Steve Penk says he has no regrets about playing Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ as a woman threatened to leap from a bridge, closing four lanes at one of the busiest stretches on the M60 in Greater Manchester.
The story even hit the headlines including The Sun and Daily Mail.
During the drama, a listener of Penk’s breakfast show at 96.2 The Revolution called in to request the rock anthem. Penk expressed sympathy for drivers in the miles of traffic and played the track as police tried to talk her down.
Eventually the woman jumped – but only suffered from minor injuries.
Listeners and mental health charities have been outraged by Penk’s action, with a spokesperson for The Samaritans saying Steve showed “a lack of compassion and understanding”.
However, Penk has no regrets, commenting that the actions of one troubled woman had caused chaos in the area. He went on to say "I was very sorry to hear that the lady had subsequently jumped from the bridge but relieved that her injuries were minor."
"If, as has been suggested, the woman jumped because she heard it from a passing car radio that's unfortunate. But I don't regret playing it for a minute".
UPDATE: Howard Stern calls Steve [link=https://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.5557]lame[/link] for the stunt.