Saturday, April 16, 2011

Is Richie Whitt Good for Greggo?

My last RaGE meanderings for awhile, I promise.

Every time I do an article that touches on Greggo the Hammer or RaGE, I receive comments or emails that express the view that Richie Whitt is "enabling" Greg's, shall we say, questionable lifestyle choices.

My current view is to the contrary. There are probably Confessors who know more about the history here than I do, but I find that judgment harsh and, based solely on what I know about the history of Whitt and RaGE – concededly, I am not a profound scholar of those relationships -- not supported.

Preliminary question, not too interesting:  Have we concluded that Greg's absences, laryngitis, current voice troubles, bicycle mishap are in fact the result of the same kind of irresponsible substance use and other bad behavior that landed him in trouble with (a) The Ticket, (b) John Clay Wolfe, (c) RJ Choppy, (d) Richard Hunter?  I've phrased the question prejudicially, begging the answer "yes," but in fact I really don't know.

The reason I'm hesitant to conclude that Greg hasn't learned anything is that for all his current physical issues, I've never heard him incoherent or out of it on the air since he's been with 105.3.  I've heard him sling out some pretty good HSO's from time to time.  He doesn't sound impaired to me, just tired and rough.   Maybe his absences suggest a different answer, but again, I’m reluctant to conclude that Greg is continuing his historical behavior in the absence of evidence.   Anyone have a different listening experience? 

Actual question, much more interesting:  Is it fair to accuse Richie Whitt of "enabling" Greg?

I've read Whitt in The Observer for a long time and have always thought his journalism was pretty good.  I’m not one of those who found “The Hard Lie,” his cover story in The Observer, slanted.  In fact, I thought it was fair and when I finished it I didn’t think The Hardline or The Ticket had been maligned.  It more-or-less supported my previous view that things happened just about the way they should have.  

I am not aware that Whitt has a reputation as someone who is exploitive of others.  (I have heard that about other local media figures, but not Whitt.)   It is undoubtedly true that he has wanted a radio gig for a long time, but I would hope that we are not holding mere ambition against him.  I'd take an opportunity to get into show biz myself if I had (i) the chance and (ii) a molecule of show-biz talent.  Commenters have also expressed the view that he was angry that he didn't get a full-time Hardline gig after his plus-one tryouts, but I don't know what evidence there is for that, either.  (Again, anyone with knowledge, drop me a line.)

But let's put those aside and simply ask about his relationship with Greg Williams.  Let's assume that (1) in reporting on The Ticket and Greg’s travails, Whitt put aside reportorial objectivity and developed a friendship with perhaps even sympathy for the man; (2) that that friendship and sympathy might possibly have had as an element the possibility that he could vault himself into an on-air position; and (3) that he actively promoted the idea of a Richie-Greggo partnership to Fan management.  Now let me stress:  I have no idea if any of these things is true – I am solely interested in the issue of enabling, not whether Richie or Greggo was “using” the other to get to the spotlight (or, in Greg’s case, to get back to it).

But even if we make these somewhat accusatory assumptions:  Isn’t the result here that instead of Greg sitting at home feeling sorry for himself with lots of time to get into mischief and play with his guns and listen to questionable advice, he’s working?  Working hard, in fact, the famous face of a major-network prime-time five-hour program?  Isn’t the conclusion here that, whatever Whitt’s motivations and his true relationship with Greg, what he’s done has been beneficial for Greg?  Again – while the voice issues, the motorcycle accident, the absences are all somewhat puzzling, there has been (to my knowledge) no recurrence of any broadcast disasters.  Almost a year into the RaGE onslaught, he’s still broadcasting, struggling through the voice issues, not causing any internal issues at 105.3 (again, that I’ve heard).  He seems prepared to discuss the topics at hand, more or less.  If you didn’t know his history, would you think he was something other than a (somewhat fragile) Texas-bred sports-talk guy who’s  an interesting listen from time to time?

