Best in Houston

[adguy]

I agree that Laura Morris is right up there with the best too, but don't belittle her by mentioning the AWRT award. That is nothing more than a "let's see if we can get our gm the most votes" type of award. Those AWRT awards are total B.S. I've worked with some of the past winners and wonder how some of those people even manage to walk and chew gum.

 

[dbsforest]

Laura Morris is one of the sweetest, kindest, warmest managers around. She won the AWART manager of the year 2 years in a row! She must be doing something right.

HAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAH!!!!!! Either the most facetious post ever or the worst one ever.

She's the worst. A mean lady who runs around the office using the most foul language you've ever seen and cussing anyone who she even remotely thinks is against her. Ask the Texans how great she is. The people who I know over at KILT say she is one scary lady.

 

[FilioScotia]

No one who has ever worked under Laura Morris would describe her the way dbsforest did. I don't know how she's running things now at KILT, but when she was at KTRH her style was "management by intimidation."

She knew nothing about radio or radio news, but she thought she knew everything. Unable to lead by example, she led by keeping everyone in fear of losing their jobs every day.

Her attitude was "It's my way or the highway and don't you forget it." It didn't matter what you did to get a story on the air, or how good and creative your work was, if it wasn't done HER way it was crap and you'd get reamed out in front of everybody else. You'd also be reminded of it when it came time for the annual job performance review.

Her underling news directors, Melanie Miller, and later Joe Izbrand, were just like her. I guess it was their way of surviving.

I was there from 88 to 91 and it was the most stressful and unhappy three years of my life. After only a year there I needed treatment for depression. The day I left there for good was the happiest day of my life to that point. I felt like someone who'd just been let out of prison.

 

[FilioScotia]

My apologies to dbsforest

It was someone with the screen name DickNixon who came here to praise Laura Morris. Sorry dbs. I didn't mean to impugn your judgement.

That post singing Morris's praises could have been written by Morris herself. It probably was.

 

[michaelshiloh]

Shilo,

I sat next to Sue at one of KILT's Xmas parties - I think it was at Garden in the Heights. We were playing Hi/Lo...I know we were playing Hi/Lo. Did we play it at other functions?

I never won...Natalie often did as I recall!

Lelly (as Rick used to call you!): We did play Hi/Lo, yeah! It's that one year -- I forget which hotel -- we were playing Bingo that was so exquisitely un-hip that I loved, because Dickie Rosenfeld did something like ask anyone who didn't win anything to come forward. For those who came forward he peeled off another $100 bill.

I think he really cared about all his people. He was inspirational to me when I've been a manager, but conversely I'm so disappointed these days to see managers who only care about other managers and not the talent, producers, editors, production, office and promo folks. But that's just me.

 

[jd]

I'm so disappointed these days to see managers who only care about other managers and not the talent, producers, editors, production, office and promo folks. But that's just me.

I never had a manager quite like Dickie (who did, right?), but on one occasion where I worked everybody got a healthy bonus. Our station had finally beaten its arch rival at its own game and the GM issued checks to everyone: jocks, salespeople, the receptionist, the engineer. More than 20 staffers got an equal amount: $1,000 after taxes following a catered lunch, and about thirty years ago that was BIG money.

But money matters aside, probably the best manager I ever had in Houston was the late Al Peavey at KLYX 102.1. He was always accessible and fair and made everyone feel like part of the family.

 

[ChuckTiller]

As one who has worked in Houston radio since the 60s I can attest to the love and devotion every KILT alum in the universe feels about Dickie Rosenfeld. I never worked for him, but I've heard stories of his kindnesses and generosities for many years, and now in these spaces.

But, since this thread IS open to other nominations, I would like to bring up Leroy Gloger. I worked for him at KIKK AM/FM for a couple of years in the late 60s, under the infamous news director :-\Richard Dobbyn :-[(sound of horses whinnying in the distance)

KIKK was still in that building on Southmore in Pasadena when I went to work there in 1968, chasing police cars and fire trucks for Dobbyn's "20-20" newscasts. Leroy gave me a 100 dollar a month gasoline allowance, but he also let me use a station credit card to buy my gas. That 100 dollars was his way of padding my pay.

