Farce the Music: Reginald Spears

Mar 17, 2023

Local Man’s Profane On-Air Rant Leaves Country Station with $20K FCC Fine

A local man’s obscene rant on a popular country radio station has cost that station five figures in FCC fines this week. Reginald Spears, a small engine repair shop owner who had previously been banned from the airwaves, tricked his way onto the Ferry and Lewis Morning Show and got off two and a half expletives before the hosts dropped his call.

WTSM manager Bart McGee says Mr. Spears’ cell and home numbers have long been on the blacklist for the station, but that he used a friend’s cell phone to call in on Monday morning. Ferry and Lewis, the morning show hosts, had asked listeners to call in and tell them what current songs they were digging and which ones they weren’t. Things went fine for the first few calls, but quickly went off the rails.

“He started off quietly praising the fact that we’d played Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange” a few times,” said McGee. “But when Lewis asked him to name a song he didn’t like, the caller became suddenly irate.” The morning hosts apparently had accidentally switched off the 1 minute delay feature, which allows time to censor profanities, without realizing.

A transcript of the end of Spears’ call follows:

[Spears - who identified as “Mike in Mt. Airy”]

Yeah, yeah I do have come issues with some of them songs

You’re gone play a perfectly decent Jon Pardi song, and then Dan and freaking Shay?

[Ferry]

Watch it… (laughs)

[Spears]

Yeah anyway, y’all will play Jon.. and Zach Bryan… and Carly Pearce which is all good stuff

But then you will turn around after a loaded tea commercial and play that sissy junk

Literally nobody but stay at home stepmoms listens to that crap

[Lewis]

Seriously, keep it PG … we get it but…

[Spears]

Naw. Y’all using the same airwaves that once played The Possum and Patsy, it gets me fired up.

Y’all know me. This is Reginald Spears and I want y’all to know that while you’re doing better lately,

And that I really listen to my CDs and Spotify more than y’all, but

I don’t wanna hear any of that Kane Brown and his wife or Dan + Shay bullshit. Piss on ‘em. Fuc... [call cut off]

The 48-year-old Spears has a long history of tormenting the radio station and other local businesses with vandalism and “pranks,” in his off-kilter campaign against pop-country music he deems unworthy. Among the incidents are vulgar phrases mowed on the station’s lawn, unplugging the radio tower, and destroying an electronic jukebox. Mr. Spears has payed fines and served short sentences over the incidents, but has been relatively quiet in recent years.

At press time, WTSM was disputing the fines with the FCC, and speaking with legal counsel to determine if they could sue Mr. Spears himself for damages if the dispute failed.