Want Russ Back? Sign the Petition...

[Slambang]

Merge, nothing personal, but it seems to me via your post that you appearantly have some sort of vested interest in either Russ Martin or someone in his crew..Im not normally the type of points fingers, but reading what you've said seems very suspicious....

Mike, im in agreement brother, ive seen a few of those posts via the "petition" and some of these people are nuts. Its like the same people who enjoyed Star Trek:TOS and supported the product through various incarnations, save these folks havent gotten out of their parents basement and became leaders in science and technology. They're FANatical and not the good kind of fan, who enjoys something and then tries to positively affect things around them . When you make derogatory comments concering someones race, creed, gender or preference, you lost my respect. RMS did that in their product consistantly, enough said..

 

[outlaw2448]

Also Russ may have a couple things that Jericho didn't.

1) Updated ratings system
2) Russ's show isn't a serialized series
3) Russ had actually gotten some respect from the company he worked, as opposed to Jericho that was treated like a red-headed step child.
4) People in this market KNOW WHO HE IS! Jericho had to wait about a year (and endure a writer's strike) and lost people because no one really knew when it was on.

and you think those are GOOD things?
1. In the updated ratings system, Russ's show was a distant 6th in his probable target demo, Men 25-54.
2. Russ's show isn't a series, but it's also a show that isn't about anything except Russ. Which is fine if you find Russ interesting, not so good if you don't. At least with sports, they can take it to advertisers and explain that they're a sports station, and they're going to talk sports.
3. Getting fired is respect?
4. But do the people who count care who he is? At this point, the station managers can ask themselves 'would this guy help us, does he fit our format, and do I want to put up with the crap that is Russ's baggage?

No I don't think those are good things, but he has it a little easier (up until the charges) to find something else as opposed to the tv show.

 

[Slambang]

Not to mention the guy who organized the jericho campaign is a pretty decent guy who knows his stuff with TV, as he hosts his own weeknight show on blogtalkradio.com thats consistantly informative and entertaining....

 

[outlaw2448]

Not to mention the guy who organized the jericho campaign is a pretty decent guy who knows his stuff with TV, as he hosts his own weeknight show on blogtalkradio.com thats consistantly informative and entertaining....

Shaun Daily is a nice guy to be around very friendly when you speak to him.

 

[Slambang]

Not to mention the guy who organized the jericho campaign is a pretty decent guy who knows his stuff with TV, as he hosts his own weeknight show on blogtalkradio.com thats consistantly informative and entertaining....

Shaun Daily is a nice guy to be around very friendly when you speak to him.

Very true...and im launching my own show on BTR after new years, I like it for the fact people can put together something without dealing with alot of tech issues...

 

[WheredidMergeGo]

Merge, nothing personal, but it seems to me via your post that you appearantly have some sort of vested interest in either Russ Martin or someone in his crew..Im not normally the type of points fingers, but reading what you've said seems very suspicious....

Mike, im in agreement brother, ive seen a few of those posts via the "petition" and some of these people are nuts. Its like the same people who enjoyed Star Trek:TOS and supported the product through various incarnations, save these folks havent gotten out of their parents basement and became leaders in science and technology. They're FANatical and not the good kind of fan, who enjoys something and then tries to positively affect things around them . When you make derogatory comments concering someones race, creed, gender or preference, you lost my respect. RMS did that in their product consistantly, enough said..

You can keep waving that flag all you want - but I have NO ties to the show/the people/or the station except a radio in my vehicle. None. Though its funny you keep saying that, I guess if it were someone from the show, to you and the others their IQ would instantly drop, be the lower rungs of society and well below you and your conversational worth huh.

Seem to me the only people here with any vested interest in the show/station/people were the ones waiting and counting down to the end and celebrating it.

And OH - shocker - some posts go moved to TIO, haha. Thank you for proving my point.

 

[MikeShannon914]

>Merge wrote: SO while it serves your purpose here to take a broad swipe at the listeners of the station and the shows, it's more or less very condescending on your part. I find it very ironic that posts get moved to the TIO section when people argue but posts like this are allowed to stay. I guess it's OK to insult people if you do it en-mass and back backhandedly.
People are waving this karma flag as some sort of justification for being happy that a show was canceled and a station flipped and a few hosts you disliked are now without a job. Karma goes both ways.


