A Firing Line

Monday, March 3rd, 2008 - Chicago, IL

Delicate situation at WLS today. Last Friday the company let go of 18 people and it was pretty ugly. Morale was low around the station and I could feel the tension in every corner of the building. Those who were left were in a dark mood and nobody was doing much of anything other than wondering if they were next. I know that feeling all too well myself.

I’ve been around several radio stations when the ax fell and after a while there’s a sixth sense that takes over and a person knows when it’s coming. It’s like how animals can feel an earthquake or tsunami coming. My old partner in Reno knew we were going to get our pink slips right on the exact day. I asked him how he knew that and he said ‘I just did.’

Radio is just an evil business all around. I love being on the air and that’s what hooks so many people but once we’re hooked the higher ups have us like a puppeteer and then they start the game of evil. The firings start soon after and it hurts like hell but it’s so much fun to be on air that a lot of people chase it like a drug. Comedy is better but radio is still fun.

Most of this round of firings weren’t on air people but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a next one. The company that bought the stations way overextended themselves and it’s a bad situation all around. They’re a public company and stock prices are way down so they have to figure out something to do to please the investors. Firing people is their answer.

This doesn’t affect me at all but Jerry Agar and Kipper McGee are in a tough spot. Both of those guys are great people and worked unbelievably hard to get a shot to work here at a legendary radio station. They make a great team and I hope and pray they don’t get fired if indeed there is an aftershock coming. Neither one of them deserve to lose their chance.

That doesn’t mean it won’t happen though. I didn’t deserve to get fired any of the times I did but that didn’t stop them from doing it. Jerry and Kipper are starting to win it was I who introduced them to each other several years ago. Having them get this far and begin to plant roots of success and then have it ripped out and destroyed would make us all sad.

That’s why I wanted to go in and do an extra good job today on our segment. The others stepped up too and we had what was probably one of our top one or two efforts. We had a rhythm going and it all fell together and even though it was only a 30 minute bit it helped Jerry to forget about the ugliness for a while. Nobody likes to see mass firings like this.

My little radio dabbles aren’t risking all that much. I do The Mothership Connection for fun and because it’s close to my house. I do Jerry’s Kidders because Jerry and Kipper and the other comics are my friends. Jerry and Kipper have families to feed. WAY different. I couldn’t see putting a family through this horror and it’s good in a way I don’t have one.

I also hosted the showcase at Zanies in Chicago tonight. It was just ok. The audience for the most part was not large or into it and all the comics basically survived their six minute sets. It’s been better in the past and will be again. The good news is nobody lost their job.