Some days, there is retribution.
Picture by Grafixer
I thought about this as I read about Kevin Metheny losing his job as program director at WGN radio in Chicago. In the two years since this poisonous man arrived, I have seen many on-air personalities go away or become underused. I’ve listened to loud mouthed antagonizers who only wanted to work up controversy and people to call in, per the directive of Metheny. If what ever viewpoint the host were advocating turned out to be the truth, well, that was the gravy.
There was a Jerry and a Sean and a French guy who seemed to always be yelling but gave out very little to connect with them. I was not happy when the pet guy, the garden guy and any women fill-in hosts disappear from the station.
I was angry when likable smart-ass John Williams lost his morning slot that he had fought a bloody fight to win. The smarmy and condescending Greg Jarrett from San Francisco has grown on me but I still find him arrogant at times. His move of bringing former shock jock Garry Meier was the one good move as Garry’s audience has become a good fit for WGN and he was willing to give props or criticisms to others hosts.
I was furious when mid-morning hosts, Kathy and Judy, lost their show. Talk about controversial, I am not sure how much farther these ‘girlfriends’ could have gone. Their segment, “Sex Thursday,” could make just about anyone blush. The segment on injuries during sexual gymnastics had me rolling. They were the first of the ‘popular’ hosts to get the boot. Dave Kaplan was gone next and then Steve Cochran was shown the door.
The man, who was named “Pig Virus” by former employee Howard Stern, wasn’t done yet. He signed convicted bribe taker Jim Laski as a fill-in host who eventually got an evening slot. Laski was neither terrible nor brilliant but here he was, filling in during the day as needed and coming back for his show at night. Suddenly, young and hip Nick Digilio was persona non-gratis. And scholarly Milt Rosenburg was shifted later into the night. Let’s not forget the ouster of Bob Sirott, a very interesting personality.
That was not Metheny’s worst move. The worst was bringing in Mike McConnell from Cincinnati. Jarrett is arrogant but McConnell took it up a notch and regularly made comments that offended the female half of the audience. I took to turning off the radio as soon as his show started in the morning. I would not put it on at my office for the rest of the morning either.
I may not have been the only one because I would hear promos in which McConnell kind of, sort of, tried to make amends. For me, the damage was done and the station was not getting turned on during that time period.
As of last Thursday, Pig Virus has been shown the door after his mentor, Randy Michaels, was forced to resign as CEO of the Tribune Company. Jim Laski was forced out as well. The question becomes what to do to regain the reputation and mend the hearts of the ‘legacy’ listeners.
Picture by Taliesin
If it was me, I would get rid of that sexist McConnell character. Move Williams back into that slot. Find a great new host or move in Digilio for that post-lunch slot. Keep Jarrett and Meier as they do good work and connect with the audience.
As for the evening slot – do not go back to sports but find people who want to talk about the light aspects of life. Have fun with it and bring Milt back to 9 p.m.
Metheny may have tried to destroy the 50,000 mother lode station but not everything he did was completely evil. Take what is viable and re-build. Work on rebuilding a trust with the listeners. Oh, and do not mess with Rick Kogan. That Sunday morning dose of arts and entertainment keeps me going all week.
I can’t believe it. Positive changes are already happening. Yee-ha!!!! check this out! http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/ct-biz-1117-phil-20101117,0,5195659.column?obref=obinsite
Am I happy with the changes at the station lately? Yes, yes I am. I am hoping that more positive changes will happen. I have tried to give Mike a chance and I like that he is off of the Pig Vomit script. There are days I agree with him and others that make me continue leaving WGN off from 8:30 – 12:30.
Today we learned that Jarrett is out – after he bought finally a house. I have grown to appreciate Jarrett and hope he is doing something exciting soon. It has also been reported that Steve and Johnnie along with uber producer Jim Weiser is gone.
This means I have to be like so many other geezers and find a new station for listening pleasure. What ends up happening is that I never remember to turn on the station ofter hosts I hate are gone. Then I find I do not miss the other ones so much.
Maybe if they brought back Kathy and Judy or created a new female team I would return. But they would have to be worth my time.
Enough with the pig vomit crap. MOVE ON, he has children. Is it necessary they read this garbage? Get a life.
Sue, perhaps you need to keep things in perspective.
1. This was written over two years ago. It was written in the moment after the man was fired. Was I happy about it? Absolutely, at that time. You find this post two years later and act as if I wrote it today. Now who needs to ‘move on’ themselves?
2. What Kevin Metheny did to this station was horrific. His programming decisions were all about creating discord when listeners made it clear that was not what they wanted. Of all the on-air people he brought to the station, only two remain. I am not even sure if the ratings have ever recovered from that time period.
3. Of course he has children. But he is also a public figure who is going to be criticize by others. I am far from the first and will certainly not be the last.
Finally, the honest truth is you don’t care about this reply. Personally, I am not sure I do either. Happy Thanksgiving.