Radio officials mum on announcer's outburst

By Brittany Whitley Staff Writer
Published: December 02, 2009

» 45 Comments | Post a Comment

Fans listening to the Auburn High School football game last Friday night on 93.9 FM The Eagle got an ear full when radio announcer Walter Northcutt blurted an obscenity into the microphone after a Prattville player ran back a punt to win the game 13-9 and deny the Tigers a trip to the state Class 6A title game.

Listeners said Northcutt said “son of a (expletive)” as Prattville put the winning points on the board.

“I just made a mistake and apologized on the air, so I don’t really have a comment,” Northcutt told the Opelika-Auburn News.

The Eagle is owned by Tiger Communications, which had no comment on whether Northcutt will face any disciplinary action.

A Federal Communications Commission media representative said she could not comment specifically on whether the incident is considered indecent or whether the language is considered profane.

Auburn City Schools superintendent Dr. Terry Jenkins said the school system had received two complaints over the incident.

He said that next year the school system may take proposals from other radio stations to do the broadcast, but that that does not reflect poorly on the job 93.9 FM has done.

“The station asked permission to announce our games … (They’ve) been very faithful,” he said.

Jenkins said he did not know if any disciplinary action would be taken against Northcutt.

“That’s a decision for the radio station to make,” he said.

Northcutt, a prominent Auburn attorney, is currently under suspension by the Alabama Bar Association.

He was suspended for 91 days in September for violating the Rules of Professional Conduct.

In doing so, Northcutt “admitted that during a deposition he cursed and threatened opposing counsel and the opposing party with physical harm,” according to the order, which was obtained by the Opelika-Auburn News in September.