Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk > Archives > 2006 > October
October 2006
11/1: No changes at Clear Channel
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The rumors were flying last week about major wholesale changes at the various Clear Channel Atlanta stations (Buzz, Lite, WGST, 96rock), but nothing happened. Here’s the theory: last week, Clear Channel national admitted that they may go private or sell parts of the kingdom. That roiled Wall Street and the likely message to individual markets was: hold tight, don’t add expenses, don’t make any changes until 2007. So for folks who like the status quo, you’ll likely get it the next few weeks. Lite will go Christmas usual, Denny and the Kimmer remain on the air, and ditto with the Buzz format and Randy & Spiff.
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10/31: WRAS naughty word problem
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On radio-info.com, a posting noted that a professional comedian on the Georgia State radio station WRAS-FM last week uttered some naughty words related to Bill Clinton that the FCC would frown upon.
Here’s what DeAnna Hines, the Georgia State PR person had to say Tuesday via email:
“The university is reviewing this matter in accordance with the station’s policies and procedures. Live interviews have been suspended pending the outcome of this review. The university does not make statements regarding a student’s academic status or personnel action.”
In other words, she won’t say whether the students who did the interview are in trouble or not.
Surprisingly, WRAS does not use a delay or offer a “dump” button the way most commercial stations do post Janet Jackson despite the fact student DJs are relatively untrained.
And full disclosure for the commenter below: I am a Georgia State grad student getting my MBA. If Cassie Smith, the general manager, would allow me, I’ll be happy to come on down and check things out. She declined to comment about the situation when I emailed her Monday.
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10/31: Air America ad blackout?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
FAIR, the liberal-leaning media watchdog group, released the following press release today:
Note: FAIR has a clean, readable copy of the leaked ABC Radio Networks memo posted on its website
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting * www.fair.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—October 31, 2006
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2983
Air America on Ad Blacklist? ABC document: Sponsors shun liberal network
10/31/06
An internal memo from ABC Radio Networks to its affiliates reveals scores of powerful sponsors have a standing order that their commercials never be placed on syndicated Air America programming that airs on ABC affiliates.
The October 25 memo was provided to FAIR by the Peter B. Collins Show, a syndicated radio show originating on the West Coast.
Headlined “Air America Blackout” and addressed “Dear Traffic Director”—referring to the radio station staffer who coordinates programming and advertising—the memo gives the following order to affiliates:
“Please be advised that Hewlett Packard has purchased schedules with ABC Radio Networks between October 30th and December 24th, 2006. Please make sure you blackout this advertiser on your station, as they do not wish it to air on any Air America affiliate.”
The directive then advises ABC Radio Network affiliates to take note of a list of other sponsors who do not want their programming to run during Air America programming:
“Please see below for a complete list of all advertisers requesting that NONE of their commercials air within Air America programming.”
The list, totaling 90 advertisers, includes some of largest and most well-known corporations advertising in the U.S.: Wal-Mart, GE, Exxon Mobil, Microsoft, Bank of America, Fed-Ex, Visa, Allstate, McDonald’s, Sony and Johnson & Johnson. The U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Navy are also listed as advertisers who don’t want their commercials to air on Air America.
The ABC memo is evidence of the potentially censorious effect that advertisers’ political preferences can have on the range of views presented in the media. When Al Gore proposed launching a progressive TV network, a Fox News executive told Advertising Age (10/13/03): “The problem with being associated as liberal is that they wouldn’t be going in a direction that advertisers are really interested in…. If you go out and say that you are a liberal network, you are cutting your potential audience, and certainly your potential advertising pool, right off the bat.” (See Extra!, 11-12/03: http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2595)
FAIR’s call to the ABC contact person listed on the memo, to ask if similar “blackout” lists exist for other shows, including conservative-leaning programs, has not been returned.
FAIR, the national media watch group, has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986.
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10/31: Ex-Dave FMer Eric subs for Chris on Buzz
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chris Williams, the interim program director for 96rock and program director for the Buzz, typically does an afternoon shift on the Buzz as well. But he’s been off the air the past few days having been suspended over the Regular Guys firing/restroom stunt/lawsuit situation. In his temporary place on the air: Eric, who was fired a few weeks back from Dave FM. He already sounds peppier on the Buzz than he ever did on Dave.
I’ve gotten nada from the Clear Channel bosses about anything in recent days so I’m not sure when Chris is coming back. It could be as soon as today.
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10/31: Denny’s protest of CNN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Denny Schaffer, mid-morning host at 640/WGST/AM, held a protest at CNN Monday at 3 p.m. About 25 showed up by 3:30 p.m. They stood on the edge of the sidewalk in front of CNN with signs like “CNN Good 4 Terrorists Bad 4 America’ and “CNN is the Al Qaeda Poodle.” The reason? They aired some terrorists killing American soldiers, which Denny felt was aiding and abetting the enemy and made it clear CNN was anti-American.
Denny, cigar in mouth, held a megaphone and yelled at cars, “CNN loves terrorists. Wolf Blitzer loves Osama Bin Laden!” He said he didn’t hold the protest from 9 to noon, his air time, because he felt he wouldn’t get people there. One guy who didn’t identify himself held up a huge four-way sign using a clothes hanging mechanism. I’ll post the photos once I get home.
Roger Fisher, a 43-year-old College Park construction builder (above), said he enjoys Schaffer. “He’s truthful,” he said. “He shoots from the heart. He tells you the way he feels.” He said when he heard about what CNN did, “I almost cried.” When he watched it, “I had to turn away.”
He normally listens to talk radio and watchs Fox News but occasionally checks in with CNN “to get the other side.”
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10/30: HD Radio story
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
i did a story on HD Radio for the Arts & Books section Sunday.
I do have to say it’s so early in HD radio’s life, it’s hard to say how long it will take to penetrate the mainstream mind. I suspect it’s going to be awhile and won’t become a big deal until it starts becoming standard. Very few people are going to go out of their way to get HD radio right now.
Here are some technical feedback from a skeptical reader. I’m no technical expert so if anyone wants to challenge David, feel free:
Mr. Ho —-
A few salient points, requiring only a minimum of research, went missing from your piece on HD Radio:
1) Ibiquity made generous deals with the big radio station owners to get HD broadcasting equipment installed. In turn, radio station owners have additional avenues (i.e., stations or channels) for ad revenue without needing more bandwidth from the FCC.
2) Large radio station owners have proven time and again more stations does not equal more variety. In fact just last week the AJC ran a story on this very subject. True variety only happens when small stations are nourished, something the FCC in recent years has not encouraged. Whatever this is about, is likely NOT about giving consumers something they’ve been hungering for. Witness HD Radio sales (and contrary to the story, a “$200 starting price” ISN’T a significant deterrent.)
3) Caution your editors if you can about hed and dek hype. HD Radio is most definitely NOT “high definition.” Like most things digital, HD Radio is about clean reception and playback, not necessarily better resolution or fidelity. Ibiquity is also guilty of hyperbole. The “demo” available on hdradio.com that purports to compare HD Radio with FM is not only invalid but disingenuous. FM can, under good conditions that admittedly aren’t often met, sound outstanding.
4) HD Radio, while supposedly living on harmony with analog broadcasting, has been shown to in fact further degrade it in some instances due to interference. Analog and digital radio stations must share the same allotted chunk of bandwidth, and making room for digital doesn’t help analog. The FCC, “protector of the people’s airwaves” has similarly turned a deaf ear about this, but that’s another argument.
-David Deckert
Here’s another thought from an analog supporter:
Rodney—
Your story will be well received by those who were raised on digital sound.
However, digital sound is by definition -inferior to analog sound.
All sound waves begin life in the analog format. In order to create digital sound - the analog sound waves are dissected into digital bits. Think of it as you would a digital picture — if you look closer and closer at a digital picture — you eventually see a mosaic of pixels. Digital sound is a pixilated representation of analog sound waves.
Audiophiles have long known that digital sound is by definition, a compromised facsimile of analog. Sure— analog recordings are often plauged by unwanted audio interference and noise—which makes my point: analog is the “whole”, whereas digital is a sum of parts.
Tommy Meers - Decatur
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10/30: Denny protests CNN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Denny Schaffer, mid-morning host for WGST-AM, is hosting an anti-CNN protest Monday at 3 p.m. Here’s the info:
Denny’s CNN Protest!
When? Monday, October 30, 2006, 3PM Who? Denny Schaffer, Host of Denny Radio 8am to Noon, 640 WGST
Where? Corner of Marietta and Centennial Drive, in front of CNN
Why? CNN has gone to far in now showing sniper videos of our U.S. Troops getting shot at!
Join Denny as he takes on CNN for showing video of snipers shooting our troops in an obvious move of propaganda!
“Somebody needs to take a stand against CNN and their desire to help the enemy�, Denny Schaffer, 640 WGST
The time is now! Actions like CNN’s only weaken us in the eyes of our enemies!
Join the good fight!
Join us on Monday, October 30, 2006, 3PM!
Bring a sign to show your support!
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10/28: WABE reaches fundraising goal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta’s biggest public radio station 90.1/WABE-FM continues to ride high, reaching its fall fundraising goal as usual and seeing a steady rise in viewers and sponsors.
Last week, WABE brought in a record $950,000 in pledges over 10 days. That’s a 46 percent increase from the comparable pledge period in 2002 when $650,000 was pledged.
And thanks to the fact nearly everybody pays by credit card now, fulfillment is at about 90 percent versus 80 percent in 2002. General manager John Weatherford said fewer people are requesting the gifts that accompany the donations than in the past, saving the station even more money. (Among the gifts included a fleece, a shortwave radio and a Bob Dylan CD.)
