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Post by webrunner on Apr 9, 2009 6:56:44 GMT -7
Rosa, the really interesting thing is that the Strelz and the Lion Star are friends as far I know. If L/S walked because of the Strelz (I'll have to check out his blog) that's where the real drama lies. ;D
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rosa
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Post by rosa on Apr 9, 2009 16:17:48 GMT -7
well web, here's the drama off of this guy David K's bloggit:
in sections, He says:
"EP Media Group and Univision officials entered into a deal for 920. The basic gist of the deal was that EP Media Group (EPMG) would provide the talent and Univision would sell the ad time. They would split ad sales.
The project was given until June or July to work or die.
Univison took it upon themselves to construct a new studio. EPMG agreed to put the audio streaming in and pay for the hosting costs.
From day one Norma Chavez was spending hours a day lobbying Lisa D and Keith Mahar to do things her way. Remember, she was supposed to be busy with the legislative session at that time.
Norma told people that it was "her radio project" due to her influence over it. She was Paul Strelzin's agent with the agreement Strelzin become her mouth piece if she could get him on the air. Needless to say, the folks at EPMG were tired of Norma's crap from the word go. Norma is a hemorrhoid - unfortunately the cream doesn't work on her.
Before the switch from 750 to 920 even happened Strelz got in trouble for throwing a fit when he wasn't let into the studio immediately by the extremely busy secretary at the front office. He apparently yelled at her and others and left Univision staff "shocked" and "horrified" to use their terms.
That incident was pretty much the beginning of the end of Lisa D and Strelzin's relationship. Strelzin clearly didn't like being admonished and was really irritated that it had come from a younger woman. You see, Strelzin is a 72 year-old child and does not take direction well. (His treatment of women in general is extremely chauvisnistic. And if he'd like to try and sue me for that comment, I'd be happy to line up the ladies who have told me that.)
Shortly after that incident 920 was to be launched. Well, some things came up.
1. Univision staff in El Paso hadn't cleared any of this through their corporate offices out of town. The big wigs out of town found out about the 920 project and flipped out. Univision staffers nearly lost their jobs over the whole fiasco. The result was a delay of the launch date after it had already been announced. It wasn't an ideal situation, but everybody moved on.
Univsion is happy to blame Lisa D for their problems with the corporate offices. Unknown to anyone at EPMG, the Univision staff was running this "under the radar." When Lisa D was contacted by a radio industry magazine about the project, she happily gave details of the project. Obviously the corporate office read about the programming changes in an industry publication and were a little ticked off that they learned about the project that way.
Lisa D was mortified, but it wasn't her fault. The assumption by EPMG was that the decisions being made by the local Univision staff were uniform to what corporate would allow. Unlike Fight Club, the first rule of Talk Back Radio 920 was - talk about Talk Back Radio 920. It's called "promotion." "
(that was number one for Mr. K)
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rosa
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Post by rosa on Apr 9, 2009 16:18:56 GMT -7
here comes some more:
He says:
"2. The studio they had promised was not finished. Not even close. All the promises of audio and video streaming were empty. We all looked bad and had to scramble to put on a good face and progress from there in a make-shift studio.
Early on when 920 actually launched Strelzin was spanked for having guests on to advertise their business for free. Univision and EPMG were not happy about this because it's not only detrimental to efforts to attract advertisers, but it was getting to be illegal. If Paul Strelzin had ever received anything of value in exchange for free on air promotion it would be deemed "payola" by the FCC. "Payola" covers more than just pay to play music, by the way.
Strelzin was once again very angry about this and let every one know just how he felt. That meant berating Lisa D any chance he got. The things he said to her were quite upsetting to anyone within earshot.
Meanwhile, Norma was calling EPMG and Univision morning, noon and night trying to get me taken off of the air. She was also trying to further lobby her wishes upon the station programming. Again, she took time out of her busy legislative and collegiate schedules to literally call both entities ten times a day.
In the only weekly meeting we ever had, things got to the point that participants were walking out in disgust at the triangle of insults being hurled from Lisa D, Strelzin and I. I was nearly fired that day along with Strelz by EPMG owner Keith Mahar.
I was in trouble for calling elected officials "idiots" and was told I could never again refer to President Obama as "black." That included not saying, "the first black President."
Strelzin was in trouble for being an jerk to the board operator and embarrassing him on air. The board operator had to go to the bathroom at the beginning of Strelzin's show and Strelzin was pissed that the phones were ringing. Strelzin can't do a show without his callers. He can't think and talk. He can only interact with the same callers who call in at the same time every day or he can read straight from a sheet of paper with news on it. So, when the phones aren't answered he's screwed.
