| Author
|
Post |
 
|
|
Steve Myers
Site Admin
|
WPRO-AM has hired Dave Barber, an outspoken, sometimes controversial talk show host from Flint, Mich., to take over the morning slot formerly held by Steve Kass.
WPRO general manager Barbara Haynes said the station heard about Barber through Holland Cooke, a radio consultant (and former WPRO DJ) who lives on Block Island.
Pullen said Barber has a flair for publicity -- but not all the publicity has been good.
In 2000, Rebecca Crossnoe, an employee at Barber's then-radio station, WFDF-AM, sued Barber and the radio station for sexual harassment. The Michigan state attorney general's office investigated but did not file criminal charges.
The Flint Journal reported the case was settled out of court.
"That's wrong. The woman dropped the suit against me. I didn't settle anything," Barber said. "I didn't pay her one cent. . . .the charges were completely false."
Barber said he didn't know if the radio station paid anything to the defendant. Crossnoe's attorney, Andrew J. Bean of Detroit, did not return phone calls.
WPRO's Haynes said she was aware of the case, did some research of her own -- she declined to specify exactly what that entailed -- and went ahead with her decision to hire Barber.
In 2003, Barber was charged with impersonating a peace officer at a bar in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Flint Journal reported the charge was reduced to illegal possesion of a law enforcement badge, and Barber paid about $100 in fines and court costs.
The Flint Journal said Barber had been given the badge by a former Michigan county sheriff who had issued hundreds, maybe thousands, of them during his administration.
Barber said the badge was visible in his wallet when he went to pay his credit card bill, and another patron at the bar made an issue out of it.
Haynes said she was not aware of the incident.
Unlike most talk show hosts these days, Barber usually comes at issues from the left, not the right. Pullen called him "a blue collar populist."
Barber is a close friend of film provocateur Michael Moore, although Barber said that doesn't mean he agrees with everything Moore says.
On his last day on the air, Barber spoke to Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat. She was just back from the National Governors Association meeting in Washington, D.C., so Barber asked her about Rhode Island Governor Carcieri.
Granholm said she happened to be on a panel with Carcieri. "Had I known, I would have warned him about you," she said.
"He'll be a good subject for you. You are gonna love it. He's a conservative Republican, and he's gonna have a lot to worry about with you coming to Providence," Granholm said.
"Can you imagine that I've spent my entire life in Michigan, and the one time I pick to move I pick a state that has a Republican governor?" Barber said.
Aside from the questionable background and unwillingness to admit he's a liberal, if Barber's so great, why was he stuck in Flint for 30 years?
Beyond carrying Limbaugh, WPRO's strength has always been in providing an uncommon alternative to Rhode Island's hopelessly corrupt Democrat political machine. Because he serves as a rare check on their power, the station's listeners support Governor Carcieri a great deal.
Barber will be foolishly fighting the tide and WPRO will suffer greatly from this ill-advised move.
http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com/2006/03/st-louis-missouri-providence-liberal.html |
|
|
Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:36 pm |
|
|
Biggie9
F L I N T O I D
|
Well, one can go to WPRO's website and see Barber's bio [same one that was posted on his web site here, sans the trinkets he sold] AND WPRO obviously has their act together better than weak wristed old 1570, since already there are several pod casts fro mDave's show in Providence are avaible for listening. Granted they are snippets, but hey he couldn't get THAT act together here at all, so WPRO must be something better than 1570.
But the real question is what will 1570 do to provide "local" foccussed talk radio. After trying out a number of "amatuers" it would appear, IMO, that the best of less than stellar lot would be Dave's ex-producer, Chaka Perry.
Certainly not up to the caliber of Dave Barber, but with potential, Chaka needs to develop his own style, and improve both his off-air preparation and his debating skills [several callers have shown the ability to "tie him up" forensically speaking]. Although I doubt DB was trained in those skills, his intuition and experience helped carry the day more often than not when the facts didn't support him. Chaka can't do anything about his intuition, he either has it or doesn't; but he can work on his show-prep in order to gain the opportunity to get experience.
Now, if DB did indeed tell Chaka the 10 secrets for successful Talk Radio, then he has half a chance.
