The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 80

TIIK BOSTON GLOUK FRIDAY, NOVKMBEK2S, Ratings rivals in a war of insults All the information to help you through the day. HAVE YOU SEEN THE GLOBE TODAY? i For home delivery call 617-466-1818 AXT TTVtOITAT 4 f- PRODUCES a mzzling performance! There's never a dull moment." DELIGHT! -U8RV WORTH, TDK NEW YORK POST Academy kwd Nominee "La Cage Aux Follcs" 0 I I i by edouard moljnaro Kndll 8qua Cimbildg 4M-MM gROW and articulate, people see you as a sellout. I am very comfortable with black culture. White culture? To me, it's sort of America MARVEIOUSIY JSJ Bill Murray gives fff MISS IT!" From ttafrimpr of tnu story of km affairs, JJ sianiahaniesfionagi. A New Yorker Films riokasI! A Rlm ILlffi 1 OEHlllV HII10US SPQOF-A INVENTIVE COMEDY of misfsksn idsnlilv.

a versafile and inspired perrormonGB. 1 -James BOSTON HERALD NOW PLAYINGILT the On CARTER Continued from Page CI "They'd been drinking a steady diet of buttermilk for. years, and here I am, this bottle of Jolt cola," Carter says. Caiter is no meek mouse. He's got a brash, raucous style.

Sexual double-entendres and other banter with callers are a staple of his show, both during "Nik at night" and now. Carter will ask listeners to call up and regale him with tales of celebrities who have been rude to them; he asks guys to describe "psycho" former girlfriends; he'll give advice to the lovelorn and idiotic; his wit turns caustic (and funny) against the dim. 'Business of ego' Radio, says Carter, "is a business of ego," and he does not lack for one. As a nighttime DJ, Carter had been taking hits from WAAF's competing evening jock, Rocko, for nearly a year. Last summer, WAAF's nighttime show rated higher than WBCN's with male listeners aged 18-34; WAAF ratings were even higher for men 18-24.

Now, Caller's found himself in the sights of 'AAF's highly rated afternoon-drive tag team of Opie and Anthony. Carter, who gives his age as "under 30," is a black man swimming in an ocean populated by a lot of very white men. Most of the DJs and most of the bands in his world are Caucasian. Black DJs? They're over at the urban dance or contemporary hit radio stations. But not everyone is aware that Carter is black.

As he says, he doesn't talk in any obviously black street-jive style though he can parody that style and do so hilariously. "Here's some more cracker music for you!" he barks, off-mike, as if he's playing rock against his will. "Gimme Rakim, Eric B.I.G.!" "It's almost as though in this society," says Carter talking seriously over dinner recently "if you're black and you're articulate, people see you as a sellout. Being who I am, I am very comfortable with black culture. White culture? To me, it's sort of America itself.

I'm most at ease with people who are open, whether you're black or white or whatever. "I do have black friends that just cannot for the life of them fathom why I would want to work for a rock station," continues Carter. "I tell them it's a check." He laughs, then continues: "No, I tell them, this is what I've always wanted to do. It would be too easy to work for a dance station or Top 40." Over at WAAF, Carter's com- SON? lulltlll II S5'l t(IU( 1 taut lMt'ltl COPUTPUCi FMSHPND 311 nuW 0O6 II Ml 5330 l33'mi037 IIS OffiHr lllHijMOIlll 177-3)40 386-1660 JuiuNGToB'lO 1 'TiEDH'Ajif II NATicK ajg-MOO II 326-WS Jl 3 Jl FILM 0I7 NO PASSE ACCEPTED POR THIS ENGAGEMENT 'EXTRAORDINARILY DYNAMIC Special effects tenures On A Nonstop Rampage. Shrieking, Stampeding, Breathing Fire, These Bizarre Marauders Are Really Something To See!" 2Z "A JAW-DROPPING EXPERIENCE!" mi.LiJ.wti.imim.L.,u.,i.

i uAswvmmm" "The Battles Are I MAGMFlCEiXW ft GLOBE STAFF PHOTO BILL BRETT read Mittman responded: "It was certainly not a mature reaction. It was an emotional reaction to being called a racist and a Nazi. The crime they committed was being emotional and probably immature, but it was a visceral reaction. They're calling us hateful? They're brain-dead after 10 o'clock," when Howard Stern's show ends. WBCN program director.

Oedipus says: "We did everything diplomatically to have this end. They guaranteed it would end on the air. We wanted this to stop but they would not stop the references on the air." Mittman says 'BCN kept at the Naziracist stuff. "Rocko made an issue out of the fact that I was black and pointed it out to his audience constantly," says Cailer. "They want their audience to know I'm a person of color.