We may find Richie Whitt a not-terribly-compelling broadcaster; we may find Greggo a shadow of the old Greggo; we may find the role he has been asked to play unsuited to his talents.  But I think it’s going too far to accuse Richie of enabling the kind of behavior that has gotten Greg into trouble in the past.  I'd actually go a step further and say that those who remember Good Greggo and continue to wish for his recovery -- quite a lot of us, I would reckon -- owe Mr. Whitt some thanks.

I am certain that Confessors will take me to task for naiveté, and maybe I deserve it.  But I have a hard time concluding that Whitt is guilty of much more than helping himself by helping a man he regards, truly, as a friend.

=====

Commenters:  This is a sensitive topic.  If you have information to share, please make sure it is credible, sourced (if possible – for example, reporting on something you heard on the air), and respectfully expressed.  I’m interested in all points of view, but I’m extremely reluctant to air anonymous reports that sound only malicious.

If you think you have something valuable but a little hot to handle, please feel free to email me and I'll review it and post if it passes.

Of course, you’re entirely welcome to disagree with me.

42 comments:

  1. I have no hard reasons for doubting you. Maybe I'm naive, too.

    BTW, what are you speaking of regarding Richard Hunter? I hadn't heard that one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Plainsman, here are my thoughts on this situation and your analysis of it.

    Firstly, enabling comes in several forms: It can mean anything from providing an environment for certain behaviors, to giving an addict what s/he craves, or to turning a blind eye. Just for starters. Secondly, Greggo's issues (from what I can discern), per even Gordo's website (FAQ section-citation for you) go deeper than, and had already reared their head long before, his drug use. Thirdly, Whitt and Greggo (and all of the Hardline gang) were friends before the "Hard Lie" article. Whitt was a guest several times before any of the break up went down. Why do you think Whitt was asked to audition as a Plus One? There was an established relationship and at least some sort of chemistry. Fourthly, Greggo's relationship with Wolfe was (and this comes from both sides-citation, Observer/Whitt's own blog) was due to Greggo's perception of his monetary worth, not drug use. The upshot is, is it really isn't an either/or issue concerning either the correlation between drug use and behavior or enabling. It seems more complicated than that.

    As to Whitt... You seem like a pretty well reasoned person. If you've been following him for a long time and find his journalism pretty good, I have to wonder just what are you reading and what your sports acumen is. He's been consistently wrong in analysis and prediction; his weekly "Whitt's End" is an exercise in part Village Atheist Idiot (his pontifications are no better than the creationist who believes man roamed the earth with the dinosaurs), part fudging with ratings numbers, part "just wait till you see what's about to happen next with this station," to weak personal life braggadocio. Because this has been going on for several years now, I cannot believe it's shtick. It's for real. Plainsman, if you find Whitt to be pretty good, that's your opinion and there's nothing wrong with that. Because so is mine. Finally on this front, I believe his "Hard Lie" story was very much slanted. He blatantly said that the Ticket was wrong for not continuing to reach out to Greggo. If that's not slanted, I don't know what is. Now as to Whitt being exploitative... Who knows. But if you listen to RAGE, all I hear is a show with little to offer but the constant mention of a second banana's name while at the same time making fun of said second banana at every turn. Make of that what you want.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Too add to my last comment... Plainsman, you have admitted in the past that you haven't been listening since day 1 or even 8 years or "somesuch" like many out there, don't get to listen as much as you'd like, and haven't had a chance to listen to a healthy sample size of RAGE (you asked your readership last week to fill you in about the show because you haven't heard much of it). So I'm not real sure where some of your opinions are coming from, sans gut-feeling. Of course, that's just fine. It's your blog and they're your opinions. But I just felt that that needed to be said.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unrelated, but I have to say this: Mike Doocy's insights are good, but his faux-stuttering thing is driving me to change the channel.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fair enough, Anonymous. That's why I disclose my somewhat hit-or-miss history with The Ticket. And why I like it when commenters come in with better historical information. My views come almost solely from my drive-time listening and what very small amount of reportage on local radio matters is out there. For the record, I've been listening since about mid-2004.

