I Heard A Rumor

[TravisWMLN]

good to know T&R read this website...yesterday crash read some story or made a joke about a dead person, and then toucher sarcastically reprimanded him for making a "mockery" of death and how classless it is...i listen to them on occasion and i chuckle...not groundbreaking stuff but it is entertaining

 

[Cueburn]

Now I'm confused (not too hard to do): was it O&A or T&R that did the Mario bit?

LOL ;D

Toucher & Rich did the Mario bit. During a break on the O&A show there was a promo clip for Toucher & Rich. In the promo they played part of the Mario bit.

 

[Neanderpaul]

Well then congratulations to them. They moved the needle.

Shame it takes something like this to do it. And shame on WBCN for repeatedly running it as a promo.

I doubt management knows, or exerts approval rights over promo content, so you gotta figure the show is responsible for it.

Sounds very desperate to me.

 

[Varulven]

Good to see Neanderpaul in conflict with TowerBuzz opinion for once.

Bottom line is that DESPERATE is the right word.

When a jock doesn't know his business - the information behind the music being played - be it
Howie Carr with The Monkees or TowerBuzz with The Rolling Stones it is disgraceful.

If NOT knowing their stuff AND being obnoxious by pulling stupid stunts is the criteria, which it isn't,
then radio would be in a more tragic state than it is.

The Red Sox will pull in numbers for RKO, but Howie Carr will often play his Ted Knight ha ha ha (if that's
the right person, Raccoon would know) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Knight while insulting the deceased.

Even Nancy Shack is getting tired of the death pool.

Is it quality broadcasting or stuff that makes the National Enquirer look noble that is driving the current
crop of "on air personalities". As I said before: SOLDIERS, not talent, get hired these days.

Real talent stays away. Those who are hired will say "You can't get hired".

Yer right --- you can't hire someone who doesn't want the gig.

If insulting a dead woman is what you want to do for a career, well, Toucher & Rich won't last long.

nor will anyone who subscribes to that buffoonery.

 

[FPB]

>they had no competition, they did not HHAVE to work nearly as hard as >personalities today have to work to make a dent or even be heard.
>
Guess what; there is nothing new about competition in radio. Radio stations - and radio personalitites - have known the pressure of competition for the past 100 years, and by and large, none of them would have wanted it any differently. So, please don't make excuses for poor standards of taste and judgement. Nobody is a victim of circumstances here and nobody needs to compromise themselves for profits - UNLESS THEY WANT TO!

 

[brightonboris]

Well then congratulations to them. They moved the needle.

Shame it takes something like this to do it. And shame on WBCN for repeatedly running it as a promo.

I doubt management knows, or exerts approval rights over promo content, so you gotta figure the show is responsible for it.

Sounds very desperate to me.

On the whole Sacramento incident, I agree with Mancow - mediocore talents in smaller markets resort to these kind of desperate stunts.

On T&R doing a bit on the Sacramento incident, mediocore talents with no business of being on the air in a major market resort to these kind of bits. These guys are busch league radio. Their shelf life is limited. Look at the first great talent the Hack brought in - Hardy. He sure did well in the afternoon drive. T&R probably have more material in their playbook than Hardy but they won't last. Neither will Wellington.

 

[Varulven]

nhradio, when jocks reduce themselves to making fun of the deceased, they have no integrity, no spine, and little talent.

Anyone can do that.

Try doing 370 hours of one-on-one interviews, transcribing an interview, and getting it published. That takes work and is true art. Long after Toucher & Rich have left this area my broadcasts of Professor Stephen
Hawking, Dennis Lehane, Curt Schilling, Senator George McGovern, Fred Schneider of B52s, Laurie Anderson,
Lou Reed and others will be on YouTube and will be enjoyed as informative and important work.

How valuable is a Toucher & Rich aircheck? How valuable will it be decades from now?

My chat with Brad Meltzer is airing this week on my syndicated show. It's also safe to say my program and my First Amendment Battle (which came to a successful close 2 weeks ago)has garnered more press in
The Boston Globe and regional papers in the past 12 weeks than Toucher & Rich. What does that say?

