Dangerous Pretense

In the world of the Secret Service, there is little or no room for error.   While the recent security failures at the White House are totally unacceptable, the agency's statements playing down the severity of the incidents are the most shameful part of this disturbing series of events.   When are people going to learn?   Was the Watergate break-in the crime of the century?   No.   Was the cover-up?   It was up there.   Is someone's own job security or self interest so worthy of protecting that we overlook what's most important for our own country?    Potential whistle-blowers should always be heard, whether or not their grievances turn out to be valid.   It is a monumental fail when top administrators do not address problems the rank and file has undoubtedly known about for some time.  Someone at or near the top isn't listening and just protecting their own turf.  Call it a serious issue with "the culture", but this type of Secret Service crisis played out with the Veterans Administration scandal.  

President Obama was roundly criticized by conservatives for mentioning the Ferguson, Missouri troubles in his UN speech or "apologizing for America."   Don't they know that acknowledging problems openly in our messy democracy is what's exceptional about America?   North Korea touts its leaders as divinities and Saddam Hussein once boasted of 99% voter participation in one-sided elections.   All's apparently well there!   Stop trying to act perfect.   Thoughtful and caring criticism should be encouraged.             

Health, Health, Health

It's all about having our health.   That should always be a priority.   Unfortunately, it often takes a backseat to a lot of trivial things in our everyday lives.   A cardiac diagnosis in May (A-fib) served as my wake-up call.   Some medication prevented any further procedures for now.   I'm thankful for that, but symptoms such as sudden blood pressure drops and loss of appetite have really cast a shadow over my way of life and slowed me down.   With cardiac causes ruled out for the moment, my next steps include visits to an endocrinologist tomorrow and a neurologist October 1st.   We need to listen to what our bodies tell us, and I'm not going to accept these symptoms as just getting older.   I'm thankful for still being able to do what I like to make a living while having an excellent support system on a personal level.   I'm hoping to start feeling like my old self again in the next month.   Coping with what's become the new norm at this point is simply unacceptable.    

The Devil We Know

Janay Palmer & Ray Rice

How could she stand by him?   The NFL indefinitely suspended and the Baltimore Ravens fired Ray Rice after more video was released of Rice knocking out his wife, Janay Palmer, in an elevator.    Many people are just as surprised that Palmer said she feels "embarrassed" at the media attention condemning her husband's violent actions.   As astonishing as that reaction may be, the real disgust should be directed at Mr. Rice.   She's standing by her man, and that doesn't make her unique.    We know this happens in lots of dysfunctional relationships.   Many of us cling to some form of the "devil we know" through most of our lives.    We see it on a worldwide scale, as uneasy alliances in the Middle East are driven by the idea that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend."    We witness it in the job market as employees cling to poor working conditions and inadequate pay.    There is this idea that this is as good as it gets or even what we deserve.    We set the bar low in expectations, largely motivated by fear of the unknown.

There is the societal pressure not to "make trouble" when something works against our very rights, dignity and self worth.   While none of us can go around making everyone else miserable over what makes us unhappy, we do have a right to occasionally expect things from people.    Whether it's getting out of an abusive relationship or leaving a job that's not worth the stress anymore, it is OK to dream about something better and create a strategy to get us where we want and need to be.   At the very least, we owe it to ourselves and loved ones to aspire and act before the big decisions are made for us.       

If A Tree Falls In The Woods...

There I was, doing a Labor Day 6-10 morning air shift on WICH AM 1310 in Norwich, CT.   I'm almost totally sleep deprived, but I'm oddly psyched. It's up to me today.   The computer log is lacking any pre-programmed music, and the music format rules are pretty wide open.    All the news people have the day off.   If I want to fill time reading some headlines since I often do news anyway, I guess that's OK too.   It's all no big deal as long as I don't swear and do play all the commercials on air.   In this remote territory of radio lawlessness, what do I do?   I bring my own order into the vast frontier based on what I understand the general format to be.   

First, I get the local and world news, sports, weather, lottery, lighter show prep, birthdays and community calendar together to go at specific breaks in the hour as close to what they'd do most other mornings of the week.   Much of the prep is done the night before, since I hate racing around minutes  before airtime.   Then comes my favorite part: the music.   Sixties would be the core music era, but WICH is not strictly a Baby Boomer oldies station. WICH often mixes in standards that appeal to a listener over 65, so I sprinkle Sinatra, Bennett and Streisand in with the less raucous rock n' roll 50s/60s oldies and the tunes that were adult contemporary hits in the 70s/80s... basically three general eras.   Then I work on getting as much song-to-song contrast with songs I know to be strong during each half hour, realizing people's attention is in limited supply.

Why do I do all this?   Many air personalities wouldn't care.   For one, it shouldn't matter whether there are 10 or 100,000 people listening.   I try not to think of that, and least of all about ratings.   It's all about relating to a listener one on one anyway.   If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound if nobody's around?    Hey, I'm still here, so yes.

A Racial Divide

Back in 1967 after rioting in the predominantly black Hill Section of New Haven, a story on New York's all-news WINS wondered out loud how this could have happened "in a city that had done so much for its minority community."    With the latest racially-charged news out of Ferguson, Missouri and much of the white reaction to it, that New Haven question came to mind again.   Many deny the very existence of racism.   Why can't all people just behave?    Haven't we seen lots of progress since the sixties?    

Change has happened and generational attitudes evolve, but I can't say as an older white guy in a remote section of Connecticut suburbia that I know what it's like to be a young African American city dweller any more now than I did in 1967.   When the OJ Simpson "not guilty" verdict came out almost twenty years ago, I could not fathom why the majority of the black community agreed with that.   The New Haven ghetto was only ten miles from the booming suburb where I grew up, but I and most whites still have little understanding of what it is like to walk a mile in their shoes. While conservatives and liberals play fast and loose with the term "racism", I don't know how we can deny the very existence of a continuing "racial divide."   Even with political reforms and good intentions, flash points like Ferguson remind us of how far we have to go.   