    Thank you for expresing your views moderately. My response:

    Enabling: Do not agree that Whitt enables in any of those respects. What is he enabling? Hammer's gainful employment? I doubt that Whitt does turn a blind eye to his weaknesses -- if anything, the evidence of his recent behavior would tend to suggest that this friendship has kept him on a more-or-less even keel.

    Whitt's journalism: I can't speak to his predictive abilities, but his reportage always seemed fine to me. It was enjoyable to read. To criticize his journalism for bad sports predicting would pretty much require us to reject every Ticket host for the same reason. And irrespective of how he felt about The Ticket's treatment of Greg, the facts he reported were extremely uncomplimentary to Hammer and justified The Ticket's actions.

    RaGE might be a nothingburger and Whitt, as we've observed, has a voice for newsprint. But it doesn't follow that Whitt is somehow a negative influence in Greg Williams's life. I believe I was pretty careful to state that that was the only point I was addressing, and I hope that came through clearly.

    Again, I do appreciate the tone of your criticism, and please check in often.

    ReplyDelete
  6. James W: Greg appeared on some of Hunter's program on 1360 AM. He had at least a couple of on-air, shall we say, episodes. From a couple of Richie Whitt articles appearing on July 23, 2009:

    "He arrived late. Fumbled with his headphones. Gave out The Ticket's phone number. Apparently identified a Mexican as a 'black guy'. Invented a word: 'Absoleetely.' Claimed his car got '100 miles a gallon.' Boasted about his 'hangruns.' And delivered the golden line:

    'They pay me to suck.'"

    More: "'Yesterday he was a little off,' Hunter said during his show on Rational Radio 1360 AM moments ago. 'But we rolled with it and made the best of it. He felt bad about yesterday, but he absolutely wants to be a part of things and I absolutely want him to be a part of things.'"

    ReplyDelete
  7. James: I like Doocy as a plus-one on the Musers (actually, a minus-one/plus-one, since he's a fill-in), but Gordon's constant baiting and teasing today caused me to do something I have never before done with the Musers: Punch out and not return. I'm usually listening to the show at this time, but this completely, 100%, no-exception dead-on-arrival line of humor stops the show completely at least seven times an hour and it's unlistenable. If it were amusing I could take it, but it is so old, old, old that it has long since ceased being anything but a bridge washout on the road to listening pleasure. Love Gordon, truly one of the greats, huge talent, but his attitude toward Doocy is like a schoolboy crush. He can't leave the guy alone and he unsuccessfully attepts to mask his fascination with these repeated, ancient, witless jabs. Jeebus. Enough to turn a guy to BaD Radio.

    Jeez, I should have posted this as an article.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anyone ever notice how Richie kinda looks like Sloth from Goonies?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Plainsman, I appreciate your response. However, I'm not sure why you reiterated your stance on Whitt and the enabling of Greggo. I believe that I explicitly claimed that I don't know if Whitt enables Greggo. The first part of my comment was merely to state that enabling comes in many forms; so we ought to be careful about making such claims (both pro and anti where the enabling of Greggo by Whitt is concerned). Regarding Whitt as a journalist... Of course any opinion here is (like 98% of all blogs and discourse in general) subjective. However I pointed out a few different reasons I find him to be a poor journalist--i.e., not just his predictive "powers." I also believe that the Ticket pundits (with the exception of, somewhat ironically, Norm) have a fairly decent predictive track record. Part of being a credible sports pundit is to predict overall outcomes and trends; it shows the listener/reader/viewer that you know of what you speak. I believe the Ticket guys for the most part do a good job. Whitt's history tells a different story. It's one of knee jerking and at times sensationalism. Perhaps in relation-for what it's worth- Whitt's been fired from both DFW papers (in each case before the economy went bust and the overt push for online content).

