mussels said:
Gentlemen It's My Turn,
I wonder if WSBG was your license would you defend Gary? Easy to say yes when you don't have a license to broadcast. Right Jeff?
Radio stations are licensed by the FCC as public trusts. Over the past eleven years I have defended Gary numerous times, sometimes to my detriment. Gary Smith has previous suspensions for crossing the line. This is not a first. I consider Gary Smith a friend and I hope he still considers me a friend. However, this is not a suspendable situation. Gary fanned the flames of an already tenuous situation with full knowledge of what had already occured with Imus, how stupid. This is where show prep would have helped. I do not believe Imus will survive either.
We will announce a replacement for Gary early next week; Imus will also be removed from WVPO. This will cause Nassau a big loss in revenue as we are doing this in the Spring book. This is not a stunt, this is serious business.
That being said, I have employees who work and live in the Poconos and to them I say hold your head high despite what may be said. We will prevail.
Kindest Regardsm
Rick Musselman, COO/EVP Nassau Mid-Atlantic
Rick--
I'm a peer of yours in a different but similar market, so please don't dismiss this without at least a bit of consideration.
You've had a few days to reflect on the Gary Smith incident. And here's at least part of what you've seen...
You've seen & heard the Imus incident discussed, analyzed, & dissected endlessly on dozens/hundreds of other radio stations, TV stations, TV networks & cable networks. In virtually every case, the talking heads have quoted Imus verbatim, sometimes gravely... but often jokingly--as Gary Smith did. None of these hundreds of other broadcasters have been fired. Only Gary Smith.
Imus hasn't been fired. Only Gary Smith.
Given this time to reflect, it would be within the normal range of responses for a person in your position to reconsider the termination, ask to meet with Mr. Smith to discuss the intemperate nature of such remarks whether first-hand or second-hand, and perhaps extend an opportunity for reconciliation... and a return to WSBG. Along with a joint announcement stating Nassau's sincere desire to be fair with all employees as well as responsible stewards of the public airwaves.
Will you be seen as a wimp? Nope. You'll be seen as an intelligent & compassionate executive with more than your share of wisdom.
Meantime, you've gotten hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of PR for WSBG to kick off the Spring book, and Gary's return to 'SBG will be greeted by listeners with more enthusiasm than any million-dollar giveaway ever would.
So, yeah, you & Nassau will come out smelling like roses. That's nice. But best of all, you'll have generated the kind of Street Buzz that all of us dream about... but rarely happens.
Think about it.
