Sequel to 2008's award-winning
"The Hard Lie"
By Richie Whitt
DFWSportatorium
PART 1: DEAD MEN TALKING
PART II: THE BLOODY KNEE
PART III: HIGH ROAD TO HELL
PART IV: SH*T HITS THE FAN
PART V: DIFFERENT DIRECTION
Where's Greggo?
Trying to get fired by 105.3 The Fan. And on the verge of succeeding.
For weeks he's publicly, privately, on-and-off the air talked about how his "days are numbered." And today he's playing martyr, histrionically driving the nails through his own crucified hands.
It is April 12 and, little do we know,
RAGE is conducting its 824th and final performance. And, boy, are we about to climax with a
bang thud.
Positioned at a main entrance to Texas Motor Speedway Williams and I embrace the glamorous life one last time, preparing for our show in a cramped trailer before heading to our broadcast table. Greggo is lucid on this day, yet unwittingly determined to go out guns o' blazin', like
Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid heroically - yet fatally - taking on the entire Bolivian army with two pistols.
Late in the show he turns a coveted interview with Texas A&M and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel into his own self-aggrandizing, watch-me-push-the-envelope solo scene. Three times during the otherwise entertaining and informative interview he asks Johnny Football a version of "So, now that you won a Heisman, how much sex you havin'?"
On the third occasion, Manziel politely says "I'm sorry, I'm not comfortable with those questions."
Depending on whether or not you covet your job at The Fan, this turn of events leaves you, in Williams' case, elated or, in my case, embarrassed.
Though The Fan is the Metroplex station for Aggies' football and despite the fact that Armen had been efforting for this interview since February, we will never be allowed to have Manziel on again. And, to his chagrin, Williams will never hear his sophomoric handiwork repeated. We replay the interview just before going off the air, but only after Tim has ordered substitute board operator Jeff Cavanaugh to edit out Williams' repeated attempts to get Manziel to address his total "trim" triumphs.
"Who did that?!" yells Williams on the air. "Who took that out?!"
Later in the show Tim censors Williams again, this time yelling "dump" (or cut) as the dangerously bold Greggo begins uncomfortably asking a young woman about her breasts during a segment in which he took the wireless microphone onto TMS' midway.
Not surprisingly after the show, with a gaggle of listeners gathered around our table hoping for a picture or an autograph or just a friendly chat, the two go at it - nose-to-goatee.
(continued from page 1)
"Don't you ever edit me again! Ever!! You hear me?!" Williams screams to the assistant program director who joined The Fan early in 2009. "I've been to the top of the mountain! You don't even know where the mountain is!!"
Says Tim, calmly, "Greggo, I'm always going to make the decisions I think are best for this station. You can take chances all you want, but it's my job to protect the station. And that's what I did."
As Armen and I contemplate how to diffuse a confrontation that is a saliva splat to the cheek from becoming a physical altercation, Tim issues a general "I'm sorry everybody" apology and walks away. A couple hours later he texts me:
8:57 p.m.:
Again, sorry about today. But I couldn't take it anymore.
No problem, I respond.
Welcome to my world. "High road" ain't so easy with him.
Writes Tim in conclusion,
It was about as high as I could go. Took all I could to walk away.
On my way into work the following Monday - April 15 - I text Tim to inquire about what, if any, discipline would be taken against Williams for Friday's outburst. No response. Should've known his silence wasn't golden.
(continued from page 2)
My head said Monday, but my heart was pounding like Day 49 of my two-month climb up Mount High Road. Before our pre-show meeting I pop into Spittle's office to follow-up on a couple of my on-going ventures:
1. To judge the Cowboys' cheerleaders tryouts in early May; 2. How to maximize show/station exposure via a billboard I had recently purchased at a charity auction. Spittle is receptive, but certainly not excited.
"Those are both great," he says. "Let's address them more in detail as we get closer."
And with that, I unknowingly walk out of his office as a CBS employee for the last time.
While Williams alternated incoherence with truancy, I had also long been butting heads with Spittle and his, um, unique management style. This wasn't the guy I remembered. Not the leader I expected. This wasn't the guy who hired me, but he was about to be the guy who fired me.
Spittle's creative decision-making included his launching of a station text alert system in early March that would supposedly send breaking news right to the smartphones of The Fan database. But in the wake of
RAGE's March 14 interview with Hall-of-Fame running back Emmitt Smith that made national news including our audio being played - and credited - repeatedly on ESPN's
SportsCenter, Spittle didn't send out the podcast through his text alert. I inquired as to why not:
"Ideally," he explained, "it's to be used for transactions only. You know, like when the Cowboys sign a player or the Rangers make a trade."
"So you don't think one of our interviews that makes national news is fit for our text alert?," I asked again, failing to hide my exasperation.
"No," he maintained. "That's not the purpose of this thing."
Funny, because I had signed up for our text alert and received to my iPhone on March 13 - the day before our Emmitt interview - the following dispatch from Spittle's system:
The Fan: Agent David Canter says the Cowboys have "showed interest" in Texans free agent LB Tim Dobbins.
Maybe it's just me, but (in addition to the troubling lack of an apostrophe and a hyphen): 1. That's not a transaction; 2. Someone named Tim Dobbins is somehow more relevant to Fan listeners than Emmitt Smith?
There were many more confrontations.
(continued from page 3)
After our show on March 19 Spittle sent
RAGE an email claiming he had to "roll up his sleeves" and fix our show, which to him was in shambles. He promised to sit in on our pre-show meetings to add his direction. He demanded we listen to, and adhere to, his input. Yet from that day until April 15 he appeared at exactly one such pre-show meeting, casually giving his stamp of approval on that day's proposed topics and order.
Spittle also lamented to Armen about how - as a show -
RAGE would leave the station at 7:05 each night instead of staying and heading to his office for a post-show wrap-up. So the next night, as instructed, we proceeded to Spittle's office immediately after the show, only to find his door locked and him gone. In a show meeting later the same week, he again questioned what he characterized as our "early" departures. I reminded him that we came to his office at 7:05 p.m. two days earlier only to find him with a case of premature evacuation.
"Well, hey, I was at the Stars game," Spittle said defiantly. "I've got to have some sort of social life."
"Well," I countered. "Ditto."