Good programming is good programming. If we criticize people for going over the line that's just what it is:
criticism. The point we are making is that WRKO, WBCN and other stations are failing to connect with the audience in a big way. If anything they get numbers by default: the conglomerates bought the market place up. That's no longer radio - it's merely product to sell.

And when the "thread disrupters" come in and bash cable access and what have you, they also miss the point. My interview with Brad Meltzer is simply great stuff. We got the story and we have a great interview with a guy that can top the New York Time's Bestseller list (indeed, we got him four days before his book shot to the top of the charts). Superman and Batman are two icons that Toucher & Rich could discuss with a
Meltzer on their show instead of jumping on the bandwagon of the Entercom water sports stunt, that is, if they chose to discuss Meltzer's "Justice League Of America" work.

Abbot Chris Jamison, the very popular monk (a real monk) from England with a reality TV show is our next guest. These people are fascinating. What I'm doing is what I call "radio underground on TV" - great stuff if people choose to find it. In 28 years on TV I've never had to insult people on camera, even when my guest was Oedipus. We give everyone respect when the microphone goes on...even Oedi.

http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Sanctuary-Monastic-Steps-Everyday/dp/0814631681
In Finding Sanctuary Abbot Christopher Jamison, host of the BBC television series "The Monastery," suggests the teachings of St. Benedict are a tool for everyday life

Now a TV show with Oedipus in a monastery! That would be cutting edge radio. I urge Toucher & Rich to try to get THAT story.

 

[argytunes]

Rather than comment about whose COMMENTS have more clout based upon the size of the radio market they happen to be working in...I'd like to toss out the following question:

"Don't you think it's a little sad when two air personalities (like Toucher and Rich) have to resort to 'death humor' in order to get their 15 minutes of fame?" :

Okay...their comment got them noticed and elicited a reaction. But is this the future of 21st century radio? ???

Is it really THAT ENTERTAINING to ignore the real story (and perhaps express a little sympathy) in favor of an 'on-air cheap shot?'

argytunes

 

[TowerBuzz]

Well then congratulations to them. They moved the needle.

Shame it takes something like this to do it. And shame on WBCN for repeatedly running it as a promo.

I doubt management knows, or exerts approval rights over promo content, so you gotta figure the show is responsible for it.

Sounds very desperate to me.

On the whole Sacramento incident, I agree with Mancow - mediocore talents in smaller markets resort to these kind of desperate stunts.

On T&R doing a bit on the Sacramento incident, mediocore talents with no business of being on the air in a major market resort to these kind of bits. These guys are busch league radio. Their shelf life is limited. Look at the first great talent the Hack brought in - Hardy. He sure did well in the afternoon drive. T&R probably have more material in their playbook than Hardy but they won't last. Neither will Wellington.

Boris let's be honest Mancow Muller is about as medicore as it gets and a pretty big hypocrite. Dont you remembeer his little stunt when he was trying to make his name in SF?. After Clinton held the plane on the tarmack (sp?) to get his haircut, Mancow blocked the Golden Gate Bridge traffic by parking a large station vehicle ( I think it was an RV) across the two lanes of the bridge during the morning rush while on air stopping traffic in either direction, and got his hair cut. No one died during that stunt but what a reckless and dangerous move to pull during rush hour!. No one could have known that someone would die during the hold your wee promotion, it is about as freak an accident as they get. Mancow is another one who has never been able to pull off syndication he's been trying for over ten years and has failed with it and whenever anything happens tragically in radio there he is to comment. He only comments to promote himself, remember how he was everywhere during sex for sam talking about how he knew O and A and " I know Opie and Anthony these guys are scum bags" etc, and Opie has said repeatedly that they have never met, they share the same agent but that si all. Then he becomes ultra conservative when he moved to Chicago and becomes a commentator for Fox and MSNBC while he's still doing the in studio naked chick schtick as Stern. Mancow lecturing about medicority and who belongs on air doesnt hold a lot of water as far as Im concerned.

 

[TowerBuzz]

Rather than comment about whose COMMENTS have more clout based upon the size of the radio market they happen to be working in...I'd like to toss out the following question:

"Don't you think it's a little sad when two air personalities (like Toucher and Rich) have to resort to 'death humor' in order to get their 15 minutes of fame?" :

Okay...their comment got them noticed and elicited a reaction. But is this the future of 21st century radio? ???

