Re: WMBR is cancelling it's nightly news - protest

[Shawn Mamros <mamros@MIT.EDU>]

I'm not going to comment on the recent action (mainly because I'm not
involved with programming decisions there, and I haven't recently talked
with the folks that are), but there's one thing I just can't let pass...

>I forgot to add that the rumors I've heard from friends who work at WMBR is 
>that the guy who got the evening newscasts implemented stepped on a lot of 
>toes and offended a lot of staff in the process...but bear in mind that 
>WMBR is a ridiculously over-politicized environment (a lot - not all, but a 
>lot - of people there take themselves WAY WAY WAY too seriously) so no 
>matter how the news got on it was going to annoy a lot of staff in the
>process.
>
>I would not be surprised if this is a means of those people being petty and 
>cutting off their noses to spite their faces.   I hope this is not the 
>case, but it wouldn't surprise me.

As the original message stated, the current news program has been airing
for around 10 years or so.  The people who were involved in making the
programming decisions 10 years ago are not the same people who are making
those decisions today.  Indeed, many of the folks from 10 years ago are
probably no longer even involved with the station, and most if not all
of those doing programming decisions now were not here 10 years ago.  So
the notion of there being some sort of festering 10-year-old grudge is
pretty absurd.

One other thing about the environment at WMBR - there are far more
conspiracy theories that float around than there are conspiracy facts.
(Not that we haven't had a few of those over the years, too, mind you...)

-Shawn Mamros
E-mail to: mamros@mit.edu