Willy Who?
By Mitch Berg
Like every Twin Citian under the age of 70, I wasn’t listening to Willy Clark yesterday morning. In fact, like an awful lot of Twin Cities radio listeners, I haven’t listened to KSTP since Mischke moved to the middle of the working day and Bob Davis moved to late mornings. As in, not at all.
Nada. Zip.
Seriously. KSTP-AM is my radio alma mater, and I haven’t hit its preset on my car radio since Rush Limbaugh changed stations. Not once.
But I digress. A little bird told me that Willy Clark was talking about me yesterday. To be fair, I needed that little bird, because I didn’t know Willy Clark was even still on the air (and, looking back, I see that we’ve gotta be up to about contract time here…). Anyway, he wasn’t happy:
A mention of SITD came up around the 8:30 mark. Kenny Olson was Googling reviews of the show, they came across yours (Kenny read his description, something about a smug, talentless punk) and Willy characterized the guy that wrote that as an unemployed loser who can’t get hired in radio, or something like that.
Oh, my. Aren’t we feisty? Wouldn’t Willy Clark be much more – I dunno, listenable if he took some of that feistiness and used it to sound like he wasn’t on NyQuil on the air?
Willy Clark: I am employed; very well-employed, as it happens (details never shared online). As to being a loser – well, I’m no “morning guy at KSTP”, but I do OK.
But the ultimate question, Wills, is not “can Mitch get hired in radio”; I did in the past, and I have the best unpaid gig in the business right now. But I don’t work in radio anymore. Other challenges called – challenges that don’t involve stroking the egoes of or supplying coke to program directors.
No, the real question is “Could Willy Clark get a job outside of radio?”
And “Will he be able to, soon?”
Don’t know if they podcast those things, but if you can get the audio, might make for a good NARN drop.
Good point.
If anyone taped the Willy Clark show…
…no, I’m being serious here. If there are any dedicated Willy fans who…
…Hey! Quit giggling! I’m trying to run a blog…
Oh, forget it.
December 21st, 2006 at 9:23 am
If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?
The only KSTP program I listen to anymore is Saturday sports talk, and that’s maybe half the time. Don’t worry, I tape all 8 hours of TPL/NARN.
December 21st, 2006 at 1:59 pm
I listen to KSTP for about 5 minutes in the morning to grab the traffic report, but that’s it. Otherwise, well, that’s why they have audio books. Who needs talk radio when you can really learn something?
December 21st, 2006 at 4:56 pm
They were discussing a news report on ‘net jargon. One of the terms was “Ego Surfing,” using Google to search for what people are saying about you on forums and blogs.
Willy claimed never to have done it. Kenny started Googling his name and found a comment about him on “Shot in the Dark” that said he was a self-absorbed knucklehead, or something to that effect.
Willy was dismissive of bloggers in general and made the comment about them being losers, unemployable in radio, etc. You were not mentioned by name, but your blog was, once, by Kenny.
Clark now shares billing on his show with Jay Kolls, who laughs easily and seems to complement Willy’s sourpuss persona. They’ve also adopted a sidekick sports/culture commentator, Orville, who appears to be an elderly long-time Hubbard employee (custodian?) that just stumbled into the show one day. Did you know Orville when you were at KSTP?
I don’t know what their ratings are, but Jay has been scoring a lot of personal “Hi, I’m Jay Kolls” endorsement spots lately.
Speaking of ratings, I wonder how Mischke is faring in his new time slot. Anybody know?
December 21st, 2006 at 6:29 pm
I downloaded the podcast, found it was ME – Speed Gibson – that was first cited as an out of work loser in radio. (“He’s an idiot”) About a minute later, when Kenny Olson found the Shot in the Dark post calling him a “self-impressed smug little smartass”, you were also (not by name) branded an “out of work loser than nobody would ever hire in radio.”
Not worth a post, but I think I’ll send Willie an eMail, see what happens.
December 21st, 2006 at 8:28 pm
You can’t buy publicity like this…
I’m in good company this week. Both this blog and Mitch Berg’s Shot In The Dark were dissed by Willie Clark yesterday morning. I’m just a recreational blogger, one who looks ……