Did you hear about the April Fools joke gone bad for the two radio DJs?
Two longtime deejays at Gator Country 101.9 who perpetrated a hoax Monday morning involving Lee County water quality have been suspended indefinitely.
Tony Renda, general manager at the Bonita Springs country music station, said he immediately pulled Val St. John and Scott Fish off the air when he heard about the April Fools’ Day joke they had been playing on their 5 to 9 a.m. show. He added that the station has recanted the joke and aired an apology during station breaks.
“Every break we have we’re telling listeners it was a goof, a bad joke,” he said.
Renda said the pair have been doing their show for years and usually do a family friendly April Fools’ joke. “Every year they do a joke,” he said. ”But it’s been a fun joke.”
St. John has been with the station for 16 years and Fish for 10, Renda said, with St. John considered something of a station “institution.”
The radio station’s joke involved that “dihydrogen monoxide” was coming out of county residents’ taps. Renda said that “dihydrogen monoxide” is water. Despite that, he said, “We have a responsibility to our listeners.”
A search on the Internet showed that “dihydrogen monoxide” is a popular hoax term to describe water.
The joke immediately got the attention of Patty DiPiero from Lee County Utilities. She said Lee County residents began calling the utility Monday morning saying they heard on the station that county water was unsafe and should not be used for drinking, showering or for any use.