Is it really THAT ENTERTAINING to ignore the real story (and perhaps express a little sympathy) in favor of an 'on-air cheap shot?'

argytunes

I agree with you partly Argy.

I think their handling of it was tasteless and mostly wrong if what was reported here is what was actually said (that's another component of the story, not everyone commenting actually heard any of their comments!) but again they're not being paid for tasteful humor. They're being paid to make a noise and appeal to a certain demo, period. As for clout based on market size, no Im usually not a market snob at all but when someone named NHradio guy (or whatever) tries to take others here to task about their comments and questions "who are you guys to question Toucher and Rich?, you dont have as much talent as they do, where's your show, you're all radio wannabees" then I think it's equally fair to mention his own obvious wannabe status....He's in new hampshire and equally desperate as evidenced by his little outburst in their favor. If he thought it would get him out of the sticks of NH radio and to a major market like Boston, he would have done the same thing Im betting. I dont think being a NHradioguy puts him in any position to judge or question the talent of others, that is the point I was making Argy.

 

[Neanderpaul]

Pulling the "market size" argument from NH is just funny to me. Speaks volumes about an individual's true knowledge of radio. Both markets in question dwarf NH Using this logic, the opinion of a NH resident is worth less than the opinion of any state with a larger population. Stupid huh?

This isn't about market size. It's about two guys so desperate for attention that they mocked the death of an innocent for entertainment value.

Mocking death only works when the deceased "deserved" it due to their character (Saddam, Dahmer,), or the death is due to the deceased's absurdity (an unlicensed 15 year-old kid crashing a stolen car into a tree while evading police). Otherwise you just can't mock the victim. It just doesn't get the public on your side. We've had decades of Kennedy/Kopechne jokes made, but never has it been at her expense. The target was deserving.

This woman deserved no ridicule. And to use her unfortunate death to gain attention is classless. If I were counter-selling that show, I'd point this out to my prospective clients. This isn't good radio. It's shock for shock's sake. It gets old quick.

Mancow...I could go on for a while about this hypocrite, but he's neither relevant to this discussion, nor Boston radio.

Let's just say that this T&R bit is very "Andrew Dice Clay" in it's makeup. It got attention. It was quickly dismissed as not really funny to begin with, and if it's the foundation upon which that show's going to represent WBCN, it's a waste of everybody's time.

Now had this been a Charles Stuart joke...oh wait..local reference...nevermind.

 

[Neanderpaul]

Paul please re read my comment as I agree with you in theory. However your depiction that anyone who comments on market size knows nothing about radio is rubbish: Trust me I DO know quite a bit about radio. My argument is better explained in the post, please re read and see if you still feel the same way Im not bashing his market size but more to the point his mentality which I think is born of his being in a small market and pretty desperate to get out..

I'm not bashing. I'm pointing out that anyone who equates the quality of radio entertainment based upon the population of the market the radio station serves, is showing ignorance.

Using that argument, the quality of life is superior in Africa than it is in the US.

That's my point. It's an often-cited argument that holds no merit. There's great radio being done in places far smaller than Boston. "Big timing" is a weak defense in my opinion.

It really doesn't matter here as content is the subject being discussed. What's said is universal. It doesn't change no matter how many people hear it.

 

[scooty430]

You can basically blame Howard Stern for all of this. He has created a whole genre of tastelessness, (live on-air farts, mocking stutterers, playing bongos on women's buttocks, discussion of the host's penis size, berating co-workers on-air, conducting interviews with "C" level celebrities and asking them personal, belittling questions, petty "battles" with other DJs, etc. etc. ad nauseum.) It's all lowest-common denominator, side-show carnival, tawdry smut. It's bad enough on its own, but when imitated by even less talented jocks around the country, we end up with an avalanche of garbage.

Funny how the FCC allows all of this, but focuses its energy on forcing, for example, classic-rock stations to bleep out "BS" on Pink Floyd's "Money."

 

[Varulven]

Stern realized that Screw Magazine & pornographer Al Goldstein could translate to radio very nicely.

