Bob Andelman's Article Archives

Send Carlos Pena to the 2009 All-Star Game!

2009-07-07T09:28:00.000-04:00

Find New Mr. Media Posts...

2009-04-25T14:35:00.000-04:00

Wondering where the latest Mr. Media audio interview have gone? They're all at http://www.mrmedia.com or http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mrmedia ! Come on over and see us there!

You can also follow Mr. Media on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/andelman !

Copyright 2008 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!
Some stories may appear in unedited versions that are different from their print counterparts.

Hayes Ferguson, LEGACY.COM chief operating officer: Mr. Media Audio Interview

2009-03-23T11:45:00.001-04:00

Natasha Richardson (via last.fm)

Dying sucks—for those left behind, that is. Not sure yet what it means to the deceased.

There are all the feelings of sadness and regret, things left unsaid, things left undone. We’re always looking for ways to express ourselves and our emotional when a loved one passes.

The Internet, of course, has the answer.

Legacy.com is the permanent resting place for expressing all the thoughts and emotions you have for the deceased. It’s also a place where we can share our grief and memories with other mourners—some we know, some we don’t.

And when a celebrity dies—as occurred with actress Natasha Richardson just yesterday—it becomes an online gathering place for admirers and fans to learn more about the individual as a human being.

Joining me today to talk about Legacy.com is its chief operating officer, Hayes Ferguson.

You can LISTEN to this interview with HAYES FERGUSON, the chief operating officer of LEGACY.COM, by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player above!

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

http://ping.fm/apWEj

Al Jean, "THE SIMPSONS" executive producer: Mr. Media Audio Interview

2009-03-22T13:38:00.001-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

Here’s math that even Bart Simpson won’t need a chalkboard to figure out:

“The Simpsons” is > “Gunsmoke.”

That’s right: thanks to a new two-year renewal, “The Simpsons” is about to blow past the ancient western as the longest-running primetime series in American television history.

And my guest today, “Simpsons” executive producer Al Jean, has been there for every episode—plus a feature-length movie.

You can LISTEN to this interview with AL JEAN, executive producer of "THE SIMPSONS," by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player above!

http://blogtalk.vo.llnwd.net/o23/shows/show_444997.mp3

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

http://tinyurl.com/cot4gh

Chris Hansen, DATELINE NBC, TO CATCH A PREDATOR NBC News correspondent: Mr. Media Audio Interview

2009-03-22T11:39:00.001-04:00

Chris Hansen

Who’s afraid of Chris Hansen?

You? Really? And you? And… you? I’m sorry I asked. Boy, you think you know people!

Hansen, one of the best-known reporters at NBC News and “Dateline NBC” skyrocketed to prominence as the host of “To Catch a Predator.” If you’re preying on underage boys or girls, you don’t want to see Chris Hansen walking the steps to your front door.

This week, Hansen and the “Dateline NBC” team are taking on America’s latest national trauma: the failing economy. If I were this recession and I knew Chris Hansen were gaining on me, I’d give serious thought to changing my ways.

You can LISTEN to this interview with CHRIS HANSEN, NBC News correspondent on DATELINE NBC and TO CATCH A PREDATOR, by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player below!

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

http://ping.fm/gUIsW

Tatyana Ali, FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR actress: Mr. Media Audio Interview

2009-03-21T09:37:00.001-04:00

Tatyana Ali (via last.fm)

There are some guests on this show that I really want to interview. And then there are those with whom I look forward to conversation but what I’d really like to do is spend 30 minutes just soaking in how good they look.

Take a peek at a picture of Tatyana Ali and see if you know what I’m thinking right now!

But because it’s likely my wife of 20 years is listening in the next room, let’s get this interview in gear.

Tatyana Ali is best known for her role as Ashley Banks on “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” from 1990-96 in which she played Will Smith younger cousin. She has since moved on from child star to adult actress, appearing with Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd in Kiss the Girls; D.L. Hughley and Morris Chestnut in The Brothers; as well as performing in Glory Road and Nora’s Hair Salon II.

She also has a career as a singer going back to her 1998 debut album, Kiss the Sky. She opened on tour for both the Backstreet Boys and N Sync.

More recently, Tatyana has recorded a new album, The Light, for release this year and she will appear in a new movie, Mother and Child, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Naomi Watts.

All that, and she’s also guest hosting at Acme Comedy Theatre in Los Angeles this Saturday night, March 21. Stick around and I’ll tell you how to order tickets.

But enough of me talking about Tatyana—time to hear from her.

You can LISTEN to this interview with TATYANA ALI, co-star of the TV series FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR and the upcoming film MOTHER AND CHILD, by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player below!

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

http://ping.fm/y6OnD

J, HELL'S KITCHEN w GORDON RAMSAY eliminated chef: Mr. Media Audio Interview

2009-03-20T13:44:00.000-04:00

Chef Gordon Ramsay image by jo-h via Flickr

“Hell’s Kitchen” is must-see TV in Mr. Media’s house and it has been since the first episode of the first season. We’re also hooked on Gordon Ramsay’s “Kitchen Nightmares” and the British versions of his shows, too..

Which is why I look forward to frequently speaking with the latest eliminated chefs on “Hell’s Kitchen,” which airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Fox. If you haven’t sampled the show yet, do get a taste. It’s delicious nonsense!

Joining me this morning is J, the seventh contestant to whom Chef Gordon Ramsay has uttered the fateful words: “Take off your jacket.”

You can LISTEN to this interview with J, the 7th eliminated chef on FOX's "HELL'S KITCHEN," by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player above!

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

http://ping.fm/3BXUP

The Amazing Kreskin, THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD film inspiration: Mr. Media Audio Interview

2009-03-19T10:55:00.001-04:00

Image by ClevelandSGS via Flickr

If you’re old enough to remember “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” and “The Mike Douglas Show,” then you’re old enough to have seen a lot of The Amazing Kreskin.

When Kreskin is a TV talk show guest, you see well, AMAZING things happen. Wherever his skills and talent come from doesn’t really matter to me; he’s always entertaining.

But don’t just take my word for it—take the word of Tom Hanks. He’s the producer of a new feature film adapted from Kreskin’s life. Titled The Great Buck Howard, it opens on March 20 and stars John Malkovich as Kreskin—I mean Howard—and Colin Hanks as his assistant. Tom Hanks is also in the film.

You can LISTEN to this interview with mentalist THE AMAZING KRESKIN, who inspired the film THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD, by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player above!

http://blogtalk.vo.llnwd.net/o23/shows/show_454707.mp3

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

http://tinyurl.com/crp28g

Rene Syler, Barack Obama Inauguration BET co-host: Mr. Media Interview

2009-03-18T16:43:00.003-04:00

Image via Wikipedia

If your name is Rene Syler, this is probably a pretty good week.

In the midst of preparing to co-host B-E-T’s live coverage of the Jan. 20th inauguration of Barack Obama, it was announced that Syler—a former co-host of the CBS “Early Show”—would be returning to regularly scheduled television programming as host of a new show, “Live Large, Spend Small.”

But that can’t be any more entertaining than the show she does now on her Facebook video log. She comes to us directly from Good Enough Mother World Headquarters in New York.

You can LISTEN to this interview with RENE SYLER by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player below!

http://ping.fm/QwhlO

Vik Sahay, CHUCK NBC-TV co-star: Mr. Media Interview

2009-03-18T16:43:00.001-04:00

When last we saw Lester, one of the morally challenged Buy More employees on the NBC spy comedy “Chuck,” he was making more than eye contact with fellow employee Morgan’s girlfriend, Anna.

Morgan saw them and was heartbroken. Anna, had it even worse: she was repulsed.

Poor misunderstood Lester.

Doing somewhat better, I suspect, is the actor who plays Lester, Vik Sahay (Sa-High), who joins us this morning to talk about one of Mr. Media’s favorite shows, “Chuck.”

You can LISTEN to this interview with VIK SAHAY, co-star of the NBC-TV show "CHUCK," by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player below!

http://ping.fm/SlU4u

Joan Van Ark, "KNOT'S LANDING," "MY NAME IS EARL" actress: Mr. Media Audio Interview

2009-03-17T18:50:00.000-04:00

Joan Van Ark image via Wikipedia

Joan Van Ark Audio: http://ping.fm/sJ15k

Joan Van Ark is a beautiful woman, an iconic television actress thanks to 13 seasons playing Val Ewing on “Dallas” and “Knot’s Landing.”

So what on earth is she doing as a guest star on “My Name Is Earl”? Today, we’ll investigate.

You can LISTEN to this interview with actress JOAN VAN ARK, who guest starred on "MY NAME IS EARL" and starred on the TV series "KNOT'S LANDING," by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player above!

Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

http://ping.fm/3bv5y

Will Eisner: A Spirited Life Audiobook Exclusive--Ch. 20: Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons of Watchmen

2009-03-05T10:13:00.000-05:00

Cover of Watchmen

In 2005, Will Eisner: A Spirited Life, Bob Andelman's authorized biography of the late American comic book master, was published by Dark Horse/M Press.

This spring, the audiobook version of the book will finally be released via Audible.com and iTunes.

In celebration of “Will Eisner Week” (March 3-7, 2009) and the release of the much anticipated film adaptation of Watchmen on March 6, 2009, Tampa Digital Studios agreed to release an exclusive audio excerpt of Will Eisner: A Spirited Life for broadcast on the BlogTalkRadio.com network.

Beginning at 10 p.m. ET on March 5, 2009, you can listen to the excerpt here: http://tinyurl.com/bqkk7e

Chapter 20, from which this excerpt comes, deals with Watchmen creatorsAlan Moore and Dave Gibbons reminiscing about creating the first issueof Will Eisner’s The Spirit: The New Adventures. It was their first collaboration in a decade, since the publication of the original Watchmen comic book series in 1986.

Will Eisner: A Spirited Life audiobook is narrated by the book’sauthor, Bob Andelman. It is produced by Michael Piotrowski andengineered by Joshua Agnew for Tampa Digital Studios.

Will Eisner: A Spirited Life

Mr. Media's audio interview with Dave Gibbons

Cover of Watchmen

In 2005, Will Eisner: A Spirited Life, Bob Andelman's authorized bioraphy of the late American comic book master, was published by Dark Horse/M Press.

This spring, the audiobook version of the book will finally be released via Audible.com and iTunes.

In celebration of “Will Eisner Week” (March 3-7, 2009) and the release of the much anticipated film adaptation of Watchmen on March 6, 2009, Tampa Digital Studios agreed to release an exclusive audio excerpt of Will Eisner: A Spirited Life for broadcast on the BlogTalkRadio.com network.

Chapter 20, from which this excerpt comes, deals with Watchmen creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons reminiscing about creating the first issue of Will Eisner’s The Spirit: The New Adventures. It was the first collaboration in a decade, since the publication of the original Watchmen comic book series in 1986.

Will Eisner: A Spirited Life audiobook is narrated by the book’s author, Bob Andelman. It is produced by Michael Piotrowski and engineered by Joshua Agnew for Tampa Digital Studios.

Will Eisner: A Spirited Life

Mr. Media's audio interview with Dave Gibbons

Construction Firm Survival Tips (Tampa Bay Business Journal)

2009-01-11T09:25:00.002-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

(This story originally appeared in the Tampa Bay Business Journal in March 1994)

By Bob Andelman

Two common sense rules explain how the Tampa Bay area's most successful construction firms survived the late 1980s and early '90s: 1) Stick to what you know. 2) See No. 1. Tom Empric, president of Walbridge Contracting Inc. ($114.75 million in 1993 local revenue) in Tampa, remembers what happened when the company tried circumventing the rules during a tight market. "We tried to enter a market in which we did not have experience -- jails," he says. "We hired an individual to present our services to the state and counties. We failed because we didn't have a portfolio of jail experiences." That was enough for Empric, who was entirely persuaded the public markets were not his company's best bet. "We stayed out," he says. "The margins on public projects were too low. We stayed focused on health care and multi-family where we had a successful track record." Few of Empric's counterparts admit taking less than successful paths during the recent recession, but no one denies competition increased dramatically and for a few, times were tough. "Certainly, the past two years have been difficult," says Roger Jennings, president of Federal Construction Co. ($22.4 million) in St. Petersburg. "But did we do anything different? Fundamentally, no. There's always an opportunity for a quality contractor. There's been fierce competition and there still is." Federal was purchased in 1988 by London-based Trafalgar House, PLC, an international construction entity with strong expectations of its Tampa Bay operation. "They want us to grow and we must go outside Florida to do that," Jennings says. "So we have a project in Texas. And we acquired a firm in Pittsburgh." Health care is Federal's primary focus and Jennings chased work in that field more zealously than ever before. "When things get tough you've got to be careful what you do," he says. "You can't present yourself as all things to all people. Why would owners choose somebody who's never done that work before?" Meaning Federal never considered trying, say, jails? "I'd think (Walbridge would have) been able to figure that out around a conference table" long before a representative ever hit the field, he says. "Owners want to be sure the contractor's team is qualified and experienced. They're making the teams show credentials and qualifications. It used to be all you had to do was show up with a proposal and bond. Those days are over." One guy who didn't sweat the recession: Randy Simmons, president and CEO of R.R. Simmons Construction Corp. ($23 million) of Tampa. How did he survive? "By hoarding our money in the early '80s," he says, laughing. Simmons' bread and butter business has been working directly for end-users while other general contractors focused on the endangered species of developers. "A lot of those guys took it in the teeth," he says. "We focused on owner-occupied buildings for Solomon Brothers and Johnson & Johnson. Those people didn't leave the market like spec developers did, so when everything else dried up we still had a core business." If anything, over time, Simmons says he's become more picky about jobs, even when it meant passing on work. "We figured out a long time ago we could not be everything to everybody," he says. "That's tough for contractors who are volume-driven. But in order to satisfy our clients, we had to be here when the tough times were over." That long-term strategy paid off at least once: 12 years ago, Simmons put up a building for Hav-A-Tampa in Sabal Park. When it was time to expand their office space, the company called on Simmons again. "I would rather sit back on our capital base and look for the right opportunity," he says. "Dogs chase cars. They don't know what to do if they catch 'em. Late in the development crisis, there were a lot of people who didn't know what they were doing." By sticking with what he knew, Simmons stepped up. "If we were good at building warehouses," he says, "we went to the next step and did manufacturing centers. If we did offices well, we stepped up to data centers." Knowing what his company does well and where it fits into the marketplace keeps Lonnie Hawkins' Hawkins Construction Co. ($35 million) in Tarpon Springs on top. "As our reputation grew, we did a lot of work for the same customer base over and over again Ñ Wal-Mart, Publix and Circuit City Ñ and stayed busy with that clientele. We didn't have to get in the trenches with the rest of the troops. We've not suffered like other people." It helped that Hawkins' major retail clients grew during a period when shopping center construction in Florida came to a general halt. But 1990 and 1991 were still less than stellar years for Hawkins, although he never gave up. "We played offense, not defense," he says. "We were aggressive. We didn't let anybody go. We tried to work smarter, more efficiently, and it paid off." One more thing the contractors would put on a list of universal survival rules: 3) Don't spend money on advertising. "I'm always amazed by the contractors who advertise blindly," Randy Simmons says. "When somebody's going to sign a multi-million-dollar contract to build, they're not going to do it off an ad." Contractors differentiate between advertising and marketing. Slapping an institutional ad in a business or trade journal might aid long-term name recognition for the firm, but it's not what closes contracts. "We treat clients right," says Reza Yazdani, president and CEO of G.H. Construction Co. ($42 million) in Tampa. "And we use their references to get more work. We never stop marketing. We constantly market, for immediate construction, for future construction. That way we always have a project coming up. The busier we get, the more marketing we do. Some companies, the busier they get, they slow down on marketing. But a year later, when the projects end, you're out of work." He'll get no argument from Walbridge's Tom Empric. "You need to stay focused on customer relations," Empric says. "It's so expensive to find new customers. When you find one, you have to satisfy his needs so he comes back to you. We concentrate our marketing dollars on people, to make personal contact. Putting out an ad Ñ a lot of people see it, but how many of those people are interested in buying construction services? So our advertising budget is very limited." Yazdani has a survival rule of his own. "I don't play golf," he says. "I have a friend who says, 'Let's go fishing.' I say, if I spend five hours fishing or playing golf, I may lose a job worth thousands! There is no fish worth thousands of dollars. People have to learn to enjoy their jobs, not just their hobbies."
Copyright 2008 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Cleveland Wheeler Profile (Players)

2009-01-10T09:21:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia(I used to write a bi-weekly column, RadioRadio, for Players magazine in the Tampa Bay area. The following story appeared in 1990.)

By Bob Andelman

Say what you will about Cleveland Wheeler, but for 10 years he was the king of the airwaves in Tampa Bay and recognized as one of the geniuses behind the Q Morning Zoo, one of the most successful, enduring morning radio shows in the history of the industry.

After 9 a.m. this Friday - October 19 - he'll be moving on from his a.m. perch on Q105 for another AM - WRBQ's sister station, 1380 AM. Or, more likely he'll head for greener pastures in another city.

RadioRadio conducted an exclusive interview with Wheeler last week. Here's what's happened so far, followed by comments from Wheeler and Q GM Mike Horne:

o Edens Broadcasting, parent company of Q105, elected not to renegotiate Wheeler's contract beyond its remaining 15 months. His current deal expires in December 1991.

o Wheeler had a meeting with executives of the station in which they gently inquired what he might do after the zoo had run its course, if he had any ideas. If you could do anything at all, he was asked, what would you do?

o The next day, Wheeler had another conversation with the brass. This time he was informed that Mike Elliott would replace him as host of the Q Morning Zoo. Wheeler was offered a position as host of a new morning show on 1380 AM, which would no longer simulcast the Zoo with Q105.

o Q105 issued a press release on Oct. 4 announcing that Mike Elliott would join the Q Morning Zoo. The release - received by industry publications several days before the local media - made no mention of Cleveland Wheeler.

o A partner for Elliott has been hired but had not been named by press time.

o Zoo sidekicks Bill Connolly - who has a one-year contract - and Shauna Stevens - who has no contract - will be retained on the Zoo.

What's ironic in all this is that Wheeler, 42, was off the air for two months earlier this year in a ploy that essentially forced the station to choose between him and afternoon man Mason Dixon, who was also operations manager. The two had been locked in an intense, distasteful, public spitting match for years. Q105 shocked many observers when it fired Dixon and the rest of his air staff/program managers, Brian Christopher and Bobby Rich. Slowly, the rest of the air staff - with the exception of Wheeler and Ron "Night Train" Lane - also departed. A new promotions director, John O'Rourke, came and went in a matter of months.

The station went without an air personalities for a time as the music format was retooled and modernized. New slogans were introduced: "A Better Mix of Music"; "Just Q It." Wheeler came back on the air but the process of hiring a new slate of air talent to fill out the rest of the broadcast day took six months. In the interim, even the loyalist of listeners lost patience and began spinning the dial in search of fresh sources of entertainment.

The Q's ratings crashed and burned. The brash Power Pig won a rash of new listeners early on but couldn't maintain its inordinate gains. More and more disaffected Q listeners became full-time fans of their second choice stations, including WUSA (101), WNLT (95.7), WXTB (98) and WYNF (95).

Somewhere along the line, WRBQ's honchos lost confidence in Wheeler.

I asked Wheeler if he doesn't now wish the station had fired him along with Dixon in March - rather than let him dangle in a still wind for six months.

"You have to believe the people pulling the strings are making the right decisions," he says. "I thought, once the smoke cleared, those in charge would make sure we were doing the right thing. You have to have blind faith. ... I don't know if they needed me to fill a gap, a recognition factor, but I wish they had been more upfront with me. 'You go your way, we'll go ours in a few months.' I don't know why they went through all these meetings (to renegotiate a contract) with me and then two months later decide not to renegotiate. I can't help but think this was on their mind then."

Q105 General Manager Mike Horne says it was never his intention to build the station around Wheeler after Dixon, Bobby Rich and Brian Christopher were fired in March.

"You never win when you build around one person," says Horne. "The reason we brought Cleveland back - we didn't let any people go because of what they were doing on the air. It was because they were the management team. Cleveland was the only guy on the air who wasn't part of the management team. There wasn't any thought not to bring him back."

Horne says Wheeler's contract is too expensive to simply be bought out.

"You got a quarter of a million dollars in your pocket?" he asks. "We paid Mason off because there was no way he'd report to someone over him. We're paying a guy (Wheeler) to do mornings and we're hopeful we can realize something from that investment. Just paying him off and letting him go his own way is like throwing money down the toilet. We're not in a position to do that. We're hoping he'll look at it as a challenge."

Wheeler disputes the $250,000 figure, incidentally.

"It's more than that," he says without elaborating.

This won't be the last time I describe Horne as the most second-guessed man in Tampa Bay.

"I probably will continue to be," he admits. "I have no problem with that as long as the results are there in the end."

Horne says the fragmenting of the old Q audience - particularly the inability of a single station to attract the bulk of former 105 listeners - creates a window of opportunity for Mike Elliott and the new Q Morning Zoo.

"There was ample opportunity for any number of stations to drive a stake through our hearts. Nobody did it. That's going to prove to be a mistake, long-term," says Horne.

He won't say it directly, but there's no mistaking Wheeler's feeling that the station's moves are a cold slap in the face after a decade of building the Q into a money-making, community-driven radio station, one of the best-known and richest in the country.

