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MICHAEL STANLEY

L

Lehos

Yesterday evening I stopped by Shooters with some friends for a bite. I also stopped by because I know Michael Stanley is now doing his summer broadcasts from Shooters on Friday evenings...and for years have been a Michael Stanley Band fan and have listened to his show on WNCX.
After finding the WNCX table I saw about 3 interns just sitting, looking bored as anyone could be. I then saw Michael...downing a drink and chain smoking cigarette after cigarette...never once looking up from his magazine except to talk into his microphone. He never once got up to interact with listeners or got up to even realize how bored and almost stoned he looked. For someone who should be showing what a good city Cleveland is...he was nothing but pompous. I approached him and after about 30 seconds he shook my hand, barely looking up from his magazine, and half invited me to the piece of crap Corona drink coasers and piece of crap WNCX bumper stickers. No autographs (he didn't have a pen) and his hands were filled with old popcorn and cigarette ashes from the at least 10 cigarettes he had smoked since he had arrived.

Truly sad. I walked away very upset with WNCX and Michael Stanley. I always thought he was an everyday guy...not one to go to an appearance and not give a darn about anything and appear to be bored stiff. BAD impression Mr. Stanley.
 
Re: Michael Stanley fails to impress

<div align="justify">I never met the guy and I'm not willing to condemn him over one anonymously posted complaint. But if what you say is accurate, he <ul>
[*]A) doesn't understand the negative impact this has
[*]B) <u>does</u> understand but doesn't give a damn
[*]C) was put off by your demeanor
[*]D) had something on his mind the moment you aproached him, or
[*]E) was having a bad day.[/list]
Reminds me. My wife and I spotted Leslie Nielsen across the pool at a party following a Celebrity Golf Tournament on Hilton Head some years ago. She's a big fan but also somewhat shy and was reluctant to approach him. With my encouragement, she did. He looked fine from a distance but when he spoke, it was apparent that he was so damn drunk he was completely incoherent. I think it ruined it for my wife but I was more enterained by this than if he'd been charming.<P ID="signature">______________
"If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague." - Oscar Wilde</P>
 
Re: Michael Stanley fails to impress

> I never met the guy and I'm not willing to condemn him over
> one anonymously posted complaint. But if what you say is
> accurate, he
> A) doesn't understand the negative impact this has
> B) does understand but doesn't give a damn
> C) was put off by your demeanor
> D) had something on his mind the moment you aproached him,
> or
> E) was having a bad day.
> Reminds me. My wife and I spotted Leslie Nielsen across the
> pool at a party following a Celebrity Golf Tournament on
> Hilton Head some years ago. She's a big fan but also
> somewhat shy and was reluctant to approach him. With my
> encouragement, she did. He looked fine from a distance but
> when he spoke, it was apparent that he was so damn drunk he
> was completely incoherent. I think it ruined it for my wife
> but I was more enterained by this than if he'd been
> charming.
>

An air talent who has to do his show repeatedly, week after week, at some dank bar, surrounded by obnoxious drunks, accompanied by interns and a promotions assitant who'd rather be somewhere else and handing out LAME SWAG is an air talent who's apt to have an off day every now and then. Don't put all the blame on Michael over this. Thank the junior sales rep in combination with the sales manager along with a spineless OM who keep putting talent into these god awful situations. For a few grand just get the weekender down there and do a remote. Weekender gets talent fee, a few beers, looks cool in front of friends, hangs with favorite, hot, intern/promotions babe etc.

C'mon WNCX your audience, and perhaps Michael Stanley, don't hang out at bars too often anymore. This promotion sounds lame and your talent knows it.
 
Re: Michael Stanley fails to impress

Just thought I'd add...speaking of remotes...has anyone read Cory Deitz's book "The Cash Cage"? He has a couple classic rants on remotes/live broadcasts. Absolutely hilarious and way too damn true! Great stuff. If you haven't read the book, seriously, do yourself a favor...very good book, great overall message and some really funny stories.