"That's it, this meeting's over!" Spittle then said, rising up as if to storm out of his own office. "I'm not going to be challenged on this. You know, you guys are going to force me into being a dick. I will be. I can be. This is a dictatorship, not a democracy. And that's it!!"
In 27 years in this market working for bosses in newspaper, radio and TV, that's the first time anyone has not at least pretended to care about employee input.
(continued from page 4)
Couple mornings later in a station hallway Spittle tells me he feels "really unwelcomed" by
RAGE. Nonsense I respond, and we set up a post-show meeting. Before that day's show is over, however, he feverishly bursts into the studio.
"Why are y'all posting Cowboys Cheerleaders' photos to your Facebook page?!" he demands during a commercial break. Well ...
Because DCC director Kelli Finglass and I have been friends for 20 years. Because the Cowboys and The Fan have been partners for four years. Because
RAGE has hosted a show with a cheerleader(s) the last two years. And because several members of the squad were Tweeting - sometimes directly to
RAGE - photos of themselves trying on skimpy bikinis for their upcoming calendar photo shoot in Mexico.
"We don't have permission to post those!" screams Spittle, curiously livid.
We were honestly stunned, paralyzed in calm confusion.
"It's okay, Gavin, we've ..." I attempt to explain before he violently cuts me off.
"Why is everything so difficult with you guys?!" he yells as the commercial break dwindles. "Stop f*cking arguing with me and just stop doing it. Now! Is that okay?"
"No, actually," I say. "It makes no sense and it's not okay at all."
Why not?
Because the same guy who was running into the studio to censor something as trivial as
RAGE's Facebook page was the same guy who had recently ignored my alarm that one of his employees was under the influence of drugs on the air. That's why not.
(continued from page 5)
Furthermore, it was Spittle who had Jake writing web-site stories stories for his personal T-shirt side business. It was Spittle who gave
breaking news about Williams to the Dallas Morning News rather than to The Fan's web site or, not to mention, to his own staff. It was Spittle who, as of last week, parlayed his oh-so-omnipotent social media expertise into following none - zero - of his 105.3 The Fan hosts on Twitter. It was Spittle who Tweeted out love to a competitor of his own station's website, calling rinky-dink splogit.com a "great place to give your sports take."
And it was Spittle who offered
RAGE minimal advice, outside of vague strategies like "let's make our teases sexier" and "we need to work on our TSL (Time Spent Listening.)" In football terms, that amounts to a head coach telling his quarterback to "throw better passes" and his team to simply "score more points" than the opponent.
In Spittle's office on April 15 I am discouraged by his flat-line reaction to my two burgeoning ideas, but at this point my focus is more on getting to the NFL Draft in two weeks and then into May and ...
High Road? But as we begin to prepare our show in the meeting room Spittle appears and asks to "borrow" Williams for "a quick second." No biggie, I surmise. Maybe a tongue-lashing for confronting Tim or perhaps ...
(continued from page 6)
"Well, they fired me!" Williams exclaims upon his almost immediate return, slamming a white envelope containing his CBS separation agreement on the table in front of me. Behind him in the doorway stands Schunck, two security guards and, suddenly, sheepishly, Spittle. "Hey," pleads Williams, "can I just talk to Richie real quick?!"
But instead of an answer, Williams gets an escort. And Spittle is now summoning me into his office. I am seeking solace. Turns out I need a cigarette and a blindfold.
"I just wanted to get you out of there because it could get ugly," Spittle says. "So ..."
After naively engaging in small talk and re-visiting Friday's Williams-vs.-Tim altercation, I turn the topic to who the heck my partner was going to be today, the rest of the week and ... Hey! ...
What the what?!
"We've just got to make a change," Spittle mumbles with all the comfort and chutzpah of Mark Cuban in a suit-and-tie. "With, um, yeah, the whole show. We're going in a different direction."
And, right on catastrophic cue, Schunck appears from around the dark corner, through the virtual fog and emerges with her deadly sickle -
my white envelope.
I wasn't totally shocked. But I was completely pissed.
(continued from page 7)
"Gavin, you lied!" I shout. "I sat in this chair two weeks ago and you told me I'd be a big part of things moving forward. Remember?!"
Says Spittle, typically avoiding eye contact, "I'm sorry, Richie. This is tough on both of us. We're going in a different direction."
In no uncertain terms I remind Spittle - and Schunck - that I had feared this very doomsday scenario and had attempted to thwart it. That, as requested - demanded, even - I had taken the High Road. I attempt to re-boot his memory to the fact that, since the day he arrived, I had been alerting him to my partner's debilitating issues, even so much as texting him on March 22 that Williams was noticeably under the influence on his own airwaves.
"And you totally ignored it!" I say emphatically.
"No, Richie, I didn't ignore it," Spittle contends.
"You didn't? Then what do you call it? You didn't do anything," I go on.
"Look, I didn't like the way that text was worded. I didn't appreciate the tone," Spittle explains.
"What?!?! What does that even mean?" I scream, my voice cracking like a teen crashing through puberty. "When I call 911 to report a house on fire they don't question my tone! They put out the fire. What are you talking about, tone?"
"Besides, I was on my way to Houston," Spittle continues. "I don't check my texts all the time in my car. What do you want me to do, stop and check my texts?"
I take a deep breath and deliver calmly, yet sternly, "Yes. Yes, that's exactly what I'd expect you to do. Wanna know why? Because you're the motherf*cking program director, that's why!
"You ignored my information. You allowed my partner to sabotage our show and you're now firing me along with him. I hope that sits well with you when you look at that lying scoundrel in the mirror."
Says Spittle, "I'll put my hand on a Bible and tell you that I didn't ignore you."
"Howwwwww?!?!?!?!" I demand, garnering only a blank return look from Spittle.
Other than down the drain, this was going nowhere. Less than 10 minutes later Sybil and I are driving away from CBS in a daze.
(continued from page 8)
At least 10 times Spittle told me the reason for my firing was "different direction." In a press release the same day, however, he was quoted as blaming "low ratings."
If so, I'd been handed a can of expired Spam and was being fired for not serving Surf & Turf. To be held accountable for the show's direction and ratings while being suffocated by the Greggo Grip was infuriating, and that's exactly what I told Brian when he called a week later in an attempt to console me.
