'Stop Blogging About My Penis,' Cablevision CEO Tells Blogger
Our old weekend editor Foster Kamer made a joke about Cablevision CEO James Dolan shoving his penis down another man's throat. Now Cablevision is sending angry emails and assembling a legal team.
It all started when Cablevision-owned Rainbow Media bought the Gothamist blog network for $5 million. Gothamist owner Jake Dobkin once joked about a rival blog swapping blowjobs with a large media company. (NYT, which once engaged in a penetrative act with Gothamist, coincidentally enough.) So Mr. Kamer made this joke in Village Voice blog Runnin' Scared:
Wonder how Dobkin's gonna feel with Jimmy Dolan's cock in his mouth?
Apparently the "notoriously litigious" Mr. Dolan failed to see the humor, because Cablevision's vice president of corporate communications Kimberly Kerns contacted three Village Voice honchos to demand the line be removed. Ms. Kerns said Cablevision was assembling a legal team to check whether the Dolan penis joke was "defamatory," because it is not true. Acquisitions worth fewer than $10 million are not allowed past Cablevision's second base.
From: Kimberly Kerns
To: Tony Ortega Cc: Charlie Schueler
Subject: Please call regarding Blog Posting on CablevisionTony — Can you please call one of us at Cablevision regarding the following line, which appears in a Blog posting titled: BlogBeat: Gothamist Sells Out to Cablevision, James Dolan Presumably Excited to Ruin Another News Outlet [By Foster Kamer on Monday, Mar. 22 2010 @ 4:45PM]
"Wonder how Dobkin's gonna feel with Jimmy Dolan's cock in his mouth?"
Thanks.
Kim Kerns
VP, Corporate CommunicationsContacts: Charlie Schueler, EVP, Media Relations — 516-[Redacted]
Kim Kerns, VP, Media Relations — 516-[Redacted]
To Gothamist bloggers wondering whether the acquisition will affect their jobs: Under the new regime, your dick-sucking jokes will be held to higher standards.
To Jimmy: It could be worse. At least he didn't pull a Perez Hilton and doodle penises all over your face. [RunninScared, RunninScared, image via Getty]