Maybe the next generation or two can bridge this gap.   My stepdaughter Monica had some insight on this:   "If white people can't admit when black people are treated unfairly and recognize that biases still exist, how can we truly work to avoid the effect those biases, largely unconscious, have in society?   Even if it were the case that it wasn't about race, it's just as important to address why black people feel mistreated and marginalized.   That shouldn't be an issue that's only on the radar of black people.  It should be something we all care about and actively work to change."

Family Feud

Arthur T. Demoulas

The story of a New England supermarket chain normally wouldn't garner much attention outside of the region where they do business.   In this case, the dysfunctional family drama unfolding in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine with the seventy store Demoulas Market Basket chain provides some compelling reasons for all Americans to pay attention.   In a business dominated by grocery chains often owned by foreign companies (Stop & Shop, Shaw's, Hannaford), the Demoulas family has carved out a healthy share in a very competitive environment.   Now, what amounts to a family squabble threatens to pull this independent company apart.   Arthur T. Demoulas had been a highly popular CEO with workers because of his benevolent and arguably enlightened attitude toward company associates through good times and bad.   That did not please his cousin Arthur S. Demoulas and others on the board of directors who control the majority of shares, so they unseated him.   

This did not sit well with workers, store managers and, most importantly, customers.   Business has been down by over 90%, but the board and the management company they brought in has reacted with stubbornness and intimidation.   Meanwhile, customers and workers continue to stay away while store managers show up with nothing to do.   They want "Artie T" back and hope the board will accept his offer to buy them out.   Rumors persist of a possible sale to one of those international holding companies that may step in and dissolve Market Basket entirely.   This has been a successful company that now faces the scrap heap of retail history unless Artie T returns.   It serves as a reminder of how American business has shifted to totally focus on shareholders profits over any other community concerns.   The loyal customers, associates, store managers and even the community as a whole are stakeholders if not stockholders.   Somehow that concept has been forgotten by a few greedy and petty people. 

UPDATE 8/28/14:   We are getting word of an agreement to sell the company to Artie T.   Let's hope this works out as customers, associates and managers return to the stores.   I can't help but think this would have gone differently without the media, consumer and middle management attention. 

An Unexpected Legacy

Robin Williams 1951-2014

The tributes poured in and social media exploded after the news that Robin Williams had killed himself at age 63.   While everybody looks back on his impressive volume of work, I can't help but be struck by how many people are discussing the need to remove the stigma from mental illness.   We have made great progress in dealing more openly about issues that used to be taboo topics.   This should be no exception.   The sad ending to a man who gave so much to all of us serves as a reminder that depression or other forms of mental illness can be found at all levels of society.    For all the comedic roles Robin Williams shared, his performances could also be heartwarming and tragic.   All three elements were reflected in his own life.   His good friend Christopher Reeve bravely showed us life was worth living even through personal tragedy.   Perhaps we can also find inspiration in finding answers to what can prevent others from taking their own lives.

Farewell to Hartford's Big D

(l-r) Yours truly with recently released members of the
WDRC staff: Rockin' Ron Sedaille, Grahame Winters,
Mike Stevens, Floyd Wright & Jerry Kristafer

Connoisseur Media suddenly and unceremoniously ended a  57-year radio heritage the day they bought WDRC from Buckley Broadcasting and released practically the entire staff.  This was accompanied by a music format shift on their FM side from pop classic hits of the 70's and 80's to a more rock classic hits from the same general era.   The new company triggered a storm of protests on social media who missed the music and personality mix on the "Big D."   Meanwhile, Marlin's WCCC actually gave staffers past and present an afternoon to say goodbye to their rock audience last Friday before big religious broadcaster EMF came in and quickly added their "K-Love" contemporary Christian music network.   Some observations, if you please...

1. The new "102-9 drc" format will probably gain a foothold in Hartford, with some Big D listeners staying put and WCCC classic rock listeners fleeing Christian music.   WHCN "The River" will benefit, too.  WRCH and WWYZ just got a big gift.
2. Business is business and the new guys can do what they want, but the WDRC takeover was handled miserably from day one.  The Big D personalities deserved better.   Connoisseur didn't even handle the social backlash well.
3. I can't help but think yet another shoe will drop before long as Connoisseur looks to get another Hartford FM and broaden its portfolio against two big corporate group competitors.   John Fuller's WMRQ 104.1 is the only one left.    I know John pretty well and he had tried to buy WDRC himself, but I won't try to read his mind.  
4. The Big D appreciation party this past weekend was fantastic and I salute the fans who put this celebration together.   I hope they find suitable alternatives and don't depend on a return to the old format.
5. Since I've experienced a less than storybook ending in some past radio terminations, I know time heals all and you focus on people and things that matter now.   Radio can take a personal commitment and an end to that can sting, but you really will forgive if not forget.
6. Thanks for the memories, Big D!
    

Foley Fails This Time

Tom Foley

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy is now the incumbent in a possible rematch with Greenwich businessman and GOP challenger Tom Foley.   Polls have indicated a virtual dead heat between the two.   Governor Malloy now has a record that many state residents see as fair game for criticism.   Tom Foley should be able to use his outsider status and Malloy's less than stellar approval ratings to his advantage.     It didn't work that way for him this week in eastern Connecticut.    