"To be the collateral damage of Greggo's necessary termination is just plain wrong," I told the foreman of the fantastically failed High Road Project. "I took your high road and look where it got me. If CBS had acted on my consistent and numerous complaints and placed me with a new partner, I'd still be an employee and a productive on-air host."
Said Brian, "I'm sorry it has to be this way. I don't always agree with my managers' decisions, but I'm bound to stand behind them."
In the wake of my firing, and suddenly with lots of time on my hands, I perused my CBS contract and came across the "Termination For Cause" paragraph. While I consistently played within CBS rules, Williams violated nine of the 14 fireable offenses, including "dishonesty," "influence of drugs," "excessive absenteeism," and "failure to work in a harmonious manner with management."
It's one thing to get fired. It's another to get f*cked.
Before I left Spittle's office the final time, I asked him to look me in the eye and tell me sincerely that he believed 105.3 The Fan was better off without me being involved.
One last murmur, "Different direction."
Since our firing Williams has reached out to me multiple times via Twitter, text, email, voice mail and mutual friends. And I've got multiple reasons to ignore him.
Continue reading part 5:
Different Direction
Where's Greggo?
it's amazing how they get rid of you, replace you with some idiots and keep a no talent person lake Slater on the air. The only show I listen to is the morning show and it was better with Jasmin. G-bag nation and k&c are the only two other shoes worth listening too which is a shame because Elf is good but just teamed with a winey idiot.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the morning show was much better with Jasmine. I was hoping Richie would talk about her firing in more detail since that seemed like a big first tell Spittle was an imbecile, especially with New School doing solidly in the ratings, but I understand if he wants to keep the focus on RAGE.
DeleteCompletely Agree with that. That Jane Slater and her A cups annoy the shit out of me. She is a stat reading, worthless waste of radio. Everytime she opens her whore mouth, it's a stat that she read online. No solid sports knowledge, just blonde hair and a semi decent body.
DeleteCome on, no need to call Slater vile names. I don't like Elf and Slater as a show but she seems harmless enough. Spittle's horribly sexist "too much estrogen at this station" reasoning for getting rid of Jasmine and limiting Sybil's airtime seems like more of a lawsuit charge than either of Richie or Greggo's gripes.
Deletef*cking Slater never shuts up
Deleteget rid of her.
this station sucks now
Is this an official petition to rid dfw airwaves of Jane Slater? If so /sign.
DeleteThe Fan will never learn that having women on sports talk radio never work.
DeleteInteresting stuff but the first 3 days were better. It's coming off as whiny at the end and it sounds like we'll be getting a lot of "What about me?!" tomorrow. Sack up, Richie, sounds like you had a testy relationship with Spittle for more reasons than just your radio partner.
ReplyDeleteNo fucking shit he's going to whine and complain. He, Armen, Sybil, and a host of other people had to clean up Williams' mess, Richie moreso than anyone. And in spite of numerous pleas for help, he is allowed to ride a sinking ship without a life-raft. Oh, and then you get fired by your backstabbing and gutless boss, who happens to have an ego problem as big as Greggo's. Richie is completely justified, and I hope he pursues every legal avenue.
DeleteExactly...what Spittle (perfect name for that dude) is the exact definition of backstabbing (see yesterday's comment)
DeleteGreggo was a mess and should never been given another chance in this town. Richie jumped at the chance to work with him even knowing the baggage and now it's sour grapes. The point that keeps getting glossed over is if RAGE even makes it 3 years without Greggo. Richie and Fisher was a big tune out that would've lasted a few months tops.
DeleteI don't think Richie can take any legal action. All Spittle and CBS would have to say is that Richie sucks. Case closed.
DeleteRichie and Fisher would have been extremely informative, and thought provoking as both guys would have been extremely prepared. Not some flaky guy(Greggo) who says anything, just because it crosses his mind. It would have been Elf and Josh(best sports show imho) good. And if it wouldn't have been successful this lame ass metroplex, where no athelete wants to come play deserves to listen to crap.
DeleteIt's not whining or complaining when it's retelling a story. Have you ever been fired? Have you not asked what the hell is going on if you know you didn't deserve it? In situations like that, it's often futile to do so, but in the heat of the moment when you aren't thinking 100% clearly, you often don't care. At this point, if he's whiny, it doesn't change the caution he used up until this point, so why not try and get your confused point across?
DeleteAgree with every word above....and I'm a chick. Miss hearing your voice sir :(
ReplyDeleteWhat does your gender have to do with anything? Remember, there are no girls on the internet http://i.imgur.com/SRtBV.png
DeleteSpittle is the middle section of the CBS radio "Human Centipede". The Fan has been rendered unlistenable.
ReplyDeleteHow long are you going to cry about this you LITTLE SHORT puss????? No one cares about Richie Whitt on the radio! Face it, you weren't that good and probably will never work in dallas radio again. Let's hope. You are unlistenable. Maybe if you weren't such a whiney douche you might get an audience. Its all about karma and there is more coming your way little man.
ReplyDeleteRichie was the best thing that station had going for it. Now, it's just a pile of suck.
DeleteNew School isn't bad but too much testosterone. Adding super cocky Roy isn't helping matters. Jasmine was a perfect balance and it's a real head scratcher why she was let go. Elf and Slater sucks, I dunno how people listen to that generic fluff. Ben & Skin laugh at their own unfunny jokes constantly and is an all around beatdown of a show. G-Bag Nation is a bit douchey but listenable. RAGE was probably the 2nd best show past New School.
DeleteHey Greggo, instead of coming on here posting anonymously, how about blogging on your blog?
DeleteDean Del Rio
ReplyDeleteDamn. Reading this makes me not wanting to jump into sports radio if crazy shit like this happens
Mike Fisher and Richie Whitt?????? Sounds like a ratings bonanza to me. Lololololololololololololololololololololololololol!!!!!! STAY HARD
ReplyDeleteI hope we get to hear Richie's take on Ben & Skin tomorrow. I know it's impossible to take Greggo seriously anymore, but he claims they knew for months beforehand they were going to The Fan by having secret meetings with Spittle. The way they boasted on twitter they had a gig lined up right after leaving ESPN (and well before RAGE was canned) seems very likely they knew exactly where they were going.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see we are in the home-stretch of this epic tale. After reading every day, it makes me happy I never wanted to be in the media. Sounds like a pretty cut throat operation to say the least and you always have to watch your back.
