 Early in the month, the station announced that it would no longer play The Beatles, and its program director expressed hope that "the word beetle may soon again simply refer to the insect in this country".The controversy started with a statement by John Lennon that the group's popularity was eclipsing that of Jesus Christ.Thousands of Beatles records were gathered by the station for a Beatles Bonfire to be held the night of August 12, while the station needed extra receptionists to answer the telephone due to the number of calls received.