Foley saw the impending closure and 140 job losses at Fusion Paperboard in Sprague as a perfect media photo opportunity, but his attempt to point the finger of blame at Malloy administration policies was met with loud opposition by State Senator and Sprague first selectman Cathy Osten and several Fusion Paperboard employees.   Foley, clearly taken aback by the reaction, went on to blame local politicians as well.   Osten had her facts ready, and it was clear that state and local government had been on top of the situation and market forces had been the main reason for the announced plant closure.   Workers there backed her up.   The paper board business is changing and company owners have a right to make this regrettable decision, but charges of corporate greed may also be fair since the plant was still profitable.    When I discussed his impromptu twenty minute debate as I filled in for Stu Bryer on WICH AM 1310, I couldn't find one caller who felt Tom Foley prevailed with his talking points.   He'll have to do better if he wants to be the next governor.   Any more days like this may even cost him his party's primary, not to mention the gubernatorial race.

Radio Prime Time

It's been this way for decades.   "Morning drive" remains radio's prime time slot for most radio stations and their respective formats.   I remember a time when local TV stations and even most FM stations considered early morning shows such a throwaway that they sometimes barely bothered to sign on.   Now, radio tries to hold its own against a slew of local TV stations that vie for attention as early as 4:00 AM.    Who are these viewers?    At least radio reporters and entertainers only have to sound the part, but what special breed of media people get all dressed up in front of cameras at 4:00 in what's still the middle of the night?    Wasn't radio prime time early enough kicking off at 5:30?   Go back to bed!   

Morning radio can be an absolute blast even when sleep deprivation hits and I'm running on pure adrenaline.   Experience a string of sleepless nights like I have this week and it gets really old.   I'm genuinely excited to fill in on various morning radio shows, including this time around on WILI.   By day three of my insomniac state, those weird sports names get harder to spit out.  Wayne Norman has been the morning guy there for over 43 years.   How on Earth does he do it?    How did I do it for as much as four years at a clip?   During the summer, my "day guy" (as Jerry Seinfeld put it) really ends up paying for what my "night guy" fails to do right.  Honestly, I'm not taking caffeine in the evening or going out partying late.   Someone please tell my brain to stop racing at 10:00 PM!

Our Internal Border Dispute

Fence between Nogales, AZ & Nogales, Mexico

When I visited the Arizona side of the divided town of Nogales fifteen years ago, the long ugly wall on the Mexican border stood in stark contrast to the images like the Statue of Liberty that has welcomed immigrants for decades or our peaceful border with Canada.   The situation has only gotten uglier since the Mexican government's disastrous war on drug lords has seen massive corruption in what has basically become a "narco state" as America's drug habit fuels demand and our guns find their way into the hands of powerful drug cartels.   Millions of undocumented Mexicans who mostly come to make a better living have repeatedly risked everything to sneak into the U.S. to do jobs many Americans refuse to do.  Ask Alabama how well the crops got picked when they shut out Mexican workers a short while ago.

Now the face of the border crisis has changed.   Over 50,000 children fleeing horrible gang violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador are exploited by human traffickers as they make the trek across Mexico and give themselves up to the U.S. Border Patrol.   What do we get from do-nothing Congressional Republicans and GOP presidential hopefuls only concerned with their political base back home?    We get outrageous temper tantrums and lawsuits by Rep. John Boehner against the President as immigration reform arrives dead on arrival in the House of Representatives.    Two years ago, Texas Governor Rick Perry felt the sting of other right wingers when he went for a more moderate approach to education for undocumented children; Now he's towing their line.   A few weeks ago, former Connecticut 2nd District Congressman Rob Simmons ratcheted up his new-found harsh conservative rhetoric by saying on WICH that our border is not secure.   Does he think we should deal with desperate Central American kids through the barrel of a gun?   Does he deny that President Obama has greatly increased border patrol agents and become known as the "deporter in chief"?    Does he dispute the record of inaction on immigration by Congress?

I'll grant you that an appearance by Obama at the border would be good optics for his administration.   A photo op might appease critics, but I doubt it would take the place of action that includes more pressure on Central American regimes.

A Bittersweet Anniversary

Today marked forty years since I first did a radio show.    I nervously covered the 4-8:30pm shift on 1220 WKBK/Keene, NH... a 1000-watt local AM in a college town.   Today I marked the anniversary by filling in 6-10am on 1400 WILI/Willimantic, CT... another 1000-watt local AM in a college town.  The celebration - or absolute amazement I'm still on the air - was somewhat muted.  News arrived that the entire air staff was let go at the legendary WDRC-FM/Hartford.   This shocker came on the day 57-year owner Buckley turned control of WDRC AM & FM to Connoisseur Media based downstate.  I know these longtime WDRC people.   While I've been the target of termination plenty of times since 1974, this corporate housecleaning shook the broadcasting community in Connecticut.    I grew up on WDRC.   I worked at WDRC longer than anywhere else in my extensive radio past.   Baby Boomers have had a special connection to "Hartford's Big D" since 1960.   While the music may not change much, the air product will be a cloned corporate presentation similar to the new owner's B103/Long Island.   Will they get away with it?   Probably, but folks in the know around here realize that this was the day the Big D died.

Parents Behaving Badly

Many chain restaurants seem to get critically seared.    While I'm not a big fan of the Darden Corporation that has owned Red Lobster and the Olive Garden, but during our last visit to a local OG over the weekend, it wasn't anything the restaurant did that really irritated us.   The incessant screaming of a toddler is a nuisance, even in a noisy and crowded restaurant.   However, the reaction of the parents proved to be the true annoyance.   They were right next to us.   At one point, the child let out a bloodcurdling shriek.   Do you think either parent seemed the least bit embarrassed?    Was there any attempt to take the child out of the restaurant at least for a little time out?   No, they responded by giving their kid soothing attention which only encouraged her to repeat the bad behavior.   Do they really need a degree in psychology to know they're reinforcing the screaming pattern?   No sooner did they leave when another party came in with a younger child with an equally healthy set of lungs.   The adults carried on as if nothing was wrong.   