Yeah, karma DOES INDEED go both ways. In case you haven't heard this one before...When I was laid off from my non-radio "career" job in 2001, and struggled for about 18 months to find any kind of decent work, and ran out of unemployment benefits, I took a job as a promotions assistant at The Oasis in early 2003. I had a great time, had visions of moving into something better at the cluster (and even interviewed for two such positions)...then was fired three months into it over comments I made on this very board about Russell Martin. I believe the comment was, "Two radio voices I can't stand listening to, because the voices themselves grate on my nerves: Mark Stevens and Russ Martin." After some terse emails directly from Russ, and a barrage of harrassing phone calls and voicemails from Trey and the gang, I was fired at the behest of Martin for "making disparaging remarks about CBS properties." (Yes, that's a confirmed, verified fact. Martin gave an ultimatum to Kurt, who signed off on my termination.) I even went on the air by phone with Martin to discuss the entire "incident."

Lucky for me, I ended up with the traffic reporting job, which has lasted over five years now, which I'd never known about if I hadn't been fired...so things did indeed work out for me, which does take some of the edge off my disdain for Martin and his show. I've discussed this entire thing many times on this board, and on my radio show, etc, and I'm sure some folks are long tired of hearing it. I'm tired of telling it, too, but if it sheds some light on why I feel the way I do, so be it. I think my other recent posts on the RMS subject have been pretty even-handed and stayed with the facts and pieced together the evidence with some highly-likely scenarios. So yeah, I'll gladly be the poster child for karma, thank you.

Oh, and I still hold resentment over a verbal altercation Russ and I had when we worked together at Pizza Inn in Mesquite some 26 years ago. (Sure, I still lose sleep over it and have sought therapy...before you go there with that!) ;D

And thanks, Slambang, for the support.

 

[Slambang]

Another fine example of the point alot of people in and out of the business made concering the RMS property: They're petty little people. His cadre, save JD, are a bunch of little whiners who do Russ's bidding. The ones who dont usually end up on the side lines or in other markets. It appears that the karmaic shoes on the other foot w/ mr martin and his lackey bunch. Gives me hope for radio in this town...

 

[WheredidMergeGo]

The karma thing wasn't really directed at you but ok. Thanks for the story.

The backhanded swipe at listeners of the station comment - that was directed to you.

Your more than welcome to have a beef with the man/show/station and as far as I am concerned you have a legitimate reason as well, but what I can't understand is how that translates into condescending remarks about people that DID listen to the station.

I'll use this example again as it fits:

If you got fired from Ihop because of a coworker, would you act condescending and frankly hold yourself about people that still eat there?

And honestly you just served as an example at the time so I used your comments as for some reason people on this board hold you up as some sacred cow (not a fat joke - just a term - lets not look to deep into it - i dont even know what you look like) and I knew you would reply. Its just funny to read 10+ threads about a station and show that people claimed to hate yet knew every little detail about whats happening with it and watch the masses here attack when some foolish person dared to defend of GASP admit they liked the station and shows.

You said it yourself, it had a what 8 year run while other stations were flipping and flopping like a fish out of water so they had to have done something right. But for some reason its comforting to people here to ignore that and take swipes at people that did listen, as if that somehow explains their own lack of success in the industry.

EDIT - see slambangs above me post to prove my point.

 

[Slambang]

Merge, ive decided not to carry out the conversation further for the simple fact you think you're always right...i'll let you live in that, enjoy the schadenfreude pie

 

[MikeShannon914]

Yeah, and the Sacred Cow here will provide plenty of Cool-Whip. ;D

 

[dirtyd]

slambag, who on this board doesnt think that they are right all the time.

mike, i dont currently work in radio, but i work for a very large company and lets say that i came out on a internet forum and made a post/comments about others in my company i feel as if i would be fired as well. so i dont see why you think its ok to make negative comments about Russ and then get fired and then go along and hate the people who choose to listen to his show.

jealousy seems to come to mind. let the man do his thing. Dont hate him because you cant be him.

 

[WheredidMergeGo]

Merge, ive decided not to carry out the conversation further for the simple fact you think you're always right...i'll let you live in that, enjoy the schadenfreude pie

Re-Read your post - then your last 15 or so posts - then look up the word irony...

You haven't been a part of the conversation to begin with - all you have done is as serve as the example of people whining and then you climb down off your soapbox and up on the cross as soon as you get called out.

You haven't had a conversation with anyone on here on this subject that didn't agree with you, you (much like others) have just talked down and dismissed the people that didn't share your views. Disagree? Re-read the past 30 threads on this topic. Seriously - find me one post where you actually conceded your opinion or you weren't "always right" then you can come at back at me and try again.