    As to the "Hard Lie" article... While you are correct that certain aspects of the article made Greggo look bad (habitual liar), in the end (to me) it came off as an apologetic. To me it came off as follows: "Yes Greggo has behaved irresponsibly and unprofessionally, but said behavior isn't the real Greggo. The real Greggo is a GMF. The Greggo that acted so repugnant was a man enslaved to drugs. And the fact that his long time friends and colleagues can't bring themselves to forgive him on *his terms* (very crucial to my point) is not only poor form, but also cruel." Sorry, Plainsman, but that doesn't count for a balanced article in my book.

    To recap from above and to also address your comment about Whitt's influence on Greggo... I never claimed that Whitt had any influence whatsoever on anyone, much less Greggo.

    Finally, I think your response to JamesW speaks loudly-about both Greggo and BDH.

    ReplyDelete
  11. "...Enough to turn a guy to BaD Radio"

    Hmm, I take a brief hiatus from commenting on your fine site and return to discover not only four consecutive articles concerning a ticket expatriate, but a jab at my beloved BaD Radio as well? Did Danny Balis take over for the Plainsman while I was gone?

    I wrote that mostly in jest, but I can't help but think of Rhynes's famous words: "Let's worry about those of us who are here, not those of use who aren't."

    I look forward to your Doocy post. Incidentally, he was on with Donny on Friday, and it was, uhh, a tough thing, pal.

    ReplyDelete
  12. That Greggo picture has me hypnotized. I can't tear myself away from that piercing, yet vacant bovine stare.

    ReplyDelete
  13. "
    By
    Jennifer Emily/Reporter

    jemily@dallasnews.com | Bio

    2:35 PM on Mon., Apr. 18, 2011 | Permalink

    "Bob Sambol, founder of Bob's Steak & Chop House, plead guilty this afternoonto felony theft after prosecutors alleged that he swindled an investor out of $300,000.

    Sambol has agreed to restitution of the sum, and will be sentenced to 10 years of deferred adjudication probation at a later date."

    I wonder if Norm will continue to support a convicted swindler? Will he jump up on his soap box to praise or denounce Bob? Or will he pretend like it never happened? I guess we'll see just how deep Norm's ethical convictions run.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Maybe the right question to ask is whether if Greggo is good for Greggo?

    ReplyDelete
  15. I like your site, but i'm really sick of all the Greggo stuff. It's old, old, old.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Last Anonymous....I think the post is about Richie more than Greggo. And I believe it's a final post in a series of posts about RAGE. It's not about Greggo per se.

    ReplyDelete
  17. plainsman,

    in regards to anonymous' points of whitts end:
    he's 100% correct in that richie spins the PPM radio ratings.
    the fact is that ever since taking over pm drive, not even greggo could pull any #s.
    they have had 3 consecutive months of not even getting a 2.
    let that sink in...
    100k watt signal and not even a 2.
    and yet, he champions a station's ratings that get destroyed by stations like kiss fm who dont even program to men 25-54.
    his spin?
    we had more "fly by" listeners than espn & ktck.
    thus proving he knows nothing about cume and tsl.


    to the points of richie being bitter about not getting the "plus 1" gig with the hardline:
    ever since then his blog twice wrongfully predicted the demise of the ticket including his infamous "last supper" piece and "ppm" piece in which he basically claimed ktck was "cooking the books" and that ppm would prove their ratings not as high as recorded in the dairy.
    the truth?
    the very next month's ratings showed the highest #s in ktck history.
    almost forgot to mention that he thought friedo's departure was also another sign of the fall of the little ticket.

    also to anonymous' point of using his blog to spout off some atheism.
    while he does write/say those type of things. its more for shock value and to generate hits.

    the facts are when he wants to make the observer bosses happy, he falsifies radio ratings and doubts God.

    these can ALL be sourced by searching the sportatorium.