I've also witnessed scenes at fast food places where parents were completely oblivious and even gave in to their kids acting like completely spoiled brats.   One time when an older couple asked some unruly hell-raisers to stop running running all over the place, the kids' parents actually told the seniors to mind their own business.    Another time, a hyperactive screamer repeatedly demanding ice cream got his wish.   Forget the rest of us for a moment.   Will these clueless parents ever learn to stop rewarding actions that especially drive them crazy?     

A Sorry Bunch

Former Vice President Dick Cheney

Am I the only one repulsed when I see former Vice President Dick Cheney and other architects of the 2013 invasion going on national media blaming President Obama for the recent military reversals in Iraq?    These "neo-cons" took the wheel of Bush foreign policy after 9/11 and managed to transform international support into resentment and domestic consensus into bitter divisions.   A previously contained tyrant, Saddam Hussein, was replaced by religious factions looking to even the score with each other after the Iraqi Army was disbanded.   Iran gained influence as their Shiite allies eventually shut out the majority Sunnis in forming a government.   Now an al-Qaeda-inspired faction (only more radical) called ISIS has been allowed to gain ground as they exploit Sunni anger.   Add 4,500 American military deaths and tens of thousands wounded, not to mention two trillion dollars spent on a war instigated by Washington militarists promising we would be welcomed as liberators and could pay for the war selling Iraqi oil.   Saddam's weapons of mass destruction never turned up either.

That all matters little to the politicians and media who dutifully followed the doctrine of a Bush administration that got it wrong every step of the way. Some of these people are even calling for a new Iraq invasion and blast Obama for removing all US troops.   For one thing, the thoroughly incompetent and corrupt Iraqi government refused to agree to a continued US military presence.   Our troops exited Iraq after paying with blood, but now a new threat looms to this country's mostly troubled existence.   The Sunni-Shiite fight has been raging since shortly after the time of the prophet Mohammed himself.    At the very least, America's Iraq War hawks could admit major mistakes were made.   To listen to their arrogance and lack of any sense of Middle East history, "sorry" isn't a word we can expect to hear.     

His Own Brand

To everyone who goes back a few decades either being in radio or loyally listening to it, the news of Casey Kasem's passing at 82  was a big deal.   My first memories of this American Top 40 countdown king go back to 1971 and Sunday nights on my favorite station at the time: WDRC-FM/Hartford.  I was in awe when I made it onto the "Big D" in 1993 and Sunday night became my first regular show time on this heritage station.   This used to be Casey Kasem's slot!    Of course, we played Baby Boomer oldies by the time I got to WDRC, and Casey had moved to a more contemporary station in the market.   

Radio had changed by then to the point where no one station could be a "catch all" for widely divergent music tastes the way Top 40 had been from the late fifties through early seventies.   Casey's show eventually adjusted to changing times with a more adult contemporary "non-rap" version of his countdown with a narrower playlist based primarily on station airplay instead of overall record sales.   Even with this evolution, Casey was still Casey.    There was no mistaking him for anyone else, and he consistently delivered what listeners expected of him right up to his last show.   In an interview, Casey himself pointed to another way that radio had changed.   With a smaller farm system for a training ground, there was less room for newcomers to "make their mistakes" and work on their craft.   With the exception of his hilarious outtakes that are infamous in our business (partly because we identify with them too), this radio icon made few missteps.   When I was at WBMW/New London in 2009 and Casey Kasem ended his show, I also offered to cover that Saturday morning time slot.   I wasn't going to do a countdown.   That act had already been done by the best.

Stonington's Spirited Defense

James Tertius d Kay's Book
(on Amazon.com)

The advertising agency and printing company I've been connected with for the past twelve years has had an ongoing publishing relationship with one of New England's most active historical preservation groups.   The Stonington Historical Society covers the rich heritage of this small shoreline town perhaps best known for fending off a substantial attack in 1814 that led to an equally surprising withdrawal by four warships of the Royal Navy.  

On this 200th anniversary of this battle, a walk through the borough of Stonington reveals many vivid reminders of those dramatic three days during the War of 1812.  The local defenders and civilians refused British demands to surrender, which would have meant allowing their town to be burned to the ground.   Despite a heavy bombardment and an attempted landing, Stonington's defenders prevailed and all the casualties were on the British side.   How did the outgunned American side win?   For one thing, the borough residents saw no alternative, vowing to fight to the death.   To British Navy strategists, this was just one element of a military chess game designed to deflect American intentions away from attacking Canada.   When that strategy proved more costly than it was deemed worth, they pulled out.   To the Stonington locals, it meant everything.   This was their home and way of life... and everyone was involved.    

As we continue to scratch our heads these days over why the best military in the world finds victory so elusive when we exercise military options, perhaps we can take a cue from our own history.

No Soldier Left Behind

D-Day 1944 (Hartford Courant)

The 70th anniversary of the D-Day Normandy invasion follows a series of weeks dominated by military controversy.  Unlike today's commemorations, the latest outrages in the VA scandals take the spotlight away from our military heroes who deserve far better.    Before our short attention span news cycle takes us somewhere else, we need to get to the bottom of these matters.   Having a few heads roll and saying we acted should not be accepted as sufficient by the American public.   No major player in a position of power can claim the high ground or have sole responsibility for the low ground, since problems in the VA have been rampant for years.     Unlike World War II, we rely on a much smaller segment of our society to carry the burden of U.S. commitments overseas.   The postwar GI Bill made a world of difference to returning servicemen.   We owe today's heroes nothing less in the form of sweeping changes that will shake the VA system to its very foundation.

