Grownups Are Corrupt

 

Pheeeww weeeee! Of all the smelly players in the theft of WRAS by GPB deal, Georgia State University’s VP of Student Affairs, Douglass Covey, could be the stinkiest. And it’s a tough tough competition.

Seems Covey made sure GSU student fees were used to pay for a brand new WRAS transmitter in April of 2013. And then tossed that brand new student-paid-for (unknowingly and undisclosed to them, of course) transmitter into the sweet GPB deal for use when GPB took over WRAS.

Which, according to rules and guidelines of Georgia’s state universities’ behaviors, may not have been a sanctioned/legal use of university student fees. The sweet deal itself also not known to the public or students of GSU/WRAS at the time, of course. Come to think about it, the deal was known mostly to just Douglass Covey, his inner circle of intimate cronies, and key committee folk only. (Remember kids, these are all state organizations we’re talking about here. Thus all beholden to Georgia’s Open Records laws.) 

From Jennifer Waits in a Radio Survivor blog post:

Although it hasn’t been mentioned much in reporting about the situation at WRAS, in April 2013 the Georgia State University Student Activity Fee Committee approved a proposal to replace the WRAS transmitter. Estimated costs at the time were between $676,000 and $750,000. Meeting minutes also reference a construction permit to “install its main antenna on a downtown tower, allowing for a much improved signal in North Georgia, especially on campus, and in the Georgia Dome.” A few months earlier, discussions were well underway between GPB and GSU. An early draft agreement from January 2013 even proposes that GPB would help pay for the cost of a transmitter. The old proposal suggests that GSU and GPB would partner “to acquire bond dollars to cover all one-time costs of transitioning WRAS to digital broadcast…” Throughout the conversations between GSU and GPB, GPB was kept up to date about the timeline for WRAS’ new transmitter.

According to Georgia State email correspondence, the new transmitter was delivered in late April 2014. Interestingly, around this time (late April), Georgia State’s Vice President for Student Affairs Douglass Covey resigned from the board of Public Broadcasting Atlanta (which runs competing public radio station WABE). The GSU/GPB agreement was announced publicly in May 2014. Although the new transmitter has yet to be installed, it’s been pointed out that since student fees were used to pay for something that will be largely used by GPB, it could be construed as a misuse of student funds or even fraud.

Talk about a low life maneuver! And that’s not even counting Covey’s utter duplicitous skunkiness of sitting on the other public media folks’ (PBA/WABE) board throughout the icky and secretive maneuvering between GPB and GSU for expanding GPB’s public airwaves reach beyond the 24/7 grasp of the kids of GSU.

Man, what a skunk. I wouldn’t trust Douglass Covey to walk my dog to the curb.

 

GPB Claims Stealing Is Giving – To Georgia.

On the long-gone back of possibly the most hardass military freak known to war history, General William Tecumseh Sherman, GPB is trying hard to raise money to support its limited supply of quality programming. As they simultaneously grab WRAS’ programming from GSU college students learning a trade and give it to a self-absorbed mouth-in-a-suit, Bill Nigut.

GPB’s chairman, Michael H. McDougald (yeah I know, Mike who?) banged-out a windy reply to Dr. Louis Sullivan’s, chair of WABE/PBA’s board, recent sound and decisive condemnation of GPB’s theft of WRAS programming. Here’s a self-congratulatory, defensive sampling of McDougald’s letter to Sullivan. (You can trudge through the entirety here if you wish.)

We [GPB] produce original programs which enhance the learning experience, such as a 365 segment series titled, Today In Georgia History, which covered a year’s worth of Georgia history; and more recently, 37 Weeks: Sherman on the March, which is a week-by-week chronicle of Gen. Sherman’s march through Georgia.

Odd way to go about asking Atlantans for their money, eh? By evoking the name of General Sherman?! Good series, though. I watched some of it; before GPB killed WRAS, that is.

But the hard, cold, cash-based fact of the matter at hand is that donors and their money are what will keep GPB alive, well, and perfectly able to dig-in like a Yankee in North Georgia for the we’re-never-ever-giving-WRAS-back-to-the-GSU-kids long haul.

