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Published January 26, 2017
This is a rush transcript from "Your World," July 17, 2013. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
ERIC BOLLING, GUEST HOST: To the business backlash now. CVS, Walgreens and Tedeschi Food Shops are refusing to sell the issue.
Peter Tedeschi is the CEO of Tedeschi Food Shops, which owns 200 stores, most of them in Massachusetts. He joins us now from Boston.
Thank you, Mr. Tedeschi.
Talk to us a little bit. When you saw that cover, this cover right, when you this cover for the first time, what went through your mind?
PETER TEDESCHI, CEO, TEDESCHI FOOD SHOPS: It seemed grossly inappropriate.
And I don't think it would fly anywhere in this country, but particularly right here where so many people were adversely affected by these actions. I just -- I won't even pretend to know what went into the thought process behind it.
BOLLING: What about your customers? Have you spoken to some of the customers? And how do they feel about whether or not you should sell that magazine or not?
TEDESCHI: Sure.
Well, Eric, when we started, it came in this morning, we had already a lot of feedback, via our web site, e-mails, as well as voice-mail messages from customers, from some of our store operators, and from some of our employees that expressed outrage at the fact that we actually sell Rolling Stone and that this was going to be the cover for their upcoming edition. So we had gotten the feedback live. The more we started to think about it, the more we really felt it was incumbent upon us to take action and to remove them.
Now, in all fairness, we sell them in 60 of our 200 stores. But that's not the point. One of our stores is actually located between the two blast sites. We have employees that were fortunately not hurt, but certainly affected, and we have a lot of customers that will carry scars with them for a long time.
Some would argue that this is really about censorship. Not at all. This is about fellowship. And it is about fellowship with the first-responders and the people that were affected by this tragic event.
BOLLING: Mr. Tedeschi, I can't imagine having this cover in a store that was located in the middle of the two blast sites. I just cannot imagine, especially the way it's kind of glorifying this bombing suspect.
TEDESCHI: Absolutely.
I mean, look it, right after the incident happened, we were working with Homeland Security and we had video inside and outside the store. It's chilling. You have to believe the scars will a last for quite a long time for the people that were affected, as well as for many of the first- responders who were so heroic in responding to help out the people that lost limbs and lost life and lost loved ones.
So it just seems grossly inappropriate that you would have something like this. When you think about it, I will just ask this very simple question. Do you think most people, if asked, said they would like to have their picture on the cover of Rolling Stone? And I would bet most of your audience would probably say, sure, I think that was flattering. I think that would be a good thing. It would be a good thing for my image. That is great.
Well, that makes it grossly inappropriate for this individual to be gracing the front of that magazine.
BOLLING: And I wonder if any of the adults that come in talk to their children about what their reaction is. Kids have got look at the magazine, and saying I want to be a rock star too, dad. If I can't be rock star by playing music, maybe I can be a rock star, cover of the Rolling Stone by doing something bad like that.
TEDESCHI: Yes, absolutely.
Look, there has always been an edge. Rolling Stone has been a fine publication. They like to be edgy, they like to be provocative. just in this case unfortunately it seems that they crossed a line. And for some parents who maybe receive it via mail, they are going to have some explaining to do, and particularly in this part of the country, near sort of where this transpired.
(CROSSTALK)
BOLLING: I have got to tell you, you're very sensitive in that part of the country, and rightly so.
But I got to tell you, the sensitivity goes across the whole country. We are hearing from people who are across the country who are outraged that Rolling Stone would do this.
Let me ask you this. Rolling Stone, fine piece of journalistic magazine, way far left for my liking. However, they do a lot of investigative reporting and they do a lot of reporting. If they were to change the cover, you OK with it then, change the picture?
TEDESCHI: I have been asked that question, and unfortunately I wasn't given the opportunity to really make that decision. I just -- I really can't answer. Probably not, because of what transpired. I don't know about you, but if it was your publication, I'm sure you wouldn't want to be represented in this way. Fine to write about it, to write about the tragedy, if it can be a learning lesson, but to publicize it in such a way where you put him on the cover, I'm not sure there would be any picture they could put of him that I would feel good about.
BOLLING: Peter Tedeschi, thank you very much from Boston.
TEDESCHI: Eric, you're very welcome. Thank you.
BOLLING: All right. All right.
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