ReplyDeleteThis is extremely well-written. I'd love to see a regular column from you in the Dallas Morning News or the Observer. You have an enjoyable style... very readable.
ReplyDeleteWhat style is that?? The whiney and bitchy style? That is enjoyable to you huh? You can't be real or serious.
DeleteYet your read it to the very end.
DeleteAnother well written installment. Looking forward to the conclusion tomorrow. Food for thought on possible upcoming story ideas: Top 5/Bottom 5 local media you enjoy working with and why. Same for local atheletes. Curious on your take on B&S replacing you....relationship with Rhyner/Corby/others that have dealt with Greggo, etc.
ReplyDeleteOn a technical note, it's a little hard to read the comments with the dark background, but easy to read the replies with the lighter background.
I second this comment -- on topic ideas AND the dark background.
DeleteI've enjoyed reading this. Wishing you all well.
These have all been written prior to the first being published. This isn't him sitting at the computer each night and banging this out. This is a calculated and planned out strategy to give his side of the story in five acts.
DeleteWhile Greggo's actions were ridiculous he wasn't the reason you were fired. Ben & Skin's availability are the reason you were fired.
ReplyDeleteNow that is funny. Benny and skinny are very high on the suck factor. They must have something on Spittle for him to give them a job. Talk about two douchey hacks.
DeleteSpittle coveting Ben & Skin is truly hilarious. Didn't he know their pathetically low ratings the last time around at 105.3? Actually, he probably didn't check by how inept he sounds.
DeleteBen and Skin are better than Rage. Rage is better than Elf though. Pathetically low ratings? Nobody has good ratings that doesn't work at the ticket.
DeleteIt's all relative with ratings. You can still be a non Ticket station and have respectable ratings. New School does well while Ben & Skin had terrible numbers at ESPN and their previous time at 105.3.
DeleteBen and Skin? Those 2 suck! Been fired from the FAN and ESPN. They are lame douchers. There were reasons they were "available". Spittle's lack of judgment is clearly shown if he thinks these 2 are any good.
DeleteI gave up on 105.3 when they changed formats and took Russ Martin off the air.
ReplyDeleteBut this blog is great reading. Keep it up
Damn Richie!! You got f*cked!!! You need to take some legal action against Spittle, and the station for wrongful termination. I can't believe human resources did nothing. I always knew Greggo was on something at times.... Sucks you got canned at his expense. Stay strong and keep writing! Love the work!
ReplyDeleteLouie
Ben and skin suck... rage made me want to drive places and not get out of the car.. now I dont wanna go anywhere
ReplyDeleteAgree with this: "RAGE made me want to drive places and not get out of the car." Sorry you got the shaft, Richie. Have been reading about the demise of the show with intense interest. I loved you guys and miss you daily. Also, love Fish. And Sybil and Armen. "Shut up, Armen!" In the biz, there is no trading all the time you newshounds have spent mining the sports landscape in these parts. P.S. I don't know why all the dogging of Slater in the comments. She proves a woman can know and love sports, too. I'm a woman and appreciate her insight. She's no bimbo. What do you want?
DeleteUncensored Richie Whitt is a blast. I'd listen to that guy on the radio way more than Codependent Richie Whitt, which is what he was turned into by The Fan.
ReplyDeleteIt's no wonder The Fan is a train wreck.. The only show worth listening to is G-Bag Nation now.. I would switch right back to The Ticket if I we got reception down here in Clifton, TX. Unfortunately most of my driving is done during Elf and Slater (I actually have been risking injury lately putting The Ticket on my phone and listening with ear buds) Elf is tolerable in small doses, but most of the time he is a putz (random Yiddish insult) Slater is horrible and I knew there was a serious lack of upper management knowledge when she was hired last summer over Mike Bacsik.
ReplyDeleteRichie, the writing is great, keep it up man.
You're talented enough to get another job in Radio soon but if you don't, it's clear writing is you true calling and I look forward to reading more from you!
yeah slater sucks
DeleteI'm all over the map on this whole situation. I think Richie was unfairly fired but I didn't listen to RAGE to hear him. I listened for Greggo. I was one of those who, during Greggo's absence in February, was fan-texting "WTF is Greggo?" And for the record, Sybil got shafted (no pun intended).
ReplyDeleteAt one point, I listened to 105.3 from 9 am to 7 pm every day. (Couldn't stand listening to Jagger.) But that was when the lineup was Newy, Josh and Elf (which is ironic because I hated listening to Josh call the Rangers games with his never-ending BS about "Seinfeld"), then RAGE. Eventually, it was only RAGE until 4 pm when I'd turn it off and watch Judge Judy instead. What I don't understand is how a sports talk radio station can expect to succeed without taking listener input. In the end, RAGE would read about a dozen fan texts a day and had one segment for phone calls. How can that be successful talk radio?
I wish Richie, Sybil, and Greggo all the best in their new adventures. Maybe someday, 105.3 will get it together, but I'm not holding my breath.
I prefer Judge Joe Brown.
DeleteDude, go check out the tickets ratings. Mammoth. And they never take phone calls.
DeleteI am with you about what it takes to make a station successful. The Ticket which never takes calls or fan texts is a great example of a really unsuccessful sports talk station.
DeleteBaby Arm
I like calling into sports radio shows because people need to know that, yes, I do think the Cowboys should try to win the Super Bowl this year.
DeleteAn another topic, do you all think Pete Rose should be in the baseball hall of fame? Let me know what you think. I'll be back to check your messages and image replies after I come back from paying some bills.
Richie, what did you think of the 5 hour shifts? I know Greggo sounds like a total trainwreck, but working that much certainly couldn't have helped. Spittle cut it down to 4 for Ben & Skin in what probably would've been a better timeslot for RAGE.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff again Richie. You haven't disappointed me in any of the posts. Keep up the good work and thanks for telling the truth, but I do have one question,
ReplyDeleteHow many of these anonymous posts are Greggo?
The truth has more than one side. Greggo blamed management, Richie blamed Greggo. What's CBS management's take on all this? Only then would there would be some semblance to an actual truth.
