UPDATED 9-19-11 1:55 PM: Greggo is on RaGE today and is, in fact, the first voice heard interacting with Josh and Elf. So in the short run, at least, they're powering through this weekend's differences.
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If you don't know what that headline means, first thing you do, you go back and read the prior article, which is here: BREAKING NEWS: Is This the End of Greggo?
Read the comments to that article as well.
Next, consider a Richie Whitt Tweet unearthed by an Anonymous commenter late last night:
"richiewhitt Richie Whitt
Bull. Ess. >RT @TCUWhiteTrash: Wish I was welcomed at Frankies today..but the other hosts have made thoughts know...being fired hurts..."
So clearly, Richie and Greggo are at odds.
How serious is it? Will hands be shaken and all forgiven by showtime? Or will Greggo's pathetic public poor-pitiful-me-the-Fan-guys-won't-let-me-play performance over the weekend persuade the CBS/Fan suits that they need to act before The Final Meltdown?
So we count down to 2 PM, unless there is a prior announcement.
Now, of course, this site is not a "source" for anything. But we've got some helpful Confessors here who keep us advised of more-or-less reliable industry scuttlebutt and what the Internet is revealing. You got it, bring it here. You can also write me at ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com.
Comments: (1) No (or only very mild) profanity. (2) Stay on the right side of the fuzzy line between criticism and personal attack.
And again: This site's current editorial position is that when Greg Williams is present and audible he hasn't been bad on RaGE, and on occasion has been very good; it would like to see RaGE continue with a healthy and responsible Greggo, at least through Mike Rhyner's contract negotiation; it does not find Richie Whitt a terrible sports-talk host, although not a particularly compelling one. And finally, it hopes that Greg is well or gets well, and stays that way.
Thank you for shopping at My Ticket Confession.
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They may very well kiss and makeup by 2:00 p.m. today. But the crack in the windshield is already there. And we all know what cracks in the windshield eventually do. They spread across the entirety of the windshield. If it's not today or this week, it's only a matter of time before this thing, unfortunately, ends with another Greggo termination. You just can't call out your coworkers and employer like that in public and expect everything to be OK. And while I understand Greg has some issues, he's not a special needs person in any regard; so let's stop this kid glove treatment of his behavior (i.e., "hope you can get it under control man"). I don't mean in any way here to demean his issues, at all. I'm only saying that he's an adult, who like all of us, has certain constraints put upon him (i.e., not continually posting items to "cram up your ass" and the calling out of your partner, etc.) that ought to be heeded if he's going to be a good employee and coworker; and not be a problem child. However, if it is the case that he is unable to control himself, then yes, he needs serious help (institutional perhaps) and therefore has no business being on-air. I have a feeling getting any information about this is going to be tough sledding. Something tells me RW is going to be less than talkative about it (either because of legal issues or his own volition). And Greggo hasn't tweeted since yesterday afternoon.
ReplyDeletePut me down in the category of a skeptic who thinks is all about trying to drive some listeners to their programs.
ReplyDeleteRemember there is no such thing as bad press anymore.
If it is a ratings stunt, then RaGe and The Fan are sorry SOBs. I don't think it is. And if it is, they sure did a crappy job; as no one outside of this blog and a few Observer commenters have even mentioned it.
ReplyDeleteAgree in total.
ReplyDeleteIt does seem apparent that Greg needs professional assistance. But you're right -- he's a big boy who has been in this business a long time and knows how it works, and sometimes doesn't. It's up to him and/or his handlers to ensure that he gets it, and heeds it, and continues to do both.
One doesn't reward oneself for a year of more-or-less acceptable behavior by going on a run-off-at-the-mouth bender and expect all will be instantly forgiven without consequences.
Another thing: It's not like Greggo isn't aware of his issues. I've heard him acknowledge and even joke about his career-damaging behavior on the air at RaGE. So it's not like he's oblivious to his own potential for employment-unfriendly behavior. We can't know what medical or other issues prompt these dramas; we can only hope he can corral them before any further damage is done.
I also found the Tweet-silence very suggestive. You can bet the phone lines and email inboxes are sizzling over in Fan-land with some stern directives, and that more than one lawyer has started his or her clock.
Anonymous is right: It's you for it, Greggo.
Last anonymous: Quite correct.
ReplyDeleteBut where else would one expect to see it? Unless there's an official announcement the mainstream media isn't going to pick it up.
And let's face it, only Ticket and Fan listeners are going to care about Greggo's comings and goings (and increasingly fewer Ticket listeners care about Greggo at that), and they only gather at a few sites.