"It's like a divorce," he says. "We just don't love each other anymore.

"I don't know if 'respect' is the right word. I don't know if there's a lot of recognition of what's been accomplished here. The Zoo - it happened so long ago they can't conjure up the feeling. They forgot the Museum of Broadcasting (which enshrined Wheeler and the Q Zoo a few years ago), the community, the household name, the magic. ... We lost some of that magic. Along with that may go the respect, the recognition and the how-to, the soul.

"I think these people are just passing through a troubled phase that they haven't experienced for a decade. They're trying to undo the wrongs and make sure the rights are extra-right.

"Philosophically," says Wheeler, "I perceive (Edens Broadcasting VP of Programming) Garry Wall probably has a certain sound in his mind for the station. I believe that going back to square one for Q105 ... They should have made stronger moves to integrate the music so it would appeal to the 25 to 54 audience they fragmented so badly."

As late as Saturday, Oct. 13, Wheeler hadn't had direct talks with anyone in management at Q105 regarding his future, although his agent has had ongoing conversations with the station's attorneys. It's possible that by the time you read this, Wheeler's contract may have been bought out or some agreement reached to end his employment immediately following his last broadcast on Friday.

Or ... Oct. 22 could be a new chapter in the never-dull saga of Cleveland Wheeler, Tampa Bay radio personality.

"It's our intention to air dual morning shows," says Horne. "I'm not saying Cleveland is a bad morning personality. The direction the station is taking and Cleveland's contract are growing apart. What do we have to lose by having Cleveland on the AM? Our intention is to move Cleveland to the AM. It won't be a Zoo. It'll be a more mature show in music and presentation. We have a commitment to Cleveland that runs through December 1991. Our goal is to have him create something for us that will get some listeners on 1380 AM."

"I will accept whatever assignment they give me," says Wheeler. "This is kind of a Mexican standoff. I'm going to sit here and collect my money."

In other words, it takes two to make a contract and one to break it. Wheeler isn't going to be the one to blink.

"That's what I'm saying."

Don't confuse intentions and desires, though.

"Anybody who would deserve to be kicked off the FM and go to the AM and start a prototype would be an idiot in terms of his career," says Wheeler. "I don't want any of my comrades to think, 'He's all washed up.' You do what you have to do. I have a lot of other options out there I could pursue rather than disappear into a closet. Anyone can determine AM is not one of the places you turn to to listen to music unless it was recorded in a garage. I might do myself considerable damage if I thought I was going to create something that would cause people to go back to AM and shut down FM stations.

"If I were (Q105 management), with this new guy coming in, and I wanted this to be clean and neat, I'd want to make a deal. If it were me, I'd be gone this week."

What if Wheeler balks at the AM assignment?

"This decision is in his hands," says Horne. "We don't run a slave labor camp. We can't force the guy to work. We intend to continue paying him to do a morning show."

Horne may or may not be bluffing on the AM assignment. It's hard to tell.

"People will listen to hear what Cleveland has to say," according to Horne. "Cleveland is a very intelligent person. He is extremely opinionated and very articulate. If it's a good program, they'll listen. Does it have a chance to succeed as (well as) a good FM does? Probably not. But if we get a 1 or higher, it increases the value of our product tremendously."

The plan is to have Wheeler on AM in the morning then revert to simulcasting the FM the rest of the day. "If this works," says Horne, "it might be the launching of the AM. One of my long-term goals at this radio station is to figure out a way to maximize the value of that AM signal. Two years from now, we will not be simulcasting."

If Wheeler does turn up on the AM, don't expect the usual bells and whistles, tookie birds and elaborate production bits.

And don't expect a talk show.

"Talk is kind of a grinding thing," says Wheeler. "There was a time when we built a lot of numbers on talk and controversy. We were the best talk show in town. But then the seasons changed and people said, 'Shut the fuck up!' I don't think I could do talk all the time."

Music will be the name of Wheeler's game, a return to his roots if he accepts the compulsory assignment.

"But who listens to AM for music?" he wonders. "The quality isn't there. You've got all those Cubans beating against you, and Radio Marti."

Wheeler says phone gags will be a thing of the past.

"I won't have a phone. There's a pay phone down the hall. And I won't be using the coffee machine because it costs 10 cents a cup if you're not on the FM. And I'll have to pay a quarter to use the FM bathrooms since I'll now be on the AM."

But seriously, Cleveland ...

"The question to me was, if you could do anything in radio, what would you do? ... It's going to be music, an alternative from the humdrum. If you're tired of hearing the same 15 country, CHR or AOR songs - it'll be different. Probably a little more subtle and cerebral humor. I want to get away from produced humor. I want to get back to people. I'm going to ask listeners to participate in the show, musically. What have you got in your library? Let's play it. Why not have a reggae day? A Beatles day? The best jazz - sometimes I listen to the Wave - do they know what jazz is? For once you might hear Cleveland Wheeler keeping his mouth shut. I might change my name. I might have a new name everyday. ... When I told them this, they said, 'Hmmmm.' When I next spoke to them and they said I was going to be replaced, they said, 'How would you like to go to the AM?' So this, I assume, is what I'll do."

If he does make the band switch, don't expect fireworks, TV advertising campaigns or direct mail brochures. Know he's there or forget about him.

"How long is Cleveland supposed to do this?" wonders Wheeler. "What happens after 15 months if I bring the ratings up to a 4? (It's currently less than 1.) Do I continue?"

Reaction! Here's what the local radio industry thinks about the Cleveland Wheeler/Q105 situation:

Marc Chase, program director and morning team member, WFLZ (93 FM): "I expected it. I knew it was happening. The people running the station have been at odds with Cleveland and wanted his removal. (In fact, the Power Pig ran a "Q Can Cleveland Countdown Calendar" in which listeners picked the date Wheeler would be fired. Winner got a trip to the Bahamas.)

"When we (the Power Pig) came on, Q was a great station. They were great news/talk, CHR, AC, sports. They were wearing so many hats ... You can't be the number one station to everybody everyday anymore. You have to find your core. But Q105 has completely blown off their core. We came in very focused, very driven. It was easy to create a niche. There was a win/win situation available for both of us.

"Their theory - what I'm told - they felt if they stayed where they were, we'd broaden and we'd be in a world of hurt. Then they decided to imitate the Power Pig. Musically first, and then they brought in DJs to imitate the Power Pig, but not as good.

"I don't think they did anything positive from day one. The brightest person they had was (former program director) Randy Kabrich. He was the first person they asked to leave.

"The Pig was the catalyst. The release of Mason Dixon was the writing on the wall. There were internal rivalries. Garry Wall arrived and he and Mason didn't get along and he and Cleveland didn't get along.

"I think they're down to the last line of defense by getting rid of Cleveland. I expect them to make a change.

"I've got a feeling somebody's going to put out a book on marketing and go back to 1990 when one of the great faux pas was made."

Jon Pinch, president and general manager, WNLT (95.7 FM) and WHBO (1040 AM): "I don't quite understand it. I guess they're desperate. We beat them for the first time 25 to 54. I attribute that to a lot of growth from their old listeners.

"As far as this move with Cleveland - the guy from Orlando is part of a team. I don't know how he'll do by himself.

"Cleveland was gone for two months. They changed the format on him. Listeners had to wade through music they weren't fond of to listen to Cleveland's humor. Then he didn't fit in with their scheme.

"Cleveland was a class act. He's an excellent radio talent. I think taking him off the air is another mistake. I'm starting to feel sorry for them. At first it was fun. Now it's strange.

"If he does the AM bit, he won't be there very long. He's too good of a talent to waste his time and mayhem on a .1 share.

"In our business, they say if a competitor comes after you, hold your ground. (Q105) over-reacted and did strange things. It obviously hurt them. Their billing is probably one-third what it was. They were a dynasty. It hurt us in the past because Q105 was so dominant with their personalities. Now it's a whole different radio station, fresh personalities, fresh slogans. I'm more concerned about (competition from) other people. They're history."

Shawn Portmann, vice president and general manager, WYNF (95 FM): "I was never the kind who, when I was in a fight and the other guy was down to kick him. I think he's a decent talent. Maybe he got away from got him there, but as an individual talent, he's okay. He got out of touch.

"I would imagine he would be hard-pressed to - financially - find something equal to what he has with Edens. You don't come off an 0-and-10 season and get a higher paying job. He might want to make something happen on the AM and then go out.

"I wish the guy well. I hope things begin to go right for him."

Blake Lawrence, program director and afternoon personality, WHVE (102.5 FM): "I wasn't surprised. Noooooo. Not at all. I thought he would leave, just from being frustrated.

"I know him. He's a nice guy. Cleveland has done a good job, he's done a lot for the community, a tremendous amount. He's good for the community because he's really wired into it.

"I think he's been great. I don't know that I'd let him leave.

"It seems they've taken a long time to put an air staff together - probably too long - and it's showing in the ratings. And they're playing too much dance music. They're over-serving a narrow audience."

Greg Mull, program director, WXTB (98 FM): "The couple times I listened, there wasn't any magic left at all. Obviously it had to be great at one time to get the numbers (Wheeler) had.

"Self-destruct is what they did. Even though the Power Pig came in, they did things to drive themselves down further. I've never seen a station do that. When they changed their music, I was surprised.

"All I can say is I hope they bring in somebody good and it takes off fast. Because I think this market needs a real good Top 40 morning show."

Scott Robbins, program director and morning personality, WYUU (92 FM): "The only thing I can say is ... unbelievable. The whole thing is unbelievable. Unbelievable! (Laughs.) Oh, God! (More laughs.) I don't know what to say. You have to wonder if they haven't shot themselves in the foot a second time.

"Mason - I'm sure he'll be kicking his feet in the air.

"I wish Cleveland luck. I respect anyone who has achieved what he has."

Three Little Pigs Update! Marc Chase is remarkably forthright in assessing his Power Pig morning show in light of Wheeler's departure.

"We aren't as good as we can be," he says. "We have to improve our morning show. Jack, Doc and I have to get better. Getting us to jell is something we work on everyday.

"Right now, Ron & Ron are it. They're not undefeatable but they've done great work."

Adieu to You! Blake Lawrence is the latest air talent to announce his departure from the Wave (WHVE 102.5 FM). At press time the station's program director would only hint he was headed for a "major market programming job," but wouldn't say where.

"I've been here for four years. I hate to leave," he says. "But it was a great opportunity that I couldn't pass up."

Call Letter Change! As we suggested it might several weeks ago, Sports Radio 910 has changed its call letters and address. Goodbye WPLA and PLAnt City. Hello, WFNS in Tampa!

Cripes, More Q News! Michael Osterhout, Q105 GM during its glory days and now president of parent company Edens Broadcasting during its continuing nightmare, was reappointed as chairman of the National Association of Broadcasters Group Radio Committee for 1990-1991.

Elsewhere! Scott Shannon's "Pirate Radio" ratings are in the dumper out in Los Angeles. Cleveland Wheeler's former partner and co-founder of the Zoo literally fell off the map in the latest book. ... Shannon's syndicated "Rockin' America" countdown show has moved from Q105 to the Power Pig, incidentally. It can now be heard Sunday mornings from 7-10 a.m. ... Tim and Tom, the nighttime tag team at the Power Pig, refer to the Q's Johnny D as "Johnny P." And we hear the staff at the Q themselves call him "Johnny P.P." ... Yes, folks, all the important news, you'll read about it here, first. ... Speaking of Tim and Tom, it's true, they were almost on their way to Dallas. Marc Chase was even soliciting air check tapes to find a replacement. But now the T-boys have decided to stick around. ... Wheeler's departure from the FM leaves only Ron "Night Train" Lane as one of the oldtimers. "He's a pro," says GM Mike Horne. "He'll be there as long as he wants to be." ... WEND (760 AM) has picked up University of Tampa men's basketball and St. Petersburg Pelicans baseball for fall broadcast. UT games kick off Nov. 19. The End will also carry a coach's call-in show every Thursday at 6 p.m. beginning Nov. 15. ... We hear W101 news gal Kelly Dobbs plays polo with Gay Culverhouse of the Tampa Bay Bucs and goes on fox hunts. ... Again, all the news that spits. ... WHVE (102.5 FM) has begun an all-request hour starting weekdays at 1 p.m. Other station programming notes include the live Acoustic Alchemy broadcast from the Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth, Tx. on Oct. 30 at 10 p.m. ... Anybody remember Jones & Hairdresser, the short-lived morning team at 98 Rock? They've gone back to New Haven, Ct., from whence they came.

Please, Mr. Postman! You probably know the address and fax number by heart, judging by the volume of mail we get. But for any latecomers in the crowd, here's where to reach us: RadioRadio, c/o Players, PO Box 1867, Pinellas Park, FL 34664. The fax line is (813) 578-1400. Remember what Casey says: "Keep your hands in your pockets and keep reaching for the stars!"

Chris Thomas Profile (Players)

2009-01-09T09:18:00.000-05:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife By Bob Andelman (Originally published in Players, August 1991)

The green blinking light is pressed.

"Bobby from St. Pete, you're at bat. Take a swing!"

"Okay! I was at the airport the other day and Phil was there. He's getting on a plane going to Newark. I said, 'Hey, Phil! Good luck!' He said, 'Yeah, we're going to do it!'"

For those who don't know the players on a first-name basis, Chris Thomas explains to the rest of his listeners that "Phil" is Phil Esposito, president of the vaporware Tampa Bay Lightning.

"I have to think the National Hockey League is losing its patience," opines Thomas, host of WFLA 970 AM's "Tampa Bay Sports Line." "It has been two months."

"He looked really nervous," reports Bobby from St. Pete. "I wondered if you have an update?"

"Naah," says Thomas, waving his hand in disgust as if Bobby from St. Pete could see it. "Because the NHL doesn't believe in the First Amendment and free speech, the league has a gag order in place."

Bobby from St. Pete, satisfied, hangs up.

Thomas, 43, looks across the WFLA studio to his engineer in the next room, explaining to him on the air how the name Bob is a palindrome because it is spelled the same way backwards and forwards. Only Thomas can hear Jesse's response in his headphones, but he tells the engineer, "Jesse, you are not a palindrome, you are a meathead."

Four nights a week, Tuesday through Friday from 6:30-8 p.m., WFLA-TV Ch. 8 sportscaster Chris Thomas gives up his dinner break to spend 90 minutes talking to listeners on WFLA radio. It's worth it, both to him and to listeners. There is no more commanding presence and personality in local sportscasting on either TV or radio. Thomas has all the elements, from a voice dripping with sarcasm and bombastic exuberance to an encyclopedic knowledge of sports and a devil-may-care attitude.

Moments before the radio show begins, he and his producer, Kevin, discuss upcoming guests.

"I thought we could get (former Colts quarterback) Earl Morrall," says Kevin. "Did you ever talk to him in Baltimore?"

"Oh, sure," says Thomas. "I know Earl."

"Good talker?"

"Are you kidding? Guy's in his 50s, still wears a crewcut!"

When the show starts, Thomas chats up his listeners a bit to warm up. "We're going to have a special guest whose name escapes me," he admits, cracking himself up.

During the first commercial break, Thomas confesses his only gripe with Tampa Bay sports fans: they're too passive.

"They tend to sit back and listen," he says. "We know they're there. Sometimes I have to kick 'em in the butt. Sometimes I say, you're killing me, you're going to get me fired, my daughter's not going to be able to go to a good college ... Then they call."

Even when they do call, Thomas says area sports fans don't have the same fire in their belly found in Boston, New York, Chicago or Baltimore. "You listen to callers in big cities, they're brutal! Rabid! They're passive here," he says. "There's a latent audience of Bucs fans that want to go berserk, but what's to go berserk over? It's the worst team in the league."

Back on the air.

"Is our guest on the phone yet?" Thomas asks Jesse. "He's not? Play the music. I have to get my notes." Turning off his microphone, Thomas thumbs through his bulging briefcase and asks the engineer: "What's our guest's name again?"

The man's name is Cliff Charpentier and he's just published his eighth book on fantasy football. Thomas knows the game well and makes conversation easily. Despite his bluster, he never hesitates, never takes more than a breath between one solid question and then another.

Charpentier does not light up the phone lines and Thomas grows bored. While the fantasy football expert drones on, Thomas turns off his microphone, coughs, and says, "Guy's pretty exciting." He then closes his eyes and his forehead bangs into the microphone, as if the sportscaster has fallen into a deep coma.

The feeling is not held back from his listeners, either. "Thank you for being on the Sports Line, Cliff," says Thomas, disconnecting Charpentier. "Exciting guy, that Cliff," he says, laughing. "Not quite in the Hoyt Wilhelm league ... "

Former knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm played Major League Baseball far later in life than most athletes. Thomas interviewed him one night for the show. "It was dreadful," he recalls. "He kept doing this (clears his throat, with great difficulty) before answering questions. I thought he was going to die. First of all, why did you come on the show if you're going to die? And if you're going to die, don't take me with you."

Thomas never set out to be in broadcasting. His mind was set on journalism until he accidentally walked into the campus radio station at the University of South Carolina. "I heard this guy doing sports. He was horrible! I turned to this guy and said, 'He's horrible! He stinks! You ought to fire him!' He said, 'Who are you?'"

But Thomas won an audition and bulldozed his way on the air, working as both DJ and sportscaster. He worked in radio for years, in South Carolina and Baltimore, adding TV later on. This isn't the first time he's worked both media, either.

Back to the phones.

The blue computer screen to Thomas's left indicates the name of each caller, their sex, topic of interest and how long they've been waiting. Cellular car phone callers usually get through quickest.

Mike from Clearwater: "I think you and Tedd Webb should get off Ray Perkins' back."

Thomas: "Hey, I haven't mentioned his name in two days!"

Some callers are better than others, of course. They require the host's full attention. That's when Thomas puts down his latest Marlboro, his eyes narrow and focus on a point beyond the microphone, talking to it like the caller is actually in the room.

Thomas, like other talk show hosts at WFLA, has his regular callers. Kerry is distinguished by his horse laugh. Bill has a very distinctive voice. And Bill is a retiree from Detroit. Thomas prefers "open phones" to interviewing authors and minor celebs, which makes the job seem more like work.

Physically, Thomas is different than you'd expect from seeing him on TV. Instead of the de rigeour jacket and tie, he shows up at the radio studio in his golfing clothes, yellow shorts and multi-colored polo shirt. And where TV makes him look pudgy, he's not. Thomas is tall, thin, tanned and taut. The camera, she lies.

Six calls later - and discussion of Arena football, Hugh Culverhouse, the Seattle Mariners behind him - it's 7:55:01 p.m., time for the Fat Lady to sing.

"This is a marvelous country, ladies and gentlemen," says Thomas as Kate Smith's version of "God Bless America" comes up behind him. "It's a land that I love ... Stand beside her, and guide her ... From the mountains, to the prairies ... "

A year ago, a listener sent him a tape of Kate Smith singing "God Bless America." Thomas used it to close the show for a week or two as a gag. When he stopped, listeners demanded her return. Now WFLA promotes Chris Thomas and Kate Smith as "America's Sweethearts."

"Everybody needs a signature," says Thomas with a shrug. "Not only that - it shortens the show by three minutes!"

Program Notes! Upcoming on WMNF 88.5 FM's "The Women's Show": "Return of the Goddess," narrated by Merlin Stone (8/17, 24); a call-in with author Diane Stein (8/31). The show airs Saturdays at 10 a.m. ... WQYK 99.5 FM/1010 AM is carrying the Tampa Bay Buc games on both AM and FM. If you missed the first two games, you'll be surprised at how well former Buc David Logan makes the transition to the broadcast booth. ... "Live with the Governor" - you know, Lawton Chiles - airs Aug. 20 at 6 p.m. on WTKN 570 AM. The guv will be taking calls. ... WUSF 90 FM will carry John Adams' new opera, The Death of Klinghoffer, on Aug. 31 at 1:30 p.m. It is about the murder of handicapped cruise ship passenger Leon Klinghoffer aboard the Achille Lauro in 1985.

Attention All PDs! Former 95 YNF disc jockey Robert Reed asked RadioRadio to get the word out that he is still in town and looking for work. Reed, 29, has deep roots in the Tampa Bay area, having been on the scene since 1982. He and his his wife own a home in St. Pete and are looking for an opportunity to stick around. If you'd like to contact Reed, call Players at (813) 578-1400 and we'll pass it on.

Calling All Gators! Mick Hubert, voice of the University of Florida football Gators, will appear on WTKN's "Tampa Bay Sports Hour" throughout the upcoming season. His first appearance will be Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.; thereafter, Hubert will appear every Monday night. WTKN is also carrying Gator games and the "Gator Football Report," Monday through Friday at 7:53 a.m. and 6:23 p.m., as well as "Gator Hotline" with Hubert and Coach Steve Spurrier, every Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

95 on the Move! WYNF FM made several changes in its special programs. The new line-up:

Mon.: "Fresh Trax," 11 p.m.; "Rockline," 11:30 p.m. (Jethro Tull, 8/26; David Bowie, 9/2)

Tues.: "Rock 'n' Roll Six Pack," 11 p.m.

Wed.: "Wednesday Night Live," 11 p.m.

Thurs.: "Local Licks," 11 p.m.

Fri.: "Headbanger's Block," 11 p.m.

Sun.: "In the Studio," 8 a.m. (Grand Funk Railroad, 8/18); "Radio Clash," 8-10 p.m.; "Powercuts," 10 p.m.-midnight.

