Digicel Jamaica has withdrawn all of its advertising from popular Jamaican radio station ZIP FM due to what it considers unacceptable behavior following backlash from a recent studio interview.
Ramone Silvera, the man charged for forcing passengers out of a taxi in downtown Kingston, was given a gift-wrapped bat during an in-studio interview.
Silvera, who was behaving in a threatening and intimidating manner while using foul language during the transport operators’ protest this week was arrested and later charged with assault at common law, disorderly conduct, and using indecent language.
Silvera was armed with a piece of board in the viral video during the protest, demanding a traffic ticket amnesty from the government.
Jokingly, the host and Silvera addressed the incident and the host encouraged him to use his new gift wisely.
In response to the strong criticism about the interview, the telecommunications company announced that it will remove all its ads from the radio station as it takes issue with the situation. Digicel said the removal started today and will continue for 30 days.
Following Digicel’s announcement, other corporate groups have shared their intentions to pull their ads from the station.
“We care about Jamaica and want the best for our beautiful nation. Like many Jamaicans, we find ZIP FM’s recent actions unacceptable,” the company said in a post on Twitter on Thursday.
ZIP FM issued a statement explaining that the viral social media clip which shows Silvera being “gifted with a potential weapon by a staff member” was not authorized by the station.
The station also said the full length of the video was vetted and sections, including the released footage, were flagged as not suitable for posting and were released by an individual who was not a member of the staff.
ZIP further apologized to its listeners, staff, agencies, and advertisers for the distress that the incident caused and stated that corrective actions will be taken.