Are people happy with WABE right now? What would you recommend to improve it?
The station raised its pledge target an ambitious 9 percent over the fall of 2005 to cover employee and programming cost increases, Weatherford said.
WABE, which splits time between classical music and news/talk shows such as “All Things Considered� and “Fresh Air,� has been steadiliy drawing more and more listeners, with 380,600 people checking out the station in a given week over the summer, according to Arbitron ratings. That compares to 276,000 in 2002.
And before the end of the year, Weatherford said WABE will offer two additional channels for the small numbers of people with HD radio: one fully classical and another all news/talk. You can hear those separate channels already online
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10/27: Format changes at Clear Channel?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rumor #1: A few weeks back, I heard Lite 94.9 might go to a dance pop format called “Movin’ ” that would appeal to a much younger female audience with syndicated Whoopi Goldberg as morning host. The only issue I’d have is that Lite has been such a dominant Christmas player that it would make more sense to wait until after Christmas was over to do that.
Rumor #2: WGST might dump the Kimmer and Denny in favor of an all-news format (like WINS-AM or WCBS-AM in New York) except for Rush. (At 12:30 p.m. Friday, I got a hold of the Kimmer, who demurred. “I don’t have a comment about anything nor do I know anything,” he said, with that trademark laugh. “I’m happy to be working and being a proud American. I’m preparing my show as usual. I’ve been here since 7 a.m.”)
Rumor #3: Getting rid of 105.3/The Buzz for regional Mexican music to complement the current Spanish music format at Viva 105.7.
Rumor #4: With the Buzz gone, Clear Channel would move the active rock/alternative rock format over to 96rock.
Some of these changes could happen as soon as Monday the 30th.
Any thoughts, good or bad?
10/27: Eric off the lawsuit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jamie Hernan, the attorney for Yogi & Panda, informed me by email this evening that they’ve decided to take Eric Von Haessler off the civil lawsuit.
For Von Haessler, that’s small comfort. “At least I won’t lose my house now,” he noted. “I’m glad I’m not in the stupid lawsuit. But it’s a stupid lawsuit. And I feel bad that Larry is still on it.”
One amazing fact: Von Haessler said technically he can’t work for 90 days on Atlanta radio due to a non-compete clause in his contract. Despite the fact Clear Channel fired him without pay, he still has to abide by that. Theoretically, he noted, someone could punch their boss in the nose, then go to the rival company. But it does seem rather draconian and I’m not even sure legally enforceable.
He did say the Regular Guys as Larry and Eric is 100% over, that this time he won’t get back together with Larry as he did in 2005.
He also hates the fact that he’s being “treated like a criminal by Clear Channel.” He had planned to leave after his current contract was over in March 2007 and three weeks ago, management had begged him to stay, he said Thursday. Now he said he can’t even go back to the office. “My personal effects are being mailed to me,” he said.
Given what he’s heard about Yogi & Panda, it sounds like to him that the two Viva morning hosts “are getting as much as they can out of their career on the graves of the Regular Guys.”
He also said they hardly ever talked about Yogi & Panda specifically, but they presumed anytime the Regular Guys were talking about illegal immigrants or Mexicans, it was targeted at them. He said they used to joke that Spiff of Randy & Spiff was a drunkard, which they know is not the case but it was just a joke and Spiff understands that.
Von Haessler noted one irony: Clear Channel made the right move by starting a Hispanic FM music station. “But if they had never made that move, they would never have opened themselves up for charges of ethnic hostility.”
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10/26: Yogi/Panda using bodyguards
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There was reasonable speculation that Yogi & Panda would drop their lawsuit once Clear Channel fired the Regular Guys Monday. But according to their attorney Jamie Hernan, that’s not going to happen.
Clear Channel and Yogi & Panda negotiated, he said, but Yogi (Juan Tapia) & Panda (Jose Carias) couldn’t get reassurances that they wouldn’t be retaliated against for their lawsuit, which also targeted Clear Channel (as well as Larry Wachs and Eric Von Haessler). He said Yogi & Panda, who do mornings on Clear Channel Spanish language station Viva 105.7, are under contract through 2009.
Hernan also said they demanded reassurances that Clear Channel not be allowed to hire the Regular Guys ever again. Clear Channel, he said, refused to make that a condition.
“We attempted to withhold comment on the story as long as we could to allow for this to be resolved in as private a way as possible,” Hernan said. “For months, Yogi and Panda tried to resolve this internally without having to go to a lawsuit. It’s a nature of things that us withholding comment doesn’t stop the story. The story has been shifted by blog postings. We are absolutely shocked and floored by the emails we have been receiving. Just vulgar, racist emails.”
Yogi and Panda have had to hire bodyguards because they fear for their safety, he noted. And given that their boss Chuck Deskins has told employees not to discuss the case with the media, he doesn’t want to jeopardize their jobs by having them speak to me.
He also said Yogi & Panda have filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and plan to do so with the Federal Communications Commission. He declined to comment about the criminal charge against Regular Guys co-host Wachs for the restroom recording stunt Oct. 9 that led to their dismissal.
“We are loyal, team players and made every effort to handle this matter internally,� said Yogi in a press release. “However, after months of being ridiculed publicly without Clear Channel taking any action to stop it we finally had to draw the line and stand up to protect our rights. While we appreciate that Clear Channel terminated the employment of the Regular Guys, it is upsetting that we were forced to file a lawsuit and make this a public issue to get any response from the company. All we want to do is come to work, do our job and feel safe. Who should be subjected to a daily barrage of nasty comments and actions solely based on our race and the fact that we speak Spanish? What type of work environment is that?�
I’m sorry I can’t allow comments on this item because things went off the rails Tuesday and Wednesday. We had to take about 30 comments down.
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10/26: Eric’s turn to speak
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is from Eric Von Haessler of the Regular Guys. He was mad as hell and wasn’t going to take it after he got fired Monday but the reality is, he can’t afford it and even if he won, he would have spent more money fighting it than he’d get back. In other words, it’s a Catch 22. He is trying to fight off the bitterness of the situation and fans can only hope he can.
Here are his thoughts:
To whom it may concern,
I write this as a man who has just been mugged. Your faithful radio friend feels as if he’s just been run over by a Mac truck and left for dead in the middle of the road.
For reasons known only to themselves Clear Channel has decided to fire me with cause based on trumped up charges that have been fabricated out of thin air. They have also lent their moral weight to a lawsuit filed against me by the hosts of the Viva morning show- a lawsuit which also happens to name them as defendants as well. Seem strange?
It is strange and gets stranger with every passing day. First of all, how did I ever get to a point in my life where I’m being sued by guys named Yogi and Panda over jokes made about their bathroom habits? It’s all in the company you keep, I guess. But I digress…
My first reaction to all of this in the press was that I would fight to the bitter end. After all, I’m right and they’re wrong and justice should be served. But it turns out that justice is a murky and possibly prohibitively costly concept to secure.
Every lawyer I’ve consulted has assured me that I have the facts on my side and that for just a couple of Brink’s trucks full of cash they’ll be glad to present my wonderful case in a court of law. The problem is that it’s likely to cost more money to win than the amount of money I would actually win- if I won. In which case I would have simply wasted a number of years of my life tilting at windmills. Not a prospect I look forward to.
I’m sure the folks at Clear Channel reading this are all smiles, since rolling over the little guy is what they’re designed to do, but I’m beginning to come to terms with the fact that sometimes the bad guys win and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it.
I’ve been ambushed and I don’t know that there’s any reasonable expectation that a person can beat an ambush. So I’m thinking that I’ll just hire no lawyers and defend myself until judgments are made and all of this gets moved into the past.
The sad fact is that I know I’m in the right but I don’t think I have much of a chance against these guys. That’s humbling and instructive, but true.
It is important to me that fans know that I’m not full of B.S. here. The ‘controversial’ on-air bit that sparked all of this was approved beforehand by management. I, as an employee, do not have the right, let alone the duty to overrule management and kill an approved segment. Clear Channel knows this to be true, but they also know how much it will cost me to prove it.
Clear Channel has also helped spread the idea that I was somehow involved with creating a hostile workplace for those working on the Viva staff. Which is interesting since I haven’t had a single conflict with any member of their staff at any level- sales, programming, promotions, or any other department, in the nearly two years since my return to the building.
What Clear Channel and the hosts at Viva are doing to me and my family is immoral. But I’m learning that morality and the law are kissin’ cousins at best.
Honesty and integrity are quaint notions that I choose to live by. But they don’t have much currency when you’re up against immoral people who know how to work the system.
Bringing honesty to a battle with Clear Channel is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. So I think I might just go have a beer instead.
The hardest part in all of this is keeping from becoming completely bitter about everything that’s going on. But that’s a battle worth fighting. I won’t give into bitterness because, if left unchecked, bitterness consumes and eventually destroys the soul.
I’ve been ‘blessed’ with the Chinese curse of an interesting life and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My family and I will just huddle up with friends and loved ones and wait for the storm to pass.
It will pass.
They always do.*
10/26: Porn Czar speaks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Porn Czar (aka Tim Andrews), the former producer of 96rock, questions the usage of the term “shock jock” or “shock radio” as a journalistic crutch, that it’s not what Larry & Eric were at all. I agree with Tim that it is journalistic shorthand. But it’s recognizable to the average person and the reason most jocks hate the term is because it is pejorative and vaguely insulting. I know Larry and Eric hate the term and I’m sorry it was in there. But that’s the tradeoffs we make when summarizing what’s going on.
Here’s what Tim wrote cogently on his blog. What are you doing in radio, Tim? You should be a writer!
