Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk > Archives > 2008 > April > 25 > Entry
4/25: Sweetness and light from Rhubarb Jones’ golf tourney chair
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I got this email from Kristi Anderson, chairwoman of the 16th annual Rhubarb Jones Celebrity Golf Classic. She doesn’t seem to understand what I do for a living, that I cover radio and I came for Rhubarb. She also doesn’t get that I write it as I see it in as fair a manner as possible with no regard to whether it’s “positive” or “negative” but simply interesting. I spoke to her Friday morning and repeated all this, but she didn’t seem terribly assuaged. Such is life. I included the Buzz item I wrote (as opposed to the blog entry from Tuesday) since I presume that’s what she saw.
Dear Mr. Ho,
Thank you so much for coming out to cover the 16th Annual Rhubarb Jones Celebrity Golf Classic this past Monday at The Golf Club of Georgia. While coverage by the AJC is VERY much appreciated, I was extremely disappointed to read the spin that was put on the article.
The article’s main focus seemed more about the radio industry and Rhubarb losing his job rather than the REAL reason that we were all there — to raise money to fight blood cancers for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You mentioned the “continued support” of Citadel/KICKS which, once the station changes were announced, became negligible, especially compared to our Premier Sponsor, the PGA Tour Superstore, who wasn’t even mentioned.
Then there was the negative spin on the amount of money that was raised. Despite all the MAJOR hurdles that the Committee faced such as losing the majority of the station’s backing and Rhubarb no longer having a radio home less than 2 months prior to the event, extreme declining economic times, etc., we were very proud to have raised $160,000. Instead, you compared it to last year’s total and touted the fact that we raised less this year than last.
What ever happened to positive news? Not every story has to have a negative spin, and in these hard times, some positive news is always welcome.
Sincerely,
Kristi Anderson, Volunteer Chairperson, 16th Annual Rhubarb Jones Celebrity Golf Classic
Here’s the item she was disturbed about:
GOLF TOURNAMENT GETS SUPPORT
Rhubarb Jones, after 23 years, lost his job as Atlanta’s longest-running morning host when Citadel Broadcasting killed the Eagle on Feb. 29. But using former sister station Kicks 101.5, Citadel continued to support his 16th annual celebrity golf tournament for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
In the end, he still managed to raise about $160,000. Though that’s down from $190,000 last year, he was happy he was able to hold the event, which he plans to continue next year, with or without a radio partner.
Jones is not bitter about Citadel’s moves. “I didn’t take it personally,” he said. “It was just business.”
It doesn’t hurt that he’s still under an iron-clad five-year contract with Citadel, which pays him to do nothing until April 1, 2009. Plus, he already has a new job lined up to teach mass communication classes at Kennesaw State University starting later this year.
He also hasn’t ruled out going back to radio at some point if the opportunity is right.
Friends and fans slapped Jones on the back and posed for pictures, offering condolences for his job loss. Former Braves players Rick Camp, Ron Gant and Brian Jordan played golf for charity. And country legend Charlie Daniels came out as usual, rockin’ his violin on “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”
-Tonight was another compelling episode of “Lost,” which now appears to be a war between Ben & Charles Widmore, though we’re still trying to figure out what Jacob’s role is in who controls the island. Other fun elements:a dead doctor, a dead daughter (plus some dead extras), revenge motives, and smoke monster, will travel! Plus, Claire is apparently invincible—for now. (Kinda like how Ben can get the stuffings beat out of him yet come away fairly unscathed.) And they answered why Sayid is working with Ben in the future.
Comments
By mediamum
April 25, 2008 10:44 AM | Link to this
i guess she felt like she had to complain about something. she’ll get over it.
By Welly
April 25, 2008 11:34 AM | Link to this
Hmm, I would be perturbed too. Although, I must admit, she took the article a little too personally.
By Rich
April 25, 2008 12:38 PM | Link to this
Your non-profit folks tend to think it’s all about them. It’s just their world. As a former radio promotions person I had to remind them (a lot) that there had to be something in it for us as well. Sometimes they didn’t get it.
By Nick Wright
April 25, 2008 12:52 PM | Link to this
I guess she read “AJC” and assumed you were out there to cover the whole tourney.
I’m surprised they didn’t have a sports reporter out there for that.
By watchman
April 25, 2008 1:38 PM | Link to this
Why couldn’t you use your blog statemnt for the Buzz. “Over the years, Jones has raised more than $3.2 million for the non-profit organization and he hopes to continue to do so even if he has no radio station to go to.” You used poor judgement, not a positive or negative spin. What’s interesting is you cover radio and don’t know Rhubarbs friends call him “Rhuby” not “Ruby”. Oh well
By plutarch
April 25, 2008 1:46 PM | Link to this
What an ungrateful B…lots of folks think that the media should give them free publicity for their do-gooder cause. The AJC gave them free publicity, then she complained that it had bad “spin”.
She lists herself as a volunteer chairperson, so I guess we’ll take her at her word. Though, in many cases, most of the money donated to non-profits go towards paying the salaries of the middle-class bureaucrats who run the NPO who spend almost all of their time asking for money! It’s sort of like high-concept pandhandling.
