Media Watch

‘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.”

This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 2, 2009.