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Big Troubles coming down the track at WPRO

Remember that jingle from the 60's or 70's ? "Everything we do is for you...W-P-R-O" I guess the people in that house in East Greenwich took it to heart.
 
And there IS "a smoking gun." These diaries aren't anonymous.

Holland-

The CDL management is banking on the fact "there is NO smoking gun and opting to turn a blind eye to JD." Mr. DiPetro says, to the GM, "I don't know anything about it." Now will Arbitron conduct an investigation? Will they go to the household in question and interview the owner? Will they inquire if those people were coached? If I was the PD there I would ask EVERY empolyee who resides in the EG zip to take a polygraph. The Courts have upheld companies using lie detectors in human resource matters. Do you think Mr. DiPetro would take one? I would want the public to know our firm is taking EVERY step to remove the cancer.

Isn't his sister running for public office?
 
You kinda already answered the question...Arbitron had to find something specific when investigating to determine who had possession of said 6 diaries and how they're "media-related". It's very possible, the diarykeepers in question were friends of a PRO personality and did their heinous act without the knowledge of the talent. If so, unless the diarykeepers blantantly admitted they fudged the diaries to help PRO, it would be hard to prove on Arbitron's part that something illegal took place since it could be mere coinsidence. But since the book is being re-issued...I'll more specifically state the diaries in question probably have a family relation to someone at PRO and it's obvious cheating since it appears it's only related to one daypart.

I'm sure the whistleblowers either made the trip to Arbitron to see these diaries first hand or saw them thru PD Advantage (even though it's outrageously priced). Arbitron doesn't merely investigate on a whim of someone seeing an unusual spike in one daypart...if Arb. did that, they'd spend even less time trying to fix the problems they already have (trying to reach 18-34 yr olds in cell phone only households, etc.)
 
Re: RE "will Arbitron conduct an investigation?"

Holland Cooke said:
As I observed above, Citadel and Clear Channel are two-of-Arbitron's-biggest-customers.

You're right...plus the fact that the diaries in question showed something obvious that was worth investigating. I can also safely state that there's internal investigating going on there about how this happened. The CDL office in NYC doesn't enjoy negativity or illegal activities going on within their stations when it's in regards to $$$$$. I'm curious if they'll take the time to insure there's not anything else that needs to be handled there as well....hmmmmm? Cause if something else exists and it comes out later...OUCH!
 
NOT amused by funny business

luvcoors said:
The CDL office in NYC doesn't enjoy negativity or illegal activities going on within their stations when it's in regards to $$$$$.

YAH-mon.

I listened-in-on yesterday's 2008 2nd Quarter Earnings Conference Call with Farid, Judy Ellis, the CFO, and a bunch of Wall Streeters. As you've read in various trades this morning, Farid was moaning about lost Paul Harvey revenue, and crowing about $20 million in budget cuts (and promising that more cuts are on the way). And, to the CERTAIN distraction of anyone working at WLS, he singled out Chicago as an under-performer.

Problems are unwelcome these days.
 
Who wrote the copy for the ABC6 piece? The sales department?

Since when is Mr DePetro a "shock jock"? I've never heard the morning show on WPRO, but the studio looks too small for strippers or farting contests..

Funny how the final discussion of the story made it sound like only radio is impacted by ratings.

Who do these people think they're kidding?

ABC6 loves this parking lot ambush stuff..it shows up in far too many of their stories..

Sheesh..
 
Speaker of Truth said:
Who wrote the copy for the ABC6 piece? The sales department?

Since when is Mr DePetro a "shock jock"? I've never heard the morning show on WPRO, but the studio looks too small for strippers or farting contests.

I also thought the SHOCK JOCK statement was entertaining. John Depetro is no "Shock Jock" unless the year is 1968. Is that building full of people who have never heard of Howard Stern or Opie and Anthony? It was a silly thing to say in that report.
 
Damage Control 101

Even John dissers here had to feel uncomfortable for him in the parking lot the other morning.
The 5-words-NOBODY-ever-wants-to-hear are "Mike Wallace is in reception."
We all critique John's response from a comfortable distance, and with-the-benefit-of-hindsight.
It feels different when the camera is right-there-in-your-face.

ANYONE on-the-spot like that needs to seem-and-sound utterly assured.
Speak in REAL short sentences, i.e.,

"I KNOW ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT THIS. CERTAINLY I'M FLATTERED TO HAVE A SUCH FAN OUT THERE...SOMEWHERE...IN EAST GREENWICH, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHO IT IS, AND WE'D RATHER SEE 'THE REAL NUMBER,' AND WE WILL ON MONDAY."

Unqualified response, nothing-to-hide, end of story.
 
Holland, I have a question for you. If Arbitron does know that it was in fact John, would they have issued the statement differently? I hear about journal tampering having dire consiquences for other stations, but if they knew it was John, wouldn't you think the press release would have informed the media about just that?
 
WE only know what WE know.

someplacesomewhere said:
Holland, I have a question for you. If Arbitron does know that it was in fact John, would they have issued the statement differently? I hear about journal tampering having dire consiquences for other stations, but if they knew it was John, wouldn't you think the press release would have informed the media about just that?

As I said earlier, Citadel is a big Arbitron customer.
Arbitron-and-its-customer are having a conversation right now that we're not privy to.
What's-already-been-said-in-public isn't all-that's-been-said...
 
What's surprising?

Unless I'm missing it, neither WPRO nor WHJJ has a-statement-from-management on the station's web site.
They're letting ABC6 and the ProJo translate their positions to the public.
 