Stelzin eluded on air to the fact that the board operator was in the bathroom because he'd been out drinking the night before. The board operator doesn't drink and was offended and embarrassed. Strelzin also asked him if he was looking at porn on his computer - live on air. Again the operator was mortified because he wasn't looking at porn and would never do so.
Strelzin didn't take the criticism well and he threw a fit.
He threw another fit because he was told that if he didn't come up with advertisers he'd be gone. I found out that Norma Chavez had promised EPMG/Univision a ton of advertising if they would simply put Strelzin on the air. This promise had not come to fruition at that time and still hasn't. The only reason Strelzin was ever included in this project was because he and Norma promised lots of advertisers.
Strelzin produced a list of people he put together to give to Lisa D and the Univision Sales Manager to contact for advertising. He claimed that nobody had contacted the people on that list and that' s why they didn't have any advertising. That's when Lisa D literally said, "that's bullcrap, Paul." She went on to tell about how the people on that list either wanted to trade under the table for ads or laughed when she told them Paul said they would advertise.
Strelzin got even more mad and told Lisa D that she didn't know what she was doing and that she was clueless about radio (but not in a nice way - a very rude condescendig way). He then proceeded to make a big deal out of calling Senator Shapleigh on his phone to tell him to bring the advertisers he promised.
Here's the deal - Senator Shapleigh and Norma Chavez have both promised Entravision, EPMG and Univision that they had sponsors to advertise on Strelzin's show. Not once have they produced a single advertiser since they first made that promise in 2007.
Things remained nasty for the rest of the meeting and Paul basically ruined any chance of it being productive. Meetings with him are about him - and him only. He doesn't shut up and is constantly wandering off topic back to something that has to do with him. It's the worst experience of your life times ten.
We signed a document at that meeting saying we would not take money or other valuable gifts under the table in exchange for advertising.
Norma Chavez at this point is still calling every day to tell EPMG and Univision what to do and when to do it. She's makes even more promises of advertisers if David K would just go away. Meanwhile she's making statements to the press that's she's too busy for this and too busy for that. Little did they know she was running a radio station in her spare time.
After that meeting Strelzin gets busted again for having someone on that they suspected was exchanging a favor for free air time. Very very nasty words were exchanged between Strelzin and Lisa D again.
Seeing that his last opportunity on the air is slipping away from him, he starts lobbying the Univision Sales Manager to his side. He has Norma Chavez start hitting the Sales Manager hard with promises and threats hoping to seal a deal that gets EPMG thrown out while keeping Strelzin. It started to work."
doesn't sound good....uh oh.....
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rosa
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Post by rosa on Apr 9, 2009 16:20:00 GMT -7
then he adds this part:
"Three weeks ago we were getting ready to make the move into the new studio and Strelzin gets caught red-handed taking free tickets in exchange for free promotion. Lisa D was furious with him and the exchange between the two left the substitute board operator feeling "scared" she said. Obviously what Strelzin did could be used against the station if the FCC found out about it. That happened on a Wednesday.
Meanwhile Norma Chavez is still calling EPMG and Univision every fifteen minutes trying to get me removed and her agenda approved. Remember, she's frantically busy in Austin, but has enough time to lobby for herself in El Paso.
That Friday I came in to do my show and there was a note saying that we couldn't take calls because there was no phone board. No big deal to me. Then we had a myriad of technical problems and decided to bag the show half way through. The guy who could fix the problems would be in at eight to figure it all out and everybody else would be just perfect.
When Strelz came in an found out that he couldn't take calls he threw (wait for it) another fit and left saying his water heater had busted.
Lisa D and EPMG had had enough of Mr. Strelzin and they parted ways.
The Sales Manager at Univision was fully on Strelzin's side now and was upset that Strelzin was let go. However, he admitted that EPMG had control over the talent for the project and did not insist Strelzin get rehired.
Now Norma Chavez is no longer calling EPMG to plead her case for Strelzin. She's calling Univision and saying that she'll provide the advertising if they just put Strelzin back on and take me off.
Norma's threats and promises finally worked. Yesterday the Sales Manger at Univision meekly told Lisa D that Strelzin was going be on from seven to ten on Monday and that she needed to make arrangements. Obviously this was done in violation of the understanding the two companies had.
When pressed, the Sales Manger said that Strelzin was the only way they were going to get advertising. We knew this to be bullcrap because not one of the 50 people he listed as friends of his would advertise just one month prior. He hadn't had an advertiser on his show in the last three years. There was something else here at play.