Now, why would they want that? Obviously, they felt that would push some buttons with their audience. I have no qualms about ethnic humor if it's done not so much tastefully -but you can tell the spirit in which it's intended." Mittman insists his interest is in moving on. He objects to reporters' fixation on the flap, pointing out that while all this was going on morning Continued on following page SELECTED THEATRES! NIK CARTER tually write this nonsense! It's infuriating. You've got to stop calling us racists for no reason." An OpieAnthony rant WBCN provided the Globe with a tape of an Opie and Anthony rant from Nov. 17.

Opie and Anthony were reacting to WBCN's assertion, relayed by a caller, that they had called Nik Carter "Nig" Carter. They vehemently state they never said that, they threaten to sue, they call Cailer "disco boy," "cry baby," a "big brown turd," and a "brown douche." Opie says: "Next time we see disco boy out I will openly punch you in the middle of your forehead. This is no radio battle anymore; now it's personal, and I will punch you in the head. I will go down, to the radio station and do it 'cause now you're accusing us of stuff that we did not do, pal. You are done.

You don't know what these listeners are all about. Me and Anthony are only two people, but we have thousands of listeners and we are going to make your life a living hell. You're not going to be able to leave the 'BCN studios without someone hassling you All right, do your show, pal. You have no expletive talent and yeah, I said the F-word on the air 'cause this is personal now." After hearing this transcript NOW PLAYING AT THESE 5 jjim petitors have been trying to identify Caller as black, not always subtly, by means of verbal volleys and website postings. For a while, Rocko's page on the WAAF website included a visual equation showing Lionel Richie plus Prince equaling Nik Carter; both Richie and Prince, of course, are black artists.

On the air, WAAF has called Carter "the -dark-skinned lover" and "disco boy" and WBCN the "disco expletive disco is a style broadly identified with black audiences. When Caller took over his new time' slot, Opie and Anthony reportedly gloated about having a new "pet poodle" to whack. WAAF's response, from general manager Bruce Mittman and program director Dave Douglas: The website posting (kter removed). Mittman: "Rocko, was talking about what he looked like." "Disco boy." Mittman: "What Rocko has called him is 'disco because they play techno music. Tony Berardini, WBCN general manager calls me and says he's concerned about the black epithets.

I said we've referenced him as black. It was never in any racist way." "Pet poodle." Douglas: "Not time." Mittman: "Ridiculous. This is like McCailhyism. And you guys ac- 5 PolyGram graiercy PMyGia! Company www.bean-themovie.com Dedham, Wobum ft Revere Hmwi jfmf I 1 mm I PG-13 NOTTS STMMGir CMITMH SB lllWMIIWillllplillOitIMll. now Playing COPLEY PUCE JC 17.

Kit 333-FTUmT0O6 1 1 REVERE CHERI FRAMINGHAM 14 SOMERVILLE Tt Ct 1 SQUIRE RO DAITON ST OW SHERATON, HIT PASS I SHOWtRS ORID AI ASSEMBLY SQ RTE. 93 S86-I660 IOSTOM'333-fllt009 S0S-t5M40 333-fHM 0I CHESTNUT Hill WOBURM FRESH POND BURLINGTON 10 PTE 9 AT HammONO ST RTE 1S8 EXIT 35 Tt 38 FSE5H TONC PtAZA iTE 198 EXIT 398 977 9500 933-5330 333-HiM 097 999-9900 DANVEFS6 DEOHAM BRAINTREE 10 LATE TuN, jrfl RTE 198 EXIT 94 PTE 1 8 '98 EXIT 15A KW8ES 90 Ft 37 1 198 (f HC 333-l00 39t-4955 848-1070 1 I I 4yi, AE2Z2ES3 JANUS CIRCLE SOMERVILLE BURUNGTON 10 UHilKt aiVKANO tCll i'DMIk' II 1 VI 111 ill! Ill 333-FilM 008 1 1 566-4040 1 1333 fllW itQlg I 229 9200 C'emuI situul vii 1 I sontthhtih 1 DEDHAM REVERE WOBURN DANVERS 6 tniiuifiTiH ritg.Mn in iiuiiinji 326-4955 I I I I 933 5330 I 1508 628-44041 I 333-HLM 10091 SONY THEATS ES II UNDMM II GiSrSiil I IUJCCT WCIlTMkl NICKELODEON KENDALL SQ, FRAMINGHAM 14 1296 iVtSHINCTON SI. tM COHMOMriAlTH M4U tt CHIUISI lull Ullt 0'lillMU OUH 333-FILM 8005 1 1 494-9800 I I 508 6281404 1 1 964-6060 BMiNfslMO 148 1070 Late show tonight at Circle..