*Did anyone in Atlanta read Rodney Ho’s article, Potty Talk Ends Shock Radio Era in Atlanta this morning?
I read it, and while the Yogi y Panda bathroom “stunt” spelled the end of the Regular Guys Show on 96rock, it hardly spells the end of the Regular Guys Show, or any type of facsimile thereof, and…I can’t imagine anyone thinking TRG show was helmed by two so-called “shock jocks.â€? Not by a long shot, and anyone who thinks so, wasn’t a listener.
The term “shock radio” is ridiculous. It means absolutely nothing. It’s a crutch journalists (print and television) have used to describe the nefarious antics of wacky morning shows since the 1970s. But it doesn’t actually describe anything because not all morning shows are created equal.
For instance, Atlanta’s Star 94 is anchored by Steve & Vikki, a milquetoast, vanilla type of morning show for the easily amused and those with a vapid sense of humor. They are good at what they do, they serve their audience well, but they have no substance, which in my opinion serves Atlanta well; see Jezebel magazine if you don’t understand what I mean. It’s all steak, no sizzle. It’s what I call “oh you� radio – the male co-host says something silly, the female co-host says “oh you� and the soccer-mom giggles her way to the tennis club. Nothing too controversial, i.e., they don’t talk about anything.
Now, I pose a question, what’s so shocking about discussing things people do? Everyone screws (when, and if, they can), everyone farts, everyone picks their nose, and everyone takes a dump (some people even do it with their co-workers, at the same time, and chuckle like school boys).
Men, white men, aged 35-54 care about a lot of things besides sports. They like to talk politics, they like to discuss hot women, TV shows, movies, beer, music, porn, and yes, even farts. Farts are funny, man. You show me a guy who’s grossed out by a fart and I’ll show you a picture of Eric Von Haessler (he doesn’t like the smell, but I’ve seen him chuckle at one of my rips).
I grew up listening to the Howard Stern Show, and let me tell you, I was never shocked by anything they did. Truth be told, I laughed a lot and that’s shocking because very few things make me laugh. Opie and Anthony are funny guys, their show is good, and they talk about things that interest me without apologizing for it. Larry Wachs and Eric Von Haessler are funny guys (and great bosses), were funny pre-2004 and during the second go round.
In order for radio to remain successful, they need to embrace “more is more� (a play on my previous employer’s “Less is More� sales initiative) – more talent = more ratings = more money. Currently, Clear Channel embraces less talent + less commercials (which isn’t true, they’re have the same amount of spots only they’re thirty-seconds instead of sixty) = More REVENUE. I’m not good at math but anyone with a modicum of sense can tell that the numbers aren’t “adding up.�
Returning to Rodney Ho’s AJC article: He’s probably correct in assuming “shock radio� is dead in Atlanta. And, even though the statement is altogether wrong, commercially successful morning talk shows with a sense of humor featuring a group of people who don’t take themselves too seriously are dead in Atlanta.
We’re no better than you, the listener, and we never pretended to be. Note I say we because after a year on-air and after being fired, I feel I’ve earned the proper pronoun. The listener is just another member of the show, the gang, the group of pals. I felt that way in my teens and early 20s when I listened to Stern, and I felt that way two weeks ago when I was doing Michael McDonald during Regular Guys Squares.
The next morning show to be embraced by so many non-specific ethnicities without an entitlement mentality to be successful in this city will deserve the moniker “shock jocks� because it’ll be shocking to see such a thing actually happen.
Right on,
Curtis Washington (AKA Porn Czar, AKA Tim Andrews)*
10/25: More Stallgate fallout
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chris Williams, interim program director for 96rock, was suspended Tuesday for a week, according to Eric Von Haessler, co-host for the Regular Guys, in the wake of what some folks are terming “Stallgate” in which the show secretly taped restroom conversation of the Viva 105.7 morning hosts. That led to a lawsuit that led to the firing of the Regular Guys Monday. He said he spoke to three people at the station who all confirmed Williams’ suspension. I also got two others who heard the news, too. Does this mean management culpability?
Williams didn’t answer a call for confirmation and his bosses Mike Wheeler and Chuck Deskins also didn’t response to requests for comment Tuesday by email or phone.
Williams is also program director for 105.3/The Buzz and was placed in the 96rock slot temporarily when Buzz Casey, the prior PD, abruptly left over the summer. Casey was there for only a year.
Morning producer Tim Andrews and a guy named Spencer who helped out the morning show were also dismissed Tuesday. Andrews said he’s not bitter, that this is life in radio and he’ll find another job in the business.
I wrote an A1 story about the mess in a broader sense, noting that this type of radio show may not be around for awhile in Atlanta. Here’s the link
10/24: For 96rock, now what?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After the latest debacle leading to the firing of the Regular Guys, what should 96rock do next? Find a new morning show elsewhere and have them take three to five years to become a big hit (or not). Or bring in a syndicated show like Rick & Bubba and hope it works immediately? (That didn’t work with Bob & Tom or John Boy and Billy). Or just leave it as a “more music” show with no personality?
Here’s the pool of potential local available (if not always compatible) talent: Steve Barnes, Jimmy Baron, Tim Rhodes, Southside Steve Rickman, Eric “Shark” from Dave FM, Gary “Wally” Wallace. Fin will be covering for now. I hear Tim Andrews (known on the show as Porn Czar) is out, too, I hear.
And I have a feeling Larry and Eric won’t be sticking together. Then again, they said in 2004 they’d never work together again after the first dismissal. You have to wonder if either will be able to find a job in the Atlanta market again.
Yogi & Panda’s attorney promised his clients will talk so I’m looking forward to that interview. I presume they’ll have to get clearance of course to talk to me from their boss Chuck Deskins.
Someone has started a petition to bring back the Regular Guys here.
10/24: Wachs responds
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Larry Wachs, who was terminated by Clear Channel Monday related to the Yogi & Panda lawsuit, has responded to the case on his blog at www.regularguys.com.
“[T]he principals on the other side are attempting to distort the facts and smear my reputation as a citizen and broadcaster and, in the short term, withhold my income without review or discussion with us.”
He said the trouble started in the spring when Yogi & Panda were encouraging their immigrant listeners to take the day off in protest of rules against illegals. The Regular Guys invited Yogi & Panda to come on the air with them. They complained to management, according to Wachs. Management defended the Regular Guys at the time. “The complaints continued unbeknownst to me through the year,” he wrote.
On October 9, Wachs said he had a voice recorder with him for a show meeting. He stepped in the restroom. Yogi (Tapia) and Panda (Carias) went into the stalls, he said. He said they yelled insults at him, which “proves they knew I was there, knew I was recording, blowing up their claims of expectation of privacy and that they still had an axe to grind about my on-air opinions going back 7 months.” He said the epithets were in Spanish.
After the bit aired, they complained again. The company, he said, “offered reasonable solutions to satisfy their ongoing and baseless grievances, but, insisting it was about the ‘honor of their culture,’ Mr. Tapia and Mr. Carias went ahead and filed the criminal charge in Fulton County Magistrate Court against me and then filed civil complaints in Superior Court of Fulton County, GA against the company for ‘negligent hiring’ and harassment and invasion of privacy.”
He said he was willing to agree in writing never to talk on air about Yogi and Panda ever again “for the sake of company harmony.” He said he had no real problem with them, that “they serve their audience well and deliver good ratings numbers and revenue.”
In the end, Wachs said, “A case of a humorous prank has turned into a culture clash, a suppression of 1st Amendment rights, and a ridiculous smear campaign against me as well as termination of my income without due process.”
10/23: Buck & Kincade ratings
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
John Kincade, co-host of the Buck & Kincade show on 680/the Fan, emailed me that in his time slot, his show beat the 2 Live Stews in the summer in the target demo of men 25-54. I had written in passing on Friday that the Zone had beaten the Fan. Overall, averaged across all time slots, the Zone did beat the Fan in 25-54 men. Though the Fan often has more listeners, listeners tend to listen longer to the Zone, resulting in a higher overall rating most of the time. And from what I’ve heard, the Zone bills far more than the Fan in revenue. But it’s true that Buck & Kincade and the 2 Live Stews have gone back and forth in the ratings since the Stews moved to the time slot last year.
Buck & Kincade remain consistently the strongest show for 680/the Fan.
Here’s part of his note:
Rodney,
Again your non-working knowledge of sports radio makes your analysis look dumb on the Arbitron numbers.]
The ONLY demo numbers that matter in sports radio is MEN 25-54. The sales staffs at 680 or 790 don’t sell off any other numbers. They are insignificant!
So, analyzing the Male 25-54 demo what do we see! WOW!
680 The Fan is 6th in afternoon drive in Atlanta with MEN 25-54 with a [Arbitron doesn’t allow me to reveal the] rating!
790 trails significantly (though a solid showing by the Stews) with a [xxxx] rating!
The difference between the two was a half point share. That is statistically significant but not massive given the way Arbitron does its diaries.
10/23: Regular Guys fired… again (updated)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I hear the Regular Guys have been fired from 96rock… again. Eric Von Haessler, part of the Regular Guys, confirmed that he was fired “with cause” at 3 p.m. today. They have already been taken off the www.96rock.com Web site..
“We are not going to be issuing a statement today,” said Yogi & Panda’s attorney Jamie Hernan “Clear Channel does appear to have taken the necessary steps to work out a resolution in the case. We anticipate a joint statement being issued in the near future.”
“The Regular Guys were dismissed for inappropriate conduct affecting fellow employees,” Chuck Deskins, the market manager for Clear Channel Atlanta, wrote in an email.
Here’s the link to the story
A CCU employee told me that Deskins has informed staff at Clear Channel Atlanta that if anybody is found to have talked to me, they will be immediately terminated. Deskins said he merely told employees to refer media questions in this case only to him, that he didn’t threaten termination at all.