He also put a 100 dollar bill in everybody's pay envelope every month the station billing went over 100 thousand dollars, and it was never under that level the whole 18 months I was there.

Then there were his legendary Christmas bonuses. Everybody got a month's pay for every year they'd been with him, and Gloger gave them in cash at the Christmas party. He and his wife would get brand new bills from the bank, wrap them in a nice ribbon and hand them out at the party. Several employees went home that night with six months pay in their pockets.

Nobody I've worked for, before or since, comes close to Leroy Gloger in showing appreciation to those whose hard work made him rich.

When I was at KNUZ in the mid 1970s, the late Milton Alan Graves told me about his time at KIKK. Leroy came to see him one day and said, "Milton, I heard you were buying a house." He handed Milton an envelope containing $5000 cash to help him make a down payment. I've heard many other great Leroy J Gloger stories from others who were fortunate to work for a guy who let the real radio people run his station. He showed his appreciation with cash!

 

[walter1]

As one who has worked in Houston radio since the 60s I can attest to the love and devotion every KILT alum in the universe feels about Dickie Rosenfeld. I never worked for him, but I've heard stories of his kindnesses and generosities for many years, and now in these spaces.

But, since this thread IS open to other nominations, I would like to bring up Leroy Gloger. I worked for him at KIKK AM/FM for a couple of years in the late 60s, under the infamous news director :-\Richard Dobbyn :-[(sound of horses whinnying in the distance)

KIKK was still in that building on Southmore in Pasadena when I went to work there in 1968, chasing police cars and fire trucks for Dobbyn's "20-20" newscasts. Leroy gave me a 100 dollar a month gasoline allowance, but he also let me use a station credit card to buy my gas. That 100 dollars was his way of padding my pay.

He also put a 100 dollar bill in everybody's pay envelope every month the station billing went over 100 thousand dollars, and it was never under that level the whole 18 months I was there.

Then there were his legendary Christmas bonuses. Everybody got a month's pay for every year they'd been with him, and Gloger gave them in cash at the Christmas party. He and his wife would get brand new bills from the bank, wrap them in a nice ribbon and hand them out at the party. Several employees went home that night with six months pay in their pockets.

Nobody I've worked for, before or since, comes close to Leroy Gloger in showing appreciation to those whose hard work made him rich.

When I was at KNUZ in the mid 1970s, the late Milton Alan Graves told me about his time at KIKK. Leroy came to see him one day and said, "Milton, I heard you were buying a house." He handed Milton an envelope containing $5000 cash to help him make a down payment. I've heard many other great Leroy J Gloger stories from others who were fortunate to work for a guy who let the real radio people run his station. He showed his appreciation with cash!

Well Chuck he was no Dave Morris, of that much I am certain :

 

[walter1]

KILT was my first radio job back in '94 and I certainly remember the XMas-Hundred-Dollar-Bingo-Games! Didn't win, but man, Dickie knew how to treat people.

Rick was a cool guy too. I was there the night he packed his bags and was never heard from again. Anyone know where he ended up?

Probably NOT as a Wal-Mart greeter!

Had lunch with Rick a couple of weeks ago and he is no longer with Bill Young, he's looking for something to do, great guy, great friend.

 

[ChuckTiller]

Well Chuck he was no Dave Morris, of that much I am certain :

Uncle Walty, I DO understand!

 

[LTT]

Yeah, Leslie, that huge window overlooking Whitney Street was something else. It looked great on the orange wall with the ceiling high cart racks either side of it.

I should really write a book about all the things I watched out that window all those years working until so late every night...you know what I'm talking about!

 

[Board Editor]

MOVED: TIO: Best in Houston

Some posts in this thread have gone off-topic and have been moved to Take It Outside.