    ReplyDelete
  18. an addition to my previous post.

    gordon and junior miller are aware that some falsehoods about ratings are floated out there from "others".

    thus they post the accurate #s from time to time on their blogs.

    ever notice how the musers take great joy in announcing the ratings?

    those jabs are aimed at whitt

    ReplyDelete
  19. Well, looks like Richie Whitt is about to receive a *LOT* of negative attention:

    http://deadspin.com/5793947/

    http://www.sportressofblogitude.com/2011/04/20/moron-columnist-slams-rangers-pitcher-for-missing-start-to-witness-birth-of-child/#more-30515

    I'll bet the Anonymii's on this thread are all chuckling (I know I am)

    ReplyDelete
  20. I read the original post when Whitt first put it up. I'll ask Plainsman afresh what an earlier anonymous asked: What articles and blog posts of Whitt's have you been reading over the years that make you believe him to be a good journalist? Whitt is a shock jock with what, by all appearances, could only be deemed as some form of an inferiority complex. Is it merely a media persona? Maybe. Maybe not. Whatever it is, it's extremely puerile and doltish. Then again, he works for the Observer. A weekly rag and website that thrives on cheapshots and superficially ideological analysis; and one that inhabits an echo chamber as large as the Carlsbad Caverns. Oh yeah, he also works for a station that openly rips off another station and is currently running a "we're aiming to suck less" ad campaign. Brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
  21. My Ticket Confession -- the vanguard of Responsible Richie Whitt Journalism.

    Hey, I thought you guys were all tired of reading about Richie Whitt!

    Look, the guy is no Red Smith or Jim Murray, but he churns out a lot of articles for a free weekly -- you'd be hard-pressed to find another major-market free weekly (many of them named Observer or Reader) that devotes that many column inches to local sports. I know, I know, quantity doesn't equal quality. I can't vouch for his opinions, but his reportage is perfectly fine, and his writing not bad. Not great, but, as I said, pretty good. This is sports, not philosophy or ethics or even politics. Personally, I don't require Sports Illustrated-level composition from a local guy writing about local sports figures and teams. I don't much care for him on RaGE, and I know absolutely nothing about his personal life or comportment -- which, I gather, is not always exemplary -- but I don't find him a bad influence on the feckless Greggo.

    And he's by no means a voice in the wilderness on this Colby Lewis issue, either. My take, for what it's worth, is that this policy was put in place by the owners -- perhaps in the course of collective bargaining, but nevertheless -- who might have been expected to have taken into account the value they were sacrificing by cutting pricey players loose to attend to the birth of a child. If it's OK with them, it's OK with me.

    But those articles were pretty hilarious. And, I will freely concede, Richie's column on this was not, shall we say, a Pulitzer candidate.

    Anyone listening to RaGE today? Reports welcome.

    Hey -- what about the possibility that RW was being deliberately provocative to steer listeners to The Fan? It doesn't justify being fatuous, but what if it works?

    Under other circumstances (circumstances that did not include my sainted Confessors raking me over the coals for consecutive RaGE articles) I'd throw up a post limited to soliciting views on the spotlight now shining on this struggling Hardline competitor.

    So carry on here, if you will.

    ReplyDelete
  22. C-Monk: I know what you mean about that pod-person look in Greggo's eyes in that photo. When I was casting around for a shot that had the two of them,this one practically burned its way off my screen and into my amygdala.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Plainsman,

    Your penultimate post (the one beginning with "My Ticket Confession -- the vanguard of Responsible Richie Whitt Journalism") is rather defensive in nature.

    "This is sports, not philosophy or ethics or even politics. Personally, I don't require Sports Illustrated-level composition from a local guy writing about local sports figures and teams."

    First off, much of what you put forth on this blog does indeed delve into the realms of the philosophical, ethical, and even political--whether you realize it or not. And if you don't believe that sport in general doesn't fall within the scope all of the above categories, sorry my friend, you really don't know much about sport. Second, what's wrong with expecting "Sports Illustrated-level" writing (as if that in itself is high-minded)? How about journalistic integrity, responsibility? If you think Whitt displays integrity and responsibility in his work, fine. I'd still like for you to give an example (much like you've asked of your readers vis-a-vis your post) or a citation of such fine reportage. I think that's fair.

