Weekly Rant: 92.7 and DONE!<4/26/2009>

Recently the world of Salina Kansas radio has been a hot topic of debate on the message boards and everyone online has a take. People who are in the business and not in the business are talking. I recently had a good conversation with former KSAL newsman Dave Foor the other day about this very same topic. I don't see what the big deal is here, I understand that the people who now own 92.7 are doing things that people do not like or understand. I come at this whole thing from a different angle, I guess because I was doing other things in media before I got on at 92.7, so they are not on my mind 24-7 like some people online.

I have sat back long enough and finally I might as well jump into the pool. Hell someone I thought and was told day by day would never jump into the pool did this week. However, I look back on my time in Salina Radio for 3 years as a good experience. They way it ended still puzzles me, I do not want to to come on here and say I got canned or quit. That is up for Rocking M Radio and myself to know for sure. However, looking back on radio the last 3 years was cool, I had a lot of good experiences and a lot of bad one's. I started my journey on Salina radio when I was hired 1st day out as an intern for Eagle Media{at that time Radio central}. Basically right place, right time. The PD of the time, needed to fill a spot and since I was an intern, he could bring me along like everyone else. Soon, I was doing more than just interning for Radio Central. I got good training in board opping, putting callers on the air, basic stuff. I was a 2 hr a week gig, board opping became a 1hr a day with 1 hr of production. Soon that became 3-4 hrs a day with a music DJ shift on 92.7, then filling in for Brother Ken on the morning show.

When RMR wanted to go a different direction and they flipped 92.7 to all sports talk, they brought in a new GM named Danny Havel. Danny's a good guy and knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to make 92.7 sound like a major market power house. He had me make imaging and such for the station, we did teasers before the flip and then had a good sound. He wanted me to book guests, so I booked guests. I took it for what he wanted major guests from sports and beyond. Along the way, he dismissed people who did not see his vision for 92.7. Then one day we went from sounding like a national broadcast to some local am sports show. We went from having on all sorts of people to having on local coaches, talking about their kids. Then all my imaging suddenly changed and new stuff that I did not, nor was allowed to produce came over the air. I knew the writing was on the wall at this point.

One day I had booked former Olympic and world boxing legend Roy Jones Jr on the show. Now Danny and his new side kick/Pd knew that the guest was booked. Instead another guest was booked to be on. {Some softball or track coach, who could have been on any day of the week}. Now I knew Danny was pumped about having RJJ on, I was glad we were doing something, no one in town, even the state was doing. What happens is the PD{at the time, named Michael Erb} comes in there and is trigger happy with the booking, freaking out every 2 minutes about RJJ not calling, I began to badger the manager, eventually RJJ called and Danny had a good talk, then I was told to play music and cut them off because he had the coach waiting. WHOA!..I am not cutting off the guy who signs my checks and a legend, so some local yokel could call in about little billy. Not happening, eventually they wrapped and went to break, we got the local coach on, nothing got bumped or rushed. I knew that this was truly the end of the ride.

Eventually I lost booking power over guests and we ended up having joker local coaches day after day. I was on the verge of quiting, which they would have loved because had already picked someone to replace me. However, I stayed on as long as they let me. I was tossed a bone by them by being made PSA Director. WOW, big deal...some catchy title, that would have never gone anywhere. However, when the end did come, I was not shocked and just glad that I had 3 years of radio in Salina.
I do sit back and think, it comes in cycles, I went from being a working an hr or 2 a week and damn thing got back to that point.

I look back at having a good ride, we did lots of things, know what I was playing on The Zoo was getting calls and numbers and knowing that what Roxanne and I had started was getting over in the community. I helped to get Brother Ken out of a funk after he was told the zoo was going away. I got to accomplish many dreams and on many levels. I did a hell of a lot in radio. However, I hated to see The Zoo go away but I was at the same time, pumped up for the new Fan coming in. However, that soon dumped out by hiring some guy who did not know his ass from a stork on the desktop. I am sure the chuckle head that is Poptart will come after me some how. However, I will tell ya this, I can not tell ya so many times, why I did not deck you and shove your head threw that monitor on the desk in the studio.

Jiggy Jaguar
http://www.jiggyjaguar.com