THE LINE IS BUSY, PRESS 9 TO HAVE THE OPERATOR KEEP DIALING AGAIN AUTOMATICALLY FOR A SMALL CHARGE

Little birdies are chirping all over the email today. Man, I used to be in radio and I didn't keep tabs on the industry as much as some of you people do. Is there nothing on TV? No good movies?

The answer is - NO.

("I know nothing, I see nothing..."- Sgt. Shultz)

It IS funny, though.

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

I didn't think my previous post would elicit the response it did. For some reason, my blog server isn't posting all of the comments many of you have been making.

Let me just say, thank you for the kind words and reprint some of them here with responses.

That dude who is on in your old time slot in the morning is a real loser. Just wondered what happened and where did you go.

John

He's not really a loser. He's a really neat guy that I had a few short weeks to get to know. He's in a tough position given the demands of the station and some of the other reasons I already outlined earlier.

Hi Greg,

Glad to know more details. After we returned from our winter vacation and found you off the air I gave WMT a chance. After two painful weeks I could no longer do it. I switched to high in the dial and let WMT remain low in my esteem.

Take care,

Ricky

I still listen, but only on some of my errands. It's really strange listening to a radio station after having been in the business so long. I hear many things that could be done better with proper attention, but it's probably lack of resources or a caring attitude.

I think you would be a fine author and should you ever write a book about the questionable tactics of employers such as you were exposed to I believe it would be a success. (Or any other subject for that matter.) I would sure buy a copy.

I've always thought it would be fun to write a book. I enjoy writing...and I've even done some small fiction stories that I just felt like putting to paper (meaning I haven't allowed anyone to read them). I would like to do some non-fiction, but the research demands of something like that are too much if I want to have money coming in too.

You are quite correct about the WMT site. I told them so about a month ago. JJ Cook responded, asking for more details. When I did, he let me know that I need to change; the site would stay as is.

Sort of like running a commercial for a July 4th sale in August and September.

Ginny had a very long post, but I picked out the good parts...

I always listened to Greg in the mornings and even called in a few times...I hadn't been able to listen for a few days and then when I tuned back in, Greg wasn't on. I called WMT to find out why he wasn't on and a girl at WMT said, yes, Greg is still on in the mornings but that he was currently on vacation or something. She went on to tell me they had received lots of complaints about him both from listeners and from other WMT employees and that they were going to be letting Greg go. I remember she said, "Nobody here likes him." I asked her if Greg knew this and she said they had not told him. I thought how odd for the telephone receptionist to know about the morning show host's employment status.

Oh, I had an idea. Like I said in the previous post. It all became clear after a meeting I had to discuss my increased salary request because of the ratings success. See my earlier post for an in-depth explanation.

As for no one liking me, well I can't really speak to that. That's something new to me. I was always willing to help write ad copy, do commercial production, help sales efforts with promotions ideas, and do the extra things I spoke about earlier such as promos and website updating.

I had very few personal demands...1...don't come in the studio when the "on-air" light was on, 2...keep your commercials 30 and 60 seconds, and some programming suggestions via "nudges" that I gave them. Things like, trying to limit the Farm News to just 2-minutes in length (instead of 3 or 4); shorten the sports casts to 2-and-a-half minutes instead of 4; and let me know in advance if you happen to schedule a guest for the show. I didn't think those things were all that outrageous and would inspire an apparent dislike that you mention. But, maybe it was just that some people couldn't accept change. Wrestle with the bull and you'll get the horns, I guess.
She continues...

I even thought about calling Greg and telling him what that girl had told me because from what Greg would say in the mornings and with his various references to the future, etc., I knew he had no idea he was going to be fired. I knew he had a wife and two kids and that they were either shopping for a house or had just bought one. I can't be the only listener who was told about this...I felt awful because I continued to listen to Greg in the mornings all the while knowing his days were numbered. Now I wish I had called him and am upset with myself that I didn't. I remember the morning he announced he was moving to afternoons and I thought, good grief, that isn't the half of it. Anyway, I am no longer a regular listener to WMT. I never listen in the mornings anymore because the new host, while very nice, isn't my cup of tea.