10/23: Reg Guys/Viva lawyers meeting today
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
No update on the Yogi & Panda lawsuit against their employer Clear Channel and 96rock’s Regular Guys. Jamie Hernan, Yogi & Panda’s attorney, said they haven’t released a statement because they still want to get this resolved without making it worse. They are planning a meeting with Clear Channel this afternoon.
Clear Channel is allowing Yogi & Panda to continue to air their shows live on Viva 105.7 while the Regular Guys remain ” on break.”
Yogi & Panda filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages because they felt their privacy was invaded after Larry Wachs secretly taped a conversation they had in the restroom at Clear Channel and aired it. They also feel Clear Channel hasn’t been responsive to their complaints about the Regular Guys regularly mocking them on the air.
10/23: Dawgs stay on WSB-AM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Surprising nobody, WSB-AM has re-upped a deal with the UGA to air UGA Bulldogs basketball and football games through June 30, 2010. While the Hawks and the Braves were money-losers for WSB-AM, this one is certainly profitable for the news/talk station.
“It’s a good thing,” said Cox Radio Atlanta exec Chris Wegmann. “Two great institutions. We paid some more guaranteed money upfront but overall, we gave and we got. They gave and they got. It was very amicable. We’re glad we got it done.” WSB-AM has been affiliated with the Dawgs for a whopping 60 years.
On the other hand, the Braves, after their first losing season in 15 years, have not been helping either 96rock or WGST much in the ratings.
WSB-AM was kind enough to note that among men 25-54 in the evenings, Michael Savage and Chris Krok did slightly better than the combined ratings in the same demo of WGST and 96rock during the summer (though in reality, the difference wasn’t statistically significant).
10/23: Summer Arbitron ratings
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Warning: this is really for radio addicts.
The most notable story in the summer Arbitron ratings book (which covers June 29 to Sept. 20) is the continued collapse of 99X to depths it has never seen in its 14 year history. It ranked 22nd among all radio stations overall, the lowest of all of the metro area 100,000-watt FM signals. The station was handicapped because it lacked a regular morning show until early October after the survey period ended. The temporary Axel & Leslie show saw its listeners drop a whopping 70% among 18 to 34 year olds from the spring. Ranking wise, they fell from 7th place to 20th place in mornings. In general, 99X has seen its numbers steadily fall off and now draws less than 1/3 the audience it had just six years ago.
Stations who saw big improvements over the spring book included 104.7/ The Fish (which had been having a relatively week first half of 2006 and saw huge increases in younger listeners), Kiss 104.1 (its best overall performance since the spring of 2000, aided by 102.5’s format shift) and Buzz 105.3 had its best showing ever, benefiting from 99X’s problems.
Lite 94.9 had half the listening it did over Christmas with Randy & Spiff taking a major beating. 97.1/The River maintained strong numbers in its sixth to ninth months of existence. B98.5 rebounded a bit from a lousy spring.
Among the two sports station, 790/the Zone beat 680/the Fan as usual.
102.5 WAMJ-FM, in its first full weekday talk lineup, saw improvement. (This is the true liberal talk show network, not Air America.). Steve Harvey doubled Si-Man’s morning numbers in one book among 25-54. Michael Baisden is no. 6 25-54, which is impressive considering how weak AMJ’s signal is.
92.9/Dave had its best book in more than a year (16th to 8th, 25-54), as did Steve Barnes in his farewell book (15th to 11th 25-54), which always seems to happen when someone is taken off the air. 96rock was more or less flat.
Although the 12-plus numbers were off for V-103, it held at No. 1 25-54 and 18-34 and Frank Ski did just fine.
This was not a good book for country. Kicks 101.5 slipped a bit while Eagle 106.7 had its worst book in recent history with Rhubarb dropping sharply 25-54. Praise also showed some weakness, esp. 18-34.
in the top 40 wars, 95.5/the Beat rocked (9th to 4th among 18-34). Star 94 lost 18-34 years olds but was more or less flat 25-54. Q100 was solid in mornings with Bert but showed slippage later in the day.
WSB-AM was stronger in young numbers (12th to 5th 18-34)
Here are some rankings:
18-34 morning 1. V-103 up 2. Hot down 3. Q100 up 4. Viva flat 5. WSB-AM up 6. Fish triples! 7. River doubles! 8. 96rock down about 20% 9. Star down 10. Beat up a little 11. Buzz up a lot 12. Kicks down 13. Kiss down 14. Praise down a lot 15. LKQ down by half 16. Dave up 17. SB-FM up 18. AMJ up a lot 18. Zone up a lot 20. 99x down 70% (7th in spring) 21. Jazz up 22. Lite down a lot 23. Eagle down a smdge 24. Fan down 25. NGC didn’t appear in spring 26. GST down 27. AOK down 27. J93. down 29 GKA didn’t appear in spring
18-34 overall 1. V-103 down a little 2. Hot down 3. Viva up 4. Beat up a lot (9th in spring) 5. SB-AM up a lot (12th in spring) 6. River up a lot (14th in spring) 7. Q100 down 8. Fish triples! (19th in spring) 9. Buzz up a lot (13th in spring) 9. 96rock down a little 9. Kicks down 12. Star down about 15% 13. B98.5 up 40% 14. Dave up 67% 15. Praise down 40% 16. Kiss down 6% 17. 99X down 43% 18. LKQ down 59% 19. AMJ up a lot 20. Jazz up 50% 21. Eagle up 22. Zone flat 23. Fan down 24. Lite down a lot 25. GST down 26. J93.3 down 27. NGC didn’t appear in spring 28. AOK down 29. GKA didn’t appear in spring
25-54 morning 1. V-103 down 2. WSB down 3. Kiss up 4. River up a lot 5. Star down a smidge 6. Q100 up 7. 96rock up a smidge 8. Fish up a lot 8. Viva up a lot 10. Kicks down a lot 11. Praise down 40% 11. Dave up 30% 13. Hot down 14. Jazz up 15. B98.5 up 16. AMJ nearly doubled 17. Lite down 39% 18. Beat up a smidge 19. Buzz down 20. Zone flat 21. 99X down 40% 22. Fan down 23. Eagle down 57% 24. GST down 25. J93.3 down by half 25. GKA did not appear in spring 27. LKQ down 27. NGC did not appear in spring 29. WAOK down
25-54 1. V-103 down 2. WSB-AM down 3. Kiss down 4. River up a lot 5. Star flat 6 Fish up 42% 6. Kicks down 34% 8. Jazz up 46% 8. Dave up 52% 10. Praise down 1/3 11. 96rock flat 12. Hot down 12% 13. WSB-FM down 9% 14. Beat up 33% 15. WAMJ up 17% (strongest is Baisden—6th place) 16 Viva up a smidge 16. Q100 down a smidge 18. Lite down 23% 19. Buzz down 10% 20. GST up slightly 21 Zone up a smidge 21. Eagle down 1/3 21. 99X down 1/3 24. The Fan up a smidge 25. J93.3 flat 26. AOK flat 27. La raza down 2/3 27. GKA did not appear in spring 29. NGC did not appear in spring
10/20: Viva/Regular Guys lawsuit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve finally received a copy of the lawsuit filed by the Viva morning show against Clear Channel and the Regular Guys regarding the bathroom bit the Regular Guys did. Since this is a lawsuit, my bosses want me to write a story about it. I did it completely straightforward. Based on what I’ve been able to pick up before I got the lawsuit, there are no major surprises. Here’s the link to the story
If there’s any resolution to this or any decision on the status of the Regular Guys today, I will update this blog item. If not, I’ll post a new one over the weekend or Monday.
The attorney for Yogi & Panda said he plans to release a statement later today. I will post that, of course.
10/20: Monti quits 99X (updated)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monti Carlo quit 99X’s new Morning X Thursday after just two and a half weeks but Monti said it’s not because she was unhappy. She said she had to leave for family reasons. Her parents, who are only in their early 50s, are very ill and she needs to be with them in Seattle. She has managed to procure a job already at the Movin 92.5 station in Seattle as afternoon drivetime jock. She said she grew up listening to Sean and Leslie and had nothing but awe and respect for them during her brief time at 99X.
Monti, a standup comic who has had radio gigs in Florida, South Carolina and Z93, was the “younger” female voice on the show. No clue whether 99X will sub her out or leave it be.
10/19: Viva morning hosts sue Regular Guys
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s the Viva morning show (Juan is on the left)
Juan Tapia (Yogi) and Jose Carias (Panda), the morning show for Viva 105.7, filed a lawsuit in Fulton Superior Court this week against Clear Channel Broadcasting and the Regular Guys, Larry Wachs and Eric Von Haessler. The lawsuit is currently in transit between the north annex and downtown and I was not able to procure a copy but I’ll post info about it as soon as I get it. But clearly, this is why the Regular Guys were suspended Tuesday.
If anything, this confirms that this was not an FCC matter but truly an “internal” matter between sister radio station personalities.
The Regular Guys recently did a bit in which Larry taped Yogi & Panda in the bathroom and aired it but I’m not sure if that was the primary reason for the lawsuit.
Yogi and Panda’s attorney Christopher Taylor told me Thursday night that he agreed with Clear Channel not to release a press release and statement until Friday afternoon. But he promised to email me a scan of the lawsuit Friday morning.
10/19: Sky Show tomorrow
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Kiss 104.1 annual Atlanta Sky Show for syndicated morning host Tom Joyner is tomorrow at 6 a.m. at the Atlanta Civic Center. I’ve gone three times before and if you’re willing to get up early, it’s well worth it since it’s 100% free. And the guest this year is Jeffery Osborne. Not too shabby. I’ve seen the Whispers, the Gap Band and Al Green in past years. Joyner does 20 of these a year around the country. He is truly a workhorse.
