“Holy Sh*t! WOW!”

That response, from a major market PD, was typical of the reaction to reports that WWL/New Orleans talker Garland Robinette accepted a $250,000 loan from a controversial local newsmaker.

According to The Times-Picayune, Robinette received the loan in 2007 from landfill owner Fred Heebe after Robinette had “repeatedly” used his show to criticize the post-Katrina re-opening of a landfill owned by one of Heebe’s competitors. Federal investigators allege that Heebe paid $460,000 in bribes to state officials in an effort to shut down rival facilities.

Robinette, a Crescent City media fixture, told his listeners on Tuesday that he did nothing wrong and has a clear conscience. WWL owner Entercom says Robinette told them about the loan in December 2010 http://www.wwl.com/pages/10825944.php. The company is standing by Robinette and will offer no further comment. The talker has been told he is not a target of the federal probe.

While very few talk pros wanted to go on the record, there is unanimous shock at this episode, which some consider to be a black mark on talk radio. Programmers I spoke with said Robinette’s alleged deal probably violated at least one industry-standard contract clause or corporate policy.

“Most talk hosts have a plugola provision in their contract that should cover this kind of thing,” said one veteran programmer. “Plugola normally involves an advertiser trying to get the host to talk about their product during the content of the show, but it could also involve a person in the news trying to gain favorable commentary. If a radio station does not have this in the host agreements, they probably should consider adding it.”

Another talk heavyweight says paperwork alone can’t prevent such embarrassments.

“The truth is you can have people sign disclosures every day,” says this programmer. “But, that won't stop those who are weak in their decision making. Education as to what is right and what is wrong must happen, too. Everyone needs to be guided to do the right thing. Talent must realize they have influence and that influence is of value to some people.”

One radio network exec said constant discussion of ethical issues is part of their organization’s culture: “We’re hyper-sensitive to even the perception of a conflict of interest. Every employee signs a code of conduct – including our talk show hosts. The rules are made very clear, and everyone knows the brand must be protected. People know to ask questions and everything is carefully vetted.”

But at least one talk exec questions whether any amount of documentation, culture or training can truly prevent an episode like the Robinette affair: “This makes me think of something my grandpa used to say: ‘You can't outlaw stupidity.’”