Re: Nat Hentoff and WMEX (Was Re: WLOE)

[Donna Halper <dlh@donnahalper.com>]

Marty wrote--
>The writer Nat Hentoff once mentioned in a Wall Street Journal arts page
>article about music that when he was a college student he worked on the air
>there doing a jazz show. He described the place more-or-less as a
>second-tier station where the first thing you'd think of if you heard it go
>off was that Boston Edison had disconnected for nonpayment <g>. There might
>be more in his memoirs book, but I've never looked at it.
>
In Nat's book, "Boston Boy", he does indeed mention WMEX and says some very
uncomplimentary things about the owner, the legendary Bill Poté.  Don Kent,
with whom I spoke a few months ago, recalls similar stories-- not being
paid on time (and sometimes not being paid at all), for example.  I gather
that Bill's brother Al was the one who had the ethics, and Bill was like
the stereotypic used car salesman-- promise 'em anything to get 'em to work
for you, then give 'em as little as possible... I am sure those of us who
have worked in radio have run into owners like that now and then... <gg>    

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