Even in your post to say you weren't going to reply(who posts to say they aren't going to post -then act childish) - you still couldn't resist taking a a few swipes and continue your condescending attitude. The only difference here is you share the popular opinion on this board so it's "ok". Don't worry - as soon as you take the opposing view on any given topic you too will be frustrated at the way people like you talk at you and not with you, and your posts will end up in the TIO section. Just read the other 15% of the threads here. I know they will be hard to find as fish as much as people claim to hate certain things - its all they can talk about...

 

[MikeShannon914]

slambag, who on this board doesnt think that they are right all the time.

mike, i dont currently work in radio, but i work for a very large company and lets say that i came out on a internet forum and made a post/comments about others in my company i feel as if i would be fired as well. so i dont see why you think its ok to make negative comments about Russ and then get fired and then go along and hate the people who choose to listen to his show.

jealousy seems to come to mind. let the man do his thing. Dont hate him because you cant be him.

Paleeeese. Sure, I've had the jealousy card thrown at me a few times, but what's there to be jealous of? I have my own radio show, I'm gainfully employed in the biz...I don't have the money or notoriety that Mr. Martin has had, but I also sleep well at night, I have lots of friends, and I feel good about my little contributions to the world. Sometimes you have to weigh megabucks against silly things like principles and values. What sells ain't always what's right. I was around Russ when he was starting out, back in 1982. I could have made nice and hung to his coattails and been a Dan Lewis or a JD Ryan in his life, and enjoyed the spoils as the promotions happened over the years. Me, I never liked the guy...he just wasn't nice to other people. He already had ego issues then, and that's just not my kind of person to hang with. I make no apologies for that.

Sure, like anyone, I see plenty of things I don't like in the world, and I'm more apt than most folks to speak out against them, and sometimes it's just venting or blowing off steam. I'm also not perfect and not always consistent with everything I do and say, but I do try to learn from mistakes and to keep an open mind. And I don't measure success in terms of $$$.

When the "incident" happened in 2003, my defense was that I was a radio historian LONG before I was an employee of CBS, and that my comments made on my own time were my own. I still believe that, but I'm also cognizant of the risk...so you won't see many negative postings from me about WBAP! That also comes from mutual respect. That certainly wasn't the case with CBS.

If I hated everyone who listened to the RMS, I would have to include one of my closest friends. That's simply not the case. Even Howard Stern had his fair share of nutjobs listening in and blogging and calling in, etc. But I believe Russ was more polarizing than most hosts, more of a love-him-or-hate-him deal than Howard ever was. The folks I've talked to that were listeners were generally roped in for the long haul, to the point that even the most trivial crap that Russ would run into the ground daily, was still ok. And most of these listeners, well, their dedication sounded like more of an obsession. I never ran across a casual listener. So if I'm overgeneralizing or stereotyping the typical listener, I'm basing that on something tangible, not just cooking up crap to be nasty. I've got better things to do with my time. Really, I have a problem with anyone that gets so obsessed with ANY talk show host that they hang on their every word, to the point where the host's opinion automatically becomes the listener's opinion. So it's not just Russ.

OK, getting way too personal here...next posting, please.

 

[WheredidMergeGo]

Really, I have a problem with anyone that gets so obsessed with ANY talk show host that they hang on their every word, to the point where the host's opinion automatically becomes the listener's opinion. So it's not just Russ.

Read: the thread listing here.

Or say posting his address and going out of a persons way to research where a person is moving to or from and public records from the legal system and posting every little tid bit about that for everyone here to post and comment on. Funny - that doesn't seem to elicit a reply from you?

 

[MikeShannon914]

Or say posting his address and going out of a persons way to research where a person is moving to or from and public records from the legal system and posting every little tid bit about that for everyone here to post and comment on. Funny - that doesn't seem to elicit a reply from you?

Ummm...I don't know where you're going with this. Did I do something like that? Or are you wanting me to support a person's right to privacy?

I'm about out of words on the subject as a whole...I think it's clear where you stand, I stand, Slambang stands, and everyone else. I don't think there's going to be a mass changing-of-the-minds, no matter what smart-assed and terse postings get traded. So unless you want to sling mud, I'm going to take a rest and do something productive instead.

 

[scrtr84]

Merge,

Perhaps you have forgotten that this is an opinioned based blog. All participants are free to commend or criticize radio hosts as they see fit. If you’re a fan of Russ, that’s fine. If you aren’t, that’s fine as well. It sounds to me like you are fixated, perhaps even obsessed, on getting bloggers to agree with you, no matter what.

If that is the case, perhaps you need to take your own step back and review your own posts, before you start insisting others do the same. You need to remind yourself that everyone has their opinions, and not everyone is going to agree with everyone else.

C’est la vie