One thing I'd suggest to Chaka: don't be so predictable in your positions; you want to stir up callers and get them to call in, [so that the advertisers know they are listening]; go against type. Instead of predictably coming out for affirmative action, [so what else is new, a black man doesn't want affirmative action to end...ho hum change the station] be more ambiguous...argue both sides, OR the other side than what most people would expect you to take. That way when the "usual suspects" call in they are surprised and emotional and maybe taking a different tact than they normally would....imagine the callers from Flushing and Davison being surprised to agree with your arguments rather than disputing them, and the "brothers" from Flint taking you to task. It puts "butts into the seats" and thats the goal of the show, and something DB was good at, generating the controversy needed to get people to tune in to hear what DB was going to say today. Anyone would expect a black man to be for affiramtive action and most whites from Flushing & Davison & GB to be against it.
It doesn't mean you agree with that position, play the devil's advocate [if you can] in order to stir the pot and get those phone lines lit up!
In any event, i guess we'll see who gets the "big chair" when....
biggie |
|
|
|
Sun Apr 02, 2006 6:00 pm |
|
|
RI Native
Guest
|
I don't know why....but he was canned from WPRO Monday in favor of a former RI talk show MORON that got canned from a Boston talk show!
1:00 AM EST on Wednesday, February 7, 2007
By Andy Smith
Journal Television Writer
Dave Barber, morning talk show host on WPRO-AM (630), has been fired by the station.
In a phone interview yesterday, Barber said he was let go Monday after his show, which aired from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. weekdays. He was not on the air yesterday. Barber said he got the news in a very brief meeting with WPRO general manager Barbara Haynes, and was not given any specific reason for the station’s action.
“The meeting took all of two, three minutes,” Barber said. “They said ‘This is going to be a bad meeting. We’re going to have to let you go.’ ”
Barber said Haynes didn’t give a specific reason, and said the situation would become clearer to him in a week or so.
Station officials could not be reached for comment last night.
Barber, 51, was hired last March. At the time, he was working in Flint, Mich., where he had a reputation as an outspoken, left-leaning gadfly. Barber, who said he had a three-year contract with WPRO, said he loved working at the station and loved living in Rhode Island, and was completely surprised when he was terminated.
“I’m shocked. Dumbfounded. I’m completely besides myself about this,” Barber said. “There’s not a negative thing in my employment file. I had every indication the station would honor the three years of the agreement.”
asmith@projo.com
http://www.projo.com/news/content/davebarber_02-07-07_2I4ADKI.1b15abf.html |
|
|
|
Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:34 pm |
|
|
Dave Guest
Guest
|
| HE GOT FIRED FROM HIS NEW JOB TOO . |
|
|
|
Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:24 pm |
|
|
Biggie9
F L I N T O I D
|
quote:
Dave Guest schreef:
HE GOT FIRED FROM HIS NEW JOB TOO .
uhhhh yeah, thats what the entire previous post was about. |
_________________
Biggie |
|
|
Thu Feb 08, 2007 9:57 pm |
|
|
FlintConservative
F L I N T O I D
|
quote:
Biggie9 schreef:
quote:
Dave Guest schreef:
HE GOT FIRED FROM HIS NEW JOB TOO .
uhhhh yeah, thats what the entire previous post was about.
Dang, Biggie...can't slip anything by you, can we??? 
(sorry...been a smarta$$ all my life...Too many years at Lowell) |
|
|
|
Sun Feb 11, 2007 7:43 pm |
|
|
Biggie9
F L I N T O I D
|
quote:
FlintConservative schreef:
quote:
Biggie9 schreef:
quote:
Dave Guest schreef:
HE GOT FIRED FROM HIS NEW JOB TOO .
uhhhh yeah, thats what the entire previous post was about.
Dang, Biggie...can't slip anything by you, can we???
(sorry...been a smarta$$ all my life...Too many years at Lowell)
that's ok.
I have a friend named Lowell, and a good friend that lives near Lowell [right off Alden Nash]..has a nice horse farm going. |
_________________
Biggie |
|
|
Mon Feb 12, 2007 3:52 am |
|
|
Ryan Eashoo
F L I N T O I D
|
quote:
Dave Guest schreef:
HE GOT FIRED FROM HIS NEW JOB TOO .
Poor Dave!
|
_________________
Flint Michigan Resident, Tax Payer, Flint Nutt - Local REALTOR - Activist. www.FlintTown.com |
|
|
Mon Feb 12, 2007 4:27 pm |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Register
Profile
FlintTalk.com Forum Index
> Open chat
