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”.
The British version of the Office only went on for two seasons, plus a special. The American version just ended after nine seasons, long enough to jump the shark. (Tim and Dawn didn’t get together until the very end of the Christmas special – Jim and Pam got married in season 6. David Brent had left Wernham Hogg by time of the special, but he was a part of the show – Michael Scott disappeared after season 7).