Jay Marvin Update! The boisterous, opinionated late night talk host at WFLA recently devoted his entire show to an expose of the Liberty Lobby, which owns the Sun Radio Network and WEND 760 AM. The program was pure theater and we heard folks talking about it for days.

Speaking of Marvin, he placed another poem, this one with the Nihilistic Review.

Wanted! Reader Kevin Coldiron collectors radio station promotional materials. If you have any to buy, sell or trade, drop him a line at 11401 9th Street N, #305, St. Petersburg, Florida 33716-2310.

Dittos! U92 DJ Al Cruise did a tremendous job as public address announcer of the Tampa Bay Storm this season. One more reason we'll look forward to the team's return next summer.
Copyright 2008 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Charlie Logan Profile (Players Magazine)

2009-01-08T09:13:00.000-05:00

(I used to write a bi-weekly column, RadioRadio, for Players magazine in the Tampa Bay area.
The following story appeared in 1991.)

By Bob Andelman

Mr. Mojo Rising

Hey, Charlie Logan! You've just been named program director of the most popular rock 'n' roll radio station in town! What's the first thing you're gonna change?

"We're going to take it radical jazz/new wave!"

The Charlie Logan/PD era at 95 YNF has begun.

The Charlie Logan/DJ era at 95 YNF is at an end.

For every yin, there is a yang. Even as Logan began celebrating his promotion, he began hustling behind the scenes to find an on-air replacement for himself. WYNF needs a full-time PD and Logan will not be on the air much longer.

"It could be as little as two weeks or as long as two months," says Logan. "People are being interviewed, we've started accepting tapes. I don't know who's going to replace me and I don't know when. The problem in replacing me is I was on the air 10 years and I was out all the time in the community at events."

(RadioRadio hopes to hear Russ "Boy-in-the-Box" Albums get the afternoon slot. He'd make an excellent driving-home-from-work/stuck-in-traffic companion and smooth transition from his pal Logan.)

Logan says he'll maintain an on-air presence, continuing to host "Radio Clash" and "Live at Morrisound," filling in for vacationing jocks, whatever. "People won't say, 'Whatever happened to Charlie Logan?' My voice will be on the radio station. They might forget my name," says Whatsisname, "but they'll remember the voice."

As for the PD's job, Logan is "floating." "I'm pumped," he says. "I'm very, very pumped. This is the job I've wanted for a long time. I'm happy (General Manager) Shawn (Portmann) had the confidence I could do it because I certainly do."

Since 1982, Logan has played the role of second banana at the radio station, assisting program directors Carey Curelop (twice), Mark Larson and for the past 18 months, Tom Marshall. In recent years, his duties also included those of music director.

"I think with his 10 years of being with the station, it's the right move," says Portmann. "He's been such an integral part of designing the station for the last 10 years, now he'll be in a major position for the next 10 years. Many of the things we have done have been out of Charlie's creative mind. That's a real winning attribute. The 'Radio Clash' show is an example. This guy can excel in the position."

"My attitude is Carey, Part II," says Logan of his approach to the job. "Carey and I are very similar in approach, in attitudes, the way we dress, the way we wear our hair, the way we address people. He's probably the most respected PD out there. I learned from the right guy."

Patiently for all these years, Logan - he of the rough-hewn, whiskey-soaked voice - waited for his chance. He came on particularly strong in the last year or so even as then-PD Tom Marshall was stalling out. Logan made little-known and rarely heard local bands hip for a wide listening audience through his innovative "Live at Morrisound" programs. And even before that, "Radio Clash" on Sunday nights at last gave national bands on the cutting edge a local showcase. Logan even added a daily "Dash of Clash" to his Monday-Friday afternoon night drive show.

So while Marshall was clinging to the classics and the station's "heritage," Logan was pushing 95's sound into the '90s. The two efforts were bound to cause a rash.

Nobody is saying why Marshall and the station announced that he had "mutually resigned." Although a super nice guy, he had for months been rumored to be at odds with station personnel who thought it was time for the station to push ahead with rock's new generation and away from artists now old enough to be grandparents.

"Both of us agreed it was time to do other things," Portmann says of Marshall's departure. "I'm sure he's going to be real successful at whatever he's going to do."

As for Logan, he says he'll stick to the straight-and-narrow. "We're just going to try and do it better," he says. "Nothing different has happened, nothing different will happen except a re-dedication to be the best. I know it sounds corny, but that's what the move was about. One thing YNF has always been and will continue to be is consistent. That'll be the same. We've always played the best rock 'n' roll from the past and the best of the new. Something I've always been dedicated to is pushing the limits of the format without sacrificing the economics that are necessary to be in existence."

But when pressed, the new PD admits there may be an opening in the format for a few more new sounds. For instance, when asked if there could be less classic rock played per hour, he answered, "That could be a possibility.

"What I see is drawing on our heritage to continue to push forward into the '90s," he says. "I think there's a place for heritage and a place for the '90s. I'm a 37-year-old guy who likes both the Rolling Stones and Suzy & the Banshees. I think AORs are more open to playing bands like Jesus Jones or School of Fish. In the past, programmers were afraid of bands with names like that. Unless we want to be an old, boring station, we have to play the best the '90s give us. If that's new material by Jesus Jones, so be it. If that's new material by the Doobie Brothers, so be it. We'll play both. We're not going to let the new scare us.

"We're reaching out," says Logan. "We're saying to the community - 'We love music.' On the 'Wax Museum,' you're going to hear the blues. You're going to hear Frank Zappa. On 'Clash,' you're going to hear something weird. These are things most radio stations don't do."

The betting here is that Logan will be a breath of fresh air at a station that has been too predictable for too long. Change won't come overnight, but it's going to come.

"Predictability will not be a part of this station in the sense of being boring," says Logan. "It will be in the sense of when you punch up YNF, you know what you're going to hear. But it's not going to be 'Satisfaction,' 'Beast of Burden' and 'Miss You on every Stones block. I guarantee you that.

"I hope the listeners continue to respond," he adds. "PLEASE! I need the gig. ... And look out 98 Rock!"

SPEAKING OF WHICH! Hey, 98 Rock PD Greg Mull! Your old pal Charlie Logan just became your PD counterpart and arch-rival. What say you?

"I think it was a great move. It was a move Charlie definitely deserved. He shouldn't have been passed over the last time. He's the most deserving person and I'm glad he got it. I see in Charlie a real bright guy."

PROGRAM NOTES! The live third hour of "Tampa Bay Rocks" on 98 Rock (Sundays, 11 p.m.) is off to a weird start, following Deloris Telescope's farewell appearance one week and Cast of Nasties' disintegration the next. Live radio - you gotta love it! We hope appearing live on stage at the Rock-It Club while being broadcast live by 98 isn't akin to the curse of being on the cover of Sports Illustrated. By the way here's the July line-up: Bleeding Hearts (7/7); Uncle Sally (7/14); Stranger (7/21); and Silent Scream (7/28) ... Also on 98, "The Pit" was extended a third hour on June 29, its first anniversary. The heavy metal show now airs every Saturday night from midnight until 3 a.m. ... WTKN 570 AM has lopped off an hour of its local origination sports programming in favor of more CNN Headline News. Dominic Cornelia and "Sports Edge" are out and Mike Sharp's "Tampa Bay Sports Hour" will continue in the 7-8 p.m. nightly slot. ... Topics on this month's editions of WUSF 90 FM's "Taylor Made Piano," hosted by Dr. Billy Taylor, include "Swing" (7/6); "Pre-Bop" (7/13); "Bebop" (7/20); and "Cool, Third Stream and Progressive Jazz" (7/27). ... WHBO 1040 AM has given up the ghost of oldies in favor of simulcasting its sister station, Mix 96. The roll call of local simulcasts grows: Q105, W101, WQYK and now Mix 96. Maybe 95 YNF was too hasty in selling WSUN?

MARS NEEDS WOMEN! Here's a look at special topics scheduled for July editions of WMNF 88.5 FM's "The Women's Show," heard every Saturday at 10 a.m.:

July 6: Studio performance by musician Patty Sanophy of Easy Street; interview with Gita Mehta, author of Raj

July 13: "Women in Politics - The Next Step?"

July 20: Interview with Petra Kelly, co-founder of the German Green Party

July 27: A pre-concert look at the work of singer/songwriter Dianne Davidson

THERE ONCE WAS A GIRL FROM PUCK! Jay Marvin, late night talk show host at WFLA 970 AM, has placed his third poem with the prestigious San Fernando Poetry Journal. His work is political and social in nature.

MORNING MOUTH! There's a great profile of Big Apple radio personality Don Imus in the June 24 edition of New York magazine. And the cover photo is pretty sharp, too.

WRITE! Mailbag's been a little thin lately. Send us a note, will ya? The address: RadioRadio, c/o Players, P.O. Box 1867, Pinellas Park, FL 34664. Or fax us: (813) 577-1414. And a special note to radio air personalities: don't rely on your station's promotions people to send us your photos. Because they haven't. Do it yourself.

Richard Catalano (Pinellas County Review)

2009-01-07T08:36:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia (Originally published in Pinellas County Review, November 1994)

By Bob Andelman

Divorce is a grind, a mountain of heartache, with no happy endings, just dysfunctional survivors.

And that's just the lawyers.

Richard T. Catalano, one-half of the Clearwater firm of Clark & Catalano, has handled simple, uncontested divorce cases as well as bloodbaths since passing the bar in 1985. He's seen an endless parade of adult clients who throw tantrums like 3-year-olds and who think nothing of spending $500 in legal fees to gain custody of a $50 knick-knack. He's endured more than his share of conversations that end with "I'm going to get him/her!"

The emotional strain began showing on Catalano three years ago. That's when his wife, Shara, convinced him he needed to broaden his legal horizons. "You seem miserable," she said.

She was right.

Knowing Catalano to be a frustrated musician, Shara suggested they start going out to nightclubs so he could blend his personal and professional interests. "See which bands have potential," she said. "Maybe you can represent them."

Music saved Catalano. He took an interest in three bay area alternative rock bands, Clang, Men From Earth, and Edison Shine, eventually being hired by each to perform some type of legal work. His most enduring relationship, however, has been with Clang.

"They were what they call in the industry 'undeniable,' " Catalano said. "I started going to all their shows; I became a Clang groupie. At a music conference, the leader of the band, Paul Reller, came up to me and said, 'Will you represent us?' I said, 'I thought you'd never ask.' "

Catalano, a graduate of Stetson University College of Law, began enjoying the law again. He joined the entertainment and sports law section of the Florida Bar and became a regular at its meetings. He bought the four-volume Entertainment Industry Contracts. Meanwhile, the young attorney immersed himself in the local music culture.

Catalano, having become a band intimate - the "Fifth Clanger" - wasn't satisfied with the speed of Clang's ascent to stardom. he started his own record label, Rump Roast Records, and issued Clang's 20-song LP, Pol Pot Pie, on 3,000 CDs and 1,000 cassettes. Among the collected chestnuts are original songs including: "Chump Funk," "Triple Homicide," "Hooray for Hollywood," "Dog Man" - about a triple murder in Rochester, N.Y. - and "Shroud of Urine," the last a musical report on the contraceptive device RU-486. There's also a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love." Billboard called Pol Pot Pie "dazzling."

"He's definitely part of the team," said Paul Reller, lead singer and guitarist for Clang. (Reller "daylights" as a professor of composition and director of the electronic music studio at the University of South Florida in Tampa.) "He's a great guy, real enthusiastic about music. And lucky for us, he has some affinity for our music. He keeps the machine running; he's like the central nervous system for the business aspect of the band. He contributes probably more than is apparent."

There's no indication from the walls in Catalano's office or his desk that his career interests vary so much away from divorce proceedings. The only clue is the CD/cassette boombox behind him, a Clang CD already queued up. Hidden away in a drawer is his collection of CD and cassettes, most produced by local musicians. And if one even hints at interest, Catalano can instantly provide a band bio with newspaper clips, performance reviews and mentions of its many awards.

"This is not your normal garage band," Catalano said. "I wouldn't be involved with them if they were. Unless they were great."

Catalano won't say how much cash he's invested in the band except to say "it's been a very expensive lesson." He spends an average of 20 percent of the business week on entertainment-related work, although it doesn't come close to that percentage of his billings. The work includes writing exclusive recording agreements for small record labels, band member partnership agreements, incorporation and d/b/a papers, and product contracts for record producers. "I get their legal house in order," he said. "Most bands I meet haven't even gotten their fictitious names registered."

So far, he still farms out most copyright and trademark work. It's an uphill struggle convincing some bands they even need to copyright their original material and register it with the Library of Congress.

These are the general duties he accepts for client bands. For Clang, he goes a step further, shopping their CD around to major labels in New York and Los Angeles, getting their music heard by people who can do Clang the most good. (In mid-September, the quartet recorded big band tunes behind Tiny Tim for a CD to be released in early 1995.)

Catalano won't reveal the nature of his financial relationship with the band except to confirm he will recoup his investment in Pol Pot Pie if the band's fortunes rise. "It's a gamble," Catalano said. "It was a long-shot that I was willing to take because I believe in the band. If Clang takes off, there could be a lot more music on Rump Roast Records."

Besides his investment, Catalano's very career could change dramatically if Clang hits the big time. He very much wants to expand the entertainment law portion of his business because divorce, while lucrative, is eating him up inside. His partner, Gregory D. Clark, is glad to see Catalano find some distraction from his regular practice.

"This is something he really enjoys," Clark said. "And he's got the dynamic personality for it." Clark, a real estate transaction attorney who described himself as "slow and cautious," said Catalano is anything but. "Richard is just the opposite, the person who gets things done. He's one to push for closure on things. It's a concept more lawyers should adopt."

Catalano accepts divorce clients to pay the bills but takes entertainment work for fun. "Realistically, entertainment will only supplement a law practice because musicians never have any money," he said. "They live a good lifestyle because they gig left and right, but they get paid in cash. The only ones who make any money are the ones who play weddings. The ones who play The Ritz or Gasoline Alley, they make $100, $300 a night. They're not in it for the money. They have stars in their eyes."

Of course, so does Catalano, the second of three sons born to retired Defense Department attorney Joseph J. Catalano. The elder Catalano was the greatest influence in his middle child's decision to become a lawyer. "He's the smartest man I've ever known," Catalano says. "He said, 'I have a lifetime of experiences. Where you're going, I've been.' He always warned me the law was a paper chase. A paper nightmare. And he was right. As usual."

Catalano, a 33-year-old Bronx native who speaks with great speed and animation when the subject moves him, is known in family circles as a peacemaker, the great negotiator. "I would always rise to the defense of one brother or friend," he recalled. His mother, Victoria, teased him about it: "Who do you think you are, the public defender?" The nickname - The Public Defender - stuck.

"He never used to take sides in arguments," said Rich's older brother, John Catalano, a certified public account with Broad & Walls Asset Management in St. Petersburg. "We grew up in New York City playing hardcore, nitty-gritty baseball and football with another family, the LoBiancos. We would knock each other around. Fights, inevitably, would occur. Rich would always be the problem-solver, not the aggressor. He would always try to work out a peaceful resolution."

You can take the boy out of New York but you can't take the New Yawker out of the boy, apparently, said Catalano's long-time friend and Stetson classmate, Jeff Cosnow, a Palm Harbor attorney. "Rich is from the Bronx and listening to him talk about it is like somebody bragging about the old country. It's like an ethnic identity for him," Cosnow joked.

Another friend, Tampa real estate attorney E.J. Richardson, said that Catalano uses Big Apple-ese to his advantage. "He's very forthright," Richardson said. "Always lets you know where you stand. He doesn't mince words and he doesn't waste a lot of time."

"Growing up, I always thought it would be fun to be a lawyer," Catalano said. But after being hit by shrapnel for nine years in the divorce war trenches, he's had second thoughts. "Law wasn't what I thought it would be. I thought, when I started practicing, that law was what was in the law books. What I found out was law was whatever the particular judge says when you're in front of him."

The rules appear especially grey around the edges of divorce, where the cases have already been emotionally draining even before they ever reach court.

"Coming from as strong a family as Richard does," Richardson said, "it wears him out seeing so many people who don't take their relationships as seriously as you do. The fact that Richard would tire of it shows he's a human being, not a machine."

"I'm a firm believer: Everybody loses in divorce," Catalano said. "A lot of people, in a divorce, don't want a fair distribution and fair settlement. They want to punish. I am not the person for them. I had a case that went on for about two years! We settled it on the eve of trial. I felt good; these people needed to get on with their lives. They channeled all their energy and money into the divorce when they had three kids who needed their attention. When it was over, I was very happy for them, but especially for their kids.

"There's a lot of coping involved," he said. "I cope through my family. I'm a happily married man: I love my wife and I have an angel for a son. That's how I cope with it."

Probably the last career Catalano will want for his own son, Neal - born on Jan. 8 of this year - will be as a lawyer. If anything, he hopes to see Neal in the music biz. "One day," Catalano dreams, "he'll take over the helm of Rump Roast Records from me."

BAY LAWYER FILE

Name: Richard T. Catalano

Title: Partner, Clark & Catalano

Birthplace/date: Bronx, N.Y., Dec. 26, 1960

Marital Status: Married

Children: Neal, 9 months

Pre-Law: Father, Joseph J., was a contracting officer/attorney for the Defense Department in Manhattan; Mother, Victoria H., was a homemaker. "She was always there." Moved to St. Petersburg when Catalano was 13; he's a 1978 graduate of Lakewood High School.

First Law Job: Clerk for Benson & Schwartzberg, St. Petersburg, 1984

Subsequent Career: Joined Benson & Schwartzberg after passing the bar in '85; Started own practice, April 15, 1987; Formed Clark & Catalano with Greg Clark in June 1992

Biggest Victory: "Putting out Pol Pot Pie with Clang. Actually getting an album out is more difficult than any lawyer can think."

Biggest Disappointment: "The realities of practicing law."

Lawyers Most Admired: "My father, Joseph J. Catalano. And my partner, Greg Clark, is the best lawyer I know."

Favorite Law-related Book: . . . And Justice For All

Favorite Band: The Beatles, Clang

Car Safety Tips (Redbook)

2009-01-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

Image by José Goulão via Flickr

(The following story was published in Redbook in early 1993.)

By Bob Andelman

Car safety in the '90s means a lot more than seat belts and air bags. These days, getting in an accident may be the least of your worries.

Tiffany Cantue, 22, had just strapped her 13-month-old son into the back seat of her Chevy Camaro, put her keys in the ignition and was closing the car door when the Portland, Oregon, manicurist dropped something. As she reached under the car to pick it up, a man pushed her to the ground. The thief drove off with the car, unknowingly taking Cantue's son, Diont-e (CQ), along for the ride.

"I ran for two blocks chasing him," she says. Cantue's faith never flagged that Diont-e would be returned to her, and he was. The car - with her son safe inside - was found unharmed 12 hours later.

Pamela Basu was less fortunate.

The 34-year-old Savage, Maryland, research chemist was taking her 2-year-old to day care when two men forced their way into her unlocked car at a stop sign. As they pushed her out from the driver's seat, Basu became entangled in the seat belt. The suspects dragged her alongside the vehicle for two miles. They left the baby by the side of the road, still in its car seat. Then they shook Basu loose by driving along a barbed-wire fence.

The baby survived; the mother didn't.

Basu's violent death - the U.S.'s most notorious carjacking incident - directly influenced the passage of a federal anti-carjacking bill. It sets stringent penalties for carjacking - a hybrid crime which generally combines armed robbery with grand theft auto - including a mandatory 15-year jail sentence for the crime and a life term if the crime resulted in a death. Unfortunately for Basu's case, laws such as this one can't be applied retroactively. The FBI estimates that by the end of 1992 there were four pending federal carjacking cases.

It's a practical thing for most people to have a car. You need one to get to work, handle the kids, get things done in your life. The idea of being physically ripped out of the driver's seat is unsettling. But in many cities, even some rural areas, it's an abrupt and recurring slap of reality.

"People have to rethink the way they behave in their cars," says Lt. Bob Martin of the New York City Police Department's auto crime division. "People are going to have to protect themselves in their cars just as they protect themselves walking the streets."

The FBI has no reliable figures on carjacking yet, or even on car-related crimes committed against women. But public anxiety as a result of the Basu case and other regional incidents has heightened awareness of the potential dangers. Using a random comparison of cities, carjackings are down slightly in New York City, while up in Atlanta from one every two days in 1991 to one a day in 1992. But car crimes in New York tend to be violent, while in Atlanta it is unusual for anyone to be seriously injured during a carjacking. And it's not just a big-city crime, as women changing their driving habits in suburban communities across the Northeast can attest.

So prevalent is carjacking in some areas that women are curtailing evening activities or drastically changing their routines.

"I won't run an errand at night. It's too creepy," says Carol Burger, 32, a government economist who lives in Alexandria, Va. "If I plan things out, there's no reason for me to run errands after dark."

Women have long known the dangers of driving alone, from the potential for being assaulted in deserted parking lots and garages to being taken advantage of when their car breaks down. But 1992 added several new wrinkles to the safety concerns of motorists.

