Potter v. Wenger
Fill-in host Michael Caputo was out of commission Monday due to an illness he jokingly blamed on the mics at WBEN. Potter retorted that it was from the “bullshit spewed” into them every day. Caputo thought it was funny, and parried with a swipe at liberal embarrassment MSNBC. Fun!
But then it suddenly took a vicious and ugly turn. Here on full display is the attitude that informs WBEN’s entire day of programming:
@MichaelRCaputo For the life of me I can’t imagine why @j_potter would apply for jobs @newsradio930 if he has such issues w/us. #interesting
— Tim Wenger (@TimWBEN) February 24, 2014
Dafuq?!
When you apply for a job, do you expect the company to blab about it publicly on social media? There’s no law preventing it, nor does Entercom promise confidentiality – after all, it has to vet the information provided. But certainly it crosses some sort of blatant ethical line for Wenger to try and humiliate Potter in a public forum in response to a harmless joke. There’s a real ominous mean-spiritedness behind that.
Oh, and on top of all that – it’s a lie.
Potter didn’t apply for a job with WBEN. He was, at one point, offered a job as a producer for WGR. Although WGR and WBEN are both Entercom stations, WGR doesn’t offer an “all paranoia, all the time” format. Take a look again at Wenger’s Tweet – he alleged that Potter applied to WBEN – not Entercom or WGR. Furthermore, he didn’t apply, he was courted.
Luckily for Potter, WEDG was aware of his talks with WGR, so his livelihood is not threatened. But Wenger didn’t know that, and he deliberately, knowingly published a false statement of fact in order to embarrass a guy from a competing station who made a tame joke.
It’s malicious libel.
@J_Potter Love it. Take it to the sewer with the rest of the bloggers Josh as only the edge can do! Enjoy it down there.
— Tim Wenger (@TimWBEN) February 24, 2014
@TimWBEN @J_Potter @buffalopundit Tim, don’t you think it’s incredibly inappropriate of you to put something like that on Twitter?
— James Kurdziel (@JamesRadio) February 24, 2014
@J_Potter @DJive19 @JamesRadio I’ll accept that Josh as we have lots of stations. & applying here is a badge of honor. #best
— Tim Wenger (@TimWBEN) February 24, 2014
Radio is a competitive medium, and I love a good media war as much as anyone, but intentionally making a false and defamatory statement – information which, if true, should remain confidential – in order to embarrass someone who made a joke is wildly inappropriate and completely beyond the pale.
Wenger can demean the blogosphere all he wants. Sure, we use poopy and potty and peepee words here. But he should check his own behavior before calling any other medium the “gutter”.
‘Bush league’ describes Wenger’s tenure as a manager at Entercom. What little chops he had were garnered when he and the missus read the afternoon news years ago.
“Bush” league has taken on a whole new meaning in the last 13-14 years….wouldn’t you say? Fits this case perfectly…..
If Tim is the head honcho over at WBEN and this is the way he acts, it explains why WBEN has become the crappiness that it is. I used to listen all the time for news. I can’t even do that anymore. Oh well, you get what you pay for.
I took WBEN off my car pre-sets a while ago. If I want news now, I’ll go to WBFO….680 News…well, anything BUT WBEN.
I’d listen to the Beach and Bauerle Fart Noise show.
Sean: Call that duo what I used to some time ago….Beavis and Butthead.
Fits their shows to a T.
Why would WBEN be worried about the truth when the powers that be on the right, as stated by the Republican national committee during the last presidential election, have already taken a stand on the issue….I believe it went something like this…..” We will not let facts dictate the way we run our elections”……
He can always get a job at Air America.
Oh, wait — no he can’t — they folded due to ratings of zero point zero.
He doesn’t need a job. Nobody gives a shit about Air America except conservatives who miss the fact that political talk radio is a lowest common denominator cesspool. So, of COURSE it’s only popular among the right.
Why do conservatives always robotically respond with the same trite garbage? You’d almost think they had no brains and were led around by the nose.
I appreciate it must truly be painful to hear the same depressing news over and over again. First Air America folds. Then Current TV. Then KB 1520’s loony leftie talk format. Then Piers Morgan succumbs to 0.0 ratings and is sacked by CNN. I can understand your reference to “trite garbage” — family therapists call that transferred aggression. But at least you still have NPR — impervious to ratings due to the generosity of the American Taxpayer, and donors like you.
All together, the news media outside the conservative bubble gets the overwhelming majority of ratings. Talkradio and Faux News are just niche outlets that appeal to malcontents who aren’t concerned with fact, just with hearing their twisted opinions validated. This is why those viewers are statistically the poorest informed compared to those outside the conservative bubble.
You can keep talking about the awful Air America (and it was) or lame progressive talk (which the concept is), but you cannot change the fact that only a small minority of people enjoy the degree of angry misinformation that you do on talkradio and Faux News.
Let’s face it: You’re just angry and aggressive because you know that you and the rest of the far right are dinosaurs on the way out. Thank God.
Oh, wait — no he can’t — they folded due to ratings of zero point zero.
Exactly. It’s difficult to cater to an audience that actually have jobs and lives that prevent them from tuning into propaganda all day long.
Fascinating blog. I read it twice. gave it careful consideration and have concluded…who cares?
Wow. WBEN’s manager seems to have the arrogance that was appropos when WBEN was a respectable and responsible news station, rather than the low rent shitshow that it’s become on his watch.