10/19: Smooth Jazz email snafu
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Proving computer systems have minds of their own sometimes, Smooth Jazz 107.5 had an email snafu yesterday in which an unknown number of people received the follwing email:
10:16am
You have been Chosen as a winner to Smooth Jazz 107.5 and The Atlanta Jazz Festival would like to congratulate you, you won VIP concert tickets as well as dinner for 2 at Two Urban Licks. Please Contact us at 404-765-9750 on how to claim your prize
Then 16 minutes later, the following correction:
10:32am
If you just received an email stating that you are a Smooth Jazz winner to 2 Urban Licks, we are sorry to inform you that this was an error in our email system. Please continue to listen and watch out for email blasts such as this. You never know when Smooth Jazz 107.5FM will make you a winner. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Poor Deirdre, the secretary who answers the phone for Smooth Jazz, has had to give a 15-second disclaimer apologizing for this error every time someone calls. Her boss Wayne Brown said they’re trying to figure out how this happened.
10/19: Kincade update
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I spoke with Johh Kincade of the Fan today. He noted a few updates in his career:
1) His ESPN Sunday morning national show has been given a second year. And starting next year, it will expand from 9 to 11 a.m. to 9 to 1 p.m. EST. He’s heard on 375 stations.
2) He is now a sideline color commentator for the Thrashers Sports South home games.
3) He will be featured in a spring issue of Cigar Afficianado magazine as as “rising star” in sports talk radio. He doesn’t smoke stogies but I guess that’s not a requirement to be in the magazine.
10/19: Regular Guys still off
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
96rock’s Regular Guys’ suspension continues a third day. I’m still trying to ascertain what happened in the hallways of Clear Channel radio that caused this to happen. Larry Wachs has deleted the original reference to it on his blog, the one I posted yesterday. I’ll update this item if I get any concrete news.
10/19: New liberal talk show network
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mike Malloy, former WSB-AM talk show host and Air America night-time host, has helped start a new liberal talk show network.
For Immediate Release October 17, 2006
Air America Co-Founders Start New Liberal Talk Network Mike Malloy, Joe Trippi and John Zogby join Nova M Radio
Nova M Radio, Inc. based in Phoenix, Arizona officially announced the formation of its new progressive talk radio network. Debuting on the network will be the long awaited return to the airwaves of America’s original “truth-seekerâ€? Mike Malloy. The Mike Malloy Show will initially broadcast live, from 9PM -12 Midnight (EST) beginning October 30,2006 on Nova M Radio affiliate 1480-AM KPHX Phoenix. The Mike Malloy Show will be made available to affiliates across the nation and will also stream live on http://www.novamradio.com/. Malloy on his return to the radio quipped “Yikes! That was close. To not be on the air during perhaps the most critical election in modern U-S history would have been a real bummer. But, we’re back and here it is: The Nova M Radio network. Another crack in the wall of right-wing drivel that saturates the airwaves. Join me nightly, truth-seekers and goodbye Air America - hello Nova M!â€?
Anita Drobny and Sheldon Drobny, co-founders of the Air America Radio Network along with partner Dr. Mike Newcomb, CEO & Chairman of Nova M Radio, are the principals of the new network. On March 1, 2006 Air America Radio’s Phoenix affiliate went dark after the station was purchased by a religious broadcasting company who promptly terminated the progressive programming. Within 18 days Nova M Radio, Inc. had negotiated a deal with a new station and triumphantly returned progressive talk to the airwaves in America’s 5th largest city on April 3, 2006. Nova M Radio now looks to bring its unique brand to the rest of America.
Joining Nova M Radio as Media and Communication consultant will be Joe Trippi and Associates. Joe revolutionized electoral politics in America with his instrumental role in Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign, raising over $40 million in small donor contributions over the internet. By leveraging the scope and breadth of innovative internet-based technologies and digital tools, Joe and his team will help Nova M Radio reach out to millions of people who share common values and common goals.
Also joining our team will be internationally renowned pollster John Zogby, President and CEO of Zogby International. John will be co-hosting a weekly one hour show, “The Pulse of the Nationâ€? where John polls particular hot button issues from politics and pop culture to the War in Iraq and stem cell research. Each program will include expert guests and audience participation. At the end of each show John will reveal the secret results of the poll and each listener will then know whether or not they have their finger on “The Pulse of the Nationâ€?! Zogby proclaimed “This is very exciting. I will have the chance to share some of the latest polling on what Americans are really thinking about their lives, their needs, the views of government and politics, and how they think things need to be fixed. I know listeners are going to be fascinated by hearing what their peers are thinking”.
Also debuting on Nova M Radio’s new network will be Mike “Doc� Newcomb and Peter B. Collins.
Mike Newcomb, MD is a former gubernatorial candidate and physician who cares for the elderly and the poor. His brand of “freedom fighting, liberty loving and truth telling� radio has taken Phoenix, AZ by storm. After only his first year on the air Mike was selected as the “Best Radio Talk-Show Host 2004� by the Phoenix New Times. Doctor Mike’s show will air Monday-Friday 9AM-Noon (EST).
Peter B. Collins, the San Francisco-based syndicated talk show host, is a veteran radio personality. In the Bay Area, Peter has entertained talk radio listeners on KGO, KNBR and KSFO. He was the top-rated morning personality on CBS-owned KRQ. His current daily program, The Peter B. Collins Show, originates 6-9pm (EST) weekdays.
CEO & Chairman Mike Newcomb stated, “We will continue to build upon the foundation laid by our predecessors and will work tirelessly to fulfill our fiduciary responsibilities to our investors. Equally important, we will with the millions of faithful progressive listeners uphold our vision to promote freedom, social justice, economic justice and peace worldwide.�
New and exciting updates will be available on the web at http://www.novamradio.com/. For more information or interviews please contact Mike Newcomb at:
602-257-1351 (office) mnewcomb@aaphx.com 824 East Washington Street Phoenix, AZ 85034
10/18: Where are the Regular Guys? (small update)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
They were doing a “worst of” Tuesday and again today in the middle of the fall book. (Spring and fall are considered more important for radio than winter and summer so you’ll notice that morning shows will only take vacation during winter and summer, not spring and fall.) Their absence means something unusual is going on. Larry Wachs was kind of vague in his blog:
My deepest apologies, TRG fans, but we are not scheduled to return to the airwaves until Thursday whilst some pressing personal business is being dealt with. Thank you for your patience. I will be having another Watch Wachs Eat Club soon to make up for it. And I will allow talking. That’s how sorry I am.
Eric declined to comment. No answer on Larry’s phone. Mike Wheeler, their boss, said, “It’s nothing I want to discuss right now.” That’s not good. Wheeler’s boss Chuck Deskins said: “The only thing I can tell you, There’s an internal issue. They are off the air for a couple of days until we can get this issue resolved.”
Now I’m really curious! A good source tells me this was not anything FCC related or anything they did on the air. So maybe it was something that happened off the air between Larry and Eric? It’s no secret that the two aren’t exactly buddy buddy.
10/18: Atl’s NPR reporter wins big award
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s the press release about an NPR radio reporter based out of Atlanta winning a big award for his Katrina coverage. He also runs a marriage proposal planning agency. Sounds like an interesting guy.
Local Reporter Joshua Levs Receives Two Edward R. Murrow Awards for NPR coverage of Katrina Aftermath
Atlanta reporter Joshua Levs will receive two 2006 Edward R. Murrow Awards for his coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The awards, from the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA), will be presented October 16, 2006, at a formal awards ceremony in New York.
Levs was selected for the Best News Series and Best Feature Reporting prizes for his NPR work following the impact of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation on one New Orleans family. From the time Katrina struck, Levs followed the Smiths as they struggled to pick up the pieces of their lives and re-settled in Texas.
The series, “Katrina Odyssey,� aired on the NPR program “Day to Day.� It also has its own Web page at npr.org: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5024761.
The Best Feature Reporting award is for “Returning to the Ruins,� a piece from one year ago, in which Levs joined the Smiths as they re-entered their destroyed home.
Levs’ series also led the Atlanta Press Club to name him Journalist of the Year in radio and multi-media.
Levs, who also works at CNN headquarters as a reporter and writer for the CNN Wire, also received certificates from Peabody and DuPont-Columbia for his contributions to CNN’s coverage of Katrina and its aftermath.
Amid these awards, Levs has created the marriage proposal planning agency MagicProposals.com. An extension of his own proposal which was featured in People Magazine, Magic Proposals™ is also a response to years of covering horrors – from bombings to shootings to the impact of natural disasters such as Katrina. Magic Proposals features its clients’ marriage proposals and anniversaries online, sharing positive stories of love with the world.
Magic Proposals was recently featured on Atlanta’s Star 94 radio, and carried out a big promotion, providing three Magic Proposals to listeners.
Levs is also male columnist for Pink magazine, writing humorous narratives about relationships and gender differences in the workplace. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, Melanie, and their newborn son Ryan.
10/18: Boortz in NYT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s a shot of Neal Boortz with other radio talk show hosts from last month meeting with Pres. Bush. Boortz’s head is partly covered up by Mike Gallagher.
And here’s the New York Times story about it
10/17: La Raza radio transmitter burned
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
102.3 WLKQ (La Raza) had a transmitter fire and is off the air as of Tuesday. This was an oldies station until about 2003. It gets pretty good ratings for a signal that only reaches a small portion of metro Atlanta. It may be back on the air as soon as Thursday evening.
