Here's the response I got that was slightly different than what the others
have posted, as promised.  The feature on ferrets on FOX mentioned was an
appearance by our club members (me included) on the local morning show
demonstrating some events from our recent Ferret Olympics and showing how
to bathe and trim nails on a ferret.
 
>October 7, 1998
>
>Greetings, Debra...
>
>...and thank you for your comments regarding our radio advertising.
>Indeed I talked with two members of the Houston club last week.  And I
>learned a lot about ferrets! Coincidentally, I saw features on ferrets
>on our local FOX-affiliate's Monday morning newscast, and on The
>Letterman Show last night.
>
>Our "Answer man" radio campaign is a "situational comedy" format, and
>as such is a difficult concept to execute without raising more than a
>few eyebrows (as anyone who watches primetime TV can attest).  Our
>creative team accurately recognized the growing popularity of ferrets,
>but as I have learned, they weren't as accurate in their description
>of ferrets.
>
>Our advertising isn't intended to offend or to exclude anyone from
>shopping at RadioShack. As you know, our store associates work hard to
>earn our customers' trust:  I assure you that the last thing I want is
>for our advertising to impede their efforts.
>
>I'm sorry that you feel our humor fell flat.  But even if we were to
>contemplate a revision, the ad is scheduled to end airing in about ten
>days--a new ad simply cannot be created in time.
>
>Rest assured that I have shared my new knowledge of ferrets with our
>Creative team, even though it is not our intent to focus on ferrets in
>future ads.
>
>And as a Tandy employee, thank you for alerting us to the news on the net.
>
>Sincerely,
>Chuck Burton
>Director, Advertising Programs
[Posted in FML issue 2475]