So basically, if they do think it was him, they will release it. Thats where I see this as blurry, but hey, whatever.

I can't see John being that stupid. I mean, doing it in his home town, claiming that there are 6 guys living in the house all between 25 and 34. But I've been proven wrong before.
 
No and yes...

someplacesomewhere said:
So basically, if they do think it was him, they will release it.

That's not what I'm saying. Even to-the-extent-that Arbitron can determine who any co-conspirators are, Arbitron isn't in-the-business-of having-a-conversation-with-the-public. But they sure will communicate with their client.

someplacesomewhere said:
I can't see John being that stupid.

Though his detractors speak loudly, I and his other friends agree.

And after popping-champagne-corks when the-FIRST-set-of-numbers came in, this has gotta be a REAL bummer.
Anyone on THAT emotional rollercoaster would feel, and look, REAL disappointed.
And THAT look could be misconstrued as evasive, when someone shoves a camera in his face.

Thus my surprise that management is following, rather than leading, this conversation.
When ABC6 shows the building on TV it looks like The Brine Bunker.

Suppose NOBODY-in-the-building was involved with these bogus diaries.
Suppose it was a well-intentioned friend, acting alone.
The awkward innuendo of "cheating" puts a cloud over WPRO, when WPRO clams-up.

Bottom line: Innocent-until-proven-guilty.
'Makes for a tough weekend though...
 
Depetro may be innocent until proven guilty, but I choose to go the common sense route. When someone stutters and stammers, avoids the question asked of him and then starts going off in some other direction, there is only one conclusion that I can come to. I'm a truth detector. I've always been able to tell when people are lying. I'm very intuitive. But I do not posess any magic tricks. This stuff isn't hard to figure out. Like I said.... it's all just common sense.
 
Oh come on, seriously now. I bet if someone put a camera in your face under the scrutiny he's under and asked you a question you'd be stuttering and stammerin.
 
Holland....full disclosure. John is your former brother-in-law, correct? Knowing this on-air bully as we, the public do so well, wouldn't he be holding a press conference to announce his innocence ? Remember, he models himself after the legendary Steve White with his 5 star announcements. Would John let someone off the hook if he saw the kind of performance that he put on with channel 6? He would be torturing them.
 
someplacesomewhere said:
Oh come on, seriously now. I bet if someone put a camera in your face under the scrutiny he's under and asked you a question you'd be stuttering and stammerin.

I would only be stuttering and stammering if I was lying. There would be no stuttering involved if I was answering truthfully. See my point? The hesitation comes only when you start grasping at Straws at what to say because you realize there is Nothing you can say without looking bad. I don't know why it's so hard for people to figure that out. Depetro was aked a simple question. Did you hear him answer NO? hmmm...... neither did I.
 
X-bro

S DANMAN said:
Holland....full disclosure. John is your former brother-in-law, correct?

You betcha, as I have alluded-to elsewhere @ radio-info.com, and as-has-been-reported-in The Providence Journal from time to time (i.e., http://members.aol.com/cookeh/projo.html).

WPRO's problems keep finding me in airports.

So there I was, minding-my-own-business, that fateful day in Minneapolis airport, when my phone rang.
My pal David Bernstein called, to tell me Steve Kass was leaving, and ask my advice about a new 9-noon host.
The rest is history.

Day-before-yesterday, I was lined-up in the coveted Southwest Airlines "A" boarding group at Raleigh NC, heading home.
My phone rang.
ABC6, about the Arbitron discrepancy.

I get calls-like-that all the time, not just about WPRO.
I Google well for issues like this.
And being a local, I'm all-the-more-attractive to local media.
Thus another call, which I also got in an airport, from the ProJo early this week.
I'm a quotable industry nerd who answers the phone.
After the Wall Street Journal interviewed me a while back, my phone rang even more.

When I spoke with ABC6, I corrected something they had reported, that diaries are placed "randomly."
It's-quite-the-opposite, I 'splained.
Careful placement seeks to emulate the market's geographic/demographic profile.
Research blah blah blah.

Whereupon ABC6 wanted to meet me with a crew when I landed at Green Airport, "in time for the 4 O'Clock show."
I told 'em I'd pass.
"I can help you with stories about radio," I offered.
"But for THIS story, I'm more useful talking about THINGS [explaining the process] than talking about PEOPLE."

Why: I explained that I had been married to John's sister.
As the ProJo put it, "one of those small-state coincidences that are so typically Rhode Island."
So ABC6 would be interviewing someone who could be construed as having-strings-attached.

And, although I sure do hope otherwise, I acknowledge THE POSSIBILITY that how-all-this-turns-out could be hurtful to John's family, who are people I care about. And I wouldn't want to make things worse by showing-up on television, however-technically-I-would-be-explaining-what-I-was-explaining.

What's happening to those of us in WPRO's extended family right now is painful.
When this story broke the other day, it was like hearing that a dear old uncle had been in an accident.
He's in the hospital now, and on Monday he comes out of surgery, and we'll know his condition.
Meantime, the waiting is rough.
And, no matter how well it goes, our uncle will walk with a limp now.

This COULD all be one great big misunderstanding.
These diaries COULD have come from someone who meant-to-do-John a favor, and John knew nothing about it.
Fingers crossed,

HC
 
I've never had an opinion about John DePetro one way or another. His nasal, whiny voice has turned me off from the start. This much I know, John DePetro couldn't carry Steve White's cocktail !
 
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