Mancow Sues Critic

CHICAGO - As regulators crack down on indecency on the airwaves, a nationally syndicated shock jock struck back, suing a man who has repeatedly complained about his radio show to the government.

Erich "Mancow" Muller said in the March 23 lawsuit that the complaints were malicious and untrue, and were designed to ruin him financially.

Muller hosts "Mancow's Morning Madhouse," broadcast in Chicago on WKQX-FM. It features celebrity interviews, a sidekick with an indelicate nickname and parody songs.

According to the lawsuit, David E. Smith and his group Citizens for Community Values of Illinois have filed more than 60 complaints with the Federal Communications Commission since 2000 alleging the shock jock violated broadcast standards.

During that period, the FCC fined Muller and WKQX-FM's parent company, Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications, $42,000.

One $7,000 fine was for a song deemed to contain explicit references to sexual activity, according to FCC records. Another concerned "numerous sexual references" during a discussion.

Muller's lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, asks for $3 million and an injunction barring Smith from making "spurious" complaints about Muller to the government.

In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Smith said he is simply following the FCC grievance procedure.

"Mancow is trying to censor his critic, which is ironic for a free speech advocate in a democratic society," Smith said.

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