Next came word of the prisoner swap that ended Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's five year imprisonment with the Taliban in exchange for five dangerous Guantanamo detainees.   The right has relentlessly been attacking the Obama administration for letting this happen while the President defends it as part of our "no soldier left behind" pledge.   To me, a commitment is a commitment, whether the circumstances of Bergdahl's disappearance give him hero status or not.   Dealing with characters we consider shady is not unprecedented.   Just ask Israel when they exchanged 1,000 accused terrorists for one Israeli soldier.   I'm disgusted at the wild accusations that have spread to the point of vilifying Bergdahl's family.   Let the justice system get the answers.

Finally, some folks are so bent on laying all blame for everything on Barack Obama.   No, Obama was not the first President since D-Day to never attend a commemoration at Normandy.   He's been there before, and he's there today.   People blinded by hate will fall for the most inaccurate myths.

The Radio Learning Curve

Having been on six different Hall Communications radio stations in eastern Connecticut this past year, it may be a wonder that I've never yet confused one station with another on the air.   I think that's because I always try to have a mental image of what a particular station's target listener may be like and what they expect out of that station and me. Some air performers just bring their own act into a studio without much thought as to whether or not it fits.   I always try to fit in, even though that may not make me the next Howard Stern.   I'll never be the ultimate sports authority, but I do fill in at WILI-AM 1400 for Wayne Norman, one of Connecticut's most established and knowledgeable sports broadcasters.   You better believe I'm going to check that information several times over before it hits the air.  When I fill in at 100.9 Roxy FM, I make no pretense of being in the younger target demographic.   Instead I try my best to deliver show content relatable to that listener.   As long as people tell me I don't "sound" my age, I seem to pull it off.   

The challenge is also apparent on country giant 97.7 WCTY.   I admit it.   Country music is not exactly my area of expertise.   One male contemporary country artist pretty much seemed like another at first.   It was only recently that I learned that Blake Shelton was married to Miranda Lambert.   Show prep is a unique godsend here, because a country fan is as engaged in this music as a sports fanatic is with his or her team.   I know there are a few things in radio I wouldn't even attempt to pull off, like sports play-by-play or fired-up right wing political host, I think it comes down to a basic respect for the listener.   That's the main reason I keep doing this.    Otherwise if it's all about me it just gets stale.

A Remarkable Man

John Waselik

John Waselik of Oakdale was described by everyone who knew him as a warm, soft spoken man who made a positive difference in many people's lives and never had a bad word to say about anybody.   John passed away unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago at 63 doing something he loved: biking as he was gearing up for a charity ride across Connecticut.   His giving spirit continued after his death as an organ donor.   I first talked to John in 1997 when his wife Betty-Clare, a high school friend, called me one day while I was on the air at WDRC.  John was a loyal listener fascinated with broadcasting.   He even dabbled in local radio later, but his career choice as a teacher had already been set in stone for some time.   For all of his roles in life - family man, teacher, mentor, church elder, local sports enthusiast and so much more - he made sure it was never about him.   He was genuinely interested in you.   I can't think of a more giving and selfless person, but he'd be the last to invite comparisons. Perhaps we can all learn to better accept each other the way John did.

What Makes Connecticut Special?

Half of us evidently want to get the Hell out of Connecticut...49%.   A Gallup poll conducted June-December 2013 shows only Illinois as the state its residents (50%) would rather be leaving.   People in Montana, Hawaii and Maine are most content to stay put.   Imagine that.   Mississippi scored more favorably than our fair state!   How can a state with so much wealth and a location in the middle of the bustling Northeast "Megalopolis" be deemed undesirable?   I know there's a general feeling that we've passed our prosperous glory days of sitting at or near the top of the heap due to the crushing cost of living.  Our outdated major roads and recent stories about railroad safety reinforce the sense that we are gradually being choked off from major markets so close to our doorstep.   While I applaud Governor Malloy for keeping us at the forefront of inevitable social change, I am concerned that his accomplishments is falling on deaf ears with an NRA-fueled level of hostility that even exceeds Governor Weicker's implementation of the state income tax over twenty years ago.   The level of income inequality is also taking its toll as the strapped middle class is less able to fuel demand.   As in Illinois, the disparity between desperately poor cities and opulent suburban wealth is tearing us apart.  There are just so many yachts to be sold to Greenwich millionaires.

While narrowing income inequality and a better managing of the message can work wonders, we as Connecticut residents are often at a loss to define what makes our little state special.   Casinos are popping up everywhere.   Reliance on giant defense contracts can be a slippery slope.   

When you think Montana, you think Big Sky Country.   Despite having one of the wackiest governors in the country, Maine evokes a unique image as a "Vacationland."   Hawaii?   I rest my case.   Connecticut does have a character.   It takes creative leaders to bring it out.   We have incredible diversity.    Oh yes, take a few cents off the stupid gas tax; the PR value alone is worth it.    This too shall pass... hopefully soon.   Did you really want to move to North Dakota anyway?        

Better Now Than Later

A hospital visit is seldom anyone's preferred destination, but I knew my last bout of lightheadedness was nothing to ignore.   My blood pressure would drop dramatically after I walked up an incline or stood up quickly, mostly in the morning.   While my two-day visit to Middlesex Hospital in Middletown didn't conclusively reveal a connection between the feeling I was about to pass out with a cardiac condition, an irregular heartbeat was detected.   There's no indication of an immediate need for any emergency procedure, so I was sent home (where I could sleep a lot better) with a heart monitor while being put on a blood thinner to reduce a risk of stroke. On one hand, there are plenty of adults who have these heart conditions and operations like pacemaker implants are very common.   By the same token, even the most minimally invasive procedure involving one's ticker can be a little scary.   We should unravel more of my cardiac mystery over the next month.   For now, I'll just keep doing what I do.   I'm no health nut, but it's better to be proactive about this than facing bigger consequences later.

