Re: The Return of Russ Martin
Wow. I always knew you folks in Dallas were wound a little too tight. Let's clear up a few things:
1) Russ Martin is innocent until proven guilty. No matter what you have heard or read or been told by the nephew of the cousin of the arresting officer, LEGALLY he is innocent until proven guilty.
2) It is perfectly understandable to keep Russ off the air while this little drama plays out....CBS doesn't necessarily want to add more fuel to the fire or to be accused of putting a wifebeater back on the air after he is arrested. Again, he is still LEGALLY innocent but that could change if he pleads guilty at arraignment or works a plea bargain. I can also see why Russ' attornies don't want him on the air. I can't think of a single lawyer who would advise their client to say anything publicly whether they were innocent or not. That just doesn't happen.
3) The future of the Russ Martin show on the air will depend of a few different factors (the final decision will be made by CBS of course but they will most likely base their decision on these factors), a) what does it say in Russ' contract, how long is left, is he a CBS employee or do they contract the show, etc., b) are advertisors leaving in droves from Russ' show and from the rest of the station and do they feel they cannot recoop that through the continued popularity of the Russ Martin show which I understand is still the biggest moneymaker they have, and c) does the station fear future recrimination that could affect the revenues down the line, that could spill over into other markets or that could jeopardize the license.
So, now everybody just chill out and see what happens.
