Dear Mr. Casey,
I have been a long time, "casual" listener to WBZ overnight. By casual, I mean that I do not sit awake all night listening to the radio, but I do have it turned on, and have often listened for periods of time when I have been awake with babies, or the "call of nature". I wake early for work every morning and consistently hear the the last half hour of the nightly show. Although I will not say that I have been a dedicated fan of any one host, and have never called in; I have enjoyed many nights listening to most of them. I am ashamed to admit that I have never written to let you know how much I have enjoyed your programming in the past, but have instead chosen now to express my displeasure. I feel that the "train wreck" that The Jen Brien Show has become is getting out of control.
The first morning I awoke and heard this person talking on and on about dogs, I thought for sure I had accidentally hit the radio during the night and inadvertently changed the station. I did not realize at the time that she was auditioning for a position. I must admit that she did grow on me. I eventually found myself enjoying her show, and looked forward to hearing her quirky take on things. I even found myself friending her on Facebook, as she often suggests on air.
Mr. Casey, I do not know how often you listen to your on air talent so that you can evaluate their job performance, but here are just a few things that a casual listener such as myself have heard the last few months. Keep in mind, I do not hear the show all five hours, or even every night. You have a host who "umm-humms" after most sentences she says, not necessarily when she is listening to someone else. Topics I have heard include what food should Jen barbecue for the weekend with caller after caller offering suggestions, what air conditioner should Jen buy, again with callers making suggestion after suggestion. There have also been nights full of counseling for Jen's sleep issues, as well as nights with Jen slandering her neighbors on the Cape for how they treat their dogs, or the noise they make during the day while she sleeps. In this day and age, her most loyal listeners can probably easily figure out the people she is talking about. You must know about the night long on air wake for her friend Peggy. I cannot even imagine how Peggy's family felt, but I sensed by the way Jen talked of them, they and Jen were not the best of friends. Recently, we have been treated to let's find Jen a town, a new apartment, a roommate, and homes for her dogs. I am not a programming director, but I do think that people who are consistently awake and listening at those hours of the night deserve better than what they are getting.
While I realize that programing decisions are yours, I would hope that you would also have some control over how the station is represented. As an employer, it is your decision how you handle an employee who fails to show up for duty, arrives late, takes excessive time off within three months of full time employment. However, as a manager, I feel that you should also expect your employees to behave in a professional manner, realizing that they represent the station at all times.
You must know that Jen has a Twitter account and a Facebook page. On her Facebook, she allows criticisms of other WBZ hosts to remain posted, I find this unacceptable and unprofessional. One recent poster inquired if she had left WBZ. I did not find this offensive as she allowed query after query, day after day go by with people asking if she was alright with no response, But not your girl Jen, no, after she finished berating this person she allowed the post to remain so that others could chime in against the person for asking. In most professions, we are held responsible for our social media activity as well as what is posted on our walls by others.
Mr. Casey, WBZ is a venerable, respected radio station. I grew up listening to it at my parents' kitchen table, and expect to keep tuning in at all hours for many years to come. Please expect and demand that your radio hosts speak, act, and conduct themselves as professionals. Remind them that they represent WBZ on air as well as off, your listeners deserve nothing but the best.
.