Clear Channel Layoffs: When Radio becomes property and not about product

…people don’t matter and radio goes to shit.

The announcement of Clear Channel Radio canning 1850 jobs across it’s radio, outdoor and corporate divisions didn’t come as a real surprise. Since Clear Channel is the largest conglomerate of radio stations in America it will be certain that many of my friends in radio will be losing there job.

Mark Mays can blame the economy all he wants but “Radio” and the way that Clear Channel plays “Radio” is what is bringing financial collapse to the Radio Giant. Quality broadcasting is gone. One thing that large corporations don’t understand is that most of the money is made locally and there are no more local radio personalities. Everything is voice over and stretching the already exhausted talent to 20 other markets to save money doesn’t create the fan base needed to attract people to listen.  I’d rather listen to my iPod or internet radio.  Some of my friends will disagree with me but i believe that terrestrial radio is going to die a slow painful death…unless they create a reason for people to listen in.

I told a friend that there was going to be a huge corporate backlash two years ago. No one believed that it would happen but there were more and more lay offs and the on air jobs were given to hacks that probably couldn’t get a job on college radio.

I feel sorry for the mediocre talent in the market right now that are losing their jobs because there really is no place else for them to go. There’s only room for a couple of “cheesy” announcer types for used car commercials.

Mark my words and bookmark this page. The idiots at the top of the corporate food chain will finally realize that they have to bring Radio back to the locals and then the locals will begin to give back to Radio…with their wallets.

Let’s just basque in the celebration of history

Literally 20 years ago when Jesse Jackson ran for the presidential nomination I was told that I would never see a Black President in my lifetime…that America wasn’t ready to give the reigns over to a Black man.

Twenty years later I still don’t understand that statement.  America is always ready to be a leader no matter who is leading the country.  How is it that South Africa a nation that had tried to crush the will of the black man since before Ghandi could elect Nelson Mandela before we would even think about electing an African-American.  We are the leaders of freedom and democracy and we should be the one’s leading by example.

I am not a democrat but I want each and everyone of us to bask in the glow of history being made this very day…Tuesday, January 20th, 2009.  Nine years after the turn of the century… history has been made that the American public elected freely an African-American man to the highest office in the free world.

It is a cause for celebration that we have evolved into a real democracy that allows everyone no matter who they are to chase their dreams if they have the determination, patience and intelligence to know what they want…and can keep their eye on the prize.  Barack Obama is a symbol for what Americans can accomplish no matter what the odds.

I have always been proud to be an American and today I am especially proud.  I have put a side my political differences to honor history and to basque in it’s celebratory glow.   God Bless America!

The Gay Bishop and Obama…this needs to stop.

When are we going to stop bickering about this insane controversy involving Pastor Rick Warren, Obama’s pick to bless his swearing in ceremony and Bishop Gene Robinson. Just because the Hollywood establishment supported Barack Obama doesn’t necessarily mean that they need to get their dirty little hands all over everything that Obama is doing.

Rick Warren is against Gay Marriage, so what. Is America going to completely fall apart because he says a prayer for Obama. If Gay America wants to get married than get for Gays elected and start changing the laws yourself. Don’t think that you can buy straight politicians to do your dirty work for you.

I don’t lean either way on Gay Marriage because I’m not big on marriage anyway…that’s why I’m not married. People get so caught up in the bullshit that they forget that love is love, no matter what. If a man loves a man, a woman loves a woman and a man loves a woman, it’s all love and no piece of paper is going to legitimize it…I don’t care how many prayers you say.

My Christianity says that homosexuality is a sin…my Christianity also says that I need to love my brothers and sisters no matter what their flaws and sins. I’d rather love my fellow man…it definitely beats the alternative.

Instead of trying to use confrontation as a tool why not use our brains to come to a comfortable solution for everyone…there has to be a win-win-win somewhere.

AmericanForest.org has got to be the dumbest non-profit I’ve seen

This is stupidity beyond the usual stupidity that I encounter. American Forest is a non-profit organization who’s cause is basically saving the forests of America. I would hope that within those forests the people at AmericanForest.org would know that there are “trees” that make up most of the forests we have here in America. Not a hard concept to grasp especially when you’re in the business of saving forests… I would hope…but that hope was dashed one day when a friend of mine who supports American Forest received a “postcard” form them asking for him to donate money to help save the forests…and that every dollar helps plant a tree.

Did you read this correctly? A postcard was sent to my friends home…not on recycled paper but on a glossy stock made from the very trees his money is supposedly helping to save. This absolutely confused the shit out of me. How is it possible that an organization that is raising money to save the forests and I guess the trees in those forests would send a “postcard” made from the very trees they are protecting. It’s like asking a pedophile to go door to door raising money to protect children from child abuse and molestation. Give me a friggin’ break!

“American Forests works to protect, restore and enhance the natural capital of trees and forests.” is the tagline and I guess mission of this organization.

It doesn’t take long to see that the organization doesn’t care how many tree’s it cuts down and uses for paper products because their website shows all sorts of tree by products such as; calendars, an American Forest Magazine, and precious American Forest “note cards”…but remember…”Every $1.00 Plants a Tree.”

Have supporters been so naive that they didn’t realize that this organization is taking money from them and damaging the very same forests they are bound to protect.

Watch my video to about the whole situation.

Lest we Remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I grew up in probably the most racist town and around some of the most racist people as a young boy where the word “nigger” was used as a disgusting punchline.  There weren’t black people in my school until I was in eighth grade…and even then the family had to sue the school to allow them to attend.  I was very young and didn’t understand the “politics” behind the stupidity…that was for grown ups to worry about.

Many of the smaller towns and villages (it seems kinda strange to write villages) like Ridgefield, NJ didn’t allow blacks to live or even pass through their municipality.  On more than one occasion you would see a policeman with a car pulled over on Broad Ave or my street Shaler Blvd and it usually had a black man or men inside.

I once asked an acquaintance of mine who happened to be a patrolman why the majority of cars pulled over were blacks and his statement shocked me, ” one, we don’t want these people here, they bring property values down…and 9 out of 10 times blacks have “marijuana” in there possession”, all I could think of was Holy Shit.  This was 1980.  I was still in High School being taught about American history and how Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated because he believed that we should all live together in peace… but this bigotry still had fuel…in 1980.

In my youth I boxed for a club out of Union City, NJ that had guys from everywhere, Blacks, Latinos, Whites and I never knew a better family environment than in some of my boxing friends homes.  I was often jealous to see how their parents really cared about them and supported their endeavors.  A far cry from where I came from.

On this day that we celebrate the great Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday please look into your own heart and remember that everyone has a dream and the color of his/her skin should never suffocate that dream…

Here is Dr. King’s famous “I have a Dream” Speech.

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