What I want from the list...WAS Re: [BC] Air America

[Howell, Matt]

The list seems to be useless. 

I subscribed with the expectation of gleamig knowledge from some of the smarter minds in the business, picking up a neat tip/trick, or helping someone solve a problem (or getting someone to help me with one). Apparently, from the last few weeks, all the posts are bitching about one thing, or bitching about someones follow-up post, to which someone else will post their follow-up rant. I can get the same thing from any idiot chatroom full of teenagers on AOL! <G>

If the last few weeks are any indication of how things seem to go, what's the point? I don't need to filter through 100 e-mails a day looking for one or two that actually had some substanance. And I'm not against comments (sick, funny, perverted, partisian, anti-this or that, don?t care) but the flagrant personal attacks are just not necessary. As you said, this should be a conversation between all of us, sitting in your living room, drinking a tasty beverage...not the high school cafeteria I try and block from my mind daily (my therapist says it's good to block it out).

I realize you've (Barry) been out of touch lately, but I mean c'mon guys, this is supposed to be beneficial to all of us, a place we can share thoughts, ideas, and experiences...that IS why we are here, isn't it? I'm not here to be told I am an idiot, don't know what I'm doing, should find another career, blah blah blah...my girlfriend already does that.

Matt Howell
Director of Engineering/IT
Clear Channel Radio of Sarasota

-----Original Message-----
From: Barry Mishkind [mailto:barry at oldradio.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2005 7:11 AM
To: Broadcast Radio Mailing List
Cc: Howell, Matt
Subject: Re: [BC] Air America

At 07:15 PM 10/10/2005, Howell, Matt wrote
>-no wonder Mike left. See you kids later....
>
>Matt Howell
>Clear Channel Sarasota
>----------------------
>Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld thingy

         So, Matt,

         Normally, I'd send a private note, but
         since I am in England, this will have to do.

         What do you want from this list?

         Please tell me.... I *do* want to know.

         I can't recall you ever posting anything
         on this list before.

         On first reaction to your note,
         we really have only a couple of options.

         1. a moderator "passes" on every post
              before it goes on line.  I would like
              a life, thank you ... so this is no go.

         2. The general readership shares items
              and keeps the discussion positive.

             Again: what is it that you are interested in?
             We have no idea, except you don't
               like people discussing the polarization
             of radio programming.  (Politics can
             go to the AF list, although some folks
             just can't resist "poking" a bit on this one.)

             Got any good stories from hurricane recovery?
             Got any interesting reports on IBOC installation
             in your area?  Some tricks, some tips?
             Why not tell us some of the really good things
             that Clear Channel has done this month?

         3. We all go home and delete this list.  Keep
             only the "captive" lists for each company
              going, and never share knowledge or
             experience with others.  I reject this option.

         4. Bash and lash anyone who makes even a
             typo?  There are other lists on other
             servers where you can go bash people
            and talk about "whose is bigger." Not here.

         5. Ban anyone who even "breathes" a word
             that can be labelled "partisan".... Given the
             the way the world is today, it is inevitable
             that the occasional comment will be made.

             And what do we do then? Shut the list down
             until everyone cools off?   Not an option.

It is my humble opinion that the answer is to increase the signal to noise ratio by ignoring the negative, and come right back - in fact, why not make an effort to respond to any negative post with some other topic, any topic, of a positive nature?

We'd all be better off that way than having hundreds and hundreds of people read that you don't like a particular thread.

barry