> > I never met the guy and I'm not willing to condemn him
> over
> > one anonymously posted complaint. But if what you say is
> > accurate, he
> > A) doesn't understand the negative impact this has
> > B) does understand but doesn't give a damn
> > C) was put off by your demeanor
> > D) had something on his mind the moment you aproached him,
>
> > or
> > E) was having a bad day.
> > Reminds me. My wife and I spotted Leslie Nielsen across
> the
> > pool at a party following a Celebrity Golf Tournament on
> > Hilton Head some years ago. She's a big fan but also
> > somewhat shy and was reluctant to approach him. With my
> > encouragement, she did. He looked fine from a distance but
>
> > when he spoke, it was apparent that he was so damn drunk
> he
> > was completely incoherent. I think it ruined it for my
> wife
> > but I was more enterained by this than if he'd been
> > charming.
> >
>
> An air talent who has to do his show repeatedly, week after
> week, at some dank bar, surrounded by obnoxious drunks,
> accompanied by interns and a promotions assitant who'd
> rather be somewhere else and handing out LAME SWAG is an air
> talent who's apt to have an off day every now and then.
> Don't put all the blame on Michael over this. Thank the
> junior sales rep in combination with the sales manager along
> with a spineless OM who keep putting talent into these god
> awful situations. For a few grand just get the weekender
> down there and do a remote. Weekender gets talent fee, a few
> beers, looks cool in front of friends, hangs with favorite,
> hot, intern/promotions babe etc.
>
> C'mon WNCX your audience, and perhaps Michael Stanley, don't
> hang out at bars too often anymore. This promotion sounds
> lame and your talent knows it.
>
 
Re: Michael Stanley fails to impress

> An air talent who has to do his show repeatedly, week after
> week, at some dank bar, surrounded by obnoxious drunks,
> accompanied by interns and a promotions assitant who'd
> rather be somewhere else and handing out LAME SWAG is an air
> talent who's apt to have an off day every now and then.
> Don't put all the blame on Michael over this. Thank the
> junior sales rep in combination with the sales manager along
> with a spineless OM who keep putting talent into these god
> awful situations. For a few grand just get the weekender
> down there and do a remote. Weekender gets talent fee, a few
> beers, looks cool in front of friends, hangs with favorite,
> hot, intern/promotions babe etc.
>
> C'mon WNCX your audience, and perhaps Michael Stanley, don't
> hang out at bars too often anymore. This promotion sounds
> lame and your talent knows it.
>

No excuse. You are an entertainer, a showman, and an extension of the radio station when in public. It is the talent's responsibilty to be "on" at all times, no if's and's or but's about it. And no drinking on duty. As a PD I'd have to have a talk with him.
 
Re: Michael Stanley fails to impress

> > An air talent who has to do his show repeatedly, week
> after
> > week, at some dank bar, surrounded by obnoxious drunks,
> > accompanied by interns and a promotions assitant who'd
> > rather be somewhere else and handing out LAME SWAG is an
> air
> > talent who's apt to have an off day every now and then.
> > Don't put all the blame on Michael over this. Thank the
> > junior sales rep in combination with the sales manager
> along
> > with a spineless OM who keep putting talent into these god
>
> > awful situations. For a few grand just get the weekender
> > down there and do a remote. Weekender gets talent fee, a
> few
> > beers, looks cool in front of friends, hangs with
> favorite,
> > hot, intern/promotions babe etc.
> >
> > C'mon WNCX your audience, and perhaps Michael Stanley,
> don't
> > hang out at bars too often anymore. This promotion sounds
> > lame and your talent knows it.
> >
>
> No excuse. You are an entertainer, a showman, and an
> extension of the radio station when in public. It is the
> talent's responsibilty to be "on" at all times, no if's
> and's or but's about it. And no drinking on duty. As a PD
> I'd have to have a talk with him.


I agree... with a comment. When you say "an extension of the radio station when in public... to be 'on' at all times..." I'm assuming you mean when at remotes or "nights out". While I don't believe it's appropriate to be a jacka** at any time, I would think any air personality would be entitlted to a little "down time" if they were out for the evening for dinner or movie with a friend or friends. I don't feel they should be expected to be "on air" if they are approached while at dinner or in a theater. Courteous of course, but the fan would be intruding on their personal time. I've been with air talent when this has happened, and they have always been appreciative of the listeners interest without needing to "putting on a show".
>
 
Re: Michael Stanley fails to impress

> I agree... with a comment. When you say "an extension of the
> radio station when in public... to be 'on' at all times..."
> I'm assuming you mean when at remotes or "nights out".
> While I don't believe it's appropriate to be a jacka** at
> any time, I would think any air personality would be
> entitlted to a little "down time" if they were out for the
> evening for dinner or movie with a friend or friends. I
> don't feel they should be expected to be "on air" if they
> are approached while at dinner or in a theater. Courteous
> of course, but the fan would be intruding on their personal
> time. I've been with air talent when this has happened, and
> they have always been appreciative of the listeners interest
> without needing to "putting on a show".
> >

that's what I meant. When "on the clock" the talent is an extension of the station. Arguably one the most important staff members of any station is (drumroll)....the receptionist. How he/she answers the phone, interacts with prize winners, etc, can leave a positive or negative view with the caller/winner.
 