Mikey knows that. We know that. And yeah, we also know the odds of winning any fight to get back WRAS for the kids of GSU are as meager as Gerald O’Hara’s cotton fields circa 1865 or thereabouts.

But of course stealing WRAS away from just kids is a great way to encourage even more donating to GPB. Use those WRAS 100K power watts for what they can really do: be the best fundraising bully pulpit GPB’s got in its money-raising arsenal now. Hear Bill Nigut roar. Oh god but will we. I’d rather Sherman himself stomp across my patio. Trust me, they sure know that value-added fact around the dingy halls of GPB, or they’d never have gone to all the bother of stealing WRAS in the first place. So now they’re giving nothing back.

Also from Mikey’s letter to Sullivan:

Clearly, our intention is to offer Atlantans an alternative service to WABE, and we believe our differentiated programming will bring new donors to the public media table. As a result, we do not see this partnership as you suggest, as “a waste of taxpayer’s money.” GPB has no intention of using taxpayers’ money to support this new initiative. We fully anticipate, as with WABE, that the marketplace will support our programming on GPB Atlanta.

If you’re tired of Mikey, Teya Ryan, and Bill Nigut’s hideous march through WRAS, burning out the kids of GSU from the music programming they’ve commanded and championed for 40-years or thereabouts, there’s really just one thing you can do now to fight back: hit the GPB weak spot, the market place, and cease all giving to GPB.

Oh, and be sure to stop by the #SaveWRAS protest of GPB’s takeover of WRAS today, Friday July 11 from 3:30-6:30pm at the GPB headquarter in Midtown Atlanta, 260 14th Street. Bring a clever sign or three, some water, and a good attitude. No bullhorns or amplification or bad manners allowed. Parking is free on the third floor of the GPB building. But don’t go into the building! Go outside to 14th street to peacefully protest in front of GPB.

Show Atlanta how you really feel.

 

Aunt Pitty Be Like

Six Hours of Classical Programming A Day At WABE Is Six Too Many

It’s pledge drive time at WABE. One of my fave times of the year to taunt Lois Reitzes. If you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired of Atlanta’s FM 90.1 WABE six hours of classical-only programming a day, not even including weekends, then do something about it!

Join the Facebook Group 6 Hours = 6 Too Many. And call up WABE during pledge drive, pledge the minimum acceptable amount and tell ’em you’d love to give more if you got more. Remember kiddies, it’s YOUR public radio station too. Not just APS’s.

Here’s my last year’s video promo for 6 Hours A Day = 6 Too Many. I really need to get a new pair of glasses…

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “Six Hours of Classical Programming A …“, posted with vodpod

Pledge To Call WABE And Ask… May I Have Some Better Programming, Please M’aam?

So WABE’s Fall Pledge Drive has begun. Thus I’m listening to Neal Boortz… for as long as I can take it, which should be about as long as I can take Pledge Drive blather. Then it’s on to Voice of the Arts 1690 WMLB, but that wonderful station is owned by Joe Weber, who taketh away with the other hand by polluting our AM airwaves daily with ‘wingnut, hate-monger shows on his other station, AM 1160 – Atlanta News Talk.

What’s a morning radio gal gonna do? Listen to Radio Paradise on the Internets is what I’m gonna go do. But in the meantime, please join the Facebook Group 6 Hours A Day = 6 Too Many to support a call-out to (again… public radio) WABE for more diverse public programming in the morning. Six hours a day of only classical is just way too damn much classical.

Tips and tricks for what to do and what to say when you call in to WABE during pledge drive are here. And pasted below. From an anonymous WABE insider:

After Morning Edition goes off the air and we start broadcasting classical music, our listenership numbers go into the toilet. But, ironically, it is these loyal few listeners who support the station. And in a BIG way. Unfortunately, until people start being more vocal with their demand for more news/current affairs programming, and making sure the management realizes the money attached, things will not change. Not supporting the station is the wrong thing to do. When pledge comes up, call in and donate–but donate a SMALL amount, even if just a few dollars. Be sure to say that if your voice was heard, and there was more news (local and NPR), you would gladly give more. Believe me, if even just a handful of people do this, the highers-up will take note.