Think about it, "The World's Greatest Newspaper" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw_magazine
vs. The King Of All Media.

Has Stern ridiculed the woman executed by Entercom? Doubtful, though he has a 1st Amendment right to do so, it would be unusually cruel.

Neanderpaul has nailed it - he has taken the appropriate position while working for the company ultimately responsible for coercing risky behavior. We can get into a catch 22 of repeating our positions for the next 50 responses to this thread. People WILL do silly things to get on the air, they will sign disclaimers without legal counsel, and when the motive was altruistic: she wanted something for her children, it is all the more distressful as those children no longer have a loving parent.

There's a level of cruelty when someone attacks someone who has passed on. She wasn't a public figure until she died so who suffers when Toucher & Rich throw that desperation pass? Her family.

Cruel people will attack the deceased - it shows a lack of class, a lack of character, and the fact that they have no clear or positive argument to make. On air personalities who harp on the passing of someone who isn't a public figure and who doesn't deserve it (Neanderpaul does note that Hitler and O.J. Simpson types would not fall under that category: fair game. Think of the headline when O.J. goes) should be shunned.
It is hardly "quality broadcasting", how does it serve the public good? Entertainment??? Anyone who laughs at that kind of repugnant speech is just as bad.

A PUBLIC FILE letter to Dave Wellington is now in the works, being cc:'d to the FCC.

 

[Lucylu]

Stern didn't invent 'shock radio', he just made it an art form. That's why shows like T&R are so bad; they don't get it that there is more to the joke than 'Look at the funny dead lady'. They aren't aiming their comments at anything but a woman who died. Golly, that takes guts. The sooner the blow up BCN and try FM sports talk or something else, the better.

 

[TowerBuzz]

Stern realized that Screw Magazine & pornographer Al Goldstein could translate to radio very nicely.

Think about it, "The World's Greatest Newspaper" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw_magazine
vs. The King Of All Media.

Has Stern ridiculed the woman executed by Entercom? Doubtful, though he has a 1st Amendment right to do so, it would be unusually cruel.

Neanderpaul has nailed it - he has taken the appropriate position while working for the company ultimately responsible for coercing risky behavior. We can get into a catch 22 of repeating our positions for the next 50 responses to this thread. People WILL do silly things to get on the air, they will sign disclaimers without legal counsel, and when the motive was altruistic: she wanted something for her children, it is all the more distressful as those children no longer have a loving parent.

There's a level of cruelty when someone attacks someone who has passed on. She wasn't a public figure until she died so who suffers when Toucher & Rich throw that desperation pass? Her family.

Cruel people will attack the deceased - it shows a lack of class, a lack of character, and the fact that they have no clear or positive argument to make. On air personalities who harp on the passing of someone who isn't a public figure and who doesn't deserve it (Neanderpaul does note that Hitler and O.J. Simpson types would not fall under that category: fair game. Think of the headline when O.J. goes) should be shunned.
It is hardly "quality broadcasting", how does it serve the public good? Entertainment??? Anyone who laughs at that kind of repugnant speech is just as bad.

A PUBLIC FILE letter to Dave Wellington is now in the works, being cc:'d to the FCC.

That is a complete crock. Whether or not someone is a 'public figure" should have no bearing, none. neanderpaul's examples were both poor examples, who in their right mind would have any sympathy for HITLER or to a lesser degree OJ? being a public figure means it's ok to make fun of death? yet everyone is all up in arms over the death of a young woman with children so somehow her death has more meaning than someone who is a "public figure"?. The argument is getting very convoluted so let's try to weed some of the facts out for examination. Again the radio station is not "responsible" for the woman's death as it was a freak accident, accident are unintentional happenings which usually result in some harm. Again no one could forsee "water intoxication" as a probability or even a possibility. My guess is the woman was unaware of her own predisposition to this obviously rare condition. It is a tragedy but it was at face value a completely harmless contest which unfortunately went horribly wrong. Accidents happen, it is sometimes just the grace of God so let's get off of the station for being so reckless, it was WATER it is not as though contest required the drinking of something potentially harmful. It's a freak accident a tragedy but an accident. Toucher adn Rich are idiots trying to make a name for themselves in a shift where they have yet to make a name fort hemselves. No one except NHradio guy is trying to say what they did was "cool" Im just saying that it is not as vile as some want to make it.

