Comments on: Ten exit Entercomm over Wii stunt

By: Janice

Janice — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 23:35:32 +0000

Yes, it does make it newsworthy. But that is a separate issue from whether or not the original stunt was really that outrageous. Until they can prove there was gross negligence on the part of the radio station (which, grant, they may be able to do with the information coming out), the story should be about the tragic accidental death of a person participating in a contest. Not a witch hunt against the radio station for a big mean evil stunt designed to kill those who participated. Which it wasn’t.

And don’t call me Janet. Or Shirley for that matter.

By: The

The — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 01:08:14 +0000

Janice said:

“Which makes my point: this stunt wasnâ€™t that out of the realm of a typical radio promotion, and on its own, not newsworthy.”

Probably true, Janet, but so what? A woman DID die because of the stunt. That IS newsworthy, wouldn’t you agree?

By: Janice

Janice — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:34:25 +0000

I beg your pardon, jac? Who peed in your Cheerios?

What I meant (had you taken my comment in context with the ENTIRE post) was that had no one died during this stunt, this wouldn’t have even been a blip on the radar. Wouldn’t have even made anything more than a picture and a byline in the local paper (if it were a slow news day). Which makes my point: this stunt wasn’t that out of the realm of a typical radio promotion, and on its own, not newsworthy.

I am many things, but not silly. Besides that, you pulled one line out of my entire diatribe on the subject – not exactly a fair rebuke on your part, as far as I’m concerned.

By: The

The — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:47:50 +0000

Yes, Ian, if they fired the P.D., they have fired SOMEONE in management. I didn’t see that detail (if it’s accurate) in the stories I read about the incident.

Don’t you think that this should go higher up the food chain, though?

By: jac

jac — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:43:32 +0000

Janice said:

“This one would have been just fine if someone hadnâ€™t of diedâ€¦”

Do I really need to respond to this for you to see how silly this comment is?

By: Ian

Ian — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 17:42:17 +0000

The said:

“Hey, they fired 10 non-management people! What MORE do you want? I mean sheesh, itâ€™s not as if management MANAGES people and makes decisions about what goes on the air.”

They actually fired the PD, who, from what I understand, is in a management position.

By: Janice

Janice — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 15:19:35 +0000

OK. I want to revise my position slightly after the story that broke today about how this promotion team IGNORED warnings that what they were doing was dangerous. The Morning crew talking on air with these people had a responsibility to relay that information to the promotion director (or their program director), and the promotion director had a responsibility to research the matter further at that point. If you go into something blind, that’s one thing. If you’ve got listeners (plural) telling you this stunt probably isn’t a good idea…and you do it anyway? That’s negligent and someone’s butt should be in a sling for that. Maybe not all 10 people, but at least the Promotion Director

By: codger

codger — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 12:57:16 +0000

There, but for the grace of god go almost any one of us who have worked in radio…..we have probably all been involved in promoting, advertising or participating in a bladder busting contest, or even more dangerous promotions, but didn’t experience the bad luck that these people did.

The good news for those who lost thier job, history shows that all will probably have a better, higher paying job within a year.

By: The

The — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 08:29:10 +0000

The main thing to remember in this sad affair is that management is NOT to blame, no matter what. Yes, there may have been promos for this stunt that aired for days prior to it, which management surely knew about and yes, the stunt probably had to be approved by someone in management prior to it happening, but THEY ARE NOT TO BLAME IN ANY WAY!

Hey, they fired 10 non-management people! What MORE do you want? I mean sheesh, it’s not as if management MANAGES people and makes decisions about what goes on the air.

By: Janice

Janice — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 23:40:38 +0000

This promotion was not that far out of the realm of a really good idea, actually. Not many people have a clue that water in large amounts can be THAT bad for you. It is very sad, but other groups have done similar promotions and have worked out just fine. This one would have been just fine if someone hadn’t of died…and who knows what medical conditions she might have had the exacerbated the situation. How is drinking too much water (and holding it) any better or any worse than some of these promotions where people are asked to keep their hands on a car for a long period of time (with bathroom breaks, granted), or asked to eat something that might make one sick? Compared to a show like Fear Factor, for example, drinking a lot of water seems pretty benign at first glance. Yes, they should have researched the possible problems with drinking too much water, but having been a Promotion Director myself, I can see how they got to where they wound up. You would also think that the contestants might want to take some responsiblity for their participation as well. No one forced them to participate. Why can’t some things be left as just an accident? Sad, but not malicious.