10/16: Key WRFG-FM figure passes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ebon Dooley, the long-time broadcast director for WRFG-FM (89.3), the 35-year-old renegade station, has died, according to the station’s Web site. When I wrote a story about WRFG’s 30th anniversary a few years ago, Ebon was nothing but a professional to me, a kind spirit deeply committed to the cause. Based in Little Five Points, always cash strapped and so liberal it makes WABE seem conservative in comparison, WRFG has embraced folk, americana, world and lots of musical styles seldom heard on commmercial radio.
The Web site doesn’t say how Ebon passed away.
Here’s what Heather Gray, a board member and president, wrote Friday on the Web site:
Dear WRFG family:
I am saddened to tell you that on October 12 we have lost our own Ebon Dooley. He had not been well for some time, but we are stunned by his loss. His contributions to WRFG and demands for justice in Atlanta, the southern region, the nation and the world are incomparable. Ebon stands as one of the most brilliant and compassionate people I am fortunate to claim as my friend. But his friends are countless - so many of us have been fortunate to claim him as such.
On Saturday, October 14, WRFG will devote the entire day, on all of our programs, for people to call in and share their Ebon stories - and there are many to be sure.
Ebon has played a critical role in Atlanta and the region’s history. In the 1960’s he created the first Black book store in the South; he was renowned for his poetry; he was focused on community centers in the city and their development such as the Arts Exchange, the Southwide Community Center, the Dunbar Center, the Little Five Points Community Center and others. He understood that these centers provided the opportunity for creative expression, community building and empowerment.
In addition to all of the above and much more, Ebon was one of the early organizers of WRFG. At the recent WRFG event where Ebon introduced Amy and David Goodman, I mentioned that Ebon is the heart and soul of Radio Free Georgia. This is almost an understatement! He has inspired us through his wisdom, his profound analysis and his kindness. So many of us at WRFG have been privileged to be his friend and privy to his political, racial and economic analysis coupled with humor and his constant radiant smile.
There is much to say about Ebon…and you will hear more about him in the days to come.
In the meantime, in addition to tomorrow being an opportunity for people to call in, we will have a special program on Tuesday, October 17 from 6-7 PM on Ebon’s remarkable life. His family will soon announce plans for the services and we are also planning a community event to celebrate Ebon. These dates and times will be announced soon via e-mail and on WRFG’s airwaves.
In peace and sadness,
Heather
10/13: Air America files for bankrupty protection
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sorry. I was out for part of the afternoon and only now have time to include the fact that liberal talk show network Air America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, something that was hinted at on the Web about a month ago.
Air America lost its Atlanta affiliate over the summer when Joe Weber purchased AM1690. He has kept Al Franken on but is playing an eclectic mix of music in other time slots. The network has not found a new outlet yet in Atlanta. Overall, the network is on 90 stations but has struggled in many places for ratings traction.
Here’s the story It says the network has lost $40 million in two years.
10/13: Should WREK go commercial?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Creative Loafing here wrote a story about WREK-FM, the Georgia Tech radio station, possibly going commercial to raise funds and accommodate more sports programming. I’m not sure if this is even feasible though a handful of college-run radio stations are commercial. (I had a cousin who DJed on a commercial college station at Cornell.).
10/12: Q100 outs Steve McCoy’s real name
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Star 94 morning show host Steve McCoy doesn’t use his real name. His real name, though, might be familiar to folks who listen to Q100. For several years, Q100 stunt guy Mark Owens has used the name Phil Terrana. The Bert Show this morning revealed that Phil Terrana is Steve McCoy’s real name. Voila! Inside joke revealed. As a courtesy to McCoy, I kept it to myself all these years, too. Actually, someone noted this in the comments section last week when I reported that Mark Owens is going to be producer for the new Morning X morning show at 99X.
“We jacked with them [Star 94] without jacking them,” host Bert Weiss said.
“I got my start at X. I was doing part time and weekends, doing whatever. I went by Mark. They needed a new producer at Q and a new street guy. No problem. I couldn’t use the same name on both sides. Jeff Dauler was the brainchild behind the name,” Mark/Phil said.
“Now he’s really going to hate me,” referring to McCoy, Dauler said.
Here’s Steve McCoy’s emailed response. He seemed nonchalant about the whole deal:
Actually, I’m flattered that they find that much interest in my name. In all the years on morning radio here…the subject has come up a number of times with listeners calling in and asking. Never tried to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes…..My two son’s have played hockey here since they were 6 and 8,and have had their name on the back of their Jersey for hundreds of games. So people have always asked….I’ve always answered.
10/12: Clark Howard takes on Bank of America
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Peralte Paul, a colleague of mine, has written a story about the battle between WSB’s Clark Howard and banking giant Bank of America.
It’s an interesting tale related to a phony check and Howard asking listeners to withdraw millions from Bank of America. Supposedly, many people have pledged to do so.
10/12: Star Jingle Jam lineup (pre-sale info)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As noted here yesterday by 10:30 a.m., Star 94 ‘s “new lineup” is the Jingle Jam lineup, not changes in DJs or format. It was all a stunt. The actual acts? Hinder (“Lips of an Angel”), the Fray (“Over My Head”), KT Tunstall (her fourth visit to Atlanta this year) and the Goo Goo Dolls (“Slide”). “I feel well rested,” Vikki Locke said after the announcement at 7:20 a.m. this morning since she and the rest of the jocks got yesterday off while Star 94 pulled the stunt. It’s going to be at the Arena at Gwinnett on December 9.
The group Hinder
Star is hyping this on the air as “the biggest Christmas concert in America.” You be the judge of that, especially since most radio stations haven’t yet announced their lineups. It is arguably stronger than last year’s Jingle Jam lineup of Jason Mraz, Switchfoot, Gavin DeGraw, Howie Day and James Blunt. Rival Q100 hasn’t announced its concert lineup yet; last year, Q had Will Smith, Pussycat Dolls and the Backstreet Boys.
“It’s a fabulous lineup,” general manager Mark Kanov said after the on-air announcement. He said only four people in the station knew for sure about the concert before a phone conference with employees at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Knaov admitted some employees had angst and got uptight over the “new lineup” announcement. Before the news broke, he told them he wouldn’t do anything that would affect them directly by touting it on the air first before telling them.
The Fray
“Our intent is to put some fun back into radio,” Kanov said. “They say radio is too corporate and nobody has fun anymore. Star isn’t owned by one of those companies. [It’s privately held by Lincoln Financial.]. It was fun to stooge the jocks. They didn’t know until 5 o’clock. Some figured it out pretty quickly and easily. Others didn’t.”
Here’s the Internet presale info:
As an Insider you have a special opportunity to purchase your tickets before the general public on-sale. A limited number of select seats have been made available for a Gwinnett Center “INSIDERS” pre-sale. This ONE day Internet pre-sale for Insiders runs from Friday, Oct. 13th at 10:00am to 10:00pm. Tickets go on-sale to the general public Saturday, Oct. 14th @10:00am. Ticket prices start at $27.00.
All you have to do is click on the “Find Tickets” button below during the pre-sale and enter the password STAR and you can purchase your tickets. Remember there are a limited number of select seats that have been made available for this one day Internet only pre-sale so mark your calendar and do not miss out.
10/12: Trooper’s side of Cindy’s alleged DUI
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Through Georgia State Patrol spokesman Larry Schnall, I finally got information from the trooper’s police report regarding Star 94’s Cindy Simmons’ arrest last Thursday night in Buckhead. Up to this point, I’ve only gotten Cindy’s point of view, which she told on the air Friday and I repeated portions of what she said on Monday.
The trooper is Stacey Collins. He’s part of the Georgia State Patrol of the DUI Enforcement Unit funded by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. He was recently named trooper of the year for DUI enforcement.
In the police report, he said he was driving behind Simmons, who was in a BMW on Sardis Way at 11:53 p.m. October 5. (That’s near the Roxy Theatre.) She made a wide right turn onto Roswell Road without using her turn signal at the stop sign. She also didn’t make a full stop so Collins pulled her over. He said she was very polite and apologized for not stopping completely at the stop sign. He wrote that he detected the smell of alcohol and thought her eyes were bloodshot and watery so he requested she exit the vehicle.
She acknowledged to him she had been drinking that evening. He gave her some sobriety tests, including one leg lift, walking in a straight line and the “follow the finger” procedure that law enforcement calls Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus. The report does not say how she did on those tests. She said on air she thought she did fine.
He wrote that Simmons said she had two margaritas that night but wasn’t consistent in terms of when she drank them. Simmons on air felt she was not impaired in any way but did not say anything about when she had her last drink or even what she drank.
Trooper Collins said he requested she do an onsite preliminary breath test but she politely declined. He said he read her her rights, a procedure which includes offering the option of going to a hospital to have an unbiased blood alcohol test taken, but she didn’t pursue that option. Schnall said the incident was videotaped but the tape won’t be released until the case has been heard in court. Schnall said she can continue to drive with a temporary driving permit until she goes to a hearing sometime in November. The hearing, he said, determines if the trooper followed DUI arrest procedures. If the administrative license suspension (ALS) is upheld, he said, she would automatically lose her license for 1 year because she refused the DUI test under the implied consent law. He said trooper Collins had a 100% conviction rate in 2005 for DUI.
10/11: Star 94’s stunt (updated)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This morning, Star 94’s long-time morning show Steve & Vikki was off the air, along with the rest of hte air staff the entire day. There was a taped message saying a “new lineup” would be announced Thursday at 7:20 a.m. General Manager Mark Kanov declined to comment to me. But at 4:30 p.m., the Star staff was told it was indeed a stunt, that the “new lineup” they are going to announce is the Star 94 Jingle Jam Christmas concert “lineup.” Two acts I heard are the Fray and Hinder. In other words, it’s not a format switch or changes in DJs. It’s just a promotion. So Star fans, just enjoy a day of all music, no jocks.