[iurl=http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=92306.0]http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=92306.0[/iurl]

 

[NaiveOkie]

...Laura Morris...knew nothing about radio or radio news, but she thought she knew everything...I was there from 88 to 91 and it was the most stressful and unhappy three years of my life. After only a year there I needed treatment for depression. The day I left there for good was the happiest day of my life to that point. I felt like someone who'd just been let out of prison.

After reading your post, I felt compelled to join the board and say this:

Once upon a time I wrote about radio (and TV) locally and nationally. For the most part I enjoyed it, even if I made no dough.

But I came away thinking that Ms. Morris needed a lot of therapy. She not only was difficult to deal with, but in all the years I was on the beat I don't think anyone other than the station GM (at KTRH) ever said a nice thing about her. And I heard several stories along the lines of yours.

She's fought cancer, so I won't say much else. But it's disappointing to read here that, apparently, not even an up-close view of mortality has gotten her to change...

 

[Brokenhearted Bill]

Chris McMurray sounds like someone you should have fallen in love with and married.

 

[whatever39]

I know that he has been around for a long time so he has probably made some people mad but my favorite GM is Pat Fant, he is kind, fair and keeps a level of fun in radio. He is very real, and has zero arrogance.
My favorite GSM of all time is outside of the market now but Steve McNair from KKRW had more integity and honesty than 97% of people that make it to the management level.

 

[ColonelStJames]

This thread started out so positively. That was kinda refreshing. Why then does the topic always drift off to somebody's diatribe against somebody that they have a grudge against for whatever reason? JEEZ!! If you can't say something nice, then shut the [EDIT] up! I'm not saying this in defense of Laura Morris. She certainly doesn't need me to stand up for her. However, I AM saying this, because I'm sick of reading the negative crap on here. I'm still in this business after 35 years, and I still love going to work. I've worked for more a**holes than most of you people know, and if somebody wants to start a thread about the WORST people you've ever worked for, then stand back and add some bandwidth, ok! This thread is about the BEST IN HOUSTON, so stay on topic. As for me, I loved working for Pahdnuh. I miss him to this day. Then again, Hal Kemp at KLOL, Jeff Trumper at 97 Rock, Bill Bosse at KYND/KULF, Brian Purdy at KTRH, and Pat Fant at KLOL were also very cool to work with. And you know what? I really get along well with and enjoy working with Eddie Martiny, too. And I'm not saying this to kiss his a**. I don't have to, and that's a sign of a good GM. I oughta know, I've worked for 30 of 'em.



[EDIT-profanity]

 

[brentclanton]

Amen.

 

[Paul Cubby Bryant]

Nancy Vaeth was a dream GM to work for when I was at KRBE 1990-1996!!

 

[michaelshiloh]

Dickie Rosenfeld ('De Pahdnah') was the king. He understood what personalities and newspeople went through. The kind of guy who knew his business but enjoyed having a beer with you (or in his case, a Stoli). I miss 'im.

Dan Mason was really great, too, when I worked for him at KFMK, always friendly and interested in his people. Still is.

And anybody who worked for Bobby Martinez, as I did at KIKR in Conroe coming up through the ranks, remembers him as one of the best GMs. So many radio managers come from the "there are no rules but if you break a rule you're in big trouble" school. Bobby'd give you detailed notes on what he wanted from you so if you messed it up it there was no question about communication. But he was a regular guy who worked hard. Bobby was the kind of GM who'd even show up at remotes and he had great sensa humor. And he valued his newspeople.

Pat Fant is someone I still consider a friend and I still say hi to Laura when I see her, though it's been so long since I worked for her she probably doesn't remember me! ("Who's this Shiloh guy who keeps saying hi to me?" LOL)

 

[tfsports]

I'll second the motion for Brian Purdy. I loved when he was in charge of CC-Houston, and hated to hear they were moving him to Dallas. He now runs the CBS cluster up there, and I had lunch with him earlier this year, and really came away from our session re-energized about the business, even under today's parameters. Houston's loss was definitely Dallas' gain on this one.