'WILDCAT' REPORTER CITED FOR BEING A BAD FAN
In the Monday, Nov. 23, edition of the Arizona Daily Wildcat student newspaper, an editorial rips into the Zona Zoo and other fans for their unruly behavior during Oregon's 44-41 double-overtime football victory at Arizona Stadium.
One of the names listed as being a member of the Wildcat opinions board, which writes the editorials, is Shain Bergan.
That's presumably the same Shain Bergan who was cited for disorderly conduct at the ESPN College GameDay event on the UA mall Saturday morning (Nov. 21) just before 6 a.m.
"Another person was holding a sign, and Mr. Bergan took the sign and damaged it. As a result of that, he was charged with disorderly conduct, issued a criminal citation, cited and released," said UA Police Department Sgt. Juan Alvarez.
Bergan recently wrote a column chastising a fraternity for failing to come clean about allegations that it stole copies of the Wildcat in an attempt to cover up an unflattering story.
PARISI LEAVES KNST FOR KVOI
Jim Parisi surprised a number of listeners last week when he announced the conclusion of his morning show on KNST AM 790.
The decision did not involve money or overall discontent, he said; instead, Parisi cut a deal with talk rival KVOI AM 1030 that allows him more freedom, including the ability to meld the radio show with an Internet-television venture.
Parisi's new show begins Monday, Nov. 30, and will air weekdays from 8 to 10 a.m. If all goes well, he will broadcast not from the KVOI studios, but from his office on Broadway Boulevard, which is better equipped for the Internet tie-in.
"If this works, every show from 9 to 10 a.m. will be televised at JimParisi.com. This is going to be TV (with) over-the-shoulder graphics; it's going to look like TV, not live video like YouTube or something," Parisi said. "... It's basically a TV studio. It's a legitimate melding of the two mediums that way. I ultimately want to syndicate. There will be people online calling in who aren't from Tucson, so it will be an interesting mix. One of the biggest factors is (from 9 to 10 a.m.), I'm going to be the only local talk show in the market. That's going to be a big opportunity."
Parisi has entered into a shared-revenue arrangement with KVOI. Ultimately, according to Parisi, KNST management—most notably former program director Josh Leng, who left the station last week—was uncomfortable melding the show with the Internet-TV project.
"From our point of view, it's a great addition," said Doug Martin, the general manager at Good News Radio Broadcasting, which owns KVOI. "He's had a top morning show at KNST. It's a great opportunity. It's sort of like a marriage where each party brings something to the table. We have a very strong signal; it has the biggest reach in the market, so that helps us.
"KNST is certainly the powerhouse. ... There's nothing that will be taken away from them, but one thing Jim told me is he's very comfortable with our lineup. The people we have on the air are not strident right-wing people. They are conservative, but we like to look at it as more intelligent talk, and not just (hosts) on a rant whipping people up."
The Internet-TV venture will also act as a forum for numerous studio-quality television talk-style programs, Parisi said.
"I'm launching a few TV shows on the Internet (on Nov. 30)," he said. "I'm adding the radio element to it. I'll have a lineup, and one of those will be the Jim Parisi simulcast thing. It's live. It's interactive, high-quality, high-def. It's a test of the free enterprise system. It's like I say on the air every day. I gave a couple of big speeches at the Tea Party and came home and said, 'I'm going to do the independent thing myself. I'm ready.'"
Meanwhile, Andy Taylor has stepped in for Parisi while KNST undergoes a search for a new morning host.
"What I like more than talking about the issues is talking to the people. I'm serious about that," said Taylor, who formerly worked with Jonas Hunter as part of a morning show on KLPX FM 96.1; he continues that pairing at radioexiles.com (where I also podcast). "That's the best part about it. I love when people call in and add to my thoughts or challenge my thoughts. I like that connection."
FORMER 'CITIZEN' EMPLOYEE SUES GANNETT
A.J. Flick, a 15-year employee of the Tucson Citizen, filed a lawsuit against Citizen parent company Gannett over its handling of severance issues prior to the publication's closure.
"Gannett told me on Jan. 15 of this year that it was putting the Tucson Citizen up for sale, and if I were still employed on March 20, and the paper not sold by March 21, I would get one week of severance for every year of employment (in my case, 15 weeks of severance) with all of my health benefits," said Flick via e-mail. "I was employed by the Citizen on March 20, and the paper was not sold. However, Gannett tacked on a 12th-hour requirement that employees needed to stay past March 20 indefinitely, in order to collect severance, contrary to what we were told previously in person and in writing. I continued on unpaid leave with the Citizen until April 27, when acting publisher Jennifer Boice fired me.
"I filed the lawsuit because I held up my end of the bargain, and Gannett did not. The lawsuit basically says I relied on Gannett's promises, to my detriment, and (I) suffered financially. I am asking for my 15 weeks of pay with the cost of health benefits and triple damages, because Gannett didn't have a good reason to withhold my severance, plus cost of the lawsuit, including attorneys fees."
Flick did not state the exact amount of damages requested, other than to say "it's less than what some Gannett executives pay for a round of golf."