    As I read all of the comments, I've yet to see one that claims Whitt as a bad influence on Greggo. I'm not sure as to why you seem to keep reiterating your original position.

    I love your blog, Plainsman, but if you're going to post up lengthy and (in the best of ways) provocative STDs, you can't just turn around and say "oh come on people, I'm just sayin'..."

    ReplyDelete
  24. Of course I can.

    And I've said numerous times I don't know much about sport, much less sports.

    And the post-before-last was indeed defensive. I, uh, was defending my viewpoint.

    The reason no one has said Whitt is bad for Greggo is because of the irrefutability of my article, which was responding to previous comments that said, or at least implied, that he was.

    Jeez, I love the Confessors.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Yes, of course you can. But I think the reason why many of us visit and participate in your blog is due to your substance. "I'm just sayin'" isn't substantive. It's banal and lazy. To quote my uncle Steve: "If you're gonna do it, do it right." And usually you do, Plainsman. But not this time. It's the law of non-contradiction... you can't both be X and not X at the same time. In other words, you can't be (in your words) Masterpiece Theater-ish and not Masterpiece Theater-ish. Go whole hog or don't go at all.



    By the way "

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hey Plainsman, concerning this:

    "Hey -- what about the possibility that RW was being deliberately provocative to steer listeners to The Fan? It doesn't justify being fatuous, but what if it works?"

    I'll point you to a local blog that sometimes talks about radio. Perhaps you should check out this article:

    http://myticketconfession.blogspot.com/2011/04/some-interim-rage-thoughts.html

    What if he's being deliberatively provocative, and it doesn't work? At what point to you realize you just sound like an ass and cut it out?

    Anon d

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anon D,

    Exactly. I'm a big fan of this blog and its proprietor, but I think he's spit the bit on this one. You can't be both superficial and on an earnest quest for the truth at the same time.

    I hate to say this: Shame on you, Plainsman. You've let us down.

    ReplyDelete
  28. You probably don't check back on past post's comments once you've moved on, but in case you do... Just wanted you to know that you've lost a "Day One, P1" here. I'm sorry, Plainsman, you just can't be serious about analyzing Ticket minutiae and at the same time play the "I'm just sayin' card" and think that you're going to retain the core audience that you initially wished to attract. The way you're going, you aren't. But, hey, it's your blog and it's your prerogative. Just know that if you start down this road (and your "let me hear from you about TC latest post" is in line with your new path) I bet you shut this fine blog down within 4 months. Anyway... It was a helluva time while it lasted. I won't be back.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I am a 1st hand oberver on this ordeal from WAY WAY back. Richie was keeping his literary relevance writing 'where's Greggo' stories'. His last set of highly read/commented Greggo stories were brought about from the John Clay Wolfe experiment. JCW had gotten sideways with Fan's PD Tom Bigby, and left for KEGL with his Sat car show. JCW had made it crystal clear that he wanted to replace Russ Martin's void on 105.3. When JCW left, he wrestled up Greggo, got Whitt to give them some Observer ink, and got the Greggo thing rolling again streaming online. This caught CChan's attention, and JCW, CC, and GW made a deal to do a sports show on 1190 afternoon drive to compete with Hardline. CC put the barrier up of 90 day's of 1 hour noon shows, to test GW sobriety. Note: When JW was on The Fan, Bigby refused to let GW co-host JW's Sat show, and the first KEGL show JW did, GW was co-host and slammed The Fan and Bigby on 97.1 open mic. Said "Tom Bigby is an idiot, The Fan is a bunch of loosers, and I would NEVER EVER work for a bunch of talentless loosers like the crew at 105.3. 30 days later, GW had the job on 105.3 the fan. Bigby caught wind that JW was going to use 1190 air to prove Bigby a fool, and the vet CBS programmer stole JW's trick pony (GW), without GW's splash, the terrible rated 1190 experiment was a bust. It was JW, that brought Greggo back from dead, not Whitt. I was there, I watched the whole thing unfold pbp. Whitt was a patsy for Bigby, and Bigby hired Greggo as a defensive maneuver against the 1190AM show that was being designed in the backroom. Bigby's plan worked, but didn't chink the armor of the hardline. Would JCW/Greggo been different? From what I witnessed, yes.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Wow. I don't know who CChan is, but this is pretty sizzlin' stuff.

