[BC] Dealing with the Brain Challenged

[Rich Wood]

------ At 09:30 AM 4/4/2010, Thomas G. Osenkowsky wrote: -------

>Dr. Laura specified her own wishes for call screening
>software/display. A number one class talk show is the
>result. (I just had to put that in for Rich).

Thanks. However, knowing how this creature operates it was more 
likely a fussy demand. I have some great monster ego stories direct 
from the former head of Premiere when they owned her show. If she 
gets upset you have to repaint her office. I was actually asked to 
stop ridiculing her in my network advertising because she made the 
top guy's life miserable. If I didn't stop Premiere was going to stop 
representing us for national sales. He couldn't take it anymore. 
Since they generated millions in sales for us, I agreed. While the 
criticism was fun she wasn't worth jeopardizing that kind of money. 
What started it was her initial claims that she was a psychologist. 
She isn't. She's a physiologist or, as Howard Stern, dripping with 
sarcasm, called her "a gym teacher." I had likened her psychological 
advise to a proctologist performing brain surgery. I guess that struck a chord.

The head of the company before Premiere took me to lunch at the 
Princeton Club in New York (a stuffy place with pictures of dead 
people on the walls) to ask me to stop. I have to admit the Cob Salad 
was great. I'll meet with almost anyone who buys me lunch or dinner. 
We left without an agreement.

We regularly had company retreats in exotic places. Just prior to a 
meeting in Northern California she commanded that the owner of my 
company and his second in command meet with her in Los Angeles. She 
had printed out nearly all my messages from every list I was on. We 
were having lunch by the pool and I was summoned to the Owner and 
GM's table to discuss it. While I'm gently and unenthusiastically 
being read the riot act (they promised her they'd do it) the owner is 
doubled over with laughter reading the stuff. She used to work for 
the company as a stringer so they thought it might be fun. She 
miscalculated their level of respect. To satisfy her I was required 
to write a kinda, sorta, maybe apology to the New York Post. The 
letter was addressed to one of my closest friends who wrote for the 
Post. He called me to find out what was going on. The letter didn't 
sound like me. He filed it in the circular file and started to report 
on the show. The columns weren't very flattering. Rather than easing 
the ridicule, it increased it.

We had a major affiliate for Dr. Joy Browne in Seattle. Schlessinger 
was visiting the station and asked the GM to drop Browne's show. He 
did. We moved the show and promoted the change on the show which was 
still airing on the original station. I had a 50kW station promoting 
our move to a competitor. It was dirty pool, I agree, but so was the 
request to remove my show in retaliation. About 6 months later the PD 
called me and asked if I held grudges. I don't and he was a friend. 
He wanted Dr. Joy Browne back. He had too many listener complaints 
and, as I recall, Laura wasn't getting good numbers.

I have no similar stories about "Touched by an Angel" You I share the 
heartbreak of the cancellation of Brini Maxwell.

Rich