DeleteActually Richie blames Greggo AND bad management. But I think he is going to correct himself in the next installment. It's obvious that Spittle didn't do NOTHING in response to Greggo's antics, he went into overdrive trying to hire Ben and Skin.
DeleteThe one thing that Richie and Greggo's accounts both agree on is Spittle's spinelessness and bad judgement. I think the past month or more of B&S prove the bad judgement to be true.
I would rather hear a Richie and Bacsik show than anything 105.3 has on at any time slot right now. As far as I am concerned Fisher is just about 3" deep in the Cowboys backside, not objective at all and not what I want to hear on the radio.
I would also be interested to see if the ratings for RAGE went up or down once Spittle returned and Greggo started acting like a drug-addled psychopath. Richie made it sound like the show was actually making money and headed in the right direction before both of those things happened.
Agreed about Fisher being a Cowboys puppet. It's embarrassing listening to him and Mickey make transparent excuses for the Cowboys every time they're on. Bacsik has worked hard to bring back his credibility and I've enjoyed the times he's filled in for hosts on air.
DeletePretty sure that RAGE was fired as a group for "low ratings" so that the station could avoid the "addiction is a disease" lawsuit that would have been filed had Greggo been fired for being a junkie. Forget what the contract states...the contract doesn't override the law, and there are laws about firing people for being "sick". The station took the easy way out, probably because they had an alternative (B&S) already lined up. Spittle is a turd, but someone taking the easy way can't be a surprise anymore, it is what the majority of the population does every day. What's right, or what's easy? Most take "easy"...
ReplyDeleteDidn't the Ticket fire Greggo? And ESPN? The ratings were dreadful for RAGE, Spittle sounds like an inarticulate goober but it sounds like his mind was made up to fire RAGE when Ben & Skin became available.
DeleteI'm fairly certain you can't just be a junkie and keep your job. You have to self identify go to rehab and things of that nature. Not coming to work or coming to work high doesn't protect your job.
DeleteYou can fire someone for being high at work, but it is a long and difficult process that has to be handled the right way. Doing it for "cause" (low ratings) is easy and all they had to do was sacrifice the rest of RAGE, then they don't have to jump through hoops. Yes, the Ticket fired him, but it took a while.
Deletemore great stuff, Richie.
ReplyDeletewhat a clusterf*ck you (and Sybil & Armen) got tangled up in. i'll never understand why folks say they listened for Greggo, that's just crazy talk. i was listening for you & Sybil & Armen and my afternoons remain quiet and boring w/o you guys, damnit!
again, i'm sorry. sounds like a freakin' nightmare. kudos to you for hangin' in there as long as you did, i know it couldn't have been easy.
Richie?!!
DeleteRichie, I think it is clear that you were screwed. Not so much by Greggo, but definitely by that skeet stain of a boss. Greggo was a liar, that much is clear. But his lies/untruths were no different than the lies/untruths/half-truths that your show perpetuated to gloss over the failings of the Cowboys. I'm no more shocked that Greggo lied to cover his alleged drug habit, than I was to hear that the Fan's opinion makers are largely influenced by Jerry Jones edicts. Human Beings do fucked up shit, that's just how it goes. In the end, you are a great writer though, you will be absolutely fine...I know it's tough to do, but at some point, I hope you consider reconciling with Greggo - he's just like all of us, a mixture of good, bad, and absolutely abominable when our back's against the wall.
ReplyDeleteRichie, another well written narrative account from your POV, biases included I'm sure. What's clear to me is that whatever you thought of your on-air performance, you were a sorry employee. Despite your protestations about taking the "high road," you were unsubordinate, cocky and sorry to work with based on your own descriptions as written. Companies, espeically large ones like CBS, are not all about you. And I agree with Spittle on your text, it was sarcastic and not professional. If you were truly concerned about the on-air representation of the station, and were acting like a professional, the message would have not been so snarky. Looks like a great chance to live and learn for your next job.
ReplyDeleteFinally, agree with others that your gift is writing, glad you have found an outlet for that. Also, excellent use of gerunding in the eight paragraph.
Good luck.
its a wonder the Tardline lasted as long as they did as they provided the lowest pm drive ratings ever for a major market station in radio history. they drove the ratings of the original g-bag nation so far into middle earth that richie eventually had a hobbit family reunion.
ReplyDeleteThree different issues are apparent in this series of articles:
ReplyDelete1. Greggo is a trainwreck, but who didn't already know that in this market? Short of Thom Bailey starting another AM sports talker, it's hard to see any station that is going to give him another lead slot.
2. Richie has problems with management. He doesn't have to like Spittle, but cursing him out in a meeting and writing about it is not the way to get a recomendation the next time someone calls for a host in this market. PM's come and go and it's far better to keep your opinions to yourself or with a carefully mixed drink (or six) than to @#$% all over Spittle.
3. Gavin wasn't brought back to 105 to be a nice guy. He is a career corporate type that is there to do what he is told, to keep costs down (e.g., hiring Ben/Skin) and manage the dayparts. He was willing to let Russ Martin run over him because the ratings were good, even while the rest of the Live 105.3 lineup had all the skillset of a college station (Pugs & Kelly, we hardly knew ye). Spittle was willing to tolerate Greggo because the ratings weren't as bad as they would later claim. Talent always struggles with the fact that they are all replaceable and unless you're a mix of Ron Chapman and Dale Hansen, chances are when it comes to management vs. talent, management wins--it doesn't matter if they're right, as Brian Purdy's quote confirms, but it's still their "right" to do so.
This is an exercise is self-delusion. We get it, Greggo kept your amazing talents from generating high (or even mediocre) ratings. Your a pro's pro who wasn't appreciated by the program director. Jeez, face reality: someone above you figured out that Ben and Skin were going to become available and they had you and Greggo pegged for eventual termination for many, many months. Truth is, you're not that good on radio. If your transparent attempt to save face in this blog works, and you get another radio gig, you'll fail to build an audience yet again.
ReplyDeleteIts so funny how all of Richies backers think every post in favor of Greggo is the one and only Greggo. Really? You don't think people don't like Richie Whitt? Lol. I bet there is a line to China and back that thinks that little Richard is a big jerkoff loser. And of course I must be Greggo for posting this. In the famous words of Greggo.......hey Richie........DO YOU LIKE YOUR GIG?......................lol.Rest in peace robot greggo, hazmat greggo and motorcycle greggo. It was fun. Middle finger to Richie and the other losers on RAGE.
