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The pogrom at WBAL radio - UPDATED
Jeff Beauchamp owes Baltimoreans an explanation about the way the management of WBAL has "disappeared" Chip Franklin and Rob Douglas.
News of the departure of these two talk hosts surfaced in the Baltimore Sun back on July 25th. Franklin has moved to KOGO in San Diego, a smaller station. Douglas, we are told, has gone back to his security consulting business in Colorado.
What makes these changes so curious is that Franklin's exact departure date was not publicized, and so far as I know there was no attempt at a "farewell" show. That's quite out of character with the kind of show he ran, where every Friday's program was a free-for-all including a number of in-studio guests.
Douglas was ostensibly relieved of his contract, with no explanation. He had arrived here from Colorado only four months ago and had purchased a house in Federal Hill. Not exactly the actions of someone who was expecting to stay only a short time.
Of greater suspicion is the way all traces of both Douglas and Franklin were so quickly removed from the WBAL web site. Yesterday, Douglas' name was off the line-up of show hosts, and a site search for his name revealed references to dozens of pages that had been removed. Today, Franklin got the same treatment, and tuning in during his time slot, listeners were treated to the execrable "C4"--former senator Clarence Mitchell, IV.
As of this moment, the line-up of shows and hosts on the web site reveals nothing about who will fill Franklin's 9 to noon time slot or Douglas' noon to 3 PM one. The prospects do not look encouraging. The station could move up one of its B-list talents such as Mitchell or Sherry Elliker, but both of them are recent additions, weak on radio experience, and certainly not of the quality you would expect Beauchamp to program against the local veteran Tom Marr and national powerhouse Rush Limbaugh on WCBM (which happens to be WBAL's closest competition).
It is highly arrogant of station managers to expect listeners to embrace radio personalities and become loyal listeners, then simply have them slip away in the dead of night with no explanation. I have sent exploratory emails to both Franklin and Douglas at their WBAL addresses, and thus far (merely hours later), there have been no replies, nor have the messages bounced. So presumably there are more sneaky plans in the works, if the two email accounts have not been cancelled or re-directed to management.
You expect this sort of haughty indifference from "public" broadcasting managers, who have always maintained that they are above the Arbitron fray, and who derive their financial support from a combination of government grants and sweetheart deals with major corporations.
Stations such as WBAL, who portray themselves as a part of the community, and who seek advertising dollars from individual local businesses, should know better than to pull this kind of stunt. Shame on them.
UPDATE, AUGUST 5
Chip Franklin, at least, was receiving his emails from WBAL. This morning he sent a message saying that he will start his show in San Diego on September 4th, and that it will be webcast live, on www.KOGO.com.
The good news for Franklin fans here is that his California time slot is earlier than was his slot on WBAL, so the show will be heard from 8 AM to noon, Eastern time.
Chip also advises that his email address is Chip@NOiQ.com, for those who want to stay in touch.
Rob Douglas is still unaccounted-for.