Katherine Calleja, 29, was driving her car through Tampa, Florida, with the windows down. "This man jumped out in front of me and I slammed on my brakes," says the mother of two. The man - who often begged for food or money on a nearby street corner - was unharmed and approached Calleja. "I thought he was coming to the car to tell me he was okay. Then I saw the syringe in his hand. He said, 'Give me your purse or I'll inject you!' I put my hand in my pocket to give him money but he started jabbing me. After I gave him the money, he ran."

The man pierced Calleja's arm six times. She took the AIDS medication AZT for a month as a precaution and takes monthly blood tests to learn whether she was infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The experience changed her life.

"Before I got this car," she says, "my windows were always down. Now when I'm coming off an interstate and I come to a stop, I make sure my doors are locked, my windows are closed. And I'll move to an inside lane from the outside. I look everywhere. I don't drive at night anymore. And this didn't even happen at night."

On the highways of Tennessee, 12 women with red hair have been slain since 1983. The latest, former nun Vickie Sue Metzger, 40, was driving from Indiana to a workshop in Atlanta on I-24 when she stopped at the Monteagle rest area and was strangled, possibly by a restroom attendant. Her body was found in the woods nearby. Police believe Metzger's death was coincidental to that of the previous 11 women, many of whom were prostitutes or hitchhikers, whose bodies were left by the side of the road after being killed. One was pregnant.

"Since this happened, I've had a lot of women tell me they felt threatened on the interstate," says Grundy County, Tennessee, Sheriff's Investigator Roy Sain. Many women report being robbed at Tennessee highway rest stops while using toilets. "A woman was raped on the interstate by a hitchhiker. She just finished fixing a flat when this fella pulled a knife, dragged her into the countryside and raped her."

And in Jacksonville, Florida, 20 incidents of gunfire and rock-throwing along I-295 led the American Automobile Association to issue an unusual three-week national travel alert warning drivers to avoid the highway after a sniper shot and severely injured motorist Debra Lewis in July 1992.

Lewis, 37, an accounting technician and mother of three, doesn't remember the attack itself but she lives with the physical and emotional horror of it every day. A single, small-caliber bullet severed an artery in her neck, fractured two vertebrae, damaged her left vocal cord and caused permanent deafness in her left ear.

"When they had somebody arrested, I began traveling a little bit," she says. "But since they let them go, I have to have somebody take me. When I get near 295, I start shaking all over." No matter what route she takes, the interstate stands between Lewis and her job.

These incidents aside, carjacking is still the most likely crime to be perpetrated against women in their automobiles.

In many parts of the country, carjacking is a high performance form of mugging. The thief forces you from your vehicle, steals your purse or wallet, then drives off. Police often find the abandoned, ransacked car a few miles away. But in major metropolitan areas, the object of the carjacking is typically the car itself.

Everything from Mercedes Benzes and Porsches to four-wheel-drive vehicles are being smuggled overseas to Third World countries. "Auto theft is a tremendous moneymaker. The five major mafia families are all involved in it. The thieves will take the car and they won't harm or take anything from the victim" if resale is the goal, according to Lt. Martin. "The robber doesn't want to damage the car. He's not going to fire a weapon. He wants it in perfect condition. "

Less dramatic - and less violent - crimes include incidents in which car thieves bump into the back of a moving car and then steal it when the driver pulls over to inspect the damage. Similarly, in "Good Samaritan" cases, someone will pull up alongside a driver and point out an imaginary busted headlight, open gas cap or flat tire.

"Your natural reaction is to get out, go to the back of the car and take a look," says FBI Special Agent Stephen Markardt. "If someone brings to your attention a vehicle defect, don't pull over, don't get out. As long as they didn't cause the situation, getting out further down the road at a gas station isn't going to make a difference." Markardt says if something does happen and you absolutely must get out, take the car keys with you. Otherwise you may be watching your tail lights fade into the distance.

Men impersonating police officers in Atlanta caused a brief panic when they pulled women drivers to the side of the road at night and assaulted them. With blue lights flashing and men in official-looking uniforms, who can tell the good guys from the bad?

"If you're not sure," says Lt. James H. Cofield, commander of the Atlanta Police Department's robbery squad, "drive slowly to a lighted area. Most police officers will understand you are being cautious."

Nancy Norvell, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist at the University of South Florida in Tampa, works with women who have been victims of violent crimes. She says that a mistake a woman might make is changing her habits only for the short haul instead of making long-term safety changes.

"The more active you can be in your coping, the more likely it is to affect your mood," Norvell says. "You can stay at home, but then you'll worry about home invasions. I go out, but I keep my eyes open. I always have my Mace. I have power locks. I have a cellular phone and a keyless entry alarm that also has a panic button. I always look around when I get out of the car. You have to be fairly assertive. I'll look somebody in the eye. Don't act like you don't notice them. If anything, that's more inviting - you'll look like a victim. I don't live in fear, I just think safety. It's a lot more positive approach."

There are many things you can do to be and feel safer in and around your car:

o Always keep your doors locked and your windows up. Don't skimp on the extra cost for air conditioning when you buy a car; it is now a security feature.

o Be aware of activity around your car. Scan your surroundings before getting in or out.

o In traffic, maintain larger spaces between you and the vehicle in front of you. Have an escape route ready if someone threatening approaches you.

o Stay in the center lane when possible. It makes it harder to get at you. And everyone can see you.

o If you have a choice between a highway and a short-cut through a rough neighborhood, stick to the highway.

o If someone suspicious approaches you, drive away. Don't open your door and don't roll down your window and ask what they want.

o Park in well-lighted areas.

o If you see someone loitering near your car as you approach it, go for help.

o Separate your car keys from your other keys. This advice is also good when you use valet parking.

o Keep your wallet or purse somewhere other than on the seat beside you.

o Honk your horn if you are being threatened.

o If you must use a pay phone at night, look for "Phone From Car" signs. These uniquely designed pay phones, which originated in the northeast states for use during inclement weather and are now spreading south, allow you to make calls without leaving your vehicle.
o Don't leave the vehicle's title or registration - or anything else with your name or address - in the car.

o Keep your gas tank full.

o If you are being followed, don't go home or to your hotel. It's not a safe haven from someone bold enough to follow your car for miles. Seek out the nearest police, fire or gas station.

o Keep a "Please Call Police" sign in your car for use in highway breakdowns. And if at all possible, stay in your car with the doors locked while waiting for official help.

o If someone points a gun at you, don't resist. The car can be replaced. You can't.

"If all else fails and you become a victim," says Det. Steven Calarco of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Police Dept.'s auto theft division, "give them what they want. And do the best you can to get a good description of the suspect."
* * *

Sometimes, if trouble is going to find you on the road, it may be unavoidable. But for women traveling alone, there are several gadgets that can increase your personal safety in the event your car breaks down, is parked in a dark area or if you feel in danger and need to call for help.

Here are a few examples:

o Install a cellular phone in your car. The cost of owning and operating cellular phones is becoming more affordable. Most cellular phone companies offer "security" plans to people who don't need a car phone for business, just peace of mind. For example, infrequent cellular users might pay a lower monthly rate - $29.95 per month versus as much as $99.95 - and a higher per minute rate for air time - 70 cents versus 36 cents - to have access to cellular service in an emergency. Many companies even offer 24-hour emergency road services to their customers, such as GTE Mobilnet's "Mr. Rescue."

"It gives a lot of people a sense of security when they can get in touch with somebody right away," says Lt. James H. Cofield of the Atlanta police. "It's a lot better than getting out of the car at a pay phone."

That was the situation of a Tampa woman who went searching for her teenage daughter at a city beach after dark. Although she found her daughter, she also found trouble: the men her daughter was partying with didn't want the women to leave. They surrounded the woman's car, making threatening gestures. One had a gun. The woman used her cellular phone to call police. They sent a helicopter to disburse the men with a spotlight and followed up with several police cars.

If money is not a concern, consider a pocket-size cellular phone ($300-$1,000). It will fit inside your purse and provide up to an hour of continuous talk time or eight hours of standby, handy in the car or anyone else you need to call for help.

o Keyless entry systems offering remote or keypad locks are available as add-on features for most automobiles. In addition to providing added security against car thieves, these systems can also help you find your car in the dark and alert you if someone is lurking around the vehicle. A remote control device can turn on the car's inside lights and headlights from a distance of 50 to 100 feet away. It can also sound the car's alarm from a distance, as well as lock and unlock your doors.

o A new device called "The Posse" ($299, plus annual service charge, 800-551-0186) might come in handy if you are a carjacking victim. After the crime takes place, you go to the nearest phone, dial a toll-free number and tell the operator what happened. In 30 seconds, the car will receive a telephone pager-like signal to flash the lights, sound the car horn and a special siren. Then it prevents the engine from being restarted.

Not all remote-controlled devices work the same way.

"Be sure the system becomes operable when you're not around," says Jerry Cheske, spokesman for the American Automobile Association. "Otherwise, it may agitate the thief and he could take it out on you."

o Flat tires are the bane of any driver's existence. But sometimes you have to change a tire. What if you have no spare? Or what if the spare is flat, too?

STP Flat Fixer ($3.99) and Puncture Seal ($1.99) eliminate tire changing on the road without resorting to tools or tire jacks. Fit the nozzle to your tire's inflation stem and in less than a minute it will temporarily seal a leak and inflate your tire to 20 pounds pressure. If you don't drive any faster than 20 mph, it should get you to help.

o Weapons such as Mace and other eye and skin irritants are not endorsed or recommended by law enforcement officials. Even the distributor of DYEWitness ($19.95, 800-626-0770) - a seven-day green stain that cannot be washed off and causes temporary blindness - is careful in his assessment of its application.

"You have to look at the situation," says Tony Greene, president of Nepote/Greene Distribution. "Does the assailant have a gun? If he does, you don't want to use it."

However, because they know some people will carry these products anyhow, their advice is simple and direct. First, know what is legal in your community; Mace, for example, is illegal in New York City. Don't be a victim of a crime and be arrested yourself for carrying an illegal, concealed weapon.

"And if you have something to defend yourself with, you need to know how to use it," says the FBI's Markardt. "People buy all kinds of things and they throw them in a bag. Then, when the time comes to use it, they're fumbling for it and it gets used against them."

Carl Cannon Profile (Jacksonville Magazine)

2009-01-05T21:29:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

(The following story is a longer, unedited version of what appeared in Jacksonville Magazine in 1994.)

By Bob Andelman

Here's a story you're not likely to read about the publisher of the Florida Times-Union in his own newspaper:

Carl Neil Cannon and four friends were driving home after a track meet in which they represented tiny Vidalia (Georgia.) High School when their car hit a truck carrying a load of sawdust. Except nobody knew it was sawdust at the time. A couple in the car behind the boys ran up and said to get out quickly, the car was going to explode!

That was all Cannon, who lettered in three sports for the Vidalia Indians, needed to hear.

"He got out of the car, somehow, ran 20 yards down a paved road and up a dirt road another 30 yards and hunkered down," recalls his best friend and fellow passenger in that car, Don Drury.

The car never did explode, of course. But since Drury and the car's driver spent a few days in the hospital recovering from the accident, Cannon will never hear the end of it.

Was it a coincidence that his senior high yearbook said of Cannon, "He'd rather make history than study it"?

As goes the Times-Union, so goes Jacksonville, according to many movers and shakers in the city. That's reflected two ways, first in the perceived quality of the paper, which until recently was nothing to brag about; and second in the way the paper shows support for the community, which until recently was also nothing to brag about.

Jacksonville is perhaps the most business- and economic development-oriented city in Florida. It proudly reeks of rah-rah, sis-boom-bah boosterism. But the Times-Union's support of community goals was considered tenuous at best.

"That practically changed overnight when Carl came to town," says City Councilman Don Davis, who is also vice president of Gate Petroleum Co.

Business and political interests are never happy with their daily newspaper. Too much bad news everyday about crime and corruption. Some papers balance their editorial side with community activists on the business side. Davis says the Times-Union lacked such a person until Cannon arrived.

"He is accessible and open to us. Before, we could never seem to get the paper to join in with us," Davis says. "Carl tells us he's not going to tell reporters how to report their stories. But there are other ways he can help promote our city and we can occassionally ask him to help us with editorial comment on things that are important to the city."

Davis speaks from experience on this.

As every football fan alive in Jacksonville today knows, and as every future fan raised here in the generations to come will know, Carl Cannon is the man who, when it seemed all was lost in Jacksonville's NFL expansion effort, when the final seconds of a 20-year drive were ticking off, carried the ball into the endzone and put the city in scoring position for a sudden-death victory.

Ironically, it was Don Davis who first learned the football drive could be salvaged and who turned to Cannon. "I thought if I did it, people would think it was a political move," Davis says.

As the story goes, after talks between Jacksonville Mayor Ed Austin and would-be NFL team owner Wayne Weaver broke down a year ago, Davis called an acquaintance with the league and asked how seriously the city was being considered. The answer surprised and inspired him. He dropped in, unannounced, on Cannon, at the Times-Union.

"We have a slim chance of getting an NFL team," the then-president of the city council told the newspaper publisher. "You have to pick up the flag and run with it."

The next day, Cannon was at his home in the Jacksonville Golf & Country Club, staring out the window, mulling over the load that had been dropped on his shoulders.

"I called Wayne Weaver that afternoon and came to the conclusion that he did want to get involved again," Cannon recalls. That's when he noticed that across-the-street neighbor was home.

Of course, this neighbor wasn't the average guy on the block. Dr. Adam Herbert, president of the University of North Florida, was also chairman of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce at the time. Like Cannon, he was still a new kid in town, having arrived only six months ahead of the newspaperman.

"He called me up and said, 'What're you doin'? If you have a few minutes, c'mon over,' " Herbert recalls.

"I needed somebody to talk to about it because I had not talked to anybody else to find out if this was a viable thing or if I was headed off onto another track that wasn't going to work," Cannon says. "Adam's immediate response after hearing what had gone on was, 'Let's go for it.' He was very enthusiastic."

In Cannon's living room that Saturday, they discussed what it would take to get Jacksonville back in the race. "We talked for hours about what the impact on the community would be if we brought this back up and it didn't work out again," Herbert says. "We decided it was something we just had to do."

From that point on, Cannon - the former (POSITION) whom some describe as the most powerful man in town because of his position atop the newspaper - devoted his full energies to resuscitating the Jaguars.

"If it hadn't been for Carl Cannon, we wouldn't have a football team," says Tom Petway, the man who carried the city's football dream on his own shoulders for more than a decade. "We were absolutely dead in the water. He and Don Davis got us back to the table."

If he had it to do over again, does Davis wish he had done the job himself?

"Sure," he says, chuckling. "The recognition and the personal satisfaction that Cannon experienced? Yeah. But I'm not sure the outcome would have been the same."

Cannon and the former Rita Rattray will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary on XXXXXXXXX. It's a match that goes way back, according to Rita's older sister, Sandy Jones.

"He and my sister started being boyfriend and girlfriend in the 5th grade," Jones says. "I remember having a dance in my living room for her on her 10th birthday and they were learning to dance together. They never really dated anybody else."

They grew up a few blocks apart in Vidalia in those days when everyone knew Cannon as "Neil," his middle name, the name by which family and old friends still call him. Although small for an athlete, Cannon excelled at whatever he tried, taking his high school basketball to the state finals for the first time. He also played football, tennis and golf.

Rita's parents encouraged her to date other boys, "but they really stuck with each other," Jones says. "Going steady was really the thing then; my folks never could convince Rita not to go steady with him."

Cannon's dry sense of humor finally won over his future father-in-law. The final straw was when the young man won a forgotten challenge with Rita's father by mailing him a rotten onion. "It tickled my father a lot," Jones says.

Lucky for Cannon, according to his old chum Drury. "He married the brains in the family. Rita is brilliant." (In fact, she won a full scholarship to XXXXXXXX, earning straight A's in a double major, chemistry and math.) Their 1961 graduating class of 60 named Cannon its "cutest" and "wittiest" senior; Rita was "most dependable" and "friendliest."

"We have loved each other for a long time and have had a great relationship all through the years," Cannon says. "She's been a tremendous partner and very understanding of all of what I'm involved in."

The spirited way Cannon took on the NFL expansion drive evinced itself repeatedly throughout his life. A devoted golfer before marriage, Cannon refocused his energies on his family. When the young couple bought their first home, he bought books on landscaping and did the work himself, expertly. He bought books on antique furniture and how to buy it, then moved on to antique car restoration, focusing his attention on a late 1920s Rolls-Royce which he restored and drove from California to New York in the "Great American Race."

"When he decides on a project, he puts himself into it completely and totally," Jones says.

That goes for Rita, too. Now that their three children (Kevin, Brett and Kerri) are all grown up and in college, she serves on the boards of the Salvation Army and the public library, and last year was chairman of the Jacksonville Symphony Association's Ways & Means Committee, in charge of fundraising.

"She's someone I believe many people admire," Cannon says, his pride showing.

Rita was Carl's entree to the symphony, of which he is now chairman, "Carl says he found out he was sleeping with the ways & means chairman and that motivated him to be very supportive of the symphony," says Travis Storey, managing partner of Arthur Andersen.

(Calling Cannon "supportive" of the symphony may be a huge understatement; in the days after Storey made that remark, Cannon's boss Billy Morris donated $3-million toward rebuilding the old Civic Auditorium, which will now be known as the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts.)

Much of the Cannons' socializing occurs in conjunction with more formal community events, but they do have their favorites, including Tom & Betty Petway (of Touchdown Jacksonville and Prudential Network Realty fame), the Jay & Cindy Stein (Stein Mart), Ed & Patricia Austin (with whom the Cannons went to Europe in 1993) and, of course, Adam & Karen Herbert.

"One of the interesting sights in our neighborhood is to see the two of us walking our dogs," says Herbert, who has a schnauzer and a cairn terrier; Cannon has a white standard poodle. "Once I couldn't get home and he walked my puppy for me."

The two companies for which Carl Cannon has given over his professional life met with very different fates. His first job out of the University of Georgia in 1965 was with the Atlanta Times. It ceased publication three months after he arrived.

Looking for a newspaper job 29 years ago he wound up in Augusta, Ga., working for William S. "Billy" Morris 3d, chairman and chief executive of a then small but successful southern publishing company. Morris put the raw recruit to work selling advertising at the Augusta Chronicle and never looked back.

"He did a great job in our sales department and quickly rose to the forefront," Morris says, "He was somebody to watch. The first time I had an opportunity to put him in a management position, I did it."

Studying his first job for Morris and his sales staff, Cannon went home and told his family, "I have to challenge these people. I have to give them incentive." His program worked and he pocketed a substantial bonus.

Military service interfered with Cannon's career. After swearing him in at the Mayport Naval Station, the army sent him on a year-long tour of Vietnam, where he wrote letters of sympathy to the next of kin of servicemen who were killed in the undeclared war. He came back to the States and Morris moved him into sales management.

"I was a pretty good salesman," Cannon says. "My degree is in public relations and advertising from the journalism school. I was going to work at a newspaper to get a couple years experience, then go off into public relations. I never left the newspaper, but now what I do is at least 50 percent public relations and working with the public, so I'm putting my degree to good use."

In 1972, Morris bought two dailies in Texas, making Cannon the director of advertising for the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, circulation 75,000. He stayed there for the next 10 years until Morris bought the Florida Times-Union from CSX Corp. for more than $200-million. Jim Whyte, then the publisher of Morris' Amarillo Daily News-Globe Times, relocated to Jacksonville and Cannon graduated to publisher in Amarillo.

As they had in Lubbock, the Cannons made many friends in Amarillo and became participants in the local community. In '86, Morris promoted Cannon again, this time bringing him home to the corporate offices in Augusta where he supervised the publishers of the Morris papers.

"Each position has been a step up, has contained more responsibility than the previous one and he excelled in each one," Morris says.

His big break came in January 1990 when Jim Whyte retired. Morris sent his Georgia Bulldog into Florida Gator territory - a challenge if ever there was one - and Cannon's been winning friends and influencing enemies ever since.

"I knew that what you do when you first come into a newspaper is you don't put both feet down," Cannon says of his quiet early days in town. "You come in and learn what's going on. Every organization's different. This is, by far, the biggest paper in our group and it was the largest that I had managed by far. My first job was to come in here and take charge of this newspaper."

The first six months or so Cannon sidestepped community work so he could focus on learning the Times-Union's core business and function. In his first year his emphasis was on customer service and quality, both external and internal. He took his time building a management team which reflected his own goals and values. Some people who didn't fit into his vision left the company, one died and others retired. He retained the directors of production, distribution and public affairs, as well as editor FRED HARTMANN, bringing on new circulation, advertising, accounting and personnel managers.

What exactly does the publisher of the Times-Union do?

"My job is to run the company," Cannon says. "News-wise, it's to set the tone for what we do here and how we do it. It is not to daily manage the newsroom. But it is certain to daily manage the editorial product as a whole, to specifcally manage the editorial pages the advertising, revenue and circulation side of the business. And to maintain relations with and work with all the personnel here, some 1100 total people (up from 800 in 1992).

"A publisher's job on the outside, if he chooses it to be, then becomes much more public, a proactive thing to be done in the community," he says. "And I've done quite a bit of that. Should a newspaper be a leader in the community? Should a publisher step out front and make something happen that is good for the community? Absolutely!"

Mr. Excitement, he's not.

"He doesn't have the outward charisma of the guy who walks in the room and everybody turns their head," says one prominent businessman who prefers to be anonymous. "Carl just goes about his business in a very quiet, deliberate, forceful way."