Some Star employees, though, had taken it seriously and were worried and upset until they were told it meant nothing. Sounds like something Michael (played by Steve Carell) on “The Office” might do.
10/9: Why Barnes is gone
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve gotten at least a dozen emails few days from folks wondering: what happened to Steve Barnes on Dave FM? I’ve been directing them to my Sept. 13 blog item about his departure but for those who are still wondering and missed the news three weeks ago, he and Dave FM parted ways. His ratings were poor and Dave wanted to go in a different direction, focusing more on music in the mornings while keeping Holly around. Barnes was just finishing up the second year of a three-year contract. From what I can ascertain he’s now being paid for a full year without having to work. He is going to pursue his film career in the interim and hasn’t ruled out seeking another radio job.
Interestingly, 99xwatch.org has posted some updated info on Barnes’ lawsuit against 99X and members of the morning team for copyright infringement and defamation. In the defamation portion, Barnes noted that Fred Toucher on his Web site removed alleged defamatory statements (that Barnes was a retard, that he was “Captain Back Acne” and a photo a person with back acne might have been Barnes), but wrote commentary Barnes deemed as “smart aleck.” Here is Toucher’s response to Barnes’ letter asking him to remove the statements. Jim Voris, the head of 99xwatch, provided [the correspondence at this link](
In the meantime, any fresh thoughts on the new 99X morning show now that it’s been on seven days?
10/9: Next progressive talk star
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I have no clue whether anybody in Atlanta will run this contest seeking the next “progressive” talk show host. Would Clear Channel-owned WGST-AM do it ? With Rush as the station’s anchor, probably not. Here’s the press release:
New Reality Show Launches National Contest for Talk Radio’s Next Progressive Star
Broadcast Giant Clear Channel Radio, Jones Radio, Media Syndication Services and the Center for American Progress Action Fund team with Nakea to create an interactive talk radio star contest and reality show.
Seattle, WA, October 08, 2006 —(PR.COM)— Mega broadcast companies Clear Channel Radio, Jones Radio, The Center for American Progress Action Fund for Progressive Talk Radio Star and MSS have partnered with Seattle-based Nakea, LLC for a national talent search that will land one lucky winner a dream contract for a nationally syndicated talk radio program.
The search includes radio affiliates in markets across the U.S., conducting their own talent searches to find progressive radio’s next national talk radio host. Nakea has created an enhanced Web site for the next “Progressive Talk Radio Star,� an upcoming national reality show, scheduled to debut on participating Clear Channel Radio stations in November.
Nakea, a leader in Web application development, is leveraging the Internet to enable contestants to apply and showcase their talents on a specially created website (www.TalkProgress.com). Clear Channel Radio Progressive Talk stations will invite aspiring participants to submit their entries for selection and online posting from October 9 through October 16. Local winners will receive a $1000 cash prize and a chance to compete for the grand prize—a talk show on national radio.
Clear Channel Radio and its partners selected Seattle-based Nakea LLC for its reputation in the Internet space to build a creative, innovative and dynamic rich-media solution, as thousands of talk radio contestants are expected to flood the online site. Nakea founder Chris Nakea’s experience as a producer and radio talk show host made his company an ideal fit for the project.
“For a project of this scope, we needed a proven player in the Internet space, and we knew Chris Nakea and his company could make it happen,� said Paul Woodhull, president of Media Syndication Services. “We’re confident that the Nakea team can handle the ‘buzz’ that we predict will result in an avalanche of traffic on the site,� Woodhull added.
Nakea is building a web site that will allow contestants to register online for the contest, create a profile and upload a three to five minute audio demo. With a large promotion planned on Clear Channel Radio affiliate stations, listeners will be able to visit the site to review entries and cast votes for Clear Channel Radio’s next Progressive Talk Radio Star. Contestants outside Clear Channel Radio markets will be able to submit their entries directly online.
Over the course of the contest, the site will provide constantly changing updates of contestants’ progress, behind-the-scenes interviews, candid moments, and other elements as the field of talk show star aspirants narrows to a handful of finalists. Online visitors can track their favorite contestants, watch their progress and participate in online discussions with the eight finalists.
“On a personal level, I’m very excited to be involved,� said Chris Nakea founder and president of Seattle-based Nakea LLC. “Talk radio has been a big part of my life and this web-based reality approach is an innovation that will tremendously enhance the experience for radio listeners.�
The company’s new version of Nakea Site Manager® software will be used to build an innovative web presence with far-reaching possibilities, according to Nakea. “Just as talk radio opened an interactive opportunity for audience participation, we’re doing the same thing on the Internet,� said Nakea. “But when you add audio and video on demand, it personalizes the experience in a whole new way,� he added.
Nakea Site Manager greatly improves and simplifies the process of creating, editing, managing, reusing and distributing content on Web sites, as well as file storage and information management. The service employs an easy-to-learn Web-based interface that minimizes training and administrative costs while delivering important features such as online surveys, personalized email campaigns, role-based workflow, versioning, page recovery and intuitive user-friendly editing tools.
The show is being produced and distributed by Clear Channel Radio, the nation’s largest owner of radio stations, Jones Radio Networks, The Center for American Progress Action Fund for Progressive Talk Radio Star, and Media Syndication Services, Inc, the radio production company that pioneered the Progressive Talk format.
ABOUT NAKEA, LLC Nakea, LLC is a full-service website development company, providing design, programming, multimedia production, e-commerce, site management and hosting services. The Seattle-based firm was founded by Christopher Nakea, a leader in Internet development since1995. Known for its technical expertise, innovation and creativity, Nakea serves clients throughout the U.S. and Canada in a variety of industries, including broadcast, retail, medical and gaming. For more information, visit www.nakea.net.
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Contact Information Nakea, LLC. Chau Luu 206-675-1800 publicrelations@nakea.net talkprogress.com
10/7: Star’s Cindy arrested for alleged DUI (updated)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
publicity shot
offical mug shot
Cindy Simmons, the afternoon cohost with Ray Mariner on Star 94 since 2003, told listeners Friday that she had been arrested for an alleged DUI last Thursday night. Here’s a link to the story
Cindy, who has myspace page, responded to my email with the following: “Thanks for your email and for inquiring about my situation. Yes, I did discuss it on the air this past Friday and covered everything. At this point, I’ve been advised not to discuss it any further.” That doesn’t help me much in terms of solifying details since I don’t have the audio from Friday afternoon and she doesn’t seem to be addressing it anymore on the air today. On her Cindy’s diary on star 94, she only alludes to the situation by writing “It’s been a rough last couple of days and I just wanted to thank everyone for their support.â€? and “This too shall pass.”
At about 6 p.m., Cindy did email me a 13-minute MP3 clip of her talking about the arrest Friday. She had been a bridal shower and had a couple of drinks earlier in the evening. She didn’t say what she drank or when. She said close to midnight, she drove three of her girlfriends to their cars. A cop pulled her over for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign and asked her to take a few sobriety tests including “follow the finger” and “walk in a straight line.” She felt she did fine on those. When he asked her to take a breathalyzer, she refused. “All I’ve ever heard is if you are ever asked to take a breathalizyer test to politely refuse,” she said.
He proceeded to arrest her on suspicion of DUI, handcuff her, place her in the car and sent her to the Atlanta City Detention Center. “I was stunned. Stunned!” she said. “I was a complete mess… it was humiliating. I was sobbing!” She felt she was not intoxicated and in fact, her three friends for preventative purposes, took the breathalyzer tests and passed.
She spent several hours at the detention center getting frisked, having her license taken away and getting a mug shot taken. “It felt like you were in a movie,” she said. “The main room looks like a DMV. You’re sitting with strangers from all walks of life. You’re frightened. There’s no one there to make you feel better.” Her husband Aaron picked her up and she appeared at municipal court that morning to get a court date, which is sometime in November.
“I knew that I was perfectly fine,” she told the listeners. “I wouldn’t do that to anybody else. I wouldn’t do that to my friends or myself or my famly. I’m not a dumb girl.”
Earlier in the day, I was having trouble tracking down info about Cindy’s arrest from the legal authorities until someone below noted that perhaps she was using her married name. She was. It’s Cynthia Glocker. I asked the public information officer at the Atlanta City Detention Center and she found some skeletal information about the arrest. She was booked at 12:52 a.m. October 6 for failure to stop at a stop sign and DUI. She was picked up by the Georgia State Patrol. I don’t yet have an exact time or location of the arrest yet but hopefully the GSP can get that. She was bonded for $1,100 and released.
Based on the sketchy details I was able to provide George Stein, the well-known DUI lawyer who is heard every Friday on 96rock’s Regular Guys, the fact she turned down the breathalyzer is not a bad thing. He’s skeptical of the reliability of the on-site breathalizers.. He also isn’t a big fan of the sobriety tests. “They’re designed for people to fail,” he said. Good news for Cindy: the City of Atlanta has reasonable prosecutors, he said, who will take circumstances into account. From what I can tell, this is Cindy’s first situation like this so they leniency, he said, is possible. That means no DUI conviction on the record, no license suspension, a fine and community service.
I’m trying to get someone at the Atlanta Police Department to give me more info on DUI procedures since it’s something I’m not familiar with.