Re: Michael Stanley fails to impress

<div align="justify">"Arguably one the most important staff members of any station is drumroll)....the receptionist. How he/she answers the phone, interacts with prize winners, etc, can leave a positive or negative view with the caller/winner."

This should be so obvious, I am embarrassed to say how long it took me to realize this. I was in radio 24 years, about 10 as a GM and I can think of one, maybe two really excellent receptionists. One was so good, she became known to our listeners as "The Rock N Roll Receptionist" despite the fact she was never on the air... Darlene was her name. I can't tell you how many times I picked up a call and was asked: "Wow! Who was <u>that</u>? She gives great phone!" Most of the time after that, when other people were doing the hiring, they hired the fastest typist. Dumb.<P ID="signature">______________
"If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague." - Oscar Wilde</P>
 
Re: Michael Stanley fails to impress

<div align="justify">"And no drinking on duty. As a PD I'd have to have a talk with him."

You know, for most of my career I worked for small companies in a small market. We ALL drank at restaurant and nightclub events. I was the GM and I enjoyed a beer or two at these events. I'd be there with the jock who was working the crowd and doing live breaks and he or she would drink too. No one got drunk and it was never a problem. (Well, at least there was no noticeable slurring of words on the air anyway.) When Capstar acquired us, the RVP sent out an email that would have done IBM proud. No drinking at remotes. God forbid a picture should be taken of an employee with a (gasp) beer in his or her hand. Hey, it's a bar/restaurant. It's 5:00 O'Clock. It's Friday. And I'm supposed to ask my guys to attend and not have an adult beverage? If I'd had any sense, I'd have recognized it as the beginning of the end and quit right then. :)<P ID="signature">______________
"If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague." - Oscar Wilde</P>
 
Thought I'd give my two cents on this one.

> For someone who should be
> showing what a good city Cleveland is...he was nothing but
> pompous.

I must say that of all the radio personallities I've met, Micheal is the most memorable. I remember back when I was just starting out in the promotions department at WMMS, we were doing our thing inside of our tent we had set up at Blossom Music Center. Michael Stanley was broadcasting his show live, and between his breaks, he would walk around and greet people etc. It blew my mind when Michael came up to our booth to say hello (I've never seen competition greet each other). I remember because he had his dog with him- I think a Sibirean Husky! We all greeted him, shook hands, and pet his dog! It was just very cool and he struck me as being very friendly and approachable. Years later, I finally had the oppertunity to work in the same building as him, and he had the same attitude. He was nothing but a gentleman to everyone he came in contact with. Yes, he does smoke. Last I checked, that wasn't a crime. Drinking isn't a crime either. In the Infinity employee handbook, it plainly states that the consumption of alcohol is allowed, in moderation. I think the client, in this case the bar, would be very happy that Michael had a drink. What bar, or any business doesn't want a live endorsement?!

Before you make a judgement, visit him at a different remote. I think you'll find he's really a decent guy.


<P ID="signature">______________
Igor
www.IgorRadio.com</P>
 
Re: Michael Stanley fails to impress

> "And no drinking on duty. As a PD I'd have to have a talk
> with him."
>
> You know, for most of my career I worked for small companies
> in a small market. We ALL drank at restaurant and nightclub
> events. I was the GM and I enjoyed a beer or two at these
> events. I'd be there with the jock who was working the crowd
> and doing live breaks and he or she would drink too. No one
> got drunk and it was never a problem. (Well, at least there
> was no noticeable slurring of words on the air anyway.) When
> Capstar acquired us, the RVP sent out an email that would
> have done IBM proud. No drinking at remotes. God forbid a
> picture should be taken of an employee with a (gasp) beer in
> his or her hand. Hey, it's a bar/restaurant. It's 5:00
> O'Clock. It's Friday. And I'm supposed to ask my guys to
> attend and not have an adult beverage? If I'd had any sense,
> I'd have recognized it as the beginning of the end and quit
> right then. :)
>

Jerry
If the talent/promotions/sales person is off duty and not working the event, fine (just dont be wearing station gear), drink up...sensibly.