Believe me, I knew. The demands of radio are weird though...and I've had to do a lot of things in the past to hide my personal frustrations. While honest, it's best not to highlight or have personal issues cloud your professionalism. In a strange way, radio was also a release for me...sort of like escaping your troubles by hiding out in a movie theatre for two hours. Radio was my release. I'll give you a few examples from earlier in my career:

1. While working at KOSG in Osage, Iowa...I had to broadcast the news of a Mason City High School student who was holding some people hostage in Omaha. After following the events with as much live reporting as I could, the stand-off ended with the gunman shot by a police sniper. In fact, the gunman was my best friend in high school years earlier. His name was Mike Fane (Greg research note: cached news report - wayyy down the page). In between news reports and songs we were playing, I was furiously trying to contact the police in Omaha to tell them that the guns he was displaying were the same ones we used to plink cans with in his backyard...they were pellet guns. I don't fault the police for what they did because they have public safety to consider, but listeners to my show had no idea the pain I was going through. After my shift, I went home and crashed.

2. While at KWBG in Boone, Iowa...I was going through chemotherapy treatments for my Hodgkin's Disease. Every two weeks for a period of 9-months, I had to take a day or two off (depending on how much throwing up I was doing). Not married at the time, my mother sometimes came to care for me those late nights I was up all night. Listeners knew very little, but I scheduled my treatments for Wednesday's each week so I could be there to broadcast the Friday night football games. I even lied to my doctor so I could get a treatment moved up a week so I could go on RAGBRAI and report for the station. Dedication or stupidity...you be the judge.

3. While working for KILR in Estherville, Iowa...Again, with the chemotherapy treatments. Only this time, they were in preparation for a Bone Marrow Transplant I was scheduled for in January at the University of Minnesota. The treatments weren't as bad because of the advances in the nausea medicines they had, but driving to Sioux City once every two weeks got to be a strain. I finally let listeners know what was going on about 2 weeks before I was to leave the station...I said temporarily. It turned out to be permanent because I got a job offer after my operation was done (successfully I add obviously). But getting hired by another station while you have no hair and are wearing a face mask to protect you from bacteria is quite a feat if I do say so myself.

4. While at KCNZ in Cedar Falls, Iowa...I was doing a talk show similar to the one that I've always done. Only this time, someone apparently got a hold of my personal financial information and used it as a means to attack my credibility on financial responsibility issues. I had to declare bankruptcy because of the medical bills from my cancer treatments...in excess of $75,000. While angered at the cheap attack, I held my tongue until I could form a reasonable response. You see, I carried other loans like a car loan and credit cards, but I did what was called, "re-affirming" those loans...meaning, they were not part of the filing for bankruptcy. But in having to explain that, it meant I had to explain where the bills came from and what they were for...and I didn't think telling my sad sack story was the best idea in the world. I didn't want people listening to me simply because I had had a rough time in the hospital...I wanted it to be on the merits of my performance and I've always felt that seeking public praise or using that kind of stuff just to generate ratings or interest in a personality was wrong.

5. September 11th, 2001 at KCNZ...that one is obvious, but I gotta tell you, I was on the air in the morning and much of the realization of the carnage and evil of the situation didn't hit until after I left the studio at 3pm. Weirdly, we were in such a zone while trying to coordinate all the coverage that we didn't have time to cry.

6. September 11th, 2002 at WSC in Charleston...I was live at Ground Zero in New York City in the middle of the parade of victims' families. I was doing live commentary for 8 radio stations in South Carolina and a television station in Charleston. While I kept much of my composure, tears were streaming down my face and I finally had to cut the microphone because it got to be too much. I felt I let the stations down...honestly, that was the thought going through my head afterwards. But upon further reflection, I was like everyone else. Short political comment: Gee...I wonder what happened to that feeling?