    Trying to figure out what's going on across the sports-talk radio horizon just by listening to the radio is like trying to figure out the business of the NFL by watching football games.

    Thanks, Anon, I may run this as a post-in-chief when I have time to read and decipher it.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Enjoyed reading this. Especially the part about me supposedly being "fired" from the Star-Telegram and the Morning News. Giggle.

    Love,
    RW

    ReplyDelete
  32. RW,

    when the Observer asks you to leave, will you say that you left for the Greensheet?

    when the Fail either flips or fires you for atrocious ratings, will you say that you left to podcast with Richard Hunter from his living room?

    sincerely,

    reality

    ReplyDelete
  33. plainsman,

    i hope you heard the segment today when RW addressed Greggo's absence.

    textbook definition of enabling.

    IF (and thats an IF the size of Texas) greggo is truly always "sick" or not taking his meds properly, then why should it be made as though its cute & funny on air?

    the enabling in this case is not only ignoring the behaviors of an addict, but laughing at it and bringing it on air in hopes to gain popularity and ratings.
    (hasnt worked)
    the station foolishly thought greggo could produce ratings.
    he has proven to be unreliable and doesnt have the strong following as one would think since he was 1/2 of the highest rated show in the great southwest.

    A common example of enabling can be observed in the relationship between the addict and a codependent spouse. The spouse believes incorrectly that he or she is helping the addict by calling into work for them, making excuses that prevent others from holding them accountable, and generally cleaning up the mess that occurs in the wake of their impaired judgment. In reality what the spouse is doing is hurting, not helping.

    the spouse in this case is the co-host who knows without Greggo there is no him.

    in closing you can say that Bruce Gilbert, RW, and others on that station all have an interest in keeping Greggo on air no matter if they enable or exploit him in hopes of ratings.
    (again, hasn't worked)

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anon, I did not hear RaGE (I haven't heard much of any radio lately) today, but thank you for the report.

    What did RW actually say was the reason for Greg's absence? (Whether or not it seemed serious or only jokey, as you say.)

    Thanks again.

    ReplyDelete
  35. greggo"allegedly" mistakenly took the wrong pills and missed his 2-7 shift.
    RW then staged a call to greggo's g/f who blamed herself for Greggo taken his PM meds instead of his AM meds.
    RW then asked to speak to Greggo.
    Greggo then proceeded to speak "jibberish" as he was "whacked out of his mind".
    i believe they are inferring that he was under the influence of the sedative known as ambien.

    it was a russ martin-like failed staged bit.

    ReplyDelete
  36. but they are attempting to pass it as legit.

    ReplyDelete
  37. You mean the gibberish was staged, or seemed that way?

    In any event: Sad.

    ReplyDelete
  38. By the way, RW, I neglected to welcome you to MTC. Thank you for checking in.

    Let us hear from you any time.

    ReplyDelete
  39. i heard that segment and all i can say as someone with pharmaceutical knowledge in the medical profession is that when someone is impaired they generally don't hear or comprehend the questions being asked.

    in this case greggo was able to hear and answer every question without hesitation.
    thus drawing the sound conclusion that his performance was an act and a bad one at that.

    ReplyDelete
  40. CChan would be Clear Channel, which owns the 1190 license (according to Wikipedia).

    ReplyDelete
  41. Not, thanks and welcome.

    Yeah, I figured it out eventually. See the post "A Disturbance in the Blogosphere."

    ReplyDelete