10/6: Krok talks to Foley page
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just got this email from WSB-AM’s producer Chris Krok about his show Thursday night:
Tonight on KROKTALK with Chris Krok on Atlanta’s News Talk 750 WSB, Chris got former Congressional page based in Atlanta, Tyson Vivyen to admit that he remained in contact with former Florida U.S. Congressman Mark Foley for eight years after being “victimizedâ€? by him as a page in 1997. He said during that time, they instant messaged 50-80 times. During the eight years, Vivyen said Foley still would send explicit IM’s.
Vivyen is the only known Foley victim to go public.
Mr. Vivyen’s profile on Gay.com was removed immediately after Krok shared portions of it on air. It states that he is looking for a serious relationship, but he’s been known to have “casual encounters, although I usually regret it the next day.” We have the only copy of this profile before Mr. Vivyen suspended it.
Mr. Vivyen stated that he remained in contact with Congressman Foley so that perhaps someday once he finished his education, Congressman Foley could use his power and influence to help get a job. Mr. Vivyen stated he was “out� when he was sixteen, the alleged time he was being IM’d by Foley. Vivyen also said he never reported Foley because he thought it was an isolated incident, and that he was mature enough to handle the situation. However, he later admitted that one other page he was friends with was also preyed upon.
Mr. Vivyen’s roommate originally contacted us this evening at 11:37PM ET . Mr. Vivyen contacted us just after the 12AM ET Local newscast and remained on with Chris Krok answering his questions and those of listeners until the end of the show at 2AM ET.
Mr. Vivyen is supposed to be on tonight’s Larry King Live, but he said that he will not be doing the show now. Don’t believe him.
Thank you very much.
Warmest Regards,
Rick diLorenzo Executive Producer KROK TALK with Chris Krok Weeknights 10PM ET-2AM ET News Talk 750 WSB
10/5: Sutton leaves Braves coverage
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While I’m on vacation, I’m glad to see sports helping me out. Here’s the story of Don Sutton leaving Braves announcing after 17 years..
10/4: Warren Savage busted on coke charges
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m out of town right now and not in regular ‘Net contact. So here’s an interesting local TV nugget. that appears to be the most popular story on ajc.com today: Warren Savage, former morning news anchor for WSB-TV, got busted for cocaine charges just a few weeks after being jailed on pot possession. He left the station about a year ago under mysterious circumstances. He didn’t like the way I reported his initial departure and refused to give me more info about his life, post-WSB-TV, a few months later. It makes me wonder what’s up with Porsche Foxx, formerly of V-103. I’ve heard nothing for months. I’m not even sure she’s in town. Anybody know?
Nancy Badertscher, a fellow AJC reporter, covered it here.
10/3: V-103 Frank Ski renews contract
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
V-103’s Frank Ski has renewed his contract with the station. He won’t say what the terms were, much less the dollar amount. Typical radio contracts last three years, which would take Frank to at least 2009. Reportedly, his last contract was up Sept 30. It’s possible he signed a shorter deal though nobody is saying. He did sign rather last second, relatively speaking. He’s been here now for eight years and has been a dominant force for a dominant radio station.
When Ryan Cameron signed with V-103 last year for afternoons, there was a lot of murmuring about him taking over the morning show when Frank’s contract was up. That doesn’t appear to be happening anytime soon. Frank has the numbers on his side. Ironically, since Ryan left the morning scene, Frank and Wanda’s ratings have shot up. In fact, V-103’s afternoon numbers have grown sharply under Ryan, too. So for V-103, despite the expense of paying two morning show-level salaries, their revenues are certainly doing just fine to cover them both. It’s very much the Derek Jeter/Alex Rodriguez New York Yankee analogy working.
10/3: Do you like Rhubarb?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The longest running morning host in town is Rhubarb Jones at Eagle 106.7. The congenial host, who now works with Dallas McCade, doesn’t get a lot of attention. He wasn’t nearly as polarizing as Moby, who faced off against Rhubarb back in the 1990s.
Any thoughts on the man compared to his competiton over the years? Personally, I’m not sure if he has any plans to retire anytime soon.
Permalink | Comments (16) | Categories: Question of the day
10/3: Phil Terrana to join 99X morning show
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just as an added aside that I didn’t have time to address yesterday, Phil Terrana AKA Mark Owens, the stunt dude at Q100, is going to take over as producer of the “new” Morning X in a couple of weeks. He has some leftover obligations under the name Phil Terrana but will be using his real name Mark on the 99X morning show.
10/3: Hartman, the way he sees it
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Someone posted some negative comments about Jeff Hullinger’s return to Atlanta radio under the name “Bill Hartman,” the Channel 2 sports guy. It was not the actual Bill Hartman but an imposter. That happen fairly often on this blog but he’s the first prominent person to call us on it. (Randall Bloomquist, PD of WGST-AM, and the Kimmer for some reason have not…) Hartman gabs about this on his blog here.
If you read some comments attributed to me on an AJC.com blog last week, be assured they weren’t my words. Rodney Ho of the newspaper invited readers to comment on the return of Jeff Hullinger to Atlanta. My former co-worker at WAGA-TV will become a news anchor for WSB radio soon.
Someone used my name and wrote nasty things about Jeff. I would never do that.
The more I think about it, the madder I get.
Anyone who would write such hurtful words should have the guts to put their name behind it and not someone else’s. And AJC.com should be ashamed of itself for allowing such malicious comments to be posted without accountability.
Freedom of speech does not mean freedom to injure someone’s reputation.
This amounts to identity theft. I doubt very much that Pam Martin and Forrest Sawyer wrote the comments that were attributed to them, either.
See ya…
10/2: Sean Demery returns to 99X
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In possibly the worst-kept secret in Atlanta radio land, former 99Xer Sean Demery is back, helming the “new Morning X.” At 6 a.m. this morning, he kind of flubbed around and after a false start, announced “I’m back home. My name is Sean Demery. Once again, I’m 99X.” Then he played “How Soon is Now” by the Smiths, the last song he played when he left 99X about six years ago. (I got a shot of Sean above at about 7:20 a.m.)
Afterwards, they announced “the new Morning X with Sean, Leslie and Jenners.” That’s Rob Jenners, who I figured out last week. They introduced themselves and the fourth person was not Yvonne Monet or Jamie Massey as guessed but someone named Monti (photo below). Here’s Monti’s myspace page.
Jamie is still doing traffic for both Q100 and 99X. Here’s a shot of Jamie giving me the “Why are you taking my photo?” look: 
w2
Joey Mills is the second caller. He is buds with a lot of 99Xers and a regular blogger here. He noted a few weeks back that Sean told him straight out he wasn’t going to come to 99X. In fact, Sean told me the same thing when the rumors first came out here.
But apparently, Sean changed his mind. He said he had quit his job in San Francisco was the program director of Live 105 to deal with family issues. He said he talked to Leslie all the time anyway and they began discussing the rumors.
“We thought about it. What would that be like? What would I do? Would anyone give a rat’s [arse]?”
“I always thought Sean was the sound of 99X,” Joey said.
“Do we pull numbers to kiss Sean’s [arse]?” joked Jenners. (Here’s a photo of Jenners)
Sean noted that he was part of the original morning show on 99X back in late 1992-93 before he swapped jobs with afternoon man Steve Barnes. “I was the most miserable morning man,” he noted, honestly. But he promises he’s changed: “I’ve lost more hair. I’ve bulked up and I’m ready for this… My shorts are riding high in my pants just thinking about it.”
They then introduce the two new names in the room: Jenners, who is Rob Jenners, a stunt guy for a “Regular Guys” type morning show at Big 105.9 in Miami. “It was a boy’s club,” Jenners said. As a result, “I’m a jaded and angry individual… It’s a good change… It’s a new step. I already don’t like you all,” he joked.
The one person we here on the blog couldn’t figure out was Monti. And her radio name is Monti Carlo. A standup comic who has performed at the Punchline, she said she worked at Z93 for a couple of years but didn’t specify what. (I asked her later and she apparently did traffic for Dave Marino’s show in the 2001-02 era) She said she came from West Palm Beach, where she was doing mid-day DJ work at a top 40 station. (The operations director Rob Roberts for Q100/99X came from south Florida.)
Here’s Leslie (l) with Monti. 
The very first phone guest is Kiefer Sutherland, who has started a record label but better known for that Fox show “24.” And since this is the world of radio, this is actually a taped interview, not live but they pretend that it’s live.
Early on, Jenners is clearly the spiciest element in the bunch. Monti has been relatively quiet in the early going and she has to read sports though admitting minimal knowledge of it. Leslie is doing the news as usual but sounds more comfortable than when she was on with Toucher. She’s old buds with Sean so that makes sense. Sean hasn’t done on-air stuff in years but it’s like riding a bike. He’s back and he sounds good (though noting that they are No. 2 in a particular city every time one is namechecked got old fast.)
Their first “street” bit at 8:40 a.m. was Monti going to Smith’s Olde Bar and quizzing drunk folks about 5th grade level questions. Is this an original bit? Not in the least but I guess it’s better than “Battle of the sexes.”
At 9:55 a.m., they resurrected Toucher’s “What I learned today” bit. Jenners? “I learned Rodney Ho’s a good guy but if he writes anything negative about me, I’ll find him and beat him.” Sweet!
Then they ended the show with “Peanut Butter Jelly Time,” some oddball song that I can’t imagine will last because it doesn’t fit in what should be an alternative rock station morning show. It might work okay on the Disney Radio channel but not here. Sean danced, which was amusing — for folks in the studio.
Is the show as “edgy” as the Toucher show? Nope. It’s clearly meant to be more female friendly. But aren’t those listeners already over at Q100? If anything, the station is trying to turn back the clock, regain the listeners from their heyday in the 1990s. Is that even possible given that the competitive environment has changed? We shall find out the answers to these questions soon enough.