"Not a lot of flash 'n splash there," agrees Carson Eddings, president and CEO of The William Cook Agency. "But we had a lot of that in the past that didn't deliver. He's transcended petty politics. His action speaks for him, not his words; he's a breath of fresh air."

Cannon didn't come to Jacksonville expecting to set the world on fire. "I don't think I planned to do anything I've done here," he says. "I didn't plan to get involved in the NFL Now! ticket drive. It just happened. Somebody had to do it."

"Maybe we could use a few more people from Vidalia, Georgia, blowing into town," Eddings says. "Maybe Carl came to town and he didn't understand all of our politics so they didn't become obstacles to him."

The Jaguars experience would have been enough for some community leaders to comfortably rest their backsides on for the rest of their careers. Don Davis could probably have been elected mayor if he had done what he asked Cannon to do. But Cannon's a doer. He eased off the Jaguars effort and into the presidency of the Gator Bowl Association at a critical time, just as the bowl alliance was soliciting million-dollar bids to organize a national college football championship.

When his Gator Bowl bid fell short, Cannon didn't retreat from public view, he just changed titles again, this time taking charge of the Jacksonville Symphony Guild.

"I'm still doing whatever I can, whenever I can," he says. "I think somebody who saw what we did with the ticket drive must think I'm some kind of sports nut, but that's just not the case. I've got an interest in sports. Not a consuming interest. I'm not a tailgating Florida Gator. I'm a Georgia Bulldog. But I'm not the type of football fan who goes to games every weekend."

Newspaper reporters and editors aren't the kind of people anyone should trust with a secret. Their job descriptions include the phrase "turn on the lights and watch the rats run." Publishers subscribe to a different school of thought and modus operandi. The proactive community boosters often operate in the shadows, bringing the power of their institution to the table and leaving the newshounds baying outside the gates.

Carl Cannon is just such a proactive publisher and the kings of power in Jacksonville love him for it.

He knew this profile would include questions about his role in bringing the Jaguars back to the table and then jump-starting the club seat sales drive. When the question started, Cannon didn't wait for its conclusion before answering.

"We were very careful how we handled that here," he says. "My staff knew I was on the other side. They pursued me with vigor. I went about 57 days when we were negotiating the lease agreement between the mayor and Wayne Weaver. We did it in total privacy because we didn't want to raise the expectations of the public any more. I mean, their expectations had been up and down like a yo-yo. So we said, 'We'll try to do this. If it works, then it will become public. If it doesn't work, then we'll just forget about it.'

"Well, my reporters picked up on it and they showed up on my doorstep. They said, 'You've got your hands all over this - start talking.' I said, 'I can't give you anything.' So it was clean. Very clean."

His friends in town trust Cannon to keep their secrets. It may not thrill his reporters, but it keeps the publisher welcome in many circles.

"When I want to talk to him off the record, he allows me to do that," Tom Petways says. "I have put him through some extreme tests and he has never let me down."

"The day we started working on the ticket drive, Bobby Martin and I put out a memo to our staff: 'We are stepping aside for the next 10 days and all of our efforts are going to go to this ticket drive.' I left it up to the department heads to run the company. It was reported back to our corporate office that 'Cannon didn't come to work for 10 days,' which was pretty funny because Billy Morris was a big supporter of what we were doing."

When Cannon switched from wildcats to gators and tried ramrodding the Gator Bowl into contention for a national college football championship game, he was once again in direct conflict with his staff.

"My sports staff, they call me just like any other source," he says. "I have a lot of things that they just don't ever know."

Mayor Ed Austin and Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver trusted Cannon to keep the scope and depth of their discussions private and he didn't let them down. That no doubt frustrated his reporters in the short run but gave them better stories in the long run. Not to mention a chance top play cat-and-mouse games in print with the boss.

"I just don't leak things to anybody," Cannon says. "(Austin and Weaver) knew that. If something gets out, It wasn't going to come from me. I will work with our reporters and editors as best I can at the appropriate time and give them information as soon as I possibly can. I want them to have the information, but I can't do it prematurely. My staff works very aggressively with me. They want all the information they can get out of me, but at the same time they understand that I can't scoop anybody, nor can I give them information that's not appropriate."

Does bringing an NFL team to Jacksonville or raising money so the symphony can play in state-of-the-art digs increase the Florida Times-Union's bottom line? Probably not. So what does a guy like Carl Cannon get out of all the long hours and hard work?

"Well, (having the Jaguars) is going to cause my expenses to go up, that's for sure," he says, laughing. "In an indirect way, it has to help us. But that's not why we did it. We did it because it's going to be great for this community. Whatever we do that's good for the community is good for the newspaper, and vice-versa. I'm working on the symphony board. The symphony is a cultural asset for the community. Does that help the newspaper? Not directly. But the growth and sophistication of our community, long-term, certainly helps the newspaper. So it's all wrapped together to me."

"Football is the biggest thing we've ever done in Jacksonville," he says. "It's unfortunate that football carries that mantle, but it does and we need it. I knew how important it was - that's why I didn't want to let it die. I mean, if it meant goin' the extra mile to get it, we went the extra mile."

The Florida Times-Union was once the laughingstock of the state's daily newspapers. It wasn't pretty, it read poorly and left many who read it regularly hungry for more.

"The Times-Union was a horrible newspaper in the 1960s," says Fred Seely, a former Jacksonville Journal sportswriter who came up through the ranks to become managing editor of the Times-Union from 1976-80. "It's a better paper now, better than it was five years ago. That's not to say it's good paper. But it's a better paper. I think Cannon has been part of that."

It's not yet the Miami Herald or the St. Petersburg Times, but the Times-Union has come many miles along the path to respectability under Cannon's watch. Who else says so? Carson Eddings, for one.

"I think it's a bit more readable," says the ad man. "Overall, I get the sense that the control and quality of the paper is broader. I think maybe he's brought it up a notch or two. From an editorial point of view, it's become more balanced. I think it's showing signs of becoming a substantial newspaper. And I have not held that opinion in the past."

Cannon will no doubt graciously accept such back-of-the-hand compliments, while simultaneously denying his newspaper ever had a quality problem, either on his watch or his predecessor Jim Whyte's.

"I think that's never been accurate," he says, answering an oft heard criticism. "(Newspapers in) Miami, Ft. Lauderdalen and Orlando are much bigger than we are. They have more assets to work with. But the quality aspects of what we do - I talk quality all the time. And I talk content all the time. I think very, very early on when we bought this paper, we were a small company from Georgia and there were a lot of old staffers here that would have preferred that a nationally known, renown journalism company bought the Times-Union.

"We've been trying to be a better newspaper. We talk quality all the time. we have 'Employee of the Month' luncheons every month. We talk about their commitment to the paper and the community, their relationship with their fellow employees and how they can be leaders in our company. We want to be the best. We just spent $25-million on new presses. We are continually updating our systems and our creature comforts. We're going to be a better newspaper because this is going to be a better community."

What's next for Carl Cannon?

In less than five years in Jacksonville, he's already accomplished more with his business and civic involvements than many of his contemporaries. How long will he stick around?

"I hope forever," says his boss, Billy Morris. "He's doing a great job in Jacksonville."

Would Cannon be content to ride his laurels until reaching retirement age more than a decade from now? Or is he thinking about running Morris's recent $283-million acquisition, Stauffer Communications, which includes 4 radio stations, 7 television stations, 8 weeklies (including Grit) and 20 daily newspapers in 14 states?

"We didn't buy anything bigger than we own now," Morris says. "None of those (management) decisions has been made yet, but certainly, he's a player. To put him into the Stauffer organization would be a step down, unless we put him in charge of the whole thing. He is a candidate."

"I like Jacksonville," the publisher of the Florida Times-Union says, holding his cards tight to his vest. "We're comfortable here. I enjoy the work I'm doing and I think I'm having some positive effect on people. I have worked in our corporate office and that's rewarding work, too.

"The future is yet to be known, as far as what I'm going to do," he says. "Mr. Morris is the secret to all that I've been able to accomplish. There are going to be greater responsibilities corporately that will be available and I'm going to look at those. But I certainly would not be disappointed at all if I continued here and ran this newspaper."

Boston Radio Tea Party (Players Magazine)

2009-01-04T21:20:00.000-05:00

Boston waterfront image via Wikipedia(I used to write a bi-weekly column, RadioRadio, for Players magazine in the Tampa Bay area. The following story appeared in 1990.)

By Bob Andelman

Spent four days last week in Boston for the National Association of Broadcaster's (NAB) "Radio '90" convention, individually schmoozing (at least it seemed that way) with over 7,000 of the industry's top execs, managers, consultants and pitchmen.

The annual radio convention is a love and spit fest where broadcasters profess their love for one another and all for one spirit in the defense of radio against competing media and still find time and energy to spit on their regional competitors.

I love radio: it's so schizo.

Under the category of spitting, Randy Michaels had a few choice things to say about Tampa's Q105. Michaels, in case you've been living under a mushroom, is chief operating officer and executive vice president of Jacor Communications, owner of WFLZ (93.3 FM) - the Power Pig - and WFLA (970 AM).

Here's what Michaels said in a seminar titled "How to Use Programming Tactics to Get Good Ratings":

o "You've gotta think guerrilla marketing," said Michaels. He claimed that just after going on the air, Power Pig staffers went store to store in Bay area malls offering retailers $1 to switch their radios from Q105 to Power 93.

o "I also do easy listening stations," he said. "We hardly ever yell 'Eat me!' on the easy listening stations."

o When another member of the panel attempted to play a tape and the audience of program directors was treated to silence, Michaels cracked, "This tape is for sale after the session - 'Recent Great Moments in WRBQ History.'"

Perhaps justice was served on Michaels. His seminar ended prematurely when the fire alarm sounded midway through the session.

The Kids Are Coming! Top execs at the Imagination Station in Orlando, which became available via satellite last week to stations around the country, had an exhibit at Radio '90. They all but confirmed rumors first reported here that all-kids radio will soon be on WHBO (1040 AM) in Clearwater.

More on the Imagination Station in two weeks.

Retro Radio! One of the most interesting aspects of Radio '90 was all the former Tampa Bay radio hotshots I ran into. Here's a sampling of what old friends are up to:

Dave Macejko! The former general manager of the Power Pig and WFLA (970 AM) was in Boston looking for a job. Still living in South Tampa, he's trying to find a situation where he can earn sweat equity toward ownership of a station. "The Pig was a good experience," he told me.

Martha Wheeler! Anybody remember the Wheeler Family, which put WFTS TV-28 on the air almost a decade ago? Martha and her son Sean were attendees at Radio '90. They now own an AOR FM radio station, WVGN, on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.

Jack Ellery! A short stint as a talk host at WFLA led to a national run on the Sun Network (WEND 760 AM) for Ellery, who is now back in New Brunswick, N.J. at his old WCTC stomping grounds.

Yeah, Right! "This format has achieved the respectability we never thought it would. There are now people who, five years ago, never thought classic rock would last six months. They're now making their living off of it."

That's a comment made by Andy Bloom, program director of WYSP in Philadelphia, during the "Classic Rock Format Forum."

I sat through half of this format as the participants played airchecks from classic rock stations around the country. A few bits were fresh, most weren't, such as a promo from Bloom's YSP. It was a direct ripoff of our own Power Pig: "The fact is, WMMR (a competitor of WYSP) plays more commercials. Don't believe it? Check it out ... We'll wait."

Tom Marshall, P.D. at WYNF (95 FM) in Tampa, sat two rows in front of me. I sent him a note when I left, bored. It told him I hadn't really appreciated YNF until I heard how awful classic rock was around the rest of the country.

Carey Curelop! Outside the door of the Classic Rock seminar, I ran into Marshall's predecessor at YNF, Carey Curelop. He, too, was unimpressed with the presentation.

For anyone else who remembers Curelop, I must tell you above all else that he looked almost unrecognizably dapper. It was like seeing Charlie Logan with a crewcut. The denim pants and jacket have been replaced by a snazzy black suit, bolo tie and feathered haircut. Curelop says he's happy at KLOS in Los Angeles, where his new station is number one in morning drive and pulling its best ratings ever. No plans to ever come back to Tampa Bay.

He hasn't entirely left Tampa Bay behind, however. Former YNF morning man Nick Van Cleve is doing utility work at KLOS, just as his ex-partner Jeff Jensen is filling in at YNF. Former YNF overnight hostess J.J. Lee is doing overnights on KLOS. And one-time 98 Rock morning man Ted Pritchard is a board op/producer/part-time air personality. "Sort of the Ed ("Fast Eddie") Yarb of KLOS," according to Curelop.

The format of KLOS, he said, "is straight AOR. We probably sound like YNF, though probably taking a few more chances because we're in Los Angeles. We can play the Talking Heads and get away with it. You couldn't do that in Tampa."

Now You Know! Satellite Music Network (SMN), which provides programming to a number of Bay area stations, had an enormous exhibit at the convention. One element of it was Prizm Research, which asked for your zip code and provided instant demographic analysis. My zip code, 33704, is 36% "Gray Power"; 35% "Smalltown Downtown"; 8% "Middle America"; 7% "Money & Brains"; 4% "Single City Blues"; and 3% "Pools & Patios."

With this info in hand, research assistants then suggest the appropriate SMN format for your zip code.

What's right for 33704 in St. Petersburg?

"My recommendation would be 'Stardust,'" said Greg Raab. "It's 35 and older, MOR. It features familiar vocals by Streisand, Diamond, Sinatra and Vangelis."

Sorry I asked.

Unheard Of! That's the name of a weekly, one-hour syndicated program that debuted at Radio '90. Leo Clark is attempting to sell radio stations around the country on this collection of unsigned regional artists.

"Stations get bugged all the time to play tapes by local artists," said Clark, 32, who was once product manager at Cherry Lane Technologies, manufacturer of MIDI products. "We made all these great tools for people to make music but they couldn't get it played anywhere. Now (the radio show) will take care of it."

"Unheard Of" provides bio information and plays demo tapes. The show hasn't been picked up in Tampa Bay yet, but that shouldn't stop area bands from contacting Clark about sending in tapes. The address: Leo Clark, Unheard Of, 12007 Red Oak Ct. N., Burnsville, Mn. 55337. Or call him at (612) 894-8792.

Beeeeeeeeeep! There were a few serious moments at the convention.

It's a shame more Tampa Bay are broadcasters weren't in attendance at a disquieting seminar titled "How to React to a Disaster." News and program directors from Hilton Head, S.C. and San Francisco played audio tapes from their respective encounters with Hurricane Hugo and the September '89 earthquake.

o "If you get in a disaster situation," said Ralph Wimmer, program director of WHTK in Hilton Head, "there's one one rule: there are no rules."

o Referring to San Francisco's brush with a 7.1 earthquake, KGO News Director John McConnell said, "As bad as this was, I can only believe it's a dress rehearsal for the Big One. We learned, as a result of the quake, you cannot be prepared, that government may not work, that '911' may not work. We were very disappointed in what happened with the EBS (Emergency Broadcast System). We didn't feel it was to be depended upon."

McConnell reversed himself and said stations can be prepared in terms of equipment and supplies in the event of disaster. "We were amazed at how many stations did not have back-up generators," he said. "As a result of this, we now have each reported required to carry several recorders, a two-way radio and cellular telephone.

"The biggest thing we learned," said McConnell, "is that no matter how talented your people are, if they're not there in a crisis, you're going to fall flat on your face."

o Jack Swanson, operations director of KGO at the time of the quake and now an exec with King Broadcasting, said the emergency demonstrated the limited value to radio of cellular technology, particularly its inability to address multiple parties simultaneously as two-way radios can. He urged radio stations to take their two-ways out of cobwebs and keep them serviceable and on the road.

"The best preparation for disaster is to make money and be a successful station," said Swanson. "We made no money for seven days and didn't run commercials. That made me feel good about radio. Safeway didn't give away any food. Sears didn't give away power tools. Making money ahead of time and having it in the bank takes the pressure off when it comes to serving the community in an emergency. In my judgement, over half the radio stations in our market let the community down. I believe they were opportunistic bottom-feeders." He said this of stations that went about business as usual, running commercials and regular programming in lieu of public service information and disaster coverage."

Swanson joined in the general condemnation of the EBS system.

"EBS is an important pipeline for Armageddon," he said. "But I don't consider it to be their job to cover my community as long as I've got reporters and talk hosts. We didn't take anything from EBS. The information was repetitive, it was late."

Zoom Me! Next week, we'll wrap up reporting from Radio '90 in Boston with comments from former Q105 P.D. Steve Rivers, an update on former WYNF G.M. George Sosson, a conversation with the president of the National Black Network, excerpts from a speech by FCC Chairman Al Sykes and ... an exclusive interview with Paul Harvey.

In the meantime, keep your cards and letters coming. The address: RadioRadio, c/o Players, PO Box 1867, Pinellas Park, Fl. 34664. Or, as always, operators are standing by to take your faxes at (813) 578-1414.
---------

(This week we conclude coverage of the National Association of Broadcasters "Radio 1990" convention held in Boston, Sept. 12-15.)

In an exclusive interview with RadioRadio prior to his general address to the convention, veteran newscaster Paul Harvey discussed his work.

His trademark program, "The Rest of the Story," began when Harvey and his son Paul Jr. came to feel there was something missing in the modern view of history. "We thought history was cheating the history student by teaching the end by the beginning," said Harvey in his unique manner.

During a convention marked by many broadcasters crying wolf over the prospect of digital audio broadcasting (DAB) - essentially, satellite radio - becoming a reality in the next decade, Harvey was asked to reflect on how much the industry had changed during his 72 years.

"I can remember some of our broadcasters chewing their knuckles over television, saying it would destroy radio. And I can remember the same broadcasters chewing their knuckles about FM, that it would destroy AM," he said. "Competition is the best thing that could happen to us. I'm not alarmed by the new technologies. We're going to come out of this heat-tempered and better than ever."

Harvey, looking remarkably fit for his age (sort of like a red-haired Rudy Vallee), said that no matter how long he has done his unique newscasts, the stories never get old or repetitive.

"I try to convince our little (research) group that we're prospectors," he said. "It's easier to go to work in the morning if you know you might find gold." As for the irony voiced in many of his items, "I love to look for those," said Harvey. "The things that shouldn't happen that did, the things that shouldn't happen that didn't. I find those fascinating."

On his way out the door, the interview over, Harvey turned back and waved. "See you in a few miles," he said.

Profit Thrust! A seminar called "Retail Selling: Your Profit in the '90s" was split between the importance of motivating sales staff toward new business and the opportunities that exist for commercializing program elements.

Sue Scallon of WGN in Chicago said the salesperson who invests time in new business is investing in their career. "Developing new business challenges creative thinking," she said. "Perhaps the biggest payoff in developing new business is it's more fun. It's like running your own business. You decide which companies to call on, which industries to try."

Luring new business to a station could be as simple as creating opportunities, according to panel member Nancy Benech, general sales manager of WYNF (95 FM).

"Think about your radio station and use your special programming features to bring promotional ideas to your client," said Benech. "Think of the things that make you different. We fuel demand from clients to sponsor the things we're doing. Look for ways to make your radio station more exciting to clients. You say to yourself, 'We think we've done the best we can.' But have we really?"

Benech made a slide presentation to a packed room, displaying numerous YNF air personalities participating in community activities such as blood drives, environmental projects and neighborhood marches. It reflected well on the station and Tampa Bay.

Touch This! In an interview with RadioRadio, National Black Network (NBN) President Jack Bryant talked about the news and information source's philosophy.

"We believe that certain news and information pertains to the population at large. Often there are certain programs that are most appropriate to blacks that don't get enough exposure through the general media. We highlight those stories that are of particular interest and will have particular affects on the black population of America. Quite often we're the first media to break a major story with impact on the black community," he said.

Bryant said that after the Challenger disaster, the mass media didn't focus on the black member of the space shuttle crew for several days. NBN was on the story immediately; in fact, he noted, NBN reported on the black crewman prominently before liftoff.

"We try to highlight the positive achievements of blacks while at the same time delivering the hard news," he said. "If the typical newscast contains seven stories, three or four on NBN are what you'd hear on the major networks. But two or three would be different, of interest only to blacks. Front page news is front page news. It's subjective what would be second or third page news."

NBN has 125 affiliates, all black-formatted. Bryant said that although the number is insignificant besides that of the major nets, he claims greater reach in the black community than any single, larger mass media competitor.

If you've never experienced NBN, check it out on the hour at WRXB (1590 AM).

Most over-used phrase of Radio 1990! "Theater of the mind."

Boston Herald Report! Dean Johnson, radio columnist for the Boston Herald, knew where the nighttime action was in his town during Radio '90. For instance, he found Paul Simon previewing his new album The Rhythm of the Saints for radio execs at Syncro Sound, a Beantown recording studio. Simon said he will start a year-long tour in November. According to Johnson, when the last cut ended Simon told the gathering, "So, that's my latest problem for radio."

Johnson also spotted Bruce Hornsby, Dick Clark and Wolfman Jack individually making the rounds.

Hey, Dude! TV and radio talk show host Larry King - heard locally on WTKN (570 AM) - will be heard in an upcoming episode of The Simpsons. He'll provide the voice of God.

Emergency Checklist! A number of readers on the professional side of radio expressed interest in comments from the Radio 1990 seminar on dealing with emergencies. Here's a list of supplies - reprinted from Radio & Records - that the experts in Boston recommend stations have on hand at all times: non-perishable foods; water; flashlights and batteries; extra blankets and bedding; remote broadcast equipment; backup generator for studio and transmitter; detailed local and statewide maps; cellular phones.

