CBS TV reporter fired after using f-word on air
May 21, 2005 
CBS 2 TV reporter Arthur Chi’en was fired by WCBS Thursday after directing the f-word towards two “Opie & Anthony” hecklers during a live shot.
For a few moments, as the knuckleheads heckled him and gave the finger to the camera, Chi’en kept his cool and continued talking.
But as soon as he finished his report, he spun around and shouted at the intruders: “What the f— is your problem, man?”
If he thought the WCBS control room had already cut to tape, he was wrong. The expletive went out over the air.
“Sorry about that distraction before,” Chi’en said when he returned.
The apology apparently wasn’t enough for WCBS, especially when the Federal Communications Commission is cracking down on obscenity.
“He’s been terminated,” station spokeswoman Audrey Pass said.
Now that’s seriously f—ed up! Its too bad Chi’en couldn’t keep his cool for a couple more seconds to give them time to cut to tape. Its hard to blame him for reacting, though. Those hecklers were really being obnoxious and were standing right behind him while the guy’s trying to do his job.
And despite the FCC crusade going on these days, was this one mistake really severe enough to cost him his job?
May 27th, 2005 at 9:16 AM
Hey, interesting post, and initially I totally agreed with your story, but then I watched the video clip, and it’s clear that he lost his cool before they cut tape, because he turned around immediately to yell at them. And regardless of how obnoxious they were being, what he did was wrong. First of all, they have the right to do that, and secondly, someone else from the crew should have warned the guys, but not him!
May 27th, 2005 at 11:44 AM
Thanks for your comment. He should have kept his cool for a few more seconds, but do you blame him? And should he have lost his job for one mistake?
And since when did heckling someone while they work become a guaranteed right? I don’t get that.
May 30th, 2005 at 6:21 PM
Wanting to get even, those hecklers must have been the metro card swipers themselves.