Once I was told of the change I told Lisa D that I would not participate in any way in the radio project. At that time she was told I could still do six to seven in the morning. I wrote the following email to the Sales Manager shortly after.
Carlos, I just heard about the Strelzin thing. I appreciate the opportunity, but I'm done as of right now. Strelzin is a sinking ship and I'm not gong to be on it. What has been done is a slap in the face to a media group who put out a lot effort for very little initial gain. You replaced hardworking appreciative talent with a belligerent, sadistic person whose only interest is himself. I pity your staff. However, I do not pity you. You reap what you sow. Good luck with that advertising - I spent almost two years on the air with him where not a single ad was sold. The Dow was at 14,000 then and unemployment was below five percent. I'm sure it was just 700 straight days of "bad luck" and all that will change now. Just to be clear - I will not be in tomorrow (Thursday April, 9). You will be able to collect my key from the EP Media Group offices before 12:00 tomorrow (Thursday April, 9). Any use of "David K" on your stations should stop immediately. Good luck, you're going to need it. God Bless, David Karlsruher"
(wow, he can really write letters)
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Post by rosa on Apr 9, 2009 16:20:48 GMT -7
and then he says:
"Jaime A. got it the worst in the deal. He finally got his turn at bat and he knocked it out of the park. Now it is all gone. What hurt worse was that we found out that Norma Chavez was behind all fo this and he had carried her water for a longtime. His shot was gone... and she took it from him - someone who counted her as a friend.
As things progressed yesterday and into today we figured out that Univision bowed to Norma Chavez's pressure and it had nothing to do with whether people would buy advertising. It was a deal to give Norma Chavez three hours of free air time in exchange for advertising she promised she would deliver.
Here's the problem - Univision has given her an "in-kind contribution" during a legislative session. That's a no-no in Texas. Implicit in this deal are the advertisers who are in effect giving Norma an "in-kind contribution" by securing her three hours for her. Not to mention what the FCC might think about a politician dangling advertising over a station's head in exchange for a three hour campaign commercial for her. I wonder if all other elected officials will get time on that station to promote themselves for free?
Seeing this for what it is and how illegal it probably is, I sent this email today:
Carlos, It's no secret as to what Norma Chavez did. The problem is that what she is doing and what you are participating in could be considered an "in-kind campaign donation." The Texas Ethics Commission governs this. The other problem is that since this is during regular Texas legislative session she can't raise any kind of campaign funds including "in-kind donations." Univision is giving her something of value to her current and future campaign efforts. By replacing a critical host with one who has an agreement with her to be a promoter of her ideals, bills, politics and wishes, you have put yourself in a very bad position. You gave her a value at her request. Univision has now entered into a deal with an elected official to promote her. There are FEC and FCC ramifications for this action. If she were to pay for Paul to be on, it would be no problem. The fact is you're giving her free time to be a program director of her own advocacy machine. A simple subpoena of phone and emails would prove this and I wouldn't be surprised if the Texas Ethics Commission wouldn't ask for this early on in an investigation.
Let's not even get into the legality of her bargaining advertising with a station in order to control programming. Now all of those businesses involved are on the hook for an in-kind donation to her - during session nonetheless. The FCC might also frown on that. There's a reason Norma was not given full control over EPMG actions - it's illegal. Unfortunately for Univision, Chavez's enemies are good at the legal stuff. To get to her, they'll go through you. You've leveraged the jobs of an entire office and I hope you are ready for that responsibility. Sorry to break the bad news to you. Hope things work out for you.
That's where we sit right now.
Because I just posted this I'll never be able to go back, so don't think that that's my intent. Some good people are being screwed by Norma and Strelzin and I won't sit back and let them do it without making them a little uncomfortable.
I'm a busy guy with a business that has me doing work all around Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. The radio gig is an exhilarating distraction from my main goal in life - buying my wife every single pair of shoes on the planet.
I'm flattered that my voice was so powerful and so sharp that it caused a Hemorrhoid in Austin to flare up and dedicate a few months of her life to shutting me up. Too bad the folks at Univision couldn't see how important that little fact is. They should have realized that if someone was working that hard to stop me; they might have someone who has a big audience that would lead to ratings and advertising.
I have a few devoted listeners starting the paperwork for the FCC complaint for the "payola" that has been taking place for some time. If you've been giving gifts to Strelzin in exchange for air time, whether it was an implied deal or a written deal, you better talk to your attorney soon.
That goes especially for those of you who were gladly trading tickets for air time - both of those entities are governed by the respective local governments. I guess the people of El Paso will have to get an answer as to why people we hired to run these places were engaging in this type of activity.