Also suggested is a list of phone and fax numbers for the following: local emergency preparedness organizations; Red Cross; police; fire and paramedics; hospitals; governor's office; mayor's office; state and county planning offices; chambers of commerce; local ham radio operators; other local radio and TV stations; churches, schools and shelters; network news bureaus; Salvation Army and Goodwill.

It was also suggested that stations keep a master printed list of this information as well as a copy on computer in case the electronics crash or aren't readily available.

Report from the Chief! FCC Chairman Al Sikes told a breakfast meeting that there are now 9,230 commercial radio stations in the United States. (And still nothing to listen to, I can hear some of you snickering.)

Other highlights of his speech included word of the Commission's intentions to expand the AM band soon instead of continuing to shoehorn new stations into the existing spectrum, which is increasing interference. ... Sikes also said the FCC will soon take up the allocation of possible satellite frequency allocations for digital audio broadcasting (DAB). DAB was the talk of the convention, from engineering to programming questions. FM broadcasters feel particularly threatened by the new technology, which may capable of delivering digital-quality sound via satellite.

Flashback! Remember the good old days of the Q Morning Zoo? Cleveland Wheeler and Terence McKeever? Okay, maybe those weren't the best days, but they had their moments. I saw the station's program director of that era, Steve Rivers, in Boston.

Rivers is now PD of WZOU-FM in Boston, where he won a local achievement award from Billboard. During the NAB convention, Rivers sat on a panel titled "How to Be a Better Programming Manager." Among his seminar comments:

o "The general manager has to be the person who sees the big picture. ... The GM has to back the PD. There are times you're not going to agree on things and that's okay, that's healthy."

o "One station I was at, (one) person had a serious drinking problem and we sent him to rehab. To his credit he came out (publicly) about where he'd been. He became a celebrity. ... But three or four months later he turned up on the evening news as a DUI.

"We decided to keep the guy. I don't know if that was right or wrong. But he embarrassed the station."

The unnamed person in question was clearly Q105's former morning man, Terence McKeever, whose much-publicized bout with alcoholism was as difficult for the public - which wanted to be supportive - as it was for the station. Maybe the Q should have let him go, but it was an ugly situation no matter which way the station turned.

After the seminar, I asked Rivers what he thought of what has happened at Q105 in the past year.

"I just know what I read in the trades," he said. "It's too bad it happened. Time just caught up with the station. There were some things that went unchecked for a long time. There was a tremendous void in the market that was waiting to be filled. The problem of being number one is you have to constantly attack yourself."

George Splits! WYNF lost a powerful ally in top management at CBS in New York a few weeks ago when George Sosson resigned as president of the corporation's FM radio division. Sosson was GM at YNF in the mid-'80s, ahead of Shawn Portmann. He's now president of Win Communications, which owns six medium-market stations around the country.

Why'd he live CBS?

"It was a chance at some equity, a chance to grab the brass ring, a chance to be an entrepreneur," he told me in a chance meeting in the hallways of the Hynes Convention Center. "CBS is great, but you can't get rich working for a company."

Live or Memorex!?! Ever hear a disk jockey talking to a "celebrity" but the questions and answers sounded stiff? That may be because they're not really talking to each other.

I picked up literature in Boston for the Copley Radio Network's "Wireless Flash" service. Among its features are pre-recorded celebrity interview with the questions edited out so the local guys and gals can seem to be asking the celeb directly what their favorite color is.

Certainly, no Tampa Bay station would sink so low, right? We'll see. (Spies, get to work!)

Hermannnn! Butch Patrick - remember Eddie Munster from the old TV show? - is now part of the morning team at KWTX in Waco, Tx. In case you're ever passing through.

Second Most Over-Used Phrase! " ... out there in Radioland."

Attention, B. Eric Rhoads! The meter is running.

Tampa Bay Notes From All Over! Hey, Tramonte! You never call, you never write. RadioRadio hears you actually landed a job in Tampa Bay again. But who can be sure? ... Good luck, Charlie Ochs, wherever you are. ... Q105 is one of several stations around the country sending weekly tapes to the USO Morning Show Network in the Middle East. The 90-minute tapes contain listener dedications, news and entertainment from home. ... Lisa Logan, one of W101 (WUSA FM)'s on-air weekend warriors, wrote us a note wondering why this column never gives any news about her station. We will, we promise. ... By the way, are Homer and Jethro still the morning team? Haven't listened in a while. ... One-time WNLT (95.7 FM) air personality Audrey Lynn has turned up in Miami at WJQY-FM. ... WPSO-AM in New Port Richey has been sold by Lowery Communications to T.G.A. Communications for $229,000. It was the fourth try to sell that darn talk station for Lowery, which announced three separate, unsuccessful deals in 1988 alone, according to Broadcasting.

Hey, You! Got a gripe to get off your chest? Got a chest you'd like to show us? Seen some radio star hanging out at one of Joe Redner's bars? Talk to us. Keep your cards and letters coming to: RadioRadio, c/o Players, P.O. Box 1867, Pinellas Park, FL, 34664. Or fax it to us: (813) 577-1414.

Misguided! As we were going to press, 98 Rock VP/GM Dan DiLoreto and PD Greg Mull put out a press release announcing that 98 was behind the billboards around Tampa Bay proclaiming rock music is poisoning our youth and that we should ban T-back bathing suits, among other things. Unbelievable.

This was the stupidest idea associated with radio since Les Nessman dropped live turkeys out of a helicopter on "WKRP in Cincinnati." To quote an associate, rock music isn't poisoning our youth, marketing is.

So 98 Rock is the mysterious "Coalition for Universal Thought," huh? They must be out of their minds.

"The billboard messages were specifically designed to raise social consciousness on the issues of censorship and youth stereotypes," according to the station's press release. "The Coalition for Universal Thought name was also chosen to be absurd enough to create an atmosphere of 'parody.' Our mission was accomplished. When confronted with these narrow thinking messages our community was concerned that the 'Coalition for Universal Thought' could actually exist.

"Now anyone who actually thinks 'Rock 'n roll is the devil's chamber music' will think twice before sharing those thoughts."

Are they kidding? What pomposity! What a waste of money!

We're as anti-censorship as the next editorial type. Want to fight small minds that carry big sticks? Urge your listeners to vote. Register them. Sponsor debates between rockers and those who would silence them. Devote air time to education on relative issues "in a language everyone can understand" ("Cult of Personality," Living Color). But don't waste our time on bogus, transparent efforts to sell 98 Rock as our social or moral conscience. It doesn't wash. "Livestock I" was clever. This is pathetic.

The "Coalition for Universal Thought" may have seemed clever in a late-night brainstorming session over a few brews but it was nothing more than ill-conceived hype. It's the kind of thing that makes me embarrassed that I listen to 98 Rock as much as I do.

Meetings in the Caribbean Profile (Insurance Conference Planner Magazine)

2009-01-03T21:23:00.000-05:00

Aruba image by Travelling Pooh via FlickrBy Bob Andelman
(Originally published in the Insurance Conference Planner, 1994)

As belts tighten, the Caribbean's proximity to the continental United States make its islan countries more attractive than ever before for an other-worldly meeting break. The islands offer sun, sand and exotica for a fraction of the cost of Europe. They're more attractive as an incentive destination than meeting at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago and, some planners say, more cost-effective. But like any trip abroad, it pays to do your homework and benefit from the experiences of those who have gone before you.

Enchanting as the islands of the Caribbean may be, only the foolhardy charge in without being fully prepared for disaster. Because for every similarity to the States, there is an utter contradiction to be found in these tropical islands. And these perceived drawbacks get bigger and bigger by word of mouth, some undeservedly.

Luxury
At corporations across the U.S., the island nations of the Caribbean are getting second and third looks from previously preferred Hawaii and Florida for their warm weather, mid-winter corporate and incentive meetings.

Terry Christensen, manager of meeting services for the Principal Financial Group in Des Moines, Iowa, took a FAM tour of St. Thomas and was favorably impressed. The resort where he stayed was the kind of quality property he would reserve for his people anywhere in the world.

"The Caribbean is becoming a more attractive destination for us," Christensen says. "We're taking a look at places like that, places we haven't been. We've been to Hawaii and Europe we've had agents and management who've been to the Caribbean on personal trips encourage us to look at it."

When National Life Insurance Company of Vermont inquired about where its top reps preferred to go on a future incentive trip, they ruled out the Midwest as boring. Orlando everybody had been there already. Instead, the company will take its top 25 producers, the Chairman's Council, to the Four Seasons on the island of Nevis next April. It's an offshore destination which offers tax incentives and incentive appeal without overseas expenses.

"Yes, it's hard to get there, but that makes it attractive," says Scott Uselding, National Life's conference specialist. "We will give our people an experience that will be hard to duplicate and isn't that the whole idea of incentive meetings?"

Bob Shaw has been to the Caribbean six times, including a May 1993 incentive meeting to Paradise Island for 82 of his company's top producers.

"The location has a certain amount of draw," says Royal Life Canada's vice president of sales and marketing and meeting. Shaw booked 40 rooms for his meeting and wound up using 41, an increase over previous conferences. "When you talk about Paradise Island and the Bahamas, images come to mind that are appealing to people. We don't have the ability to travel worldwide, so we look for a place that has some pull to it. Paradise Island has that."

Companies that do business with government agencies are more careful than other private industries in choosing meeting sites. Sometimes appearances can scuttle Caribbean trips even when they're more cost-effective than domestic meetings.

"No one in government wants to read about their Jamaica meeting in the headlines of the newspaper," says George McLain, manager of business planning for General Electric Aircraft Engines in Evendale, Ohio. "The way I would deal with that is to show the actual cost to show it does meet our business needs."

The Caribbean wins the hearts and wallets of Cincom Systems of Cincinnati, a developer and seller of computer software with representatives as near as Canada and as far as Hong Kong. Cincom's 40 top sales reps went to Nassau for its annual incentive meeting in 1992, San Juan, Puerto Rico in '93 and heads for St. Martin next year.

"Our people seem to like the sun and sand," says Alice Imfeld, secretary to the president of Cincom.

Hasta Manana
One of the more notorious challenges of meeting planning in the islands is the so-called "manana" tomorrow mentality. You want it done today, they'll get it done manana. Get upset all you want, they're not going to move any faster.

"I had a lot concern about that in Acapulco," one planner recalls. "The whole hotel staff was so laid-back and casual. They didn't wear uniforms or suits. In the advance planning we told them what we liked and they said, 'Yeah, mon, yeah.' But they delivered. They did everything."

Many of the islands have made great strides in improving their quality of services. Bob Shaw found a tremendous overall improvement in response to the needs of his 1993 meeting on Paradise Island, compared to a decade ago.

"I think they have done a tremendous job in educating folks toward tourism," he says. "I found a tremendous difference since the last time I was there. The service is better, prompter. I noticed a difference even in the native folk I passed on the street, who would say 'Hello' or nod or smile. Not just hotel staff, either."

To a one, meeting planners say that the same hotel chains they rely on stateside Hyatts and Hiltons, Wyndhams and Four Seasons, Princesses and Marriotts work even harder in the islands. Their standards are just as high in Nassau as Dallas. If those companies give a franchise to local investors, they make sure their reputation is upheld.

How to solve the manana problem when it does arise?

"I deal with it the same way there as here. I look for another person," says Marie Vanderbeck, president of Southern Exposure (formerly Select Corporate Meetings) in Pompton Lakes, N.J. "I have too much to do. My business depends so much on other people performing that if I get a sense of other people not performing, I'll turn around."

Manana is not necessarily a bad way of life, especially for a bunch of corporate types who need a vacation. And be aware that the more you and your group play into the Ugly American Syndrome, the farther away manana may be. Of course, top producers who've earned expensive island getaways get to where there are by flashing a little attitude. You may be playing fire trying to contain them.

Best bet: Hire a destination management company on the island where your meeting will be held, particularly for dealing with Customs and transportation challenges in non-U.S. territories. Let them buffer between you and off-resort providers.

"There is an image of the islands that none of us work at the same pace as the industrial world," says Noel Sloley, president of Jamaica Tours Ltd. in Montego Bay. "So those of us who are successful here have to work twice as hard."

Sloley confirms that some meeting planners will encounter people in the islands who don't move with enough urgency. He says that's because they don't understand the need. If you tell a Customs agent he's tying up papers you need, he may not understand. But tell him your ice cream is melting, that he'll act upon.

"People like myself will take that work and worry away," Sloley says. "If a meeting is starting at 11, we say (to service workers) we're starting at 10 so everyone will be ready at 11. It's a practical matter of adjusting your culture to the needs of your client."

Include the DMC in all your advance planning, even in those aspects that are out of their purview. You never know when they might know someone who knows someone who can smooth your way. Send a schedule of arrivals attendees and equipment ahead of time to the DMC so everyone and every thing is picked up at the airport and delivered safely to your hotel.

"You have to re-set your watch to Bahamian time," Shaw advises. "That's what I say to my people. They say, 'But, Bob, it's not a different time zone!' No, but the minute-hand goes a little slower than big-city folks are used to. Doesn't make it bad, just different. And if you're down there on a conference, you shouldn't be in a big friggin' rush, anyhow."

Safety
Self-contained resorts in Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas offer everything your attendees might need multiple dining choices, water sports, golf, tennis, shopping and live entertainment at night.

"The things we did were all on Paradise Island," Bob Shaw says. "I'm not sure how keen I would be walking around Nassau at night. But I'd rather by there than Miami or Fort Lauderdale."

Sandy Gould wants to plan a Caribbean executive board meeting in 1995 for 40 people at Michigan Physicians Mutual Liability Company. But Nevis proved too difficult to get to and Puerto Rico worries her. "People say, 'Why would you want to go to Puerto Rico? They all say, 'High crime.' I'm trying to find out if that's true," she says.

She was surprised when even the San Juan convention bureau told her that visitors have to be careful when they leave tourist areas. She's still considering San Juan, but widened her search to include the U.S. Virgin Islands and Cancun.

People being people, they're going to be curious about what lies beyond the high walls and secure perimeters of the resort. That's where all the planning in the world can't save your precious Caribbean meeting from disaster and disappointment.

One company took 700 people to Jamaica in January 1992. It was a complicated experience. Attendees complained of walking down main streets and being offered pot and sexual favors. But the weirdest and scariest moment involved a charter boat.

One of the group's vice presidents circumvented the convention's DMC to hire a yacht. He wanted to take his department on a black-tie cruise and save a few bucks, too. But something went wrong. He booked the boat sight unseen and, when he finally did see it, the craft was a whole lot less than advertised more like a garbage scow. The veep canceled, which didn't sit too well with the captain.

The last night of the convention, a big party was held at the resort. All 700 attendees were there, as was the ship's captain who stood 6-foot, 8-inches and his bodyguards. They threatened the veep 5-foot, 8-inches with bodily harm if he didn't pay up. He refused. Hotel security refused to remove the man and his associates; he was too well connected and unafraid of anybody.

In the end, the veep paid the man. The group's meeting planner and DMC told him, point-blank, that they didn't think he'd get off the island otherwise. The next morning, hotel security escorted the veep to the airport and didn't leave his side until he was seated on his plane.

"When I'm selling people on Jamaica," says Wally Sumner, president of Incentive Dynamics in Santa Ana, California, "I say it's a beautiful place and as long as you're at the resort, you're going to have a good time. But I don't recommend spending a lot of time in Ocho Rios."

Poverty
One exec felt uneasy about what he saw along the road to his resort destination: severe poverty. "That's not a good thing when you have a four-day incentive vacation, seeing little kids running around begging for money or selling drugs," he says. "On the other hand, it's just part of the local flavor."

"It's just like some of the United States," says another planner. "You see the poverty that will bother some of the attendees. It is a depressing situation. You get that twinge of guilt. You've got people going to incentive meetings, you're trying to treat them like kings and queens, and it's kind of a downer you have to deal with. It's a factor we would have to consider in choosing a site."

Many planners and DMCs deal with the concern head-on. Some place guides on welcome shuttle buses to talk about how the major economic factor on the island is tourism. They acknowledge the blight, low wages and poverty, but encourage attendees that their tourism dollars go a long way to giving the locals a leg up on improving their standard of living.

"There is poverty," destination manager Noel Sloley says. "But tourism dollars do help us tackle our social and economic problems."

Accessibility
Many Caribbean islands are just 75 minutes by air from Miami, making the distance convenient for one day, overnight or extended meetings. Some airlines fly direct or non-stop into San Juan and Nassau; most use Miami as a hub for connecting continental and international flights.

One executive who prefers to remain anonymous recently considered Montego Bay, Jamaica as a site for an annual convention that attracts 900 people. He decided against the island after a site inspection. It didn't seem possible to him that his swell of attendees could be smoothly transported, even from the airport to their resort destination. Narrow roads and harrowing bus rides convinced him.

"It's a long bus ride," he complains. "The heat and the humidity what they call air conditioning is a fan."

He praised the service, courtesy and training of the resort staff where he considered meeting. He noted the political stability that has come to Jamaica after years of unrest. But transportation posed an insurmountable problem.

The islands don't have sophisticated road systems. They wouldn't know what a highway was. Then again, if you're going troppo, you're not looking for parkways and turnpikes. "You have to drive from the Nassau airport through downtown and you're going to get caught in traffic," Bob Shaw says. "But that's what the islands are to me."

Sandy Gould wanted to schedule a meeting in Nevis. The vice president and executive assistant of Michigan Physician's Mutual Liability Company flew from Detroit for a site visit and had a terrible time with the flights. The airline which invited her with a free ticket treated her party "like second-class citizens." And she was worn down by all the connections.

One meeting planner's plaint about accessibility is another's delight. Some planners look for hard-to-get-to locales for their meetings.

Nearly 200 leading producers for the AMEX Life Assurance Company were feted to an incentive meeting at the Four Seasons on Nevis in April 1992 a very hard to get to island. A typical travel itinerary required participants to fly to Miami, endure delays in connecting to St. Kitts and finally take a boat to Nevis. No problem.

"We chose Nevis because we were looking for places where our group could be the only thing happening. The year before, we had a cruise ship in Tahiti to ourselves," says Barry Wolpa, director of marketing. "I needed a place my people could spend time together, have a feeling of family and find it exciting."

Nevis was quiet, low-key and very native. "My boss said we're only going there if you can make something happen. It was a challenge because there's nothing there," Wolpa says. "There was nothing the Four Seasons was unable to deliver on. For me, that was key. Because my people went through hell to get there."

The Four Seasons maintains relationships with ground operators and plantation owners on Nevis to share its guests for dine-arounds and sight-seeing. The resort supports of other businesses on the island. When the group arrived 90 minutes late for its lunch reservation, the plantation hostess brought out a round of drinks for everyone then laid out a fresh lunch buffet.

"Our people were welcomed everywhere," Wolpa says. "Every mini-bus was on time. Everything everything was pre-planned. There was nothing left to chance when we got there. We ran a very tight schedule. It was a good trip; I have fond memories of it."

Customs
Going through Customs in Jamaica "was a real pain," one planner says, "even though I was a guest of Air Jamaica and they expedited that for me." It took him two hours to be passed through. He worried about the jam that several hundred convention-goers arriving simultaneously might cause when the airline wasn't available to smooth things over.

Blame 300 years of British rule for the stagnation at Jamaican Customs, says Noel Sloley.

"You had a civil service trained to keep things out of Jamaica," he says, "especially when the terms of trade were that you would only buy things from the British or other Commonwealth countries. Suddenly, the world has gotten smaller and your trading partners are other people but you have still retained many of your Customs regulations. So a businessman coming in with a computer, that is looked at as something that he might sell and corrupt our people. It is not looked on as a vital working tool. It is a mindset we are breaking down. But we have to be careful because duties are very important to our government."

How do you deal with the problem? At least 21 days before your group arrives in the islands, send the DMC a list of all the items you'll be bringing. Don't be afraid to over-estimate. If there are 100 people expected, for example, list 100 computers. List brochures, A/V equipment, whatever. Tell your DMC to arrange for waivers ahead of time.

Cindy Luther, vice president of marketing and communications for Design Benefit Plans (formerly National Group Marketing) in Schaumberg, Illinois, needed a unique, over-sized silver screen for a 3-D slide show she planned for a meeting at the Wyndham Rose Hall Beach and Country Club in Montego Bay, Jamaica. First it was too big for every shipping company she contacted. Then it arrived at Customs after 5 p.m. closing time. Unfortunately, she needed it set up and ready to go by 9 a.m. the next morning exactly the time Customs would re-open. Through some sleight-of-hand by her DMC, Noel Sloley, and the Wyndham's G.M., Jimmy Wright, the silver screen made its appearance at the hotel at 11 p.m. It was a very close call.

Leaving the same meeting, Luther encountered computer problems. As in, Jamaican Customs tied up her silver screen and all the computers she rented out of Chicago. For three months. They were finally discovered in Miami. The computers were badly beaten up. Not a pretty picture.

Tax Issues/Caribbean Basin Initiative
A system of trade preferences and programs begun by the United States in 1984 to encourage trade with Caribbean and Central American countries can substantially impact on meeting planners. The Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) makes meetings held in the 22 participating countries (see list) tax-deductible. Meetings held in non-CBI countries (such as Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Suriname and the Turks & Caicos Islands) are not tax-deductible.