By Kristi Anderson
April 25, 2008 2:57 PM | Link to this
Dear plutarch,
You don’t know me and have never met me, so I highly resent your assumption that I am a “B”. To answer your question about my volunteering, I have volunteered for this tournament since it’s inception — 16 years ago!! I’ve NEVER received one single solitary cent for the COUNTLESS hours I give of my time, not to mention the time I lose from my own personal business that cost me money, the use of my own office supplies, my own gas, my own cell phone minutes…I could go on and on. In this case, it is truly a labor of love and the word “volunteer” is exactly what it means — “to GIVE.”
By watchman
April 25, 2008 3:16 PM | Link to this
The chairperson and the hundred or so other volunteers it takes to produce an event of this magnitude are just that, volunteers. The “pay” this year was exceptionally rewarding as we listened to a young man review his struggles with leukemia and how the LLS made a difference in his life. That’s the real story.
By tom
April 25, 2008 3:37 PM | Link to this
Kristi get a life. Your letter reads like it came from the PR Factory. You downplay Kicks butyet they had Rhubarb on the air to promote the event and continued to promote it. Kristi I’m sure your PGA sponsor paid you big bucks but I bet you would not have raised the $160,000 you did without the help of radio.
By Kristi Anderson
April 25, 2008 9:03 PM | Link to this
I’m done defending my name and all the hard work I freely give to help save lives, and especially the lives of children. Shame on you people who rattle on about something you know nothing about. No company or person pays me for the time that I give. The “pay” that I receive is seeing another child beat cancer. It’s very sad that Tom and others find it impossible to believe that there are still people in this world who give of their time and resources simply because they care about others. I’m done with this blogging — I have better things to do with my time — like help those who REALLY need it.
By Kristi Anderson
April 25, 2008 9:06 PM | Link to this
I’m done defending my name and all the hard work I freely give to help save lives, and especially the lives of children. Shame on you people who rattle on about something you know nothing about. No company or person pays me for the time that I give. The “pay” that I receive is seeing another child beat cancer. It’s very sad that Tom and others find it impossible to believe that there are still people in this world who give of their time and resources simply because they care about others. I’m done with this blogging — I have better things to do with my time — like help those who REALLY need it.
By Oh Please
April 27, 2008 9:30 PM | Link to this
Wow Rodney. You truely do have a gift. Someone calls you out on your crap and you spin it like they’re the ungrateful bad guy.
Such a great reporter you are. Hall of fame material!!
By That's Rodney
April 28, 2008 9:45 AM | Link to this
Rodney - once again you show why you are at the top of your game, such as it is. And how you possess the world perspective of a 9-year old. Had you taken journalism 101 you might have learned how to write a story. A set of facts - laid out selectively, leaving some in, omitting others, is not the work of a writer.
I’d love to see you spend a week at the obit section there at the AJC. You could slice and dice ‘The Facts’ any which way you wanted, as you do now. And (bonus) you wouldn’t get so many complaints, at least not directly from the offended parties.
By and you are?
April 30, 2008 7:06 AM | Link to this
Note to all those who are dissing Rodney (and who apparently don’t know what he does): Rodney’s beat is Radio. He wrote the story from that perspective. You’re assuming that because he works at the AJC he was there to cover it from a general perspective. Your first mistake was thinking that our local newspaper would even send someone out to cover the story at all. Your second mistake is thinking it’s all about YOU. Now lose that chip on your shoulder.
By Jim
May 8, 2008 10:22 AM | Link to this
I just now found this, and wanted to drop a note on it.
Kristi, I think the problem is that you misunderstood what Rodney was covering. He does radio and tv, not charity events, so naturally, his writings were going to focus more on the huge implosion at Eagle.
I do have one big, big question though. Why do these exact same words appear somewhere else under another byline. Who wrote it?
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/stories/2008/04/24/buzz0424.html
If you cut and paste the link above, you get the 4-24 peach buzz column under Helen Olivero’s byline. In it you read the following….
“Broadcasting killed the Eagle on Feb. 29. But using former sister station Kicks 101.5, Citadel continued to support his 16th annual celebrity golf tournament for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
In the end, he still managed to raise about $160,000. Though that’s down from $190,000 last year, he was happy he was able to hold the event, which he plans to continue next year, with or without a radio partner.
Jones is not bitter about Citadel’s moves. “I didn’t take it personally,” he said. “It was just business.”
It doesn’t hurt that he’s still under an iron-clad five-year contract with Citadel, which pays him to do nothing until April 1, 2009. Plus, he already has a new job lined up to teach mass communication classes at Kennesaw State University starting later this year.
He also hasn’t ruled out going back to radio at some point if the opportunity is right.
Friends and fans slapped Jones on the back and posed for pictures, offering condolences for his job loss. Former Braves players Rick Camp, Ron Gant and Brian Jordan played golf for charity. And country legend Charlie Daniels came out as usual, rockin’ his violin on “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”“