ReplyDeleteFry Street..........
DeleteJim...JIM?????
Show me dem boobs darlin'...
ALL-RIGHT!!!!!!
Gather-round....Gather round!!!!
That theory can not be proven.
DeleteGet the clothes off, bitch...
DeleteHaha Spittle is the man! I give him FULL props for doing what he had to do to clean up the RAGE mess. It's a dirty business but someone has to do it.
ReplyDeleteBen & Skin have to be the absolute worst radio personalities in all of DFW!
DeleteNope. That honor still goes to RAGE.
DeleteNope! Nothing personal against Ben and Skin, but they are BAD!!
DeleteMiss RAGE!!
RAGE sucked. Richie sucked and Ben and Skin suck. Richie just sucks more.
DeleteB&S bring the biggest bag of nothing in the history of nothing. Skin I can at least tolerate but Ben is just there to masturbate Skin during the breaks. One thing they are close to accomplishing is being fired the most in any market. Fuck em..
DeleteYes Greggo is a mess, but the show sucked. PERIOD. END OF STORY!
ReplyDeleteWhy is that so hard for you to understand Richie?
Hopefully you can make a pizza better than you can do radio.
If the ratings was up, and you had the talent. Why would management let you go? This is a great read, but you really think another radio station is going to give you another gig, after exposing internal company issues? Ask Sean Salisbury how it's working out for him.....
ReplyDeleteNot pro-actively seeking another radio gig. If they find me, I'll listen. But it's a slimy bidness.
DeleteSo if the Rage's ratings sucked, their solution is to hire Ben and Skin? The Fan and ESPN should just accept sucky ratings or go Gospel. None of these stations are going to touch the Ticket.
DeleteTell em Norm. "Never, never, never, never, ever, never, never, never, never, never, ever, never, never, never, never, never, ever, never, never, never, never, never, ever, never, never, never, never, never, ever, never, never, gonna happen!
"Before I left Spittle's office the final time, I asked him to look me in the eye and tell me sincerely that he believed 105.3 The Fan was better off without me being involved."
ReplyDeleteAs a listener, my answer would have been an emphatic "yes". You're bad at radio, plain and simple. And that is with or without Greggo, who used to be okay at radio (very rarely these days) but terrible at life.
I been to the mountain top, bitches! Don't you dare edit my comments. Dont you dare!
ReplyDeleteOh god. Just read what Richie said to Gavin "look me in the eye and tell me 105.3 is better off without me." What an overinflated ego Richie has. I was laughing. Hey Richie, maybe you can apply at the liberal AIR AMERICA RADIO. Oh yeah, sorry, they went out of business. See, being a loud mouth liberal on the radio doesn't pay. Try to STAY HARD Richie. Lol.
ReplyDeleteDude just an fyi I am also a liberal an I think Whitt is a class A douche bag. Thank should tell you something.
DeleteGreggo is a mess, Richie put up with a lot of shit. But in the end the show just sucked from day one, regardless of Greggo's condition.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that when the commenters don't agree with him, Richie is no where to be found, just like the old Sportatorium days. He was eager in the first post to address commenters, but now that we tell him, hey radio isn't your gig and you're a crummy / abusiive employee, he's hiding out like Sadam Hussein.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we adapt the plea to "Where's Richie??"
What a brave post! I love internet muscles! Being anonymous makes everyone bold I suppose.
DeleteMaybe you and Sybil can get Jasmine and her boyfriend together and try and put on a podcast. Who wouldn't listen to that? LOL. Rage was a joke. Spittle is a smart man. You sound like a baby with this blog.
ReplyDeleteto all involved in RAGE...You aren't entitled to a show. you have to produce. nobody is to blame for taking anything away...you were given a chance that, honestly 1,000 people who love sports in DFW could have found a way to succeed at...not because of raw talent but because they WANTED to! you were gifted a chance and blew it.
ReplyDeleteso now you can all blow me.
I agree! I would like a blow job. Truth be told, nothing would make someone nuttier (Greggo) than a coworker/team member compiling a dossier on you (Richie). I promise you, while you were timestamping and tampering and gathering private messages, your negative attitude came across, if you knew it or not. Bad Vibes are a real thing. It was obvious that Richie was out to get Greggo. Not sure the cause or the effect of Greggo's behavior to be honest.
DeleteI enjoyed RAGE. I rarely listen to 1053 anymore. I like slater. Elf annoys me. Ben and skin are too boring for my taste. I do like gbag nation but I rarely listen to the radio between 7-11
ReplyDeletebasically what I'm reading is 3 things:
ReplyDelete1. greggo is the same greggo that is still the same addict.
2. all that highhorse "the hardlie" stuff about Corby backstabbing him, The Ticket did him wrong by firing him, they danced on his grave etc was/is exactly what is going on here.
3. everyone at the ticket was smarter than you and CBS. where Mike had already made up his mind to not renew if Greggo came back, where Corby was fearful that the damage was massive, where everyone else available dressed him down, you and CBS were willing to ride it out...
basically you are the frog and greggo was the scorpion.
all that being said, I don't feel sorry for you but this has been an extremely interesting read and I look forward to the conclusion tomorrow.
Hey Y'all! I am heading to DFW to gather some dead careers! Anybody know of any? Radio is the preferred line of work. Been stressed out dealing with James Gandolfini and all the people Aaron Hernandez killed. But I am looking forward to getting back to my true love...collecting the remains of former radio host in-fighting. Please advise.
ReplyDelete-- G. Reaper
Kinda funny.
DeleteRichie Whitt is the New King of DFW Media! Give him his own radio show, he will be the next Dan Patrick...book it.
ReplyDeleteHere is one thing I find interesting with all of the Greggo backers...have you even gone to his blog? Richie's 5 day fest will garner nearly 800-1000 comments...Greggo's blog from last Friday has 1 comment. Maybe Greggo truly has lost all of his followers. The RAGE ship was doomed. Should Richie and Sybil have been fired just like that? Don't know. Another poster has stated earlier today that we need to get CBS Radio's side (which will never happen) to be able to surmise, for ourselves, the truth as we are willing to accept it.