You, as a citizen, must realize that if the politicians own the cops and the media, you have nothing left to protect yourself. Norma is attempting to own the media output so she can go on doing terrible things without fear of you finding out. This is about more than a stupid radio show - it's about transparency in government.
Univision spent it's whole time scared to death of this project and how corporate would react if crap hit the fan. Well, something stinks all of a sudden. "
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rosa
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Post by rosa on Apr 9, 2009 16:31:44 GMT -7
now if this latter part turns out to be true, and by golly I'm glad he posted this on his blog...that could be fun in the future. But I don't feel sorry for Jaime Abeytia. In complete agreement with David on this one: you reap what you sow.
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Post by webrunner on Apr 9, 2009 23:23:00 GMT -7
Rosa, I don't know how much you know about David K. He generally inspires love or hate, not too much middle ground, but whatever folks may say about the guy, he's got guts. What's funny to me is checking out the Lion Star blog. He's an outspoken guy from what I can tell, yet there's nothing about this at all. It would be interesting to know what his side in all of this is.
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Post by rosa on Apr 10, 2009 4:23:24 GMT -7
Re: Lionstar: why?
I remember discussing radio with a friend once, we talked about how certain people have certain personaes they play on the radio, makes for "entertainment" as opposed to the news or the stuff you see them do in real life. I've heard that David is a very nice person in person, but a different personality when you meet him.
The stuff he posted about Lisa fits in with all of the ugly things I hear are suddenly being said about her, but the sad thing is that David sounds like he thinks there should be a "right" or "wrong" about this. (And to be honest, I've heard the shows here and there and to me, they are all equally lousy to listen to, and that's why I don't usually listen)
I think this is naive of David, because he doesn't sound like he stops to question why Chavez and Sen. Shapleigh would be working together, why they would be working with someone like Keith Mahar at all, and why it could "suddenly work out" that Univision takes over EPMedia to get Paul Strelzin back his air time.
And he should know better because Paul Strelzin keeps getting fired and coming back.
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Post by rosa on Apr 10, 2009 6:53:29 GMT -7
I was just wondering: maybe the new show won't be all about the soap opera behind the scenes. Maybe it will be all about how Johnny Sutton's resignation is "news", all about how he was forced to resign because he did the "wrong" thing in prosecuting two border patrol agents who broke the law, and all about it was really the omnipotent Norma Chavez who was behind the whole thing! even though folks saw this coming months ago, when Obama was elected and Bush commuted those former agents' sentences
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Post by webrunner on Apr 10, 2009 8:15:14 GMT -7
Is anybody listening to 920 this morning? Are they talking about the program changes at all?
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Post by Tim Collins on Apr 10, 2009 8:33:28 GMT -7
I tuned in briefly to carlonda con la gringa just to see, all she did was respond to a caller and say the hope i thst she and Jaime will stay on the air from 10 to 2 after Poor Pablito who is on 7 to 10am
Just said David K resigned on his blog, not there but they wish him well and it is his decision
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rosa
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Post by rosa on Apr 11, 2009 4:34:15 GMT -7
Snil, from everything I have heard about this Jaime guy, he doesn't strike me as the type of person who has just one poker in the fire. I'm wondering how much wheeling and dealing he has done along the way, because what David describes as Paul Strelzin's "temper tantrums" are hardly a closely guarded secret. It's not as if these people don't know the man so I'm sure they have or had their own plans working behind the scenes.
If half of what David says is true, it's sad that anyone would waste so much money on this kind of stuff. I know these corporate things happen, but it just seems to me like there are so many better uses for these resources.
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Post by webrunner on Apr 12, 2009 21:59:06 GMT -7
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Post by rosa on Apr 13, 2009 4:34:52 GMT -7
you can't make this stuff up! It's hilarious that these guys have nothing better to do
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Post by rosa on Apr 13, 2009 9:14:59 GMT -7
I heard bits of the "new" Strelzin show today...knock me over with a feather. The same stuff, from Norma Chavez and Paul Strelzin you could hear on any other day, except for the "serious" tone they added to their discussion on who was trying to silence them and why
And what makes this more entertaining is Chavez's whole story about being a "chola" when she was a kid. Here's some news: Not every barrio kid becomes a gang member and a bully, and she sounded like she is proud of this fact. I know her intention was to show herself as someone who has overcome a difficult past, but I think the fact that she sees herself as a "down and out" kid who went and did something good is dishonest.
I believe Chavez is attempting to recreate herself as some kind of hero, and this is unfortunate. There are a lot of people who know her true history, and I believe the artificiality of her speeches indicate that she has devoted too much time to refining her bullying talents. At the cost of all of us.
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