If Greggo is suspended or terminated, that will be quite a story -- not just because of Greggo's screwed-up odyssey, but because of the Richie Whitt angle. Greggo was was sponsored and befriended by Richie Whitt, who wrote the definitive (if not uncontroversial) article about the Great Ticket Divorce and then, depending on your viewpoint, either stuck his neck out for Greggo or attached himself to Greggo's imagined coattails.
Now that's a story about a story, and there are real journalists in this metro who are going to dig that story up and tell it -- maybe not in The Observer, but somewhere.
So if CBS/The Fan doesn't throw freezing water on this story today by acting as if nothing had occurred -- and that could well happen -- I expect this story will have, as they say, legs.
I say not a bit. The big thing to me is the assignment of blame/persecution complex that Greg's doing here...just like it was all Mike's and Corby's and Danny's fault at the Ticket...just like I'm sure it was all Choppy's fault at ESPN. Smacks of an addict looking for anyone to blame but himself for his problems.
ReplyDeleteJust checked out the DFW Radio board and found this:
ReplyDeletehttp://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?board=211.0
While there's a post pertaining to Greg's whereabouts/situation, no one has yet to reply.
UPDATED 9-19-11 1:55 PM: Greggo is on RaGE today and is, in fact, the first voice heard interacting with Josh and Elf. So in the short run, at least, they're powering through this weekend's differences.
ReplyDeleteA couple things we've known Greggo to not shy away from in the past:
ReplyDelete1) Lying
2) Being a drama queen.
If the whole "I was fired" and "I'm a big whiny baby about not being included" tweets aren't a combination of the two above, I'll be floored.
Greggo's Tweets may have been extremely impolitic as disclosing his employer's confidential information (i.e., that GW had been disinvited from Sunday duties) and airing a spat with his colleague Mr. Whitt. However, that alone may not have been a firing offense, and indeed, if today's show was any evidence, it was not so regarded by CBS/Fan, as we speculated it might not be.
ReplyDeleteBut the more fundamental question here goes back beyond the Tweets -- it was whatever got Greggo fired from the Sunday gig in the first place. That is, the real issue here is the substance of his job performance, not the procedure of his Tweeting. And that has not changed.
So: All may have been all-for-one-one-for-all on today's show, but Greggo has still got some problems that even Mr. Whitt can't overlook, and this story ain't over yet.
But it may be over for the time being.
Over for the time being, I agree. Over. Not a chance. This is the first (public) step in the eventual and unfortunate firing of Greggo. One can only imagine the little and not so little things going on behind the scenes that led to the public airing of in-house dirty laundry. My guess is that RW is desperate not only to save his gig as it is constituted, but to also save face from his industry cohorts' "We told you so. NOW do you see?". I can only imagine the ass-kissing, assuaging, and overall ego stroking that RW must have had to perform "on" GW in order to get the thing to air today. Either that or (and perhaps a combination of both) GW woke up from whatever childish stupor he was in and realized "Oh S! I'm about to screw the pooch again, and this time for the last time." Whatever the case may be, this is only the first shot heard (at least publicly).
ReplyDeleteI think this analysis is correct, and I hold to scenario (2) over scenario (1). I don't think there was any ass-kissing. Based on no evidence other than driving my herds through coporate America, I think he got absolutely flayed by the CBS/Fan Overseers in no uncertain terms. Insubordination is one thing; airing internal issues is another; jabbing your colleague is another; but embarrassing your bosses at one of the nation's most powerful broadcast organizations -- that's a roastin', brother.
ReplyDeleteGreg seems to be under the impression that he can bully his employers with his, uh, popularity. Hell, that didn't even work with John Clay Wolfe, and I can guaran-frackin-tee you it did not work with CBS.
I don't buy the all's-well atmos of today's show for a second. However, I do think there may be a glimmer of rationality in The Hammer that suggests to him that this is absolutely his last chance in this market. And I also agree that Richie, bless his local-radio-icon-redeeming heart, has got to be sweating printer's ink that he can keep Greggo going for awhile longer. Gawd, working with this titanic ego/insecure whelp must be an absolute head-spinning thrashing.
Anyway, I was glad to hear his voice this afternoon. I expect things to calm down for awhile.
And I also expect to hear from some crypto-insider with some tasty items. No fibbing, please.