We all do what we can. Right? Right.

Atlanta Gas Availability Info – Use Twitter

Best place for real-time gas availability updates in the metro Atlanta area remains Twitter. You can subscribe to the #atlgas hash tag for your news reader, and keep a real-time availability update right on your desktop or cell. Couldn’t be easier.

Too bad ATL MSM are too arrogantly ignorant about social media and crowd sourcing apps and tools to be able to inform their audience and readership about such kinds of consumer-friendly tips and tricks. Wasn’t like they hadn’t been warned. Pity.

While WXIA has cleaned-up it’s map act of gas availability some (all pins are now a neutral blue), it’s still cumbersome. Other TV stations and media are still linking only to that bulky gas price site, the one that gives no information about gas availability.

WABE informed their listenership today about the gas price site with some bizarrely lame aside of “if you are able to get online.” Like they have a listenership of only the elderly and severely disabled? Maybe they do… come to think about it.

But fer chrissake WABE, this is a gas shortage in a major metropolitan area, not a freakin’ natural disaster in Haiti! Who among the WABE listenership does not have “online availability” in some capacity? Other than some Luddite-weirdo types who might adore 6 hours of classical music a day, but I’m starting to diverge…

And this is what passes for “continuous coverage of the gas crisis” at Channel 46. No shit. Jeez Atlanta media… this is like handing out media maxi-pads when the sleek OBs are right on the other shelf.

Sunday 9/27 12:18pm UPDATE: AJC now sending all their (claimed) ga-zillions of eyeballs off the Cox Media Plantation (see title/link “Real Time: Where To Find Gas”) and over to Twitter Farm to give their “audience” what they want right now: those priceless real time gas availability updates. LMAO and cue the Peter, Paul and Mary.

CRASS APPEAL FOR YOUR EYEBALLS!!! Now that I’ve got ’em here… please take a moment and click-on a cool video promo for the upcoming Oct. 4th 688/Metroplex reunion show. It’ll make you happy, I promise.

HERE’S AN AD:

LIKED WHAT YOU SAW ABOVE? NEED ONLINE VIDEO PROMOTIONS FOR YOUR COMPANY’S UPCOMING NEEDS/EVENT?

Contact WaySouth Media, Inc.: gdaughters at waysouthmedia dot com.

We’ll set you up online-right at WaySouth Media!

Stop The Classical Madness At WABE!

I can’t take it any more… 6 hours of classical music programming a day at WABE = 6 too many. Apparently I’m not the only one. So I started a Facebook Group called 6 Hours A Day = 6 Too Many! Please join the group if you’re on Facebook. And let’s let WABE know, by Fall Pledge Drive time too, that we’re very unhappy out here on the receiving end of the airwaves with being held hostage to 6 hours of tedious classical programming a day… especially when we could be hearing some news and talk and other more timely and progressive PUBLIC programming.

Not a dime out of me over there at WABE until things change around that media plantation!

Contact info for WABE is here:
740 Bismark Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30324
(678) 686-0321

NOTE: Anyone who would like to donate a far better graphic/logo to 6 Hours = 6 Too Many! campaign, please do so! Send to spaceygracey at bellsouth dot net, and I’ll get it up on the Facebook Group page right away.

Fiery Controversial Flames Shooting Out Of WABE

WABE’s Steve Goss, the dude with a voice almost as smokey rich as Bob Edwards’, went way out on some limb-that-went-nowhere by asking Creative Loafing’s Thomas Wheatley, at the end of an interview about CL’s annual Golden Sleaze Awards today, about that week-old, wacky, “controversial,” action-packed world of “advocacy journalism” they practice over there at CL. LMAO. I understand a dead-tree list of places to, like, hang-out is way-dangerous, subversive stuff.