's taped voice can be heard in the background, leading the unwitting officer to believe the dictator was really on the
line.
The officer offered to have Chávez call Castro back, but the secretary explained that the Cuban was in a secret location and could not be phoned. The officer gave the radio station the number of Chávez's private line.
''Hello Fidel!'' booms Chávez.
''Did you receive my letter?'' asks Castro.
''Of course I received it,'' replies Chavez. ``I spoke with Germán.''
''I'm all set to collaborate with you,'' Castro says.
As the nonsequiturs start, El Vacilón fakes trouble on the line to disguise the rejoinders that don't make sense.
''Yes, brother, how's it going?'' Chávez asks.
''I'll do what you're asking me to,'' Castro replies.
''I don't understand,'' a bewildered Chávez says.
''But I'm going to be harmed, I confess to you,'' Castro says.
Silence from Chávez. *Castro goes on: ``Everything's set for Tuesday.''
''Everything's set for Tuesday,'' Chávez repeats, obviously befuddled. ``I don't understand.''
Santos then breaks in and announces they were calling from Miami. Complete silence from Chávez. Santos launches into a tirade: ''Terrorist! Animal!
Murderer!'' plus a few choice four-letter nouns. ``You're finishing off the Venezuelan people!''
Santos then hangs up.
The irreverent pair were stunned with their success, which caused them to break into an English banter on air and flub a music play.
The station's switchboard lit up with a flood of callers, including the owner, Raúl Alarcón Jr., whom Santos described as ``not very happy.''
Ferrero said the import of what they had done started to hit them during the dialogue with Chávez. ''We didn't know what to do,'' he said. ``This was a conversation between two presidents.''
A spokesman at Miraflores Palace could not be reached for comment this morning.
This isn't the first time that the radio personalities have ruffled a few feathers. Last April Fool's Day, they announced an upcoming concert with Julio and Enrique Iglesias and that the first people in line at American Airlines Arena would get free tickets.
After the stadium was inundated with fans, the pair received a three-day suspension -- with pay.
The joke's on President Chávez
BY CHRISTINA HOAG
[email protected]
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
It was a practical joke that may have worked too well: Two Miami radio-show hosts known for playing outrageous pranks on the air got Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez on a private line this morning by pretending that Cuban leader Fidel Castro was calling him from Havana.
''We still can't believe it,'' said Enrique Santos, co-host of El Vacilón de la Mañana, (The Morning Joker), on WXDJ-FM El Zol 95.7, a Spanish-language salsa station. ``He fell for it.''
The station owner didn't, though, and the DJs were waiting today to find out what would happen.
The joke was part of a segment called Fidel Te Llama or ''Fidel's Calling You,'' in which Santos and his co-host, Joe Ferrero, call various people and play snippets of a controversial conversation between Castro and Mexican
President Vicente Fox that Castro made public in 2001.
Hearing Castro's distinctive rasp, the unsuspecting recipients of the call usually believe it is the comandante himself on the phone. After a few minutes of a disjointed conversation in which the same nonsensical sentence fragments are repeated, the victims get suspicious.
Santos and Ferrero then drop the bombshell that it is a Miami radio station calling.
On Monday, Chávez, who counts Castro as his *strongest ally and unabashedly touts Cuba's Communist system as a role model, fell victim to El Vacilón.
The irreverent DJs said they started calling Miraflores Palace, the Venezuelan White House, on Friday. About 8 a.m. Monday, using a Cuban-accented woman posing as a Havana operator, they got through to a presidential aide who identified himself as Lt. Arcia.
The secretary said Castro was on the line and wanted to speak to the Venezuelan president. Castro's taped voice can be heard in the background, leading the unwitting officer to believe the dictator was really on the
line.
The officer offered to have Chávez call Castro back, but the secretary explained that the Cuban was in a secret location and could not be phoned. The officer gave the radio station the number of Chávez's private line.
''Hello Fidel!'' booms Chávez.
''Did you receive my letter?'' asks Castro.
''Of course I received it,'' replies Chavez. ``I spoke with Germán.''
''I'm all set to collaborate with you,'' Castro says.
As the nonsequiturs start, El Vacilón fakes trouble on the line to disguise the rejoinders that don't make sense.
''Yes, brother, how's it going?'' Chávez asks.
''I'll do what you're asking me to,'' Castro replies.
''I don't understand,'' a bewildered Chávez says.
''But I'm going to be harmed, I confess to you,'' Castro says.
Silence from Chávez. *Castro goes on: ``Everything's set for Tuesday.''
''Everything's set for Tuesday,'' Chávez repeats, obviously befuddled. ``I don't understand.''
Santos then breaks in and announces they were calling from Miami. Complete silence from Chávez. Santos launches into a tirade: ''Terrorist! Animal!
Murderer!'' plus a few choice four-letter nouns. ``You're finishing off the Venezuelan people!''
Santos then hangs up.
The irreverent pair were stunned with their success, which caused them to break into an English banter on air and flub a music play.
The station's switchboard lit up with a flood of callers, including the owner, Raúl Alarcón Jr., whom Santos described as ``not very happy.''
Ferrero said the import of what they had done started to hit them during the dialogue with Chávez. ''We didn't know what to do,'' he said. ``This was a conversation between two presidents.''
A spokesman at Miraflores Palace could not be reached for comment this morning.
This isn't the first time that the radio personalities have ruffled a few feathers. Last April Fool's Day, they announced an upcoming concert with Julio and Enrique Iglesias and that the first people in line at American Airlines Arena would get free tickets.
After the stadium was inundated with fans, the pair received a three-day suspension -- with pay.