I ran across this site (http://dallasdigestforum.com/view_topic.php?id=88901&forum_id=2), which I post here because one of the contributors to that site ("stemyn") makes the only suggestion I have heard as to why Greggo was excluded from the Cowboys pre- and post-game: The shows originate from a bar, and they did not want to place Greggo in the path of temptation. Kind of a Josh Hamilton thing. Anyone hear anything to that effect?
ReplyDeleteThe temptation angle is ludicrous. What, do they not serve alcohol at Duke's Roadhouse or any other of the myriad of restaurant/bar establishments they do remotes from? It that's the case, then I guess RaGE will never broadcast from the new Fan Bar. Nope, not buying it.
ReplyDeleteI think the Plainsman's point about Greggo's popularity among Ticket listeners is salient. I'd say that it is the very reason the interest on this particular episode is, when compared to previous years' Greggo intrigues, minimal at best. (Which is saying something because this one has real bite to it.) Greggo's cache vis-a-vis the wider Ticket (and I'd dare say sports talk radio) audience is nowhere near what it used to be. I know a guy down at my local watering hole who's a Ticket listener. He came aboard right after Greggo was fired. He tells me that the vast majority of Greggo drops, while funny, make little sense to him. Greggo doesn't hold any cache in his eyes. I'll bet that this has become more the case than not over the last two years. And here is where The Ticket's titanic ratings when compared to The Fan's come into play in a major way with concern to Greggo and his popularity. In short: at this point, he probably has only slightly more visibility and renown than his partner, Whitt. Whitt might even have more in some ways due to his Observer duties, and the fact that Greggo's been out a lot during his time at The Fan. And the upshot of it all is that Greggo had better come back down to earth and realize the actual lay of the land. This isn't '06 or '07. If he's let go, yet again, there won't be anymore "Hard Lie" articles or the likes. There'll be an obituary about a career flushed down the toilet; and after a few days, it, and so its subject, will fade into "whatever happened to that one guy" oblivion.
ReplyDeleteAgain, agree.
ReplyDeleteThe main remaining interest in Greggo is the spectacle of his teetering on the brink of professional demise.
His show dwells in the ratings basement; but when he engages in one of his periodic public exhibitions of self-immolation, this site's hits go through the roof. Yesterday may have set an all-time record.
The only topic that has approached Greggo's travails in popularity hereabouts is anything having to do with Barb Smith.
Conclusion: The sports listening public isn't so interested in Greg Williams's actual broadcasting; it is, however, still fascinated with the public drama of his decline and feckless struggle to reverse it.
Richie Twitter post seems to confirm greggo bit. I dont find it funny due to the history of Greggo but this is we can go on
ReplyDeleteRichie WhittSince I'm getting so many inquiries re: @TCUWhiteTrash's supposed "firing" from Cowboys post-game show: 1. He was invited back before season and declined; 2. Remember, he has a twisted sense of humor; 3. You really think I have that kind of power?
Long post from Deck.ly Just now View on Twitter
more twitter
richiewhitt Richie Whitt
Yep, he's kidding you.> @pudgey7 I hope you realize you are nothing without him! Are you kidding me?
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply »
richiewhitt Richie Whitt
Giggle. >@GaryBlain hy did you fire the greatest air personality, ever, from after game activity? You'd never have a rating w/o Greggo!
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply »
richiewhitt Richie Whitt
Joking. Of course. >@mrolson is greggo joking about getting fired from pregame and postgame or did he really get fired
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply » richiewhitt Richie Whitt
No. of Ed Hardy shirts I own: Zero. >@Ambien_Greggo Why was I fired? I haven't snorted coke off of one of your Ed Hardy shirts in weeks.
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply »
richiewhitt Richie Whitt
You really fell for that, tough guy? >RT @ICscott: @richiewhitt you better hope twitter has this one wrong
and then from Greggo
TCUWhiteTrash GREGGO
Ok FAN FANS...here is the deal...I was just clowning around and goofing about being fired from Cowboys post game show..it was my decision...
TCUWhiteTrash GREGGO
...I was just having fun with the guys..in no way was I fired..just some of my weird ways of having fun...but...Elf was carrying a knife!!
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply
TCUWhiteTrash GREGGO
...and in no way am I bitter...NOT THE LEAST...I did a cowboys post game for 16 seasons..just wanted a break..and chance to go to games....
there you go im off to the sportatorium now
Not credible. Not in the least.
ReplyDeleteThis is damage control, and a pretty sorry attempt.
What bottom-dwelling show does an intentional "bit" about internal discord?
They're moving from dirty-laundry-airing to listener-intelligence-insulting.