Participating countries are those that allow U.S. inspection of banking records. As anyone who read John Grisham's novel, The Firm, knows, banks in the Cayman Islands do not communicate with the U.S. Government.

"The first thing you need to do is check with your tax accountant about which islands qualify as tax deductible under the Caribbean Basin Initiative. Some islands do not qualify," warns Art Nicley, president of Detroit-based American Photocopy and meeting planner for the American Co-op, an organization of office copier, facsimile and postage meter dealers. Nicley, who took his group to Jamaica in 1991 and St. Lucia in '92, says that the tax savings could be "significant" no matter what the size of your group, but the largest the group the larger the savings.

CBI gives hotels in participating countries equal footing with stateside meetings and a leg up on non-participating countries.

"The tax-deductibility makes it a better deal for meetings," says Jeff French, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. "We have always had that benefit and we sell it. It provides a cost advantage to use us rather than another island. Why not avoid the hassle and take advantage of that deductibility?"

CARIBBEAN BASIN INITIATIVE PARTICIPANTS
Antigua & Barbuda
Aruba
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
British Virgin Islands
Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyana
Honduras
Jamaica
Montserrat
Netherlands Antilles
Nicaragua
Panama
St. Kitts-Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad & Tobago

Cruising
Meeting planners who want the daytime charms of the Caribbean and none of the nighttime headaches often opt for island-hopping cruises.

"Our way, they see the islands during the day, get back on the boat at night and float away," says Karin Holmes, meeting and travel coordinator for Central States of Omaha. "Our people get to see a lot of an island. Some of the islands are so small that to be in one place for five to seven days becomes a sleepy vacation. A cruise ship is high-energy all the time. There's a lot going on."

Holmes will embark on her second incentive meeting cruise next March, leaving out of San Juan and touching down with 200 agents in Martinique, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Barbados. In 1989, she led her group to Cozumel, Jamaica and Grand Cayman.

Attracting people to cruises is easy, she says.

"The thing the agents like best is there's very little out-of-pocket expense once they get on the cruise," Holmes says. "The only things they pay out of pocket for are alcohol and souvenirs. Meals and entertainment on-board are included, so it's perceived they're getting a lot for what they're winning. And it's a 7-day trip. It's very popular. I don't think a land program in the States would attract as many people."

Dear Bob,

I loved your article about "Meetings in the Caribbean"

It's true, the incentive traveling to the Caribbean is growing very fast!

I am from a beautiful island, Curaçao, the largest island of the Netherlands Antilles.

I was wondering if there was any way you could link our site mentioned below on yours.

I hope you would like to do that!

Thanking you in advance, I remain!

Best regards

Remco C. Ernandes
MCI Manager
Explore Curaçao (DMC)
Meeting, Convention and Incentive Traveling
Pietermaai # 135
Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles
Dutch Caribbean
Tel.: +(599 9) 517-7714
Fax: +(599 9) 461-7184
e-mail: info@explorecuracao.com
www.explorecuracao.com

Copyright 2008 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

Bob Merkle for U.S. Senate? "Mad Dog" on the Loose (Tampa Bay Weekly)

2009-01-02T21:17:00.001-05:00

U.S. Senate image via Wikipedia

By Bob Andelman

(Originally written in August 1993 for Tampa Bay Weekly)

There's a story former United States Attorney Bob Merkle tells as a part of his stump speech that neatly sums up his campaign for the Republican nomination for U. S. Senate.

"My wife told me that my two daughters were in the backyard one day. The younger one was crying and the older one said, 'What's the matter, Rita, why are you crying?' No answer, continued sobs. Finally, my wife stuck her head out the window in exasperation and said, 'Why are you crying?' Rita said, 'Nobody loves me.' And Teresa laughed and said, 'That's okay. Nobody loves daddy, either.'"

He's an engaging speaker, with lots of colorful experiences and characters to draw on. He's a little heavier than perhaps he was when playing college football at notre dame. His cheeks are red and chubby, not unlike those of Florida's junior senator and former governor, Bob Graham. Small audiences make loud noises in support of his candidacy.

Why did you decide to run and why did you get in the race so late?

Well, there's two ways of looking at that. I'm not late in the sense I filed before the deadline and I'm certainly in the race before the votes have been cast. I'm late only in the sense that you've got to have several million dollars to make a race. The reason that I filed when I filed and not a year later is I had the Carlos Lehder case to prosecute, among other reasons. In fact, I was approached a year earlier by the National Republican Committee in Washington, asking me if I'd be interested in running and I said no. Lehder had to be convicted and I -- rightly or wrongly -- perceived myself to be the best prosecutor in the office. It was a very difficult trial, it took seven, eight months, the jury was out for five days. So I didn't think anyone was going to hold it against me.

But politically, it hurt you because your opponent, Connie Mack had already lined up major Republicans to support him and could not turn back and say, "Okay, Bob, I'll support you."

Yeah, I know. But I think Mr. Mack is in for a surprise.

Take a look at it objectively. Mack has been campaigning for the better part of a year and he's spent a couple million dollars. He still couldn't even muster 50 percent of the vote among Republicans! Sure, he was the selected candidate (but) I know, contrary to Republican statements, that there are other arguably qualified Republicans who wanted to be candidates and they were actively discouraged by the party.

My late entry into the race is not going to be a handicap. In fact, It highlights the main distinctions between myself and Mr. Mack. Mack is perceived as the money candidate. He has not had anything to say of substance at all. His campaign is one of slogans and I think that's a smart decision on his part or his manager's part because his record has been very lackluster, to say the least.

This is your first run for elected office. Above the Senate there's only one elected office. Why not start a little lower, work your way up, get a little experience?

I always aim high. (And) I don't lack experience. I'm more experienced than anybody in the field. Don't forget I was a presidential appointee in 1982. A lot of people don't understand what a U.S. Attorney does. My job is to enforce all the laws of the land. I had responsibility in areas such as health care, the environment, civil rights, crime, you name it. The whole fabric of our social life was my responsibility. I probably know more about the federal laws and the problems of them than anyone else in the race. I was an administrator, a conciliator, a leader. I had to work with diverse federal, state and local agencies. ... To do that, I had to be an effective administrator, I had to be good at dealing with people. That's why, among other reasons, I served under three different attorney generals.

Do you see yourself as a more traditional Republican candidate than Connie Mack is?

I see myself as the more modern Republican. Mack is a guy who, in my opinion, has not had an original thought in his head since he got into public life. He rode on Reagan's coattails in 1982. He is preaching a knee-jerk, conservative philosophy which is not the product of any independent thought on his part. Most of what he says you could probably find in the Heritage Foundation pamphlet, "A Guide to the Conservative Platform."

I am a conservative man. I am fundamentally conservative in my approach to government. But by the same token, I think the problems of our day ... require that we all grow. There are certain things that require bi-partisan approaches. The environment, for example. The environment is something that we are stuck with. It's either going to be good for us or it's going to be bad for us. ... The breakup of the family, which has been accelerating rapid in the 1980s is a time-bomb waiting to go off in society. It's a direct predicate to drug trafficking, it's a direct predicate to crime.

I believe society has an obligation to address the root causes of these things. The question that separates liberal from conservative in the traditional sense is, how do we do it? I do not believe the govt is the repository of compassion, to the extent that the old-time liberal approach to welfare has been ineffective. I think it has served to discourage private initiative, private compassion. It's served to discourage responsibility in private enterprise. It's served to encourage the attitude, "That's not my problem."

***

Do you think you have a credibility problem in Tampa and St. Petersburg?

Only with a couple of editorial writers.

You've had a jagged history with the press. Was there a point at which you think the press turned against you?

I have always taken the position that I have not maligned the press. I have always said, "Ask them." Only they know.

After the Italiano trial last year, in which Governor Martinez testified for the defense. Every time the St. Petersburg Times has written an article about that, it says, "Merkle has accused (Martinez) without bringing charges." I didn't accuse anybody. That was sworn testimony in court under oath. The chief judge in that trial commended me for the manner in which that trial was conducted. I didn't put Governor Martinez on the stand; the defense did. The Republican party paid the governor's expenses, which is highly unusual. I did my job of cross-examination. The press, rather than focus on what was happening in the trial, was helping the defense attorney make his claims on the courthouse steps. So much so that the Times editorialized at least twice -- perhaps three times during the course of the trial -- that I should be fired because of my insolent, arrogant and unfair manner in the courtroom, culminating with an editorial cartoon showing me physically pummeling a witness on the stand. Now, you know, this is an attack directly on my integrity, my ability, my reputation. The very same day the Times ran (the cartoon) the Tampa Tribune carried an article in which they interviewed the jurors in the trial right after the verdict. The jurors commented on how professional and gentlemanly I was -- and courteous -- toward Governor Martinez. So why do they do those things?

Maybe it's because they believe their own clippings.

***

Carlos Lehder's name popped up a lot today. What do you make of him as a man?

Carlos Lehder. (Merkle takes a long pause.) I described him several ways to the jury. I described him as a man whose life demonstrated, ultimately, a total absence of any love or regard for others. He used people, discarded them. Some people described him as brilliant but, I think, in the final analysis, he was not so brilliant. He was reckless. He made stupid mistakes, he alienated a lot of people. And he himself fell victim to drugs. But for that, he might well have succeeded beyond the time that he did. We had evidence we didn't use in the trial. He became almost an embarrassment in his own world. Just imagine, if you will, a meeting of the Medellin Cartel, most of whom don't smoke, or anything else. Carlos Lehder is sitting there, doing drugs. These are hard-eyed businessmen who didn't appreciate that.

Lehder -- I described him also as an empty suit. He hid behind his charm,
which he did have. He hid behind the money and his guns. He was not a real
courageous guy. He had bravado. But he was an empty suit.

Did you have an opportunity to talk to him, face-to-face, the way we are now?

No, I never talked to him. He yelled at me several times.

Occasionally, I would come into court and sit down. Nobody would be in court and Lehder would be sitting across the way. Lehder turned to (my assistant) and said, "That agent is here. He said he was here and now he's gone. (My assistant) said, "Well, maybe he's sick." And Lehder said, "I hope he's got AIDS."

Lehder suggested after his conviction that you had used him for political gain. I imagine there's a number of people who may have looked at it that way.

That accusation is pure claptrap. Those who suggest that are engaging in what psychologists would call projection. They're projecting their own crass motivations.

I was working 16 hours a day, minimum, seven days a week. Away from home. If anybody thinks I would do that for some political purpose -- I can't even believe that kind of accusation.

I would say this: I perceive that it's not going to hurt me when they compare the performance of Mr. Mack and my performance during the exact period of time, being paid by the same employer -- the taxpayers -- they're going to see that I was working doubletime, overtime, and Mack -- who was making more money than me -- missed 41 percent of the votes. So just from the prospect of which public officials are going to roll up their sleeves and work for you, Mack's going to stand in my stead.

The St. Petersburg Times did a profile on Mr. Mack and the reporter said Mr. Mack never sweats. Well, if I missed work half of the time, I might not sweat, either.

***

When the Nelson Italiano trial ended, you got the conviction, Italiano went to prison. You were probably feeling pretty good, receiving a lot of positive attention. After a few months though, the Supreme Court made a decision which reversed the mail fraud conviction and Italiano was booted free. How did you feel to know he was out?

I think the Supreme Court decision was an unwise decision. I can understand the philosophy of it -- it's a very rigid, almost pristine approach to the issue taken by a conservative majority. But it effectively ignored decades of precedent in every court in the United States and had a certain surreal quality to it which, while perhaps being comfortable in the ivory tower of conservative thought, did not translate well into the real world. And, compounding the problem in regard to Mr. Italiano particularly, the Times always (writes about) "The Nelson Italiano trial, in which Merkle made accusations against Governor Martinez and the conviction was overturned." Period. No explanation. The way it's put, the way it's written, suggests that Merkle's misconduct was the reason for it being overturned. And it had nothing to do with it.

It was my recommendation (before leaving office) that Mr. Italiano be re-indicted because the evidence was overwhelming. The jury was only out three hours.

Do you have a sense that there is more corruption going on, either in Hillsborough, Tampa or Pinellas?

Its a problem. It's endemic.

Is something going to happen here in the near future?

I can't comment on that. You see, one of the things I decided early on -- and I think properly so, it's a question of ethics -- there are things I knew as U.S. Attorney which I could capitalize on for political pureposes. But I can't. And I'm not going to say anything.

When I say that, that's not to suggest there's going to be some giant case, or anything like that. ... I do know there will be major cases coming into the public's eye over the next six months, which I basically developed, worked up.

***

Do you think of yourself as a smart man?

Oh, yes. Indeed.

Are you a calculating man?

I reflect. I am calculating in the sense that I do not act irrationally. I consider what I'm going to say, I consider what I'm going to do. For example, when I made the statement I made about Martinez and Mack. ... carefully thought out, carefully written. The words may have been strong but they were not the product of anger or spoken in anger. They were meant to say exactly what they said, to accurately describe what I know to be the case.

I have no effective way of rebutting the accusation that "Merkle's a hothead" and "Merkle should think before he speaks." I point to my record. I'm not a hothead. I do think before I speak. And I could not have accomplished what I accomplished in the U.S. Attorney's Office if I were the caricature that a lot of people accuse me of being.

***

Let's talk about Joe Magri, your former chief aide and the man you hoped would succeed you as United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. The thing that strikes me about the situation is this: How many people in the United States Government get to name their successor?

It's not the issue of me naming my successor at all. The issue is whether politics is going to be used as a weapon of reprisal. Attorney General Meese's assurance to me was not predicated on any right of mine to name my successor. It was predicated on legitimate law enforcement concerns and that this particular U.S. Attorney's Office -- because of certain salient facts -- must be protected against political reprisals. And it was not protected. That's the issue. Joe Magri was the first assistant in my entire (term) in that office, basically. He deserves equal, if not more credit than I for the accomplishments in that office.

The statements which have come out about not knowing Mr. Magri was interested are flat disingenuous, to put it very mildly.

Do you think Meese was too far out of the decision-making loop by the time this came up, making him unable to back up his assurances to you?

There are things about that that I am not willing to comment publicly on. I will at a later time.

How do you feel about Ed Meese's term in office as Attorney General?

I never criticized Meese. I also pointed out that my dealings have been limited to law enforcement matters. I always found him to be very amiable, very supportive of me. And I think the political criticism of the Department of Justice has ignored the reality and, to that extent, been unfair, to the U.S. Attorneys across the country who do 90 percent of the work. I would agree that there was a tremendous demoralization in the department in Washington. And there were some effects in the field. I found, in the last six months, a lack of coordination at the top, the Noreiga case as an example. When I find out from the press the offer to Noreiga is on the table.

How do you feel about the oft-repeated charge that Meese is morally bankrupt?

I think Meese is fundamentally a very decent man. I really do. He struck me as being an extremely nice person, without a mean bone in his body. Maybe he was disorganized. Maybe he was careless. ... My perception is that he was not the dynamo at Justice. He was a figurehead in many respects.

How did Meese compare with his predecessor, William French Smith?

In many respects, my contacts with Meese were more than with Smith. Both shared somewhat of a distance from the day-to-day operations although Meese was more involved in the criminal aspects of the department.

***

Were you ever face-to-face with Panamanian strongman Manuel Noreiga?

No.

Would you describe Noreiga in terms similar to those you did Carlos Lehder?

I think Noreiga -- at least from what I've read about him -- there's a lot of difference. Noreiga is not a man of any charm, whatsoever. No grace. And, apparently, a brutality that Lehder is capable of but it's more on the surface with Noreiga.

Do you think Noreiga will ever stand trial?

I consider it a very likely possibility if he's not killed by political opposition or the survivors of those he has destroyed or if the administration doesn't cave in.

The situation has been quiet for awhile; I wonder if the further we get away from the announced indictment if its become less and less likely he'll be tried.

I wouldn't say that at all. The situation in Panama is not going to get far away from the conscience of the American people. It took us 7 years to get Lehder.

Are there more big fish we'll be getting after Lehder? Are they becoming more touchable or more untouchable?

I think they're becoming more touchable. The rhetoric down there suggests the contrary but they're becoming more touchable. They are more clearly perceived as at odds with the people of their own countries down there and the fact that Lehder was convicted and didn't get out. I think that has to be an inducement to further efforts along those lines.

Do you think the Vice President has actively fought drugs or has he been paying lip service to the South Florida task force?

I believe he's actively fought drugs. From what I know - you've got to recognize, the Vice President occupies a very sensitive position. A lot of people criticize ... but I think the other side of that coin is that the Vice President lent the prestige of his name and his office, which served to focus nationally on a problem a lot of people didn't want to recognize existed. I think he deserves a lot of credit for that.

Let's say you beat mack. Who do you see as your opponent on the Democratic side?

I'm not even going to venture to guess. I'm focusing on Mr. Mack. I have a very tough race with Mr. Mack. It's going to be close. When I beat him, if that's in the cards, then I'll worry about who's next.

If you beat him, do you see yourself drawing heavily from Democrats as well as Republicans?

It is my belief -- I'm in the toughest race I'll have right now and I will handily win the general election. And I don't think Mr. Mack has a chance in the general election.

If you beat Mack, you've got a Republican Party that's been up in arms with you ...

It won't be the first time they've shot themselves in the foot.

Are you someone who can bring them back together?

Let's put it this way. I am not in the business of running a devisive campaign. The inflammatory rhetoric has been coming from the other side. ... I don't plan, after I win, on going around the state and extending olive branches. I am able, and have in the past, patched up wounds, been conciliatory. But what you're seeing in the Republican Party is great disaffection with the way the Party has been run. Their real animus against me is they perceive I'm going to upset that applecart. And they're right.

I'll be conciliatory, but it's not going to be on their terms.

Did you ever experiment, in high school or college ...

I don't have any problems like that. That is not an issue in this campaign. I have not addressed that in regards to Mr. Mack.

How do you feel about the constitutionality of drug and/or AIDS testing in the work place?

I believe it's constitutional. Drug testing -- there's a split of opinion in the courts about this. But it's a balancing of interests, just like anything else. I do not believe that the federal government has a right to mandate drug testing.

For its own employees?

Not a blanket mandate. There has to be some official considerations to pass constitutional muster. If you have employees involved in national security, national transportation, public safety, air traffic controllers, you've got an obligation to the public. People who take those jobs do not have an entitlement to those jobs so they can't say that a fundamental right is being deprived of them. They go into those jobs with the knowledge that they're going to be subject to that kind of scrutiny.

I'd pee in a bottle anytime. And have always been able to do so. ButII don't believe patriotism is that sublime. In private industry the experience is that drug screening is good if done compassionately, with the recognition that the drug user is a threat to himself, fellow workers and the economic survival of the business itself.Don't eliminate the person; eliminate the problem.

You graduated Notre Dame in '68. That was not quite the height of the war. How did you feel about Viet Nam then and how do you feel about it now?

Well, I tried to go. I was in ROTC in college. I was in football. I tried to sign up for the warrant officer program but couldn't pass thephysical (because) I injured my leg and my back.

You were willing to go -- how do you look back at it now?

I've had some close friends that did go and I've seen the problems they suffer. Had I gone, I probably would have come back feeling that I'd been screwed by a government, and a people that really wasnt supportive.

Who do you look to for political inspiration?

Lincoln. Theodore Roosevelt. Even Eisenhower.

You still smoke in a time when a lot of people are giving it up. How do you feel about all the legislation banning ...

That really isn't relevant. I hope we don't see that in this interview.

But people are voting on it in the Senate and in the House -- smoker's rights, smoking bans, government subsidies.

I hope they raise taxes 100 percent on cigarettes and that will certainly give me incentive to quit smoking.

I don't smoke heavily at all. In fact, I'm going to quit. I am quitting.

I don't particularly dig zealotry in an area. I can see some people are allergic and I have no prob with smoking and non-smoking areas. I don't object to not smoking on an airline. But there are a lot of people whose perfume or cologne is a lot more offensive than cigarette smoke.

I don't think smoking should be a federal offense, let me put it that way.

If it doesn't hapen for you on the sixth -- if Connie Mack wins -- have you thought about what you might do?

I really haven't thought about it. I've always just lived my live kind of a day at a time... That goes back to your question, "Am I a calculating man?" I don't chart out my life.

Have you had an opportunity -- either formally or informally -- to devise a plan or program that would keep people who commit crimes, violent, white or blue-collar, in prison longer? Do we need more prisons?

There's no question in my mind we must imprison violent criminals. We must imprison persons convicted of drug-related offenses. And we must accomplish a status quo in the system whereby that sentence is definitive, it is equitable and it is something other than an accepted cost of doing business as a drug trafficker. And it has to have a deterrent factor. The statutes that we have now are amply strong enough with regard to imprisonment. It's just a question of putting them into practice. We don't have enough prosecutors, we don't have enough judges...

Dave Hagan, BOINGO WIRELESS CEO: Mr. Media Interview

2009-01-02T12:55:00.001-05:00

Image by Getty Images
via DaylifeI well remember my first encounter with wireless Internet service outside of my home.

It was the Cellular Telecommunication & Internet Association's Wireless 2002 show in Orlando and I was sent to cover it for Technology Meetings magazine.

Boingo Wireless had approached the CTIA just two weeks earlier about making WiFi available at the gigantic convention at the Orange County Convention Center and I was there to test it out.