Just a few examples. I know...I know...you're saying, "but you're sharing that info with us now...you hypocrite"

Maybe...but maybe it's time now that I'm out. Maybe it's time for that book...

Then Shane...

It's SOOOOO good to hear that the Waterloo paper (not a member of the CR Media Mafia) wrote about you. Sorry they got your name and your reason for moving to afternoons wrong. (Not like it's journalism or anything, it's just their blog, right?)

Also glad to hear you passionately and FACTUALLY making your case. But after listening to you, I know that seems to come naturally to you...Glad you told use you did ALL the work on those commercials too.

You could definitely freelance yourself out nationally for that type of writing/production talent you demonstrated. Telecommuting or moonlighting.

Glad you've found a new direction. I hope you found it as pleasant and enjoyable as I found your show. And I found it VERY pleasant and enjoyable.

Best regards on the next phase of your career.

Shane

Well, I'm thankful you appreciated the work. I have done some freelance commercials in the past for some television commercials and some radio spots - just my voice, but as for radio stations promos...most stations today find someone in-house and/or in the company to provide that stuff. It's much better to have someone who's there in the building and is more intimate with what the market and goals are. I just don't think someone in Iowa doing those things could relate that well to - say, a California audience. Besides, I know a guy who thought it was "La-JOLL-a"...instead of "La-HOY-a"...

If anyone DOES want some voice work done for them...or to produce a commercial, go ahead and contact me. I DO still have a home studio that I can mix in. I just haven't built a full sound-proof recording studio in my new home yet. My rates are pretty cheap too...I was getting $60 to do the voice on a 30-second commercial...$90 for a 60-second one. If I do the mixing and all the production, that would only be an extra $20-$40 bucks depending on the time I spent on it. I've done some narration for the blind and on-hold messaging for a couple of companies, but that's been a while.

The ratings just came out. 6.7, that's gotta be the lowest wmt am has scored! In fact, it is tied with wmt fm at that level, if that gives you any idea of how pathetic the station has become.

Bob is good, too good for the station. That "Collins and Company" in the morning is the biggest joke. Tom makes Randy Lee look like a big time talent. He has a good voice, but no personality no wonder he plays endless time fillers from Kim Komando, Larry King, Travel Guy,and constantly repeats the weather...

I will give them credit for Andy Peterson, he seems like a nice kid and really seems to be the one personality that really cares about the station and its' tradition (probably because he grew up with it when it was still the untouchable powerhouse station.

Yeah...but those are 12+ numbers...meaning, all listeners 12-years old and older. It's not really a rating to pay too much attention to...but I understand what you're saying. Since I don't have access to the raw data, it's sort of like box office numbers the first weekend of a movie. They mean nothing, but they indicate success or danger.

And again, Tom is in a tough spot. He's probably being told to do exactly as he is. He's coming from a position as an FM music host, so getting used to talk radio in a pressure cooker like he is, is very difficult. It took me a good 3-4 years to develop good talk radio habits...which of course may not have been all that good since I'm not doing it anymore. Ha ha. Take my advice...please. LOL.

And, finally (whew, sorry for the looonnng post)...

Miss having you alot on the radio, I have lost all track of current events sence your departure. I list to public radio now and listen to books on tape. At least when you were there I was more informed and it was very interesting. Sure am glad things are going your way now and for a better future at that. Marilyn

I lost track of current events too. I haven't renewed my subscription to National Review since I got work again. Is there a war still on?

As for the future...I have yet to disclose to you what it is that I am doing. I'll save that for a little later. There's something I'm working on that I believe you'll all benefit from. It has nothing to do with broadcasting or radio or anything. Just a little meeting of the minds with a good friend (and now business partner) and I have been tossing around. I have completed some basic website design for our venture...but we have yet to file for our trademark, tax ID and status, and find a suitable time to disclose it.

You'll never guess...