ReplyDeleteBut as a story goes, this has been highly entertaining and fascinating...sad that it is based on a actual occurrence where people have been fired and someone's health is in danger...I have a feeling that tomorrow will not be the end of this tale.
Amen.
DeletePeople like to hear Greggo not read his blog jackass
DeleteThen you will probably not be hearing Greggo for a long time...his podcast is a joke and un-listenable (my opinion entirely, but has been backed by Greggo himself, if you would read his blog) I seriously doubt he will be on the radio in this market ever again. I am keeping an open mind and will check his blog just to see will offer some explanation of his own. So, anonymous troll, you argument is invalid (and stop talking for the entire world.)
DeleteI left a comment Monday on his blog after he said he needed to "work" out some issues. I wrote: "what a coincidence" it was removed that same day...
DeleteTroll? I'll meet you anywhere in DFW and we'll see if you refer to me as a troll
Deletelol...that is all it took. The troll got played.
DeleteComments I posted yesterday have been deleted. At least Richie is man enough to face his critics; me being one of them but I really don't have anything bad to say at the moment.
DeleteSeems like Richie rich is taking comments off the board. Like I said before you took down the comment, I highly doubt you will ever hear Richie Whitt on dallas radio again. He sucks plus he is a jagoff of an employee. Wonder how long it will take for him to pull this comment. Hey richie, I thought you said you had thick skin?? What a freaking joke.
DeleteThe " I'll meet you anywhere in DFW..." is by far the FUNNIEST thing I have read following this entire article,comments, blog, etc. How about the playground at 3? What an Ass.
DeleteBeen tweaking the colors of "comments" section today. We think it's easier to read now, right?
ReplyDeleteMUCH
DeleteMuch better, RW.
DeleteI hope to hear what is next tomorrow or at least in coming days and weeks.
DeleteYes!!! Especially for iPhong
ReplyDelete+100000!!
DeleteYeah, I was having a squinting headache on iPhone.
DeleteBottom line for me, this has been a great story to read. Thanks for the front row seat!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. Thanks for visiting.
DeleteI'll still back everyone from RAGE. I'm sure I would've eventually found out some of the drama one way or the other cuz "I got a guy" (no, not Elf) but I didn't actually wanna know. Now that I've started reading I might as well keep going. I could tell that something was going to happen to RAGE after I found out Bruce was gone. After about a week, the show seemed drastically different. Not as fun as it used to be. The energy was different. If Greggo's issues had been the only problem I'm sure it wouldn't have been as bad but WOW y'all got screwed.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to find out what CBS might do once people know how truly effed up they are.
I miss hearing y'all everyday, but at least Syb does SMTD every Saturday. Haven't listened to a single B&S segment and I don't plan to ever.
Hey Richie this story is a good read, but not surprising. Anyone who has followed the Hammers story is not surprised how this has ended. It is The Ticket all over again but The Fan did not handle it nearly as well as the folks at 1310. I would love to hear if you have changed your opinion on how they handled Greggo.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to feel sorry for anybody involved in this story. Greggo was a train wreck and needed to be fired long ago. Richie you knew the risk when you stabed Newy in the back and recruited Greggo and convinced CBS to hire him, all in a feable attempt to entice some listners away from The Ticket. At that moment you attached your future to a sinking ship. Then you stabbed Newy in the back so you could hang on to the Greggo faithful coat tails and get a drive time spot.
You also used your forum to crap on how people treated Greggo at The Ticket and how unfair they were. You made it look like they just left a good guy out in the cold. Now you know how they felt and why Mike has cut all ties with Greg. It would be interesting to hear if you have changed your tune at all. And if you now see the wisdom of the way The Ticket handeled the Hammer. After all they did not lose their jobs because of him.
But this is still an interesting read.
The Great Blood Monkey
Nail on the head right there.
DeleteWhether or not you're a "Richie or Greggo" guy/girl, you can't deny the fact that the "Brain Trust" at CBS appears to be Brain Dead.
ReplyDeleteThe only point where Richie and Greggo's opinions appear to converge is at the point of conclusion that Gavin Spittle is an idiot. After reading the writings of both men, I'm going to have to concur.
Either that or it's some kind of bit. I mean it's like the guy took the "things not to say while in management" section of his old JUCO college text book and practiced the sayings in a mirror before employing them at his workplace. The old adage "It's not who you know, but who you blow", is never more apparent than in this guys case.
Richie, you got dealt a shitty hand and I'm so glad you're making the effort to share this with your fans. In the beginning, honestly, I was more pissed about Greggo's departure as I found him, candidly, more entertaining. Knew he had issues but not to this extent. Don't take that the wrong way, I enjoyed all involved with the show, but Greggo added that extra "shock and awe" that kept me listening. Learning all of this, it makes me rethink all of it, and especially even considering listening to the fan at all. I still listen to new school occasionally but y'all were daily. Sounds like the fan needs a "different direction," starting with spittle down.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you and Sybil. You are an outstanding writer. Hope to read much more even after tomorrow's conclusion.
ReplyDeleteI would also eventually like to learn if the "Football on the 50's" was a Spittle innovation. Because that annoyed the everliving shit out of me. "We interrupt this really funny Dead-and-Gone content to bring you an update about Texas Tech's 3rd string Right Tackle... Apparently he has a foot fungus. Thank you."
ReplyDeleteIt was the ONLY thing that RAGE ever did that got on my nerves.
Nope. That was one of Bruce Gilbert's few horrible ideas. We all hated it, trust me.
DeleteHate to hear the crap you had to deal with man. The Fan hasn't been on my radio since RAGE was fired. Keep your head up. And good luck to you and Sybil. Meow
ReplyDeleteI think it is safe to say that no station in DFW will EVER come close to touching The TICKET... But 103.3? Come on that station is a joke! If it weren't for complete incompetence at CBS, The FAN would be sitting safely behind 1310. Too many lineup changes, firing hosts, that have no business being let go (Richie) and allowing people who have no business talking sports on radio (Slater) to keep working is what is keeping this station down.
ReplyDeleteSOrry they let you go Richie, but keep up the good work on here brotha!
Oh wow, you and Sybil got screwed. You have to put trust in the "karma train". You took the high road and will reap success. Those who did bad, will get theirs. It may take several years for it to happen, but it will happen.