By the way, Middlesex Hospital care is second to none.   Unlike the common stereotype about hospital food, I ate every morsel and enjoyed every bite!    That said, I'm not anxious for a return trip to soon.   Hey, I just got married a year ago today.   There are still some quality living I'd like to do.      

Just Plain Nuts

Another Stupid Unfounded Generalization

Liberal radio talk show hosts are nearly as extinct as the T. Rex, but I remember Boston's legendary Jerry Williams saying long ago, "By their words shall you know them."   He was talking about the fringe element callers who made for lively if crazy conversation.   Now, right wing talk hosts facing their own aging and declining audiences justify their own existence by routinely embracing the fact-check challenged ditto-heads.   From time to time, that strategy blows up in their faces the way their love of government-subsidized deadbeat rancher Cliven Bundy turned into a disaster with Mr. Bundy's publicly professed nostalgia for the good old days of African American slavery.    

We don't have to go to Nevada to get stupid comments from people with narrow political agendas.   Just yesterday, I heard a caller to a local radio station mention the fatal Milford school stabbing and reach for the ridiculous reaction of, "This may not sound nice, but now they're gonna want to ban all knives."   The host applauded her comment.   First of all, can the caller and host at least take a breath to express sadness over this tragedy before going off on interpreting the only constitutional amendment they seem to care about?    Let's be clear.   Nobody realistically expects to confiscate all guns, even in a state hit by the killing of 26 people in one school on one day.   The Milford stabbing had nothing to do with gun control.   Nothing.   It's not even about you.   Then again, what can a listener expect when another talk host often says thousands of dollars are wasted sending kids to colleges controlled by liberal professors that "brainwash" students?   That generalization is almost as crazy as denying global warming because we had a cold winter.   

Six For Six

I can now truly say I've done shows on all six Hall Communications radio stations here in eastern Connecticut.  That totally mind-blowing feat (to me, anyway) was accomplished last week when I subbed doing news on the Pete Nichols Breakfast Club on WILI-FM Willimantic, better known as i98.3.   I was told ahead of time that Pete might just interrupt me in the middle of what's more of an information update for something totally silly or edgy.   That really wasn't the case.   Pete's sense of timing and knowing how far he can push the envelope are better than that.    If you're looking for hard hitting, in-depth coverage of the weighty issues of the day, this station may not be your ultimate destination.    If you expect to hear talk about whether my wife thinks I've got "enough junk in the trunk" or phony phone calls to a place called "Transitions" revealing his regular newsman's sex change operation, then you've come to the right place.   It all may sound like he's flying by the seat of his pants, but Pete knows exactly what he's doing.  He's a seasoned entertainer who understands his target audience.   The more time I spend at WILI, the more impressed I get with the talent pool inside that building. 

A Blow To A Brand

Former CT Gov. John Rowland

Former Connecticut Governor John Rowland abruptly stepped down last week from his afternoon radio show on WTIC News/Talk 1080.   Now we are learning of his indictment on federal charges in a campaign financing scandal.    This is the second time the once popular three-term Republican governor has faced the prospect of a prison sentence.   As a follower of political news, I think another conviction should take Rowland off the comeback trail for good.   As a broadcaster, I feel this is a serious problem for a once mighty radio station owned by a company that should know better.    Who will replace Rowland?   How much damage has been done to WTIC's image?

CBS isn't the only company to own a powerful heritage AM station that has transitioned to primarily conservative talk, but as a group they have kept things relatively classy.   Their WCBS/New York, WBZ/Boston, KYW/Philadelphia and other information outlets have stayed above the fray of bombastic right wing talking points.   Why can't WTIC do some variation closer to what these other CBS stations do so well?   It is the only 50,000 watt AM signal in Connecticut and used to get some of the highest shares of audience in any market.   Those exceptional days are long gone as moderate and liberal voices are excluded from all programs except newscasts.   Right wing ranters who champion Tea Party extremism are falling out of favor with younger adults and advertisers.   Does WTIC have no alternative other than Rush Limbaugh and Connecticut versions of him who fail to speak to the fastest growing groups in our society?    Now that Rowland's gone, maybe he can take Limbaugh with him.   Good riddance.      

This Is CNN?

Since the 1991 Gulf War, CNN has been my "go to" cable network for breaking news.   There is no lack of major news gripping the globe these days, yet lately CNN has been almost entirely devoted to wall to wall coverage of the disappearance and search for Malaysia Air Flight 370.   Every major issue surrounding this story is certainly worthy of exploring, but when did endless hypothetical opinions based on very limited information become the basis of "breaking news" while so many other stories get left off the air?   The Ukraine crisis continues unabated and the Washington state landslide claims dozens of lives while the overwhelming majority of news time goes to Flight 370.    CNN has some great anchors, and I can't imagine they seriously think they can fill time with questions about whether Flight 370 was swallowed by a black hole without pressure from above to do so.   If this is a way to recoup lost ratings, it's a flawed strategy.

To be "fair and balanced", Fox News has not set the bar high on this story either.   Although other stories get more equally in the mix, they can't even air what little is known about the Malaysia Air disappearance without attacking President Obama.   One anchor's understandable call for patience on getting to the facts on this story was totally shattered by some red meat for their fundamentalist Christian viewers that "it took thousands of years to find Noah's Ark."   No, Fox, they never found it.   MSNBC has been pretty good at perspective, but I can't consistently look to them for breaking news when they spend half their weekends running prison documentaries and their 6:00pm slot has the most polarizing host on TV: Reverend Al Sharpton.   I find his yelling at the camera hard to take, even for my liberal views. 

