D
deniseoliver
Guest
Letter to the Editor submitted to the Chicago Tribune
It’s ironic to me that the Tribune Co.‘s Chief Creative Officer has resigned. You might assume Lee Abrams is just another cigar chomping, sexist, over age frat boy. But you would be wrong.
I had the pleasure to work with Lee when women DJs were usually tokens. Lee was one of the first men in the business to take me seriously when we met at WDVE, Pittsburgh.
When Lee was hired to consult DC101, Washington DC, he gave me my choice of air shifts and I became music director. Only 10% of all program directors are women even today, but in the late 70’s I became program director of 98 Rock, Baltimore, thanks to strong recommendations from Lee and his partner, Kent Burkhart. I went on to a fulfilling career in local and network radio, a career I probably would not have had without Lee Abrams.
In the years I worked with Lee, I never saw him treat anyone with less than a full measure of respect, not a disc jockey, a receptionist or, for that matter, a waitress. I never heard him make an inappropriate comment to any woman or man. Lee was and remains one of the most positive people I have ever known and the things he taught me about attitude and managing people turned out to be far more important than anything he could have told me about radio.
Lee brought an energy, excitement and creativity to the radio business that is sorely lacking today. He opened doors for me that would otherwise have been closed. I will always be grateful to Lee for paving the way for the equal treatment of women in radio.
Denise Oliver
It’s ironic to me that the Tribune Co.‘s Chief Creative Officer has resigned. You might assume Lee Abrams is just another cigar chomping, sexist, over age frat boy. But you would be wrong.
I had the pleasure to work with Lee when women DJs were usually tokens. Lee was one of the first men in the business to take me seriously when we met at WDVE, Pittsburgh.
When Lee was hired to consult DC101, Washington DC, he gave me my choice of air shifts and I became music director. Only 10% of all program directors are women even today, but in the late 70’s I became program director of 98 Rock, Baltimore, thanks to strong recommendations from Lee and his partner, Kent Burkhart. I went on to a fulfilling career in local and network radio, a career I probably would not have had without Lee Abrams.
In the years I worked with Lee, I never saw him treat anyone with less than a full measure of respect, not a disc jockey, a receptionist or, for that matter, a waitress. I never heard him make an inappropriate comment to any woman or man. Lee was and remains one of the most positive people I have ever known and the things he taught me about attitude and managing people turned out to be far more important than anything he could have told me about radio.
Lee brought an energy, excitement and creativity to the radio business that is sorely lacking today. He opened doors for me that would otherwise have been closed. I will always be grateful to Lee for paving the way for the equal treatment of women in radio.
Denise Oliver