ReplyDeleteI no longer have 105.3 programmed in my car or on my clock radio. I no longer listen to New School because of the bad decision to fire Jasmine. I no longer listen to Elf&Slater because she annoys me. And there is no way I will ever listen to the RAGE replacements.
Keep fighting the good fight.
L :)
I think the karma train is catching up to poor Richie. He is going to reap bad karma from here out. Everybody says Richie took the high road. Lol. He is on about the lowest of roads. He trashes everybody and people say he took the high road. What a joke. He is a cry baby that deserved to be fired. Richie sucks on radio. Let's see if he gets another job in the DFW area on radio. I would bet anything he has no chance. Especially now. Enjoy your stupid pizza business. Its bound to fail with your piss poor people skills.
DeleteI think Newie and the folks Richie wrote about in the Hard Lie part 1 would agree that the Karma train has rightly caught up with "high road" Richie.
DeleteThe Great Blood Monkey
Is Greggo gay? Never been married right? Lives in Oaklawn right? Looks more and more gay everyday by the pictures he post of himself. Just askin.
ReplyDeleteat the very least he swings both ways.
DeleteGreggos probably nailed more puss in one year than you have in your whole life. But maybe you were an underachiever.
DeleteAnd you know that how? I worked at the Ticket for a couple of years in sales and I never once ever saw Greggo with a girl at any of our functions, parties or road shows.
Deletedressing like that, living in the OakLawn area, dating a fat chick.
ReplyDeleteYeh, that screams hetero.
If you actually talked to the PD like that when he asked you to do something, then you had it coming no matter what...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rsbsports.com/2013/06/rock-hard-place.html?showComment=1371802658934#c3806909748005903079
ReplyDeleteWil Rigg's account of his time with Greggo. Perhaps this will give a good representation of Greggo as he is now--free of CBS's and Richie's "gotcha/Patriot Act" journalism. Terrible. Just terrible.
Of note, no DM's or emails of others to convey "his" story.
Greggos probably nailed more puss in one year than you have in your whole life.
ReplyDeleteThat's what he keeps saying. I bet he nailed a whole bunch of Canadian pussy when he played with the Montreal Expos.
Obviously, when Greggo claims something, it's golden.
I have noticed in this five part blame game story, that there was not one shred of blame put on Whitt or Sybil for the low ratings of Rage. And yes, the ratings were very low and easily verifable on the internet. The Fan is in the business of making money and they can't make money being near the bottom of the totem post in ratings in their time spot among various age groups of listeners. Greggo brought name recognition and listeners to Rage and Whitt knew he would, thus the reason he went out of recruited him. Greggo had well documented past drug problems and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out they might come up again especially in light of having two on the air partners that like to party and drink excessively. But of course, Whitt makes no mention of the temptation both Sybil and Whitt threw at him at almost every road show including the Super Bowl in New Orleans. Yes, Greggo screwed up again but Whitt and Sybil also contributed to the demise of the show by there lack of talent and predictability. Ratings don't lie.
ReplyDeleteI have listened Whitt with Newy and with Greggo. One thing about him that has been consistent. He has a huge ego so if you expect Whitt to say he did anything at all that contributed to the low ratings of Rage, that will never happened. Whitt is an egomaniac. Considering the source, that is so laughable.
DeleteWhitt mocked and made fun of Greggo and Greggoisms from day one. The problem with Whitt is he actually believes that he is good on the radio which laughable at best. And when Whitt hooked up with Sybil, the show started going right down the toilet. Really who cares about their fucking relationship or how many times they have got drunk? If Whitt would of taken a poll of listeners while Rage was on the air, Greggo would of won hands down as the most popular of the three members of Rage. Rage was terminated cause all three members were getting terrible for one reason or another. Greggo was absent more and more. Whitt's was getting stale. Sybil never brought anything to the table except her T and C. She never knew shit about sports and let me say, she all that.
ReplyDeleteI agree with anonymous at 2:34am. It's the same attitude you displayed on many occasions to your callers. One specific example someone called about the Stars and you declared you don't talk about losers. On another occasion last year someone called about Texas A&M and you insulted the caller and then declared you didn't even watch their games. Yet you claim this allegiance to UT when you didn't go to school there. Perhaps your ratings suffered for this or the fact that the show discussed actual sports less than any other show on the station. Lists, dead and gone Sybil's stuff, etc are not sports. The assumption is The Fan is a sports radio station.
ReplyDeleteGranted your show was better than Elf and puppet who reads her sports in the same she reads for the commercials she is used for. However they are nowhere near as bad a Gavin at night who was the only prick bigger than you until he got demoted and moved to the later time slot. The only honest objective personality on the station is RJ Choppy.
I will agree on one point of support in your favor. Management ignoring you on Greggos problems doesn't surprise me given than Russ Martin claimed to drink Jack and Gavin claims to drink beer while on air.
I will miss Rage - it was much more entertaining than the blowhards at the Ticket or the wheezing of Galloway and company - I don't understand why the Ticket is so damned popular.
ReplyDeleteListened from the start and loved the chemistry between all on the show - knew Greggo was f**ng it up toward the end - I think the listeners saw the writing on the wall.
Your replacements Ben and Skin are not entertaining - I'm sure they are nice guys, but they're not funny or informative. I have tried to tune in - NPR is better at keeping me awake on my drive home than those two.
Slater is bad - that show is awful.
I'm OK with the corporate guys being called out - most corporations have these types and they never seem to get their due. There is a lot of upper management incompetence in corporations that is ignored - upper management are sometimes just too lazy to do their jobs right or communicate effectively and can get vindictive if called on it. There are Sphittles in every corporation.
Wish you were still on the air!
Gavin may be an idiot, but he was still your boss. You were insubordinate.
ReplyDeleteIf Spittle wants good ratings then why would he hire Ben and Skin? Doesn't make any sense there.
ReplyDeleteI just read this from beginning to end. Loved it!!!! Thank you for sharing. Best of luck personally and professionally.....I listened to RAGE for you, not Greggo....always thought he was an idiot!
ReplyDeleteYour tyke might see an occasion from one limited perspective. In spite of the fact that your tyke's perspective might be particularly unique in relation to yours, that doesn't imply that he or he is lying.
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