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Date Posted: 12:00:41 04/17/03 Thu
Author: Pseudonyms Uck
Subject: Fool Me Once, Shame on You. Fool Me Twice…

In a few hours, listeners of WPHT will learn what’s on the embarrassing tape that Michael Smerconish mentioned on yesterday’s show and today’s promos. He said something like, “As some of you may know, a tape has surfaced that has my voice on it. This tape is embarrassing to the station, my show and me. I wanted to get ahead of this one and be the one to tell you about. I checked with station lawyers and they’ve topple me I can do it. Make sure you’re tuned in at this time (5PM) tomorrow.”

While the most adamant Smerconish bashers are hoping the tape has his voice urging Mayor Street to use the “entry device,” or some other incriminating utterances, this is probably another hoax or hyperbole. It’s very reminiscent of the April Fool’s gag and other bits of business he has done in an attempt to be funny.

Add the fact that today (Thursday, April 17) starts the new rating book and you have a formula for an on-air prank, a ratings booster, a tune in factor.

They are running promos, so there has to be a tape. Best guess? It’s a teen-aged Michael singing “Roundabout” along with the stereo, or some similarly “embarrassing” childhood moment. He just visited his old high school. And “checking with the lawyers” could mean getting clearance to play a piece of music or a tape containing voices other than his.

Given the debacle of the April Fool’s prank and especially the subsequent mocking of his listeners the next day, this is a very risky stunt. How will you feel if you alter your schedule to be near a radio, only to hear an off-key version of “Starship Trooper” or some other similar nonsense? Like me, you’ll be incensed.

If this is a serious issue and he’s being a stand-up guy, he deserves a lot of credit. Nobody died and made me “the knower of all things” (Irv Homer’s still alive). I admit I might be wrong about this. Still, with the ratings book starting today and a history of ill-conceived stunts…

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Replies:

[> It's a PROMO guys. From the tone of his voice you can tell it is meant tongue-in-cheek. No one expects it to be anything serious. Get a sense of humor already. Maybe Phil Hendrie is right. -- SurveyGuy, 14:47:17 04/17/03 Thu


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[> [> Sense of humor is intact, S.G. Hendrie is hysterical at times, a real original and very creative. This stunt is a Hendrie-wannabe, sophomoric at best. It's like WIBG running spots in the 60's that said "On Friday, at 3 O'clock, we STOP THE MUSIC. They did...for a minute...to run a contest. I expect more from a 50,000 watt, CBS O&O. -- Pseudonyms Uck, 15:07:43 04/17/03 Thu


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[> [> [> Sadly, based on their track record, we have come to expect less. And they never fail to disappoint. -- Jay, 16:12:55 04/17/03 Thu


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[> [> [> Apparently you got sucked in by the WIBG "stunt" and have never forgiven them. [Just kidding.] I will admit that Smerconish is no Wolfman Jack. I loved some of the Wolfman's comedy bits. Remember "Wind Me Up?" If not, i will try to rip it off a CD and stream it if you like. While not talk radio, it IS classic radio. -- SurveyGuy, 19:44:37 04/17/03 Thu


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[> Give me a BREAK -- Captn Hank, 17:25:09 04/17/03 Thu

What is this all about. Didn't take me long to change the station. Back to only Rollye at night.


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[> [> MS -- George, 19:08:57 04/17/03 Thu

I sat in my car in the garage for 15 minutes to listen to that a-- hole snore. He really knows how to piss off an audience.


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[> [> [> All that hype, all the promotion, and no payoff. The bit put the audience to sleep. I wonder if he'll repeat the April 2nd response and attack the audience for not "getting it." I wish the hosts would stick to their core skills- it's like Jim Carrey taking dramatic roles trying to prove he can be a "serious actor." -- Jay, 19:45:49 04/17/03 Thu


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[> [> [> [> It Gets Worse Everyday! -- Everyone, 23:11:27 04/17/03 Thu

When will the self-serving BS, I mean MS stop? This is what happens when you don't have a program director.


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[> Its a prelude to infomercials for the "Snore Doctor"....just watch! N/T -- Anton Geesnick, 00:22:07 04/18/03 Fri

N/T


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[> The strings are showing, folks .... -- Murray Fukyuto, 01:48:56 04/18/03 Fri

This state of WPHT is the result of placing people who aren't born entertainers into entertainment positions. MAS is an attorney. He should stick to litigating court cases. Dom went to school to be a teacher. He should have stuck to that. At least Rollye is a bona fide broadcaster, unfortunately, she's a bore to listen to and clueless politically. Fortunately, she's on after midnight where she can do the least amount of harm. Glenn Beck is a decent broadcaster but a born entertainer who understands satire, irony, and other figures of speech. That's why he's syndicated and not just stuck on the local schedule. Rush Limbaugh is a bona fide broadcaster and a born entertainer. That's why he's the most listened to in the country. Stern, same deal, only smaller audience. Ditto for Hendrie. Hannity is not a broadcaster but a born entertainer, that goes double for Mike Savage.

So my advice to WPHT, go out and find witty and engaging conversationalists that say what they want to say on topics of their choice, not these preprogrammed local puppets who are creations of some PD's whimsy.


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[> [> I disagree on Hannity being "not a broadcaster": he's been doing talk-radio pretty much non-stop since he was in college. But that's just me nit-picking. -- "Vince From Villanova" (I have WAY too much free time today.), 04:53:34 04/18/03 Fri


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[> MAS -- Captn Hank, 16:01:42 04/18/03 Fri

Okay guys.... did he mention anything about the farce yesterday or is he hoping that we all forgot about it?


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[> [> Right, like you don't know. -- Stop with pretending that you dont listen., 04:13:04 04/19/03 Sat


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[> [> [> Boooo! -- Captn Hank, 18:15:06 04/21/03 Mon

I'm down in beautiful Sanibel, Florida snook fishing. Haven't even had a radio on, SORRY. I do miss the Rollye James Show.


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[> I actually heard this too and was left scratching my head. MAS sounds like a whiner these days. All the succers has gone straight to his head. The big one. :-P -- Blitz, 13:25:31 04/19/03 Sat


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[> [> I remember Ron Dobson spent a good part of his short tenure attacking the audience. Look where it got him. -- Bogey, 11:56:38 04/20/03 Sun


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[> [> [> It got him on the first flight out of town. Where is he now anyway? -- Blitz, 15:14:12 04/20/03 Sun


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[> [> [> [> His website didn't have any employment update after DB. The odds of staying employed in talk radio grow slimmer every day with consolidation and the glut of often mediocre syndication. Look at PHT- it's got a monopoly in the market yet its heavy syndication lineup has it struggling to maintain mediocre ratings. -- Bogey, 20:03:44 04/20/03 Sun


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[> [> [> [> [> Philly's problem is almost similar to where I live now: Pittsburgh. Even though we have a second talker in WPTT/1360, no one listens. Philly need a talker on 950 at the minimum. I mean, this market can't have this great of a lack of talent....or can it? -- Blitz, 20:07:59 04/20/03 Sun


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[> [> [> [> [> [> What MAS could not do...Katz did tonight -- alex, 21:39:17 05/07/03 Wed

Listening to Jeff Katz tomight you heard actual satire done right. Funny, cutting, great radio. Everything that the MAS attempt was not.


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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> Ok, but what exactly did Katz do that you would classify as satire? Or maybe I missed that part. Or maybe I missed the satire itself. n/t -- Anton Geesnick, 22:47:23 05/07/03 Wed


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