Reaction to the Blacklisting
Buffaloi thinks Hardwick should have walked.
Indabuff has video from Lenny the Buffalo:
Derek wasn’t too troubled by the whole thing until Wenger started giving incredible denials.
Red agrees that Wenger made a “pretty bad move.”
Fed-Up’s reaction ranged from anger to sadness, with a note to the Professor.
RandomThoughts101 is compiling his thoughts. So is Chris Byrd, incidentally.
It’s hit the first out-of-town blog - NYCO out in Syracuse says that, by getting kicked off, we’ve arrived.
UPDATE: BuffaloGeek’s take here.
UPDATE UPDATE: BuffaloBlogger puts Comic Life to good use.
Hodgepodge looks at the bigger picture, like he does.
Joe Illuzzi writes:
Let me weigh in on the WBEN radio 930 controversy. I have no intention of discussing the bloggers per se because other than Buffalo Pundit I do not read them. Quite frankly, I have no reason to read them.
WBEN 930 has two, count them two (Maybe three), on staff news people & Hardwick, who have any name recognition. Let alone can discuss public policy issues, state & local politics intelligently enough to even be considered knowledgeable.
At times its a disgrace listening to the morning drive people, news people, or talk hosts try & discuss public policy issues or interview the powers that be.
Bauerle & Beach are there for entertainment value. I believe Beach would admit that fact. NO one, I repeat No one, that I know of takes either seriously; let alone make policy decisions predicated on what is said on their shows. Albeit, Beach does bring in folks like Ken Hamilton who do have the credentials to factually discuss policy & politics.
Heck! If people did take them seriously we would only elect republicans & conservatives like me!
They have no credentials, no sources & quite simply DO NOT DO THE WORK.
While WNED, others do have quality journalists that DO THE WORK!
If there is one so called radio news station, in spite of the numbers, that can be considered a fraud it is WBEN 930 am radio. ###
UPDATE Mk. III: Random Thoughts has ties to WBEN and takes the controversy on from that perspective.
There seems to be a thread developing whereby everyone agrees that WBEN can, if it chooses, blacklist whomever it wants. What’s got people sort of peeved right now is Wenger denying to the News that criticism of Bauerle or Beach had anything to do with it, when actually it has everything to do with it. And he said as much to Hardwick and to me. But not the News. Why?
Does today’s article make my name more “recognizable”?
FearlessLeader Says:January 6th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
What a bunch of drama queens.
Of course Wenger is going to lie to the News, that’s where it matters for his radio station that caters to credulous morons. You think think 50,000 hits a month means something compared to 200k papers a day? That any of you are surprised by this should make you all reflect on how far you have planted you heads up your blogosphere asses.
Fed-Up in Buffalo Says:January 6th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
[I love the beast] I wonder what would happen though if suddenly businesses would no longer allow the “Buffalo Beast” to sit on their free publication racks.
Sometimes you have to take a stand over censorship. You of all people should know about fighting that. Question is: How far are you willing to go to stand up for what you believe in?
Fed-Up in Buffalo Says:January 6th, 2007 at 11:14 pm
Props to C.Byrd who [on his blog] linked to Buffaloi.com
http://buffaloi.com/2007/01/06/wben-bans-wny-bloggers-2/
FearlessLeader Says:January 7th, 2007 at 12:54 am
Fed-Up,
We’ve been kicked out of many, many places, public as well as private, we were even banned from the local Air-America station. This is not a censorship issue it is a question of public/private control in a capital/free-market.
P.S. Bitching on blogs is not taking a stand.
Mike In WNY Says:January 7th, 2007 at 1:28 am
BP, your connection with wnymedia.net was obviously viewed as a competing interest by Wenger. He made a business decision but handled it poorly. In the overall scheme of things, this will be a blip on the radar screen. Be happy you made an impact, Wenger bungled things from a publicity standpoint and now it is time to move on.
jen Says:January 7th, 2007 at 11:12 am
I thought “free” publications still had to pay to sit on approved racks? Anyway, they need to pay someone to distribute their product.
Mike Hudson Says:January 7th, 2007 at 11:56 am
clearly, the only gentlemanly and buffalocentric way to resolve this dispute is with a fistfightt. call this wanker or wenger or whatever his name is out and thrash him to within and inch of his nauseating life. for my part, i am boycotting the hardwick show, even though he hasn’t asked me on since i wrote that i was quitting radio. i always had my suspicions about that guy…..
Eliz Says:January 7th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Yes, it’s the distribution you pay for; there’s generally not a charge from the business where your rack sits.
But you can do your own distribution too.
sally Says:January 7th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
Thank god the bloggers are gone. Once in a while is ok but every week was getting downright silly. A bunch of self appoined experst pontificating on Metro Buffalo as if they really knew what they were talking about. Leave the show to the journalistic guests from the real news media and we will all be bette informed.
RandomThoughts101 Says:January 7th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
Just want to go on record saying the “Lenny the Buffalo” video is in poor taste.
I originally said “no comment’ on the video on another blog but watching it a second time makes me realize it’s very immature and what’s the point of filming and publishing something like that?
And leave ‘The Beast” alone. That paