RI Radio Brawl — Yorke and Valicenti Throw Verbal Punches Over Caprio Coverage

RI Radio Brawl — Yorke and Valicenti Throw Verbal Punches Over Caprio Coverage

This week a talk radio brawl broke out between two hosts at the same station -- with charges and countercharges of favoritism for public officials. 

The war of words was over the recent scrutiny of Judge Frank Caprio’s “Caught in Providence” courtroom show, and speculation about how much money the Caprio family was making off the taped and broadcast municipal proceedings. 

While WPRO's Dan Yorke called into question the arrangement that reportedly brought in what he said was “millions” for the Caprio family, WPRO's Gene Valicenti came to the Caprios’ defense when he had them on his show.

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And Yorke took affront. 

“If Gene is friendly with these guys, that’s fine — he should articulate the bias,” said Yorke. “I know I’ve had two years of having to articulate a bias with the Governor who’s a friend of mine. I want to make sure you guys know anytime I talk about him, he’s a friend of mine.”

“So you can make a judgment on that,” said Yorke. “That’s me, that’s just the way I do business, just saying.”

Caprio was sent a letter by the Providence City Council asking him to clarify his financial arrangement with the show. 

After Yorke raised a number of issues, Valicenti came back swinging against Yorke. 

“Now here’s how I do business, Dan Yorke. I you’re a little light sometimes on phone calls [and] you’re a little light on live reads,” said Valicenti, taking an opening shot against his competing radio host. “I just had the count over here…so your mind may wander at times and you have to fill time.”

“I’m glad the Caprios came on with me, Dan Yorke,” Valicenti continued. “Some in the media have suggested that the Caprios are making millions and millions and the point I was making was it’s not millions and millions — it might be $100,000 on one end and $100,000 for the uncle. It’s not millions and millions.”

“I’m not friends with the Caprios so I’m not disclosing anything. I’m glad they came on my show. I’m glad they chose me. I don’t have lunch with them, I don’t play golf with them, I don’t volunteer for their campaigns. I don’t go to their house, they don’t go to my house. I don’t call them, I don’t text them. If I see the Caprios, I’m certainly cordial with them,” said Valicenti. “Because I’ve covered them for 30 years in covering the news and are cordial about them like I am about a thousand other newsmakers, Dan.”

It may the biggest Rhode Island radio brawl since John DePetro reportedly suffered an eye injury at the hands of Ron St. Pierre.

That scuffle occurred in person in 2009, when St. Pierre allegedly crumpled up a piece and threw it at DePetro, hitting him in the eye, according to the Providence Journal, who reported that DePetro then lawyered up.