Farewell Feder....Feder Sacked....What goes around comes around....

[Ronn]

A note of thanks — and farewell (for now)
by Robert Feder | Nov. 23, 2010
When I wrote my first post for the Vocalo blogs in November 2009, I couldn’t have imagined what an exciting and eventful year would follow. From the announcement of Oprah’s departure to Bill & Walter’s reunion, and from Roger Ebert’s television comeback to the meltdown at Tribune Co. and WGN Radio, it’s been an unforgettable 12 months on the media beat.

As you may have noticed, there’ve been some significant changes here, too. With the recent redesign of the Vocalo blogs and their move to a new site at wbez.org; I have decided it’s time for me to leave Chicago Public Media.

http://www.wbez.org/blog/robert-feder/note-thanks-—-and-farewell-now#

(URL added as a courtesy by Radio-Info.com)

 

[Ronn]

Feder was way out of his league attempting to critique radio. He has no clue about what it takes to make good radio; and he has the audacity to try to claim victory over those who left the bankrupt Tribune Company recently. He had nothing to do with it; but I'd like to think his ridiculous attack on the Tribune folks had something to do with HIS departure from the media scene. Perhaps, Chicago (and the world) will get lucky and NEVER have Feder to read again.

 

[radioman148]

I like Robert Feder and hope he comes back very soon. I'm betting he will!

 

[Ultimajock]

Feder was way out of his league attempting to critique radio. He has no clue about what it takes to make good radio; and he has the audacity to try to claim victory over those who left the bankrupt Tribune Company recently. He had nothing to do with it; but I'd like to think his ridiculous attack on the Tribune folks had something to do with HIS departure from the media scene. Perhaps, Chicago (and the world) will get lucky and NEVER have Feder to read again.

...say what you will about Feder, at least he wasn't Gary Deeb ;-) ...

 

[cyberdad]

I like Robert Feder and hope he comes back very soon. I'm betting he will!

Its been made pretty clear that Feder has another gig, and that an announcement of such will be forthcoming in the very near future.

For a guy whom some feel may be clueless (or whatever) he seems to have a lot of supporters both inside and outside of the industry that he covers. Given how long it's been since he took over from Deeb, his staying power would suggest to me that he's been doing something right!

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Its been made pretty clear that Feder has another gig, and that an announcement of such will be forthcoming in the very near future.

He even said so in the item quoted by the OP here, which was conveniently left out of the message.

But let me assure you, I won't be leaving the daily media beat. I expect to make an announcement about my new online home soon.

(added as a courtesy by me )

Look, I understand that Feder gets up on a high horse a bit much, and doesn't recognize some of the realities of the business. But he's pretty solid overall.

 

[Ronn]

Mark Twain said: "Never pick a fight with anyone who buys ink by the barrel." The person with the barrel of ink wields a good deal of influence whether actually knowlegable about the subject or not. Sure, many seem to appreciate Feder...an appreciation that might come from the ego satisfaction of seeing their name in print and the awe of reading information about their favorite subject or the fear of being critical for fear of not getting their name in print. The history of radio is filled with "writers" who have become "experts" about radio, and actually have no clue about it takes to make good radio. Case in point: Feders obbessive panning of some of be best radio minds that have ever donned earphone. "Reporting" is one thing, but "critiquing" is something else. Okay for Feder and others who know nothing of the subject to report....but, critiquing should be left for those who know some of which they speak.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Sure, many seem to appreciate Feder...an appreciation that might come from the ego satisfaction of seeing their name in print and the awe of reading information about their favorite subject or the fear of being critical for fear of not getting their name in print.

I've never been in Feder's column, and likely never will be featured by him, unless I somehow enter the Chicago media market. (Or, if I put out a calendar filled with pictures of radio tower sites, but Scott Fybush beat me to that.)

And full disclosure, something Mr. Feder just found out recently - Mr. Fybush, another friend and I had lunch with him in Chicago a few years back.

But he still has no reason to write about me (not even after that lunch!), so your statement above doesn't apply to me.

I've encountered many, many media writers over the years who haven't "gotten it".

We had one young woman who wrote a radio column for a local newspaper, mostly wistful for bad college radio, and horribly not connected to the facts - upon hearing that Clear Channel was planning to move the COL of one station to an area suburb, she called that suburb's mayor and asked her what the city was doing to prepare for the move! (Of course, that proposed relocation, now cancelled, would have put the tower in another suburb far away, with the studios in an existing local cluster facility in yet another suburb.)

Feder *mostly* gets it. Is he a bit over the top when it comes to old line Chicago media personalities? Sure. Was his coverage of the whole Tribune mess also a bit over the top? Sure, and I wrote so in the blog and told him off-blog.

But on the whole, your personal disagreements with him aside, he's mostly solid.

 

[cyberdad]

I've encountered many, many media writers over the years who haven't "gotten it".

But on the whole, your personal disagreements with him aside, he's mostly solid.

Speaking as an ex-journalist (and winner of a Sigma Delta Chi national award), I pretty much agree with both comments.

Feder is a columnist. He's going to have opinions and biases. He's going to rub people the wrong way. He's going to make a few enemies along the way. And he's going to be flat-out wrong from time to time.

But let me put it this way, I've followed his writings since he took over for Deeb. And personally, I've found that the lens through which he views the local broadcast scene produces pretty much the same view that I got when I was on the inside myself. There's a difference between having an opinion or taking sides in a controversy and being unfair and/or mean-spirited. If he's called out some of the phonies, charlatans, and prima donnas who are always part of the landscape, I can see where where there'd be those who'd have reason to disagree and get mad. Sometimes the spotlight's glare can be very uncomfortable.

Just my one man's opinion, but personally I've always found Rob Feeder to be fair and professional in his approach. He doesn't come across to me as someone who plays loose with facts to advance an agenda. In my limited contact with him down through the years, I've found him to be extremely gracious.

Not that I've always seen things his way, but I have a true appreciation for his work and his contributions to the local media scene. I look forward to seeing it continue.

 

[Tim L]

From what little I've read of Feder, he seems to be pretty solid..He may have gone "overboard" a bit on the Tribune issue, but He is (to me at least) one of the few real "media" writers around nowadays, in the style of the "beat writers" of yesteryear, where you had 2, maybe 3 newspapers in some cities with competing writers on TV/Radio..Most areas these days are lucky if they have one..

 

[blowtorch50k]

Feder has a tendency to go above and beyond professional critiquing and make things personal... which I don't think is necessary. I don't always agree with him, but I do appreciate his honesty and if anything, his column is usually entertaining to read.

I'm not in media, so I am an outside observer.

From the vengeance coming from Goldear, I'd guess Feder has probably gone after him or someone he knows in the business.