This is the response that appeared on AOL from an official at the radio station that reported Bill Berry's untimely -- and untruthful -- death. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello from Jim McGuinn, program director at KPNT, ST. Louis. Apparently, we have been made the victim of a rather elaborate, and believeable hoax. It's not like we made the info up. I was out of town last night, but here's what happened: Both the Point and a local TV station received faxes stating that Berry had died and a press conference would be forthcoming. These were sent on WB stationary, with a cover sheet that gave title to an actual WB employee, with totally correct info to back it up (ie, fax phone number was real, "if there is difficulty with this transmission... - correct, even down to the extension number of the supposed employee who sent it out.) It was totally smart to send out such a prank in the middle of a weekend, when it is hard to confirm or deny any info. Here's how the station handled it: Went on the air and said that we had received what seemed to be a statement from WB stating... and that we would try to confirm or deny this as soon as possible. We did not say it was fact. Then we got on the phone and called all our contacts at AP, MTV, WB, CNN, and other alt rock stations around the country. As soon as it appeared that it was not true, we went on the air to explain that as well. I just got off the phone with our local WB rep, who called the VP of AOR, who also hadn't heard anything. So as far as we know, the whole thing was a real sick, real disgusting, well done hoax. We worked as fast as possible to clear this up, but even now, the WB people are having a hard time confirming that it is NOT true. Needless to say, WB is pissed and we are working together to try to find out who perpetrated this. We are both talking about taking legal action when we get to the bottom of this. I personally apologize for any fears or worries this may have caused. Having worked closely with the band back in their IRS days (and nearly going to work for Jefferson's sometime label, Dog Gone back in '89), the last thing I want is for misinformation to spread. This hoax was so well done that now we won't be able to trust legit info we receive via fax. Hope this helps explain what happened in St. Louis last night. Jim McGuinn Program Director 105.7 KPNT St. Louis