More Than Luck

I've had a lifetime to contemplate my Irish ancestry.   Yes, my father's parents came over from County Sligo and County Leitrim over 100 years ago while my mother's side can be traced to both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  Glenn is my mother's maiden name.    I'm about as Irish as you can get.   While I'm proud of what my ancestors had to go through to allow me to live a better life, I find the Irish experience to be a lesson in humility too.   From the Vikings of the Middle Ages to the horrible British administration during the 1850s Potato Famine, conquest and occupation have taken their toll on the Emerald Isle.   As with many people repeatedly conquered by bigger neighbors, the Irish have coped in positive ways such as their special sense of humor and through darker means exemplified by alcohol abuse and religious strife.   Beyond all its varying degrees of ethnic stereotypes and debates over who should be allowed to march in a St. Patrick's Day parade, this day should represent hope and triumph over historic adversity for any nationality. 

Connecticut's First AM & FM Stations Sold

At WDRC-FM in 2000 

The Buckley family has owned all or part of WDRC radio in Hartford for the past 57 years.   It is also remarkable in this notoriously changeable business that WDRC has only had two owners since radio pioneer Franklin Doolittle first set up shop in New Haven in 1922.   This heritage itself is a good enough reason why the sale of WDRC AM & FM along with three other Connecticut AM outlets is a big deal.  A relatively new company, Connoisseur Media, will be purchasing Buckley's Connecticut stations in the next few months.   

While some radio folks may bemoan the loss of another independently owned cluster of stations to a larger and growing company, I see it as a good fit.   Buckley had already made significant cutbacks as it competed with a standalone FM against two of the biggest corporate players in the industry.  CBS and Clear Channel have dominated the Hartford market as owners of multiple FM stations.   Connoisseur seems to have a good reputation already in Connecticut operating WPLR, WEZN and more in the New Haven/Bridgeport market(s).    That should bode well for the staff at WDRC.   Yes, we've heard the "no big changes" falsehoods in the instances of other radio station sales, but I think WDRC has been largely on track for some time now.   They've had to make some tough decisions. That should make them positioned for a better transition now.   As a former employee, I hope I'm correct.   Some of the people I worked with from 1993-2002 are still there.   WDRC, a station so many of us grew up with, was a highlight of my years in radio.     

Understand Russian Nationalism to Understand Ukraine

While our short attention span news cycle focuses for now on events unfolding in the former Soviet republic of the Ukraine, it is easy to want to compare the Russian incursion to the Cold War years and put Vladimir Putin in the same category as Stalin, Khrushchev or Brezhnev.    Since nobody of any authority in the US or EU is calling on NATO military action, we in the West really need to understand the mind of Russia's authoritarian president and the challenges Russia faces from ethnic separatist and Islamic fundamentalism movements that resort to terror.   In Putin's view, he has one trump card that has historically been effective at rallying his supporters: Russian nationalism.   That seemed to work in Russia's war with neighboring Georgia... another region with a big Russian ethnic or Russian-speaking  population.   Regional insurrections within Russia itself have even seen spillover into the United States.   How many Americans had heard of Dagestan a year ago before last year's Boston Marathon bombing?   Terror, whether through Syrian chemical weapons or al-Qaeda, must be a concern of every civilized nation.

 

For all the differences between Russia and the West, there are strong economic ties that bind beyond the ongoing threat of terror.   Look at how the Russian markets have already been negatively impacted by Russia's aggression while worldwide stocks take a hit.   Business hates instability.   Europe needs natural gas to travel from Russia through the Ukraine while Russia disparately needs the revenue.   The Ukraine is also a breadbasket for much of Europe.

 

Meanwhile, Republicans take cheap shots at the Obama administration's "weak" response.   Do they really think sabre rattling between two nuclear powers should be option number one?   President Obama never got credit for standing steadfast against Russian-backed Syria's use of chemical weapons.   During a major international crisis, we owe it to ourselves to be united at home.    We don't have to approve of what "Mother Russia" is doing, but we have to have some understanding of it.

Practicality Over Extreme Ideology

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer made the only realistic decision when she vetoed a broad resolution that would have allowed businesses in her state to use their religious beliefs as a pretext to discriminate against potential customers.  This shameful and reactionary bill had already been approved by Republican majorities in both legislative branches.   As a law, SB 1062 would definitely have impacted the LGBT community, and it wasn't clear how far it would have reached beyond that.   A leading gubernatorial candidate to succeed Brewer was pressed by CNN's Anderson Cooper about whether or not businesses could use the law also deny service to, for example, divorced people.   All he could say was that he didn't know of any businesses in Arizona that discriminate!    

As word got around and light began to shine on this right wing abomination, many Republican state legislators who originally backed the bill began running for cover, dodging media and even changing their position.    Pressure from business concerned about the law's impact on Arizona's economy proved to be the bill's undoing.   Don't think Arizona has been alone in attempting to send civil rights back to the 1950's.   Other states with similar bills in the works reacted to the negative publicity by pulling back their own discriminatory initiatives.   Labeling this a "religious freedom" bill is just a smokescreen, akin to calling Southern opposition to civil rights fifty years ago a "states rights" issue.   The right wing has proven themselves to be the more extreme side of America's political equation.   Some have even made Russian president Putin a hero and even praised Uganda for trampling on gay rights.   What in desperation will they pull next?   

No Thanks To Putin

The Sochi Winter Olympics are officially over.   NBC had great ratings of its coverage, but I didn't watch any of the events.   Social media and news "spoiler alerts" kept many, including me, sufficiently in the loop.   Russia under President Putin proved itself to be inadequate for many hosting tasks which are now legend.   International tensions have escalated after Putin moved against so-called "gay propaganda" and made that already persecuted group a scapegoat to deflect from Russia's massive corruption, support of Syria's Assad and jailing of political opponents.     All the trouble in the nearby Caucasus region and in several former Soviet republics did cast a shadow over this outrageously expensive yet hastily constructed resort on the Black Sea.   Thankfully no terror threats materialized.   

