Re: Audio from format flip at "WWSR/LIMA" to "WWSR/WFGF-LIMA" ...
Phil:
Good to hear from you, and I'm glad that you are back in the industry that you love after being out for as long as you have.
I'm going to work my way backwards/back and forth through your post, and work my way up to reply to what you had to say since there is a lot of ground to cover.
I'm glad you respect me and what I do, I truly do. I have about the same, if not more respect for what you do as well...but, DO NOT start in on me about me posting things like this when, if memory serves me right...you yourself (and other exclusive station staffers at that particular point) were on the air at "WILD 93.9/WLWD-LIMA" crosstown at more than one point (and on message boards as well) ripping Maverick Media, their programming, and their listeners (remember the things ripping Maverick that you as an OM in charge of an entire group of employees allowed on the air in regards to Justin Kase's sexuality and the "attention 1301 North Cable Road" liner and so forth on the WILD airwaves?)...
...now, you're singing all of their (Maverick's) collective praises.
So, if you're going to give me slack for posting what I did (and we're speaking of facts here), maybe you should really consider the old wives tale of "the pot calling the kettle black". Bottom Line Phil...stop being a hypocrite!
Now, as far at it goes with my TV colleagues informing me of the changes, I knew about two-and-a-half, to three months ago that these changes were going to take affect. In fact, I knew the day after the programming meeting was over that discussed it...a little bit before you were working in the building. I was informed about the changes and so forth by someone who was NOT my father (shooting down your theory)...and that's as far as I'll go with that.
From what I understood, the original plan was to have the changes happen around the Late April/Early May time period, and the only reason it didn't was because of a storm that came through and knocked out thousands of dollars of equipment. So, when the time finally came to launch these stations to their respective new programming and formats, Maverick basically "winged it". Not that I personally have anything against "winging it", but when it comes my professional belief in "winging it"...it's a big no-no...
...which leads me to what I'm going to say next.
Explain to me how an official launch could take place at 6 AM when a group/station chooses to change and flip the format(s) at midnight? ...it doesn't happen that way. When a format is flipped, it's flipped, and that's it. When a radio station(s) starts playing a new format of whatever it may be, that's when the official launch happens. A format doesn't flip at midnight, then officially go live with the "new format" at 6AM. That's completely backwards and asinine. When it flipped, it flipped. If it screwed up and didn't happen the way it was supposed to, then it screwed up and didn't happen the way it was supposed to. Accept it!
In regards to slandering engineers and so forth, I would like to challenge you to show me where I did this? ...because, I didn't do it. I never in any way, shape, or form, incinuated that Mark Gierhart had anything to do with the problems that happened, and I CHALLENGE YOU to show me where I said that...because, as I said before, I didn't.
Mark Gierhart is a (excuse my poor grammer here) HELL-UVA engineer. I have nothing bad and/or negative to say about him at all, and never had/have. Quite frankly, next to Fred Vobbe/Richards and Dan Dietz, Mark Gierhart is probably one of the smartest, most intelligent engineers that I have ever met. He knows his job, and knows how to accomplish what needs to be done.
Now, since it sounds to me like you want to try and spin what really happened to bow to the will and need of your corporate masters Phil, let's look at this from the "realistic" standpoint, OK?
Is it Mark Gierhart's fault that things happened the way they did? ...NO!
Is it Mark Gierhart's fault that Maverick Media management poorly planned a format change and left him (Mark) to fix their own faults?...NO!
Is it Mark Gierhart's fault that the mis/dis-organization of the changes that were to take affect happened live on the air for the entire market to hear?...NO!
Now, I would like to break down a quote of yours and analyze it...
"After planning this for 3 months, none of the wiring was as he predicted, so everything changed on the fly"
Is that Mark's fault that the format flip(s) was poorly planned and poorly executed?...no, it's not.
Who's fault is that...yours? ...NO, it's not.
So answer my question Phil, who's fault is it?
...think about it.
I never at anytime, or in any way, said that it was his (Mark's) fault, and I challenge you to show me where I said that!
Since you want to give advice to me Phil, I have some advice for you too.
Before you start accusing me of something that I didn't do and/or say, think before you speak/type. I may be married and tamed down now from what I used to be, but there is a big difference between when you knew me "then" (when we knew each other years ago), and the way I am "now"...there is a BIG difference.
I'll leave you to fill in the blanks yourself and come up with your own conclusions and assumptions as to what those differences may be! :=)
Stay up, be good, and be blessed...