A letter for the public file, what idicocy! from someone who writes a letter to everyone but Santa Claus whenever he sees an opportunity to advance his vendetta against certain stations, companies, people etc. REALITY; No laws or fcc regulations were violated here so a letter for the "public file and fcc" is a waste of your time and theirs. This is how such letters are seen when they come from certain persons: The more frivolous letters they receive the more of a crank you look like to them so when the day comes that you do have a legitimate complaint about something said or done on air, even though it's legitimate THIS TIME, you're immediately marginalized as as some crank with an axe to grind. How is that unclear to anyone? you have to pick your battles rather than trying to fight every skirmish using a bazooka when the situation only calls for a water pistol. They did not do anything legally wrong by making fun of the situation or by replaying clips in promosso the FCC does not care or have any say in it. To quote Larry Flint "the only thing Im guilty of is bad taste", besides the listeners have already weighed in on Toucher and Rich and according to Ron Valeri who has emailed the entire industry Carrie beat them in the last boo in all key adult demos. That is the key to all of this.

 

[Varulven]

Does Tower Buzz read the posts before he opens mouth without engaging brain?

---Fair Game is Hitler or O.J. Simpson - public figures who were dastardly.

---non-public figures have rights of privacy to a greater degree than "celebrities" or people in the news.

You can take on Oedipus or people he hired for the radio, but you can't say Oedipus is responsible
for the passing of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman unless you have the evidence.

That's why Lucille Ball got her photo off of the cover of The Stones' SOME GIRLS album, making it a bit of a collector's item - which was their plan all along (and to have Jesse Jackson go after the title track, which he did).

 

[scooty430]

Stern didn't invent 'shock radio', he just made it an art form. That's why shows like T&R are so bad; they don't get it that there is more to the joke than 'Look at the funny dead lady'. They aren't aiming their comments at anything but a woman who died. Golly, that takes guts. The sooner the blow up BCN and try FM sports talk or something else, the better.

You can also blame Stern, to a certain extent, for destroying BCN as a music station. As soon as they got a taste of those morning ratings, the station felt free to broadcast lots of non-music programming. Even football games! Pretty hard to be the vanguard music station if you don't play that much music.

Was Stern the first shock jock? I don't really know, however his success, if you want to call it that, is what spawned all the imitators. Is it an art form? That's a subjective term. The guy is certainly talented, and his commentaries on the news are excellent, as is his ability to hold a listener and be engaging and direct. However, when you look at his content, especially what he airs during peak times (7-9am), you basically see titillation. Juvenile, crude, crass. The equivalent of a car crash that people slow down to gawk at. A guy dropping his pants and farting into a microphone? Ya, that's.....uh.....great art. Verbally berating another disc jockey and having a little "war?" Move over Mozart. Bringing in young women and feeling their breasts and giving a rating? Wow, call the Smithsonian, we have a genius on our hands.

If Stern truly had courage, he would dare to go on the air without any strippers, pee pee and poo poo jokes, or mysoginistic and racist humor. Then we'll see how well he does.!

 

[automationasphyxiation]

If Stern truly had courage, he would dare to go on the air without any strippers, pee pee and poo poo jokes, or mysoginistic and racist humor. Then we'll see how well he does.!

I don't think Stern cares about courage when he's busy counting his millions.
Say what you will about Howard, there is an art to what he did. Many have tried to copy his craft and most often come up short.

 

[scooty430]

If Stern truly had courage, he would dare to go on the air without any strippers, pee pee and poo poo jokes, or mysoginistic and racist humor. Then we'll see how well he does.!

I don't think Stern cares about courage when he's busy counting his millions.
Say what you will about Howard, there is an art to what he did. Many have tried to copy his craft and most often come up short.

Drug dealers, ghetto landlords, and Russian mafia members also count their millions.

Point being: making money doesn't justify something.

I will agree that he is "better at it" than anyone else. He manages to combine the smut with intelligence. But.....he's still using the smut.