 

There were positives.   The USA scored impressively in total metal count.   Athletes from here in Connecticut made us all proud.   Even in this stressed environment, inspiring stories of individual achievement and teamwork managed to shine through.    Somehow they always do.

A Troubling Pattern

Griswold Dog Pound - from The Bulletin

We've been down this road before.   What's changed?    It seems like only yesterday, but it must have been over five years ago when folks were calling in to our morning radio show with reaction to the reports of poor conditions at the Griswold Dog Pound.   I don't know about you, but stories about poor treatment of animals really disgusts me.   News stories depicting neglect or abuse or even that Animal Planet channel show Animal Cops are especially hard to watch.   It reflects on how we treat the most helpless creatures and in this case the image of a community.  

 

Griswold's Animal Control Officer has not been getting rich with what the town has budgeted for his salary.   Meanwhile, the physical plant at the pound is clearly in need of updating.   On comes a TV news story showing neighbors who want to help out, only to be confronted by an overly defensive sister of the longtime Animal Control Officer.   She was tending to the four dogs there while he was away, and it was clear she was acting way above her pay grade in any public relations capacity.   These willing volunteers are rightly upset over conditions there while their offers to assist have been stymied by town officials.   There should be a proper screening process for prospective helpers, but is there any doubt that their hearts are basically in the right place?   The problems here are nothing new.   Pay the ACO more, replace him, get community help, get the facilities past the standards of the seventies, publicize adoptable pets more, bring strays to a regional shelter or do all of the above.   Beyond the disturbing details, the most outrageous part of this sad story is the fact that the town has known about this for years and still waited for it all the news (and the fan) yet again.  

It Was Fifty Years Ago Today

Were you around half a century ago?   America was steeped in the throes of Beatlemania and the first wave of the British Invasion on this day in 1964.   The Fab Four had just arrived in New York City February 7, 1964 and were preparing for their February 9th performance on the Ed Sullivan Show.  There was no doubt at the time we were witnesses to the greatest moments in rock n' roll history that week.   I remember thinking their sound was the most exciting music to hit the airwaves in my childhood memory.   Sure, rock n' roll had already been popularized, but the original impact of Elvis and other early pioneers of the genre happened when I was only a toddler.    Although I wasn't initially a fan of the Beatles' mop-top hair, I was an enthusiastic convert to their music right from the start.   

Their timing was perfect.   We had just gone through the Kennedy assassination and the loss of the chief symbol of youthful energy and idealism.   The Fab Four filled a void in so many ways.   Flash back to the music charts right before the Beatles' arrival and you get an idea of how stagnant rock n' roll had become.   Bobby Vinton had spent weeks at number one with an easy listening standard that failed to speak to kids raised on Elvis, Buddy Holly or Bill Haley & His Comets.   For every Four Seasons, Beach Boys or "Louie Louie" there was the Singing Nun or Pat Boone.   The Beatles provided a rock n' roll infusion we hadn't seen since 1956. 

America Deserves A Raise

$7.25 an hour was considered good money while the minimum hourly wage was $1.85 forty years ago.   $7.25 was already considered low income by 1994.    $7.25 will not come close to lifting anyone out of poverty as the national minimum wage today.   These are not just kids getting their first taste of the workplace getting this hourly rate.   Many of these low income workers are adults over 30 with families to support.   The government subsidizes many service industry and other employers because their underpaid employees have to make up the shortfall with a variety of government assistance.   That amounts to corporate welfare while conservatives espouse the unfounded idea that paying a living wage will discourage employers from hiring.   Does anyone really believe President Obama's proposed minimum of $10.10 an hour will break Walmart or McDonalds?

 

They are the same ideologues who say keeping extended unemployment benefits will allow job seekers to get lazy.   Where's the evidence of this?   While they're mounting a lobbying campaign against the first minimum wage increase in years and blocking emergency unemployment compensation, they have no problem cutting food stamps while buying into the right wing talk radio propaganda that accuses America's neediest of bleeding this country dry.   The Pope, our President and noted economists like Robert Reich and others warn how income disparity has approached alarming levels.   We can't afford to assume they're wrong.   History is full of what happens when a tiny percentage of society controls an outrageous chunk of its wealth.     

"Lazy" Business Decisions?

Lazy Burrito, Mystic (The Day)

When Lazy Burrito came here to Colchester a few years ago, I thought the name was lame and based on negative stereotypes of Mexicans.   In spite of a restaurant name that needed more thought, I gave them a try.    It was not worth the money and I was hit with a hefty surcharge for adding guacamole.    When I left information there several times about direct mail advertising, nobody responded.   In fact, I never saw or heard advertising anywhere for this new business.    I was hopeful this new arrival would succeed, but my less than impressive firsthand experience coupled with their "lazy" attitude toward marketing made the news of their closing unsurprising. Lazy Burrito reopened in East Lyme in a store that had no atmosphere whatsoever and again no advertising.   The Mystic location didn't look too impressive, either.   Now all Lazy Burrito stores have been suddenly shut down as news breaks from The Day about how the owner received a $49,502 grant and a $100,398 loan under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's Small Business Express Program in June 2012.    This state aid yielded a net gain of three temporary jobs, and none of the loan has been paid back.   Why did State Representative Linda Orange of Colchester recommend this aid?   The owner had only been in business since 2009 with the now-defunct Gilbertie's Restaurant in Colchester.   The Colchester Lazy Burrito was opened next door in 2011.    The track record was - and is - questionable.   I hope this is not typical state management of this program.   There are other local entrepreneurs who have better business plans and deserve some help.    As taxpayers, we should get this loan money back.