WiFi changed my life—and the magazine’s too; my cover story on that event was the last issue in the magazine’s short history.

Anyway, I’ve been sold on WiFi ever since and I suspect you’ll find my guest today is a big fan of it, too. He’s Dave Hagan, CEO of Boingo Wireless.

You can LISTEN to this interview with DAVE HAGAN, CEO of BOINGO WIRELESS, by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player below!

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Laurel Touby, MEDIABISTRO.com founder, socializer-in-chief: Mr. Media Interview

2009-01-02T12:47:00.001-05:00

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Laurel ToubyWhen Laurel Touby started MediaBistro.com in 1996, being a freelancer in the media business was a fairly solitary position. She became the socializer-in-chief, organizing events to draw writers and editors together, posting media jobs, which led to educational programs and daily news updates.

In other words, she gave folks like me a community.

I never got too involved in MediaBistro but I appreciated its existence. And I was quite happy for Laurel when, a few years ago, she sold her company for $23 million.

Even better, Laurel has stayed with her company. I invited her on the show to talk about what Mediabistro.com has to offer and to talk about how the disassembly of print media might affect her operation in the future.

You can LISTEN to this interview with LAUREL TOUBY, founder and socializer-in-chief of MEDIABISTRO.COM, by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player below!

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Merkle for the Defense (Florida Business/Tampa Bay)

2009-01-01T21:15:00.000-05:00

Manuel Noriega image via Wikipedia

By Bob Andelman

(Originally written in November 1989 for Florida Business/Tampa Bay; also published the same year in the Orlando Sentinel Sunday magazine.)

The man who stared down Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega, the man who sent Colombian drug lord Carlos Lehder to prison, the man who challenged Connie Mack for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate-yes, Bob "Mad Dog" Merkle-couldn't turn on a telephone.

He'd never before seen a phone that ran on batteries. The federal government didn't buy 'em that way.

That wasn't Merkle's only problem in setting up his first business since running a lemonade stand as a kid. There was all that governmental red tape, all the bureaus to visit and license fees to be paid. For a man who had spent his entire career in government, it was an eye-opening experience being on the other side.

Until he could afford a secretary, Merkle did his own typing. He rented office space within another law firm until he could get on his feet. Merkle only had two phones-one in his office and one for a parade of temporary secretaries. That left his partner, Joe Magri, in the cold. When someone called for Magri, he'd have to use Merkle's phone and Merkle would have to wait outside the office.

Then there was the problem of research. Unable to afford their own law library, Merkle and Magri had to spend nights and weekends looking up cases in the Pinellas County Courthouse law library. "It was inconvenient as hell," says Merkle. "It's very inefficient having to leave your office, especially when you're the only one there. You go downtown, look for a parking space then find you don't have any change for the meter." Merkle's notoriety didn't help; everyone he ran into wondered why the infamous attorney was doing his own searches through the stacks.

When they finally bought their own statutes, Merkle and Magri discovered a new problem: no room in their makeshift office for book shelves. So the lawyers took out the indexes and had to leave the rest of the books in boxes. To find something, whole cartons would have to be shuffled.

"It's one of those things you look back fondly on," says Magri, "and thank God it didn't last long."

Welcome to the world of private lawyering, former federal prosecutor style.

Among modern U.S. attorneys, only New York-based Rudolph Giuliani enjoyed more renown and infamy in the 1980s than Bob "Mad Dog" Merkle. While Giuliani played the game of federal prosecutor in a bigger arena, there are many similarities between him and Merkle, including national television profiles in 1987-Giuliani on ABC's "20/20," Merkle on CBS's "60 Minutes"-and the failure of both to leapfrog from appointed to elected office. (Giuliani wanted to be mayor of New York in '89; Merkle chased the role of U.S. Senator in '88). Now both face at least the immediate future in private practice.

From 1982 to 1988, Merkle went after the biggest fish in the sea of 32 counties making up the Middle District of Florida. His office's cases never failed to make headlines: the corruption trials of members of the Hillsborough County Commission and Nelson Italiano, a once-prominent figure in Hillsborough County Democratic politics; drug indictments brought against Lehder, Noriega and ex-baseball star Denny McLain; perjury charges against State Rep. Elvin Martinez; investigation of former Hillsborough State Attorney E.J. Salcines; and the prosecution of plastic surgeon Dr. Dale B. Dubin on child-pornography charges.

"We didn't win all the cases, but nobody does," says Merkle. "It was claimed I only went after Democrats, that I only went after lawyers-depending on whose ox was being gored, that defined 'the problem with Merkle.' If there's a rap there, it was that I went after everybody. Nobody was above the law."

Merkle was the first U.S. attorney to successfully extradite and prosecute a member of Colombia's feared Medellin Cartel. The life sentence drug lord Carlos Lehder received in 1988 was a precursor of the bloody civil war that has since wracked Colombia.

When he won, Merkle lavished compliments upon the American legal system, judge and jurors. When he lost, Merkle explained it away by saying the jurors and judge didn't understand the case.

Along the way, many respected voices called for his firing, including Florida Governor Bob Martinez (cross-examined by Merkle in the Italiano case), Barry Cohen (Salcines' attorney), a majority of Florida's sheriffs, the Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times. Senators Bob Graham and Lawton Chiles were openly critical of Merkle. (The Times eventually recommended Merkle over Connie Mack in the Senate primary; he refused to accept.)

Clearly, not everyone will be rooting for Merkle to succeed in private practice. Not Tampa attorney Barry Cohen, who sought Merkle's removal from office with a full-page newspaper ad and petition campaign after the U.S. attorney's three-year, public investigation of Cohen;s client, E.J. Salcines, damaged the former Hillsborough State Attorney's reputation. Merkle never brought charges against Salcines, but all the negative publicity probably costing Salcines re-election.

Although Cohen declined comment for Florida Business, he did describe to Morley Safer of "60 Minutes" what he called Merkle's "McCarthy mentality." On the nationally broadcast television program, Cohen accused Merkle of " ... inducing people to tell untruths ... threatening people that they'll be indicted if they don't tell you what you want to hear so that you can manipulate the facts ... telling witnesses that you'd better testify in a particular way."

Merkle and Magri have both had run-ins with Cohen over the years. They say Cohen is an expert at trying cases in the media. "Barry Cohen is a good defense attorney in that he knows how to utilize the media," says Magri. "He gives talks on how to use the media to help defend a case." Cohen used a Florida Bar seminar in October as a forum to criticize Pinellas-Pasco Chief Assistant State Attorney Richard Mensch for prosecuting chiropractor William LaTorre as a way of getting back at Cohen for winning a drug case.

After leaving office, Merkle continued to lose friends and influence enemies. He called his former boss, Attorney General Edwin Meese III, a liar and described Connie Mack and Bob Martinez as a "dynamic duo of sleaze." When Mack refused to debate him, Merkle traveled the state with a lifesize representation of Mack, which he dubbed "Cardboard Connie."

Whatever his faults, the sleepy-eyed, sharp-tongued Merkle has never been dull.

* * *

Merkle, a graduate of Notre Dame and reserve fullback on the football team in 1964, spent 17 years in professional law enforcement as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice and as an assistant state attorney in Pinellas County for the Sixth Judicial Circuit before being recommended by then-Senator Paula Hawkins to be U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida in 1982. Merkle left office in mid-1988 to challenge Connie Mack for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, which Mack later won.

After the campaign, Merkle set about finding a job to feed his wife Angela and their nine children. He set up an independent law office in downtown Clearwater and, at age 45, began competing for the first time for clients.

Merkle has done his best to make the setting of private law as similar to public work as possible. He took on his former chief assistant, Joe Magri, as equal partner and hired his former secretary, Dot Bunger, as office manager. Also joining the firm from the U.S. Attorney's office was Ward Meythaler, who spent five years as an assistant under Merkle; Jeff Albinson spent five years as an assistant state attorney in Pinellas County; Robert Persante, a nationally ranked chess player, folded his sole practitioner office in Tampa to sign on; Dayra Morales is the freshman member of Merkle & Magri, having just graduated University of Florida Law School.

The Merkle & Magri team goes back to a time shortly after Merkle's appointment by Ronald Reagan in 1982. "I met him at a party that my law firm threw on Capitol Hill," recalls Magri. An uncle of Merkle's was a partner in Cummings and Lockwood, the firm where Magri worked. "We got talking about doing some prosecutions and it really sounded good to me. And he liked to play golf."

Over the years, a good working relationship developed into a deep friendship and respect between the two men. "We complement each other well," says Merkle. "There are certain talents he has and certain talents I have that mesh. It's a very good relationship."

Magri, 41, was promoted to acting U.S. attorney when Merkle left office in June 1988 to run for the Republican senate nomination vs. Connie Mack. Less than six weeks later, then-U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese announced Robert Genzman of Orlando would be the new U.S. attorney for the middle district of Florida. The announcement may have been timed to embarrass Merkle just days before the Republican Senate primary; Merkle has said he had an understanding with Meese that Magri would be his permanent successor. Had he known otherwise, Merkle has publicly suggested, he might not have left office. (Magri served as acting U.S. attorney until early 1989.)

"We've been about as close as two lawyers could be in terms of our working relationship over seven years," says Magri. "I have a great deal of respect for his ethics, his approach to the law. He's a very aggressive lawyer. He fights very hard for his position. I think he's an exceptional lawyer."

There are enough rooms with a Rocky Point waterfront view for five more attorneys in the spacious, 11th-floor Waterford Plaza law offices of Merkle & Magri. There is plenty of work to go around; Merkle himself is likely to surpassed his $70,000 federal salary in the firm's first year of business. "I wouldn't commit myself to significant salaries if I didn't have the work to support it," he says. Then, adds Merkle with a twinkling eye on the bottom line, "That's a fundamental business decision."

One of the advantages to private practice for an attorney with Merkle's celebrity status is that it draws in all kinds of people with unusual problems. That is also the chief drawback of being Bob Merkle, P.A.

"I get people who, frankly, are nuts," he says. "I had one guy who claimed he was the past owner of Amtrak, Yankee Stadium and the Skyway Bridge. This was a conspiracy to involve all sorts of people. I didn't accept him as a client. I used to get these people at the U.S. Attorney's office but I had a screening process where we could file a letter in the nut file and let it go.

"I spend an awful lot of time talking to people who have no intention, no wherewithal to hire me. They're looking for emotional support, free advice."

Then there are clients operating under what might be called "Mad Dog Fever," which Merkle says has been spread by defense attorneys and newspaper reporters. The "Mad Dog" nickname began in his assistant state attorney days when he took on unwinnable cases and won them.

"My clients have hired me," says Merkle, "because they perceived I was the meanest, nastiest sonuvabitch in the valley. They feel, 'I don't like you, but I want you as my attorney.' They perceive that I can walk in, wave a wand and they get what they want. But that's not the way the system works."

Merkle insists he's no frothing wild animal; it's not practical. "I have always been in total control of myself in the courtroom. The image of a mad dog is certainly a repugnant image for a lawyer to have. A mad dog foams at the mouth and attacks everything in a mindless fashion." The image has been built out of proportion but he hesitates to reject it entirely. "The good side is the way it was coined. It connotes tenacity and fearlessness. The irony is that that fiction hasn't hurt my business," he says. "But there's another side of that. Sometimes when I walk into a courtroom, a judge who hasn't met me operates on the same principle."

Joe Magri is the perfect partner for Bob Merkle: he's used to standing in the "Mad Dog's" shadow. For seven years of federal prosecutions-successful or not-it was "Merkle this, Merkle that." Guys like Magri and Meythaler worked just as hard but in relative anonymity. "Joe Magri deserves every bit as much credit as I do for what we did at the U.S. attorney's office," says Merkle.

In the private sector, the magnetism of Merkle's name will be a mixed blessing. It will keep Magri in the shadows but probably make him a rich man.

"I don't consider that a real issue," says Magri. "If you want to talk about it from a business standpoint, an attorney that has the ability to attract attention generally attracts cases. That's very good. That's what we're here for. If things go well for me and Bob does well, I'm going to be happy. What's important is that the firm do well. If that results in Bob Merkle gaining publicity or continuing what he has, that's something we should embrace."

* * *

The days of chasing corrupt county commissioners and drug lords are over.

Bob Merkle has made a conscious decision to generally refuse criminal cases. He doesn't want to belittle a long career of criminal prosecution by switching sides to defend drug dealers. Instead, he has chosen the more dignified civil arena, specializing in lender-liability, environmental and land-use litigation.

"There are obviously differences," he says. "But there are some fundamental things that remain the same. A hearing is a hearing. A deposition is a deposition. The law is the law. Clients come to me because there's the prospect of real litigation experience."

Merkle says he's not ruling out criminal defense work entirely, but he is unlikely to accept it unless "there is a situation where I can work to further both the client's interests and the government's interests at the same time. (Otherwise) it would be an abrupt and unacceptable jolt from what I've been committed to for my entire professional career. That's a prospect when I'm using my skills to defend people who are otherwise guilty. I will not do drug work. I happen to have a personal experience in which I have a very high anti-drug profile. I don't want to be in the position where I get people off as a routine manner of the way I work. I'm aware of the recidivism rate. I've known lawyers who've represented criminals and gotten them off. I don't feel comfortable in using my talents to get these people off. Why should I be a mouthpiece for the Mob? Why should I be in-house counsel for a drug organization, insuring their people get back on the street?"

George Tragos was a chief assistant under Merkle at the U.S. attorney's office; like Merkle, Tragos also put in time at the state attorney's office. But when Tragos left the federal prosecution business, he had no trouble working for the other side.

"I made the transition from prosecuting criminals to defending criminals," says Tragos. "I've done it twice. I just wake up one morning and see the Constitution from the other side. I see words I never saw before. I enjoy practicing law and I enjoy trying cases. I don't care if I'm prosecuting or defending.

"Bob-his personality didn't allow him to make that transition," according to Tragos. "He's a person that didn't feel psychologically he could defend criminals. Some people can, some people can't. (Merkle) has a very negative idea of criminal defense lawyers. If you're talking political ambition, representing drug smugglers and criminals doesn't get you a lot of votes. He's doing the right thing not tarnishing his image as a crimebuster."

Tragos believes that the different directions he and Merkle have taken has been largely responsible for the end of their social contacts. But, notes Tragos, "In the civil work I've done, some of the people I've met have been bigger crooks than in criminal."

Denis M. de Vlaming is another former assistant state attorney who turned the tables on the system and now makes his living as a criminal defense specialist. He expects Merkle's aggressive style and tactics will be preferred by a certain type of client and that the former prosecutor will do very well in private practice.

"I admire him for not accepting criminal cases," says de Vlaming. "I'm sure Mr. Merkle could win six-figure fees for drug dealer cases."

de Vlaming says he once had a client who had been charged with three different burglaries. The man was acquitted of the first two charges. This occurred when Bob Merkle was an assistant state attorney. "The third time, Merkle came in and said, 'You're not winning this one,'" recalls de Vlaming. "Judge Fred Bryson has since said it was one of the most enjoyable cases he ever had. We went after each other, nose to nose. And he topped me. He did a good job."

* * *

Attorneys who have spent a portion of their careers in public service say there are a number of differences between working for Uncle Sam and Joe Shmo.

For one thing, there's money. When you work for Uncle Sam, he pays all the bills no matter what the cost and whether or not he can cover the debt. That's important when a Carlos Lehder can pay a reported $2.5 million for his defense. And there's a regular paycheck to depend on, utility bills are paid and plenty of No. 2 pencils and yellow legal pads. In the case of Merkle and Magri, there were also 47 assistant U.S. attorneys to share the work load.

Joe Shmo, on the other hand, won't necessarily pay his bill on time. He'll pay it late if he can and it's no fun for a dignified attorney to chase down deadbeat clients. And if the firm doesn't get paid, there's no blank check from the government to keep the wheels turning. It's a quick lesson in business for lawyers who haven't had to worry about such details in government service.

"When you're a U.S. attorney," says Merkle, "you're here for the United States. You have a client who exists, from a certain perspective, in the abstract. When you are a private lawyer, you find out how many problems there are out in the world and how many there are that can't be solved."

When you're with the government, you're 100 percent lawyer. But when you're in private practice, you're 50 percent lawyer and 50 percent businessman. And the business responsibilities can really get out of hand.

"If you open an office and make lots of money, it's easy. If you're not making money, you have to budget," says George Tragos. "I can't operate at a deficit as the U.S. Government does. Nobody ever said, 'You can't do this drug smuggling (case) because we can't afford it.'"

For attorneys who plan to stay in business and prosper-perhaps even drop a shoe in the political arena-there is an even broader agenda to be considered in private practice.

"You become very conscious of not just your role in a given piece of litigation," says Joseph Donahey, a partner in Clearwater-based Tanney, Forde, Donahey, Eno and Tanney, "but the practice you see over many years, the relationships you have with colleagues, the relationships you have with the bench. Your approach is different. When you're a prosecutor, you're not beholden to anybody. You can approach each case in any manner you choose."

There is also the growing issue of attorneys who make campaign contributions to judges. Merkle supports blind trusts for judges or judicial candidates so that the influence of law firms making large financial contributions could not give a hint of judicial impropriety. "I guarantee you'll see contributions go down," says Merkle. "I'm not going to indulge in the practice I've heard other lawyers do-routinely contributing to incumbents on the bench. Somebody may get their nose bent out of shape by my saying there are incompetents on the bench. But there are incompetents on the bench."

A potential drawback for a Bob Merkle-type attorney shifting gears is the distinct lack of limelight surrounding most lawyer's everyday affairs.

"One of the things you really have to develop a means of handling is the hum-drum routine of all our lives," says Joe Donahey. "I'm looking at a mound of work. I have the same commitment to each of these files yet there's probably only two that that any challenge or any meaningful legal interest."

Not every case, in other words, is a international drug cartel or politician with his fingers in the cookie jar. The average lawyer rarely makes headlines.

Spending time on the government payroll has been lucrative for many people who earn huge consulting fees, write books or end up as partners in nationally respected law firms. Some simply add marquee value; some bring real insight.

George Tragos has says when Bob Merkle was appointed to be U.S. attorney, the two discussed Tragos' joining the team. Tragos told Merkle he couldn't afford the pay cut but ultimately used his savings to maintain the lifestyle which he had become accustomed to as a high-price lawyer. "It was worth it," says Tragos in retrospect. "I made contacts all over the country. Now my business is 60 percent federal."

* * *

There are many stories floating around that reinforce the "Mad Dog" nickname Merkle earned as a young buck coming up through James Russell's Pinellas County State Attorney's office in the '70s..

"Bob Merkle in the courtroom was like a linebacker bursting through the line," says Denis M. de Vlaming. "He's extremely intense, almost physically imposing. When he argued, he would walk right up to you and argue. Almost to the point of intimidation so his opponent cowers. It's a style that's only his.

"I went snow skiing in Vermont with him one year. I don't know if I'd go again," says de Vlaming. "He has to go faster than you, he has to go further than you. He has to beat you at everything. We had an argument over dinner. He always has to be right. He carries over that competitive aggressiveness into every aspect of life."

"The guy is an excellent trial lawyer," says George Tragos. "But if I see him in an airport-as well as we know each other-I have to say hello first. He's not personable. That's just the way he is. But I like him.

"You have two schools of thought," says Tragos. "There's people who really hate the guy. And there's people who think he's the greatest thing since sliced bread. I think he did more good than bad. The people-they got their money's worth with him. Not everything he did turned out right, but on balance, he did more good than bad."

* * *

Is Bob Merkle merely on hiatus from public office? When he does run again, will it be for governor?

"Ah," he answers, "the old question-resting-on-a-presumption trick."

Those who know him best expect the "Mad Dog" to slip his leash again and run for office after feathering his private practice with a layer of cash insulation. "I personally think he'll run for public office again," says George Tragos. "I don't think he can be happy so far out of the limelight. I don't think money motivates him."

Joe Magri-who knows exactly what his partner's plans are-is cagier about making predictions.

"One of the important things in life," says Bob Merkle's law partner, "is that people who are doing that which they want to do tend to be the most happy and productive in life. If you spend the time swimming against your emotional current, you achieve less. I think it's important for people to maintain the options that exist."

If he does run again, Merkle will have to plan his next campaign better than his first, which began with just 70 days to go before the primary. (Connie Mack had been beating the hustings for more than a year.) The first campaign cost a remarkably paltry $70,000 but ate up Merkle's federal retirement, money he lent to the campaign and another loan he is still paying off. But he has no regrets.

"It was an ad lib effort, an amateurish campaign by necessity. It was fun in that regard. I think I performed pretty credibly," says Merkle.

Not surprisingly, Merkle isn't ready to tip his hand. He certainly won't rule out another shot at election-"it depends on a lot of things," he says, then adds, "I have no intention of running for governor.

"I don't have much patience with people who say, 'You have to run for governor.' I say, 'Oh, yeah? Who's going to feed my kids?' I didn't see anybody in October (after he lost the senate primary) offering to give me a hand. Not a soul. Bitter? No. Practical? Yes. I've been approached many times. I say, get real. Don't talk ideals or how great I'd be. Talk the language. Talk about what I need to be an effective candidate. I'm a pretty tough, resilient guy. I was going 24 hours a day in that campaign. I'd be willing to do it again. But there's got to be a germ of success. I'm not going to be somebody's spear-carrier. There should be enough people now that know I'm a credible candidate."

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