It's not the 1970's anymore. Plus, most don't know the meaning of "moderation", especially the younger ones in the business. Problem is you can't have a policy for the older, mature folks and one for the others. Whether it's radio or another business, I don't see the difference. If you work for an insurance firm and get plastered at a business event and embarass the company, by all means you should be reprimanded.

I'll add that I interned at WNCX (1992), for Doug Podell. He referred to me as his "bodyguard". I had just finished my 4th and final year playing linebacker for the Cleveland Lions semi-pro team. I digress...I had the chance to be around Michael Stanley who had basically just started at the station. He was real down to earth guy. My comments in no way are directed at him personally. Coming sheerly from a manager's perspective.

While interning that year I played in the WNCX/WJW softball game that year. I was the catcher for 'NCX. Ruby Cheeks was on the team, what a riot! I remember Denise Dufala coming up to bat...she was wearing shorts...mmmm, mmmm. Good times, lol!<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by cmatthews on 06/13/05 02:18 AM.</FONT></P>
 
Re: Michael Stanley fails to impress

<div align="justify"><font color=brown>"It's not the 1970's anymore. <font color=black>

Oww!! I'm old but I'm not that old. I probably deserved a jab but you didn't have to draw blood! I started in the 80's (okay, early 80's) and was referring to events through the late 90's.

<font color=brown>"Problem is you can't have a policy for the older, mature folks and one for the others."<font color=black>

Yeah, I guess you're right. We would have had a policy that applied to all.. that is, if we had a policy. Well, we had one but never got around to writing it down. One day all these attorneys showed up and "Bam"! We had a policy manual.

<font color=brown>"Whether it's radio or another business, I don't see the difference. If you work for an insurance firm and get plastered at a business event and embarass the company, by all means you should be reprimanded."<font color=black>

Yeah, I got that part. I don't think we were talking about getting plastered were we? Although, I did once take over from a GM who used to drink out of a stash of vodka he had in his office and he was kicking ass.

<P ID="signature">______________
"President Lincoln, when informed that General Grant drank whiskey while leading his troops, reportedly replied "Find out the name of the brand so I can give it to my other generals."
</P>
 
Re: Michael Stanley fails to impress

> > An air talent who has to do his show repeatedly, week
> after
> > week, at some dank bar, surrounded by obnoxious drunks,
> > accompanied by interns and a promotions assitant who'd
> > rather be somewhere else and handing out LAME SWAG is an
> air
> > talent who's apt to have an off day every now and then.
> > Don't put all the blame on Michael over this. Thank the
> > junior sales rep in combination with the sales manager
> along
> > with a spineless OM who keep putting talent into these god
>
> > awful situations. For a few grand just get the weekender
> > down there and do a remote. Weekender gets talent fee, a
> few
> > beers, looks cool in front of friends, hangs with
> favorite,
> > hot, intern/promotions babe etc.
> >
> > C'mon WNCX your audience, and perhaps Michael Stanley,
> don't
> > hang out at bars too often anymore. This promotion sounds
> > lame and your talent knows it.
> >
>
> No excuse. You are an entertainer, a showman, and an
> extension of the radio station when in public. It is the
> talent's responsibilty to be "on" at all times, no if's
> and's or but's about it. And no drinking on duty. As a PD
> I'd have to have a talk with him.
>
As a PD you should be looking out for your guy. There's a ton of crap that can go down at a bar/nightclub broadcast be it bar management, beer distributors, bouncers, logistics and set-up, whining sales reps who bend the sales managers receptive ears...hell even parking the station van can be a headache. Your talent can't be on when your Sales/Promotions team can't get it together on a Friday afternoon!

In this day and age, when the PD is literally forced to be in bed with sales on these type of promotions, the boss who immediately fingers the talent is going to be resented.
 
Re: Michael Stanley fails to impress

> >
> As a PD you should be looking out for your guy. There's a
> ton of crap that can go down at a bar/nightclub broadcast be
> it bar management, beer distributors, bouncers, logistics
> and set-up, whining sales reps who bend the sales managers
> receptive ears...hell even parking the station van can be a
> headache. Your talent can't be on when your Sales/Promotions
> team can't get it together on a Friday afternoon!
>
> In this day and age, when the PD is literally forced to be
> in bed with sales on these type of promotions, the boss who
> immediately fingers the talent is going to be resented.
>

I never said that I'd NOT be on the talent's side. I'll stick up for my "people" all the way, as long as they're doing what they're supposed to be doing.<P ID="signature">______________
Chuck Matthews Productions
www.KillerImaging.com</P>
 
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