VCPR (Vice City Public Radio)
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A talk radio station hosted by Maurice Chavez, featuring Jonathan Freeloader and Michelle Montenius.
Chavez's name and voice suggest that he is of Cuban descent. He gets very angry when his name is mispronounced. In one episode, he is nearly shot by the psychopathic Pastor Richards, but Chavez manages to get out of it with quick thinking and flattery. Usually calm, he loses his temper when guests do not discuss the issue at hand, even hitting one of the contestants, Jeremy Robard, in the face with a paperweight.
Chavez is oblivious to the fact that he is often badmouthed by announcers Jonathan and Michelle, who call him a "useless, talentless ass." As the conversation progresses, it becomes clear that he made his living as a clown circa 1980, which earned him less than $2,000 a year. Around the same time, Maurice tried to become a movie star, and despite 17 attempts, he only got a role as a warm-up artist in an educational sex video. At one point, he became so desperate that he even decided to change his sexual orientation. However, as it becomes clear in Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories, he was saved by Michelle Montenius, who then became pregnant by him. Perhaps the pregnancy explains her negative attitude towards Chavez.
Like K-Chat, VCPR broadcasts live interviews, but while the first radio station is aimed at simply interviewing celebrities, here the guests (not necessarily famous ones) are offered to discuss a specific issue. In total, three issues are discussed: public safety, morality and perception of the world, and style of thinking.
In between shows, announcers Michelle Montenius and Jonathan Freeloader call for monetary donations (since VCPR is a public radio station and exists on donations) and try to make those who listen to the radio and do not make a donation feel guilty. This is obviously a parody of real public radio stations in America, such as NPR.
Public Safety.
The first debate (if you can call it that) is about public safety in light of the rising crime rate (in which Tommy Vercetti plays a major role). The debate features 3 guests:
- Congressman Alex Shrub — a far-right, brash politician and the youngest congressman elected by the city. He believes that America should only consider the rich and forget about the poor. During the debate, he also reveals some unpleasant facts about Maurice Chavez's biography (his former job as a clown, failed attempts to become an actor, attending group therapy due to paranoia, wanting to change his orientation, etc.) and that his girlfriend left him for his best friend (a reference to the movie "Scarface"). Shrub says that some idiot liberal helped Chavez get back on his feet, and in GTA Vice City Stories it is revealed that it was Michelle Montenius. Shrub has already made many moves, such as giving tax breaks to the rich and cutting benefits for the poor.
- Callum Crashaw is a social activist with extreme liberal views, a classic rich boy who wants to help the poor in ways that are completely impossible (e.g. releasing prisoners, giving good gangs badges and giving bad gangs stupid hats, etc.). He founded the organization "Speaking for the Underdog", and constantly talks about his travels to other continents, funded by his businessman father, who clearly does not care about the same issues as his son.
- John F. Hickory is a separatist who replaced another member at the last minute, who, according to Chavez, had his car stolen, and now arms himself to the teeth at home. John is an ethnic Floridian with radical views (though it turns out that he is a newcomer to Vice City) who sincerely believes that digging a large canal to separate Florida from the mainland will give Floridians freedom and put an end to migration to the state from the north.
Morality.
The second topic of the debate is general questions of morality and ethics.
The participants in this debate are:
- Pastor Richards — a corrupt and completely insane preacher who promises salvation in the event of a nuclear war to those who make a donation. He plans to build the Pastor Richards Statue of Salvation, which will be able to reflect radiation and, equipped with rockets, will be able to fly into space along with people who make a large donation. However, it later turns out that he was going to use the money to build himself a mansion in Hawaii.
- Jen Brown — a nervous, overly attentive mother who is constantly cheated on by her husband, although she denies it. She is the leader of the "Moms Against Pop Culture" organization, hates modern parenting (in particular, she speaks negatively about the video game console) and is obsessed with her family and protecting it.
- Barry Stark is a nudist and a pathological liar. He is categorically against any clothing, believing that it is unnatural. He is sexually preoccupied, even trying to flirt with Maurice. Barry also calls into the Chattebox talk radio station in Grand Theft Auto III, where he makes similar comments about nudism. During the interview, Pastor Richards complains about how all American newspapers are supposedly owned by Canadians. This may be a reference to the mockumentary The Canadian Conspiracy, which tells the story of how the Canadian government influences the United States by taking over American media. The film was released in 1985, a year before the game takes place.
There is a belief among some gamers that Pastor Richards is a caricature of TV preachers Jim Bakker and Pat Robertson. RockStar Games installed a toll-free number that plays a speech by Pastor Richards about his Statue of Salvation when called. This plays on the residual paranoia of the threat of war with the USSR. "You look out the window, and there are Russian paratroopers landing to take over." This is a direct reference to the 1984 film Red Dawn (about the Russian invasion of the United States). However, at the end of the show, Richards lets slip that he is using the money from the statue to build his mansion in Hawaii. This is also a parody of dishonest preachers who deceive people.
Chavez also mentions the rock bands who banded together to raise money for famine relief in Alaska and their song "Do They Know It's The Fourth of July?" This is a reference to the 1985 Live Aid festival, where the biggest hit was "Do They Know It's Christmas?".
Perception and Positive Thinking.
The final topic of discussion is perception and attitude. The guests are: gothic artist Constantinos Smith; motivational, self-hypnosis and positive thinking master Jeremy Robard, who claims that his 3-step program "Think your way to success" has already changed the lives of many people and helped him become rich; and Jenny Louise Crab, a woman mentally traumatized by the murder of her adoptive parents and apparently addicted to antidepressants to somehow forget about it (she is insanely hyperactive and cheerful).
Constantinos is a parody of the stereotypical goth. He says things like "All the world is a lie, only darkness is truth." He mentions that he hasn't walked in the sun for 18 years. Maurice calls him a manic depressive jerk, but Constantinos proves himself to be the most practical and stable person on the show.
During the conversation, Jeremy Robard constantly tries to advertise a series of his motivational tapes, which are also advertised on another radio station. It is interesting to note that the acronym for each of the programs he offers is an abbreviation of the name of popular illegal drugs. Thus, "Motivate, Demonstrate, then Motivate Again", or MDMA for short, is an abbreviation for ecstasy, "Learn, Start, Doing" is LSD, "Think, Hold that thought, Complete" is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the main component of marijuana. Robard also says: "And if you want really fast results, try my crank-it-out program" (Crank is a slang term for methamphetamine). Finally, another hint at drugs is when he tells Jenny: "Honey, I can offer you something better than antidepressants." It is worth noting that self-improvement tapes are not Robard's first entrepreneurial experience. In Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories, he is involved in the transportation business. The clients rent a boat and transport "special" cargo to and from an island off Vice City. Essentially, like the self-improvement program, the shipping business is drug-related and drug-related.
Eventually, Maurice realizes that Robard's program is worthless, that he is not a rich, successful businessman, that he has not changed anyone's life, and that he is just a poor, desperate con man. Whatever the three of them are discussing, Robard has allegedly already touched on it in his tapes. After an exchange of insults in which he asks Constantinos to jinx Chavez, Maurice hits Robard in the face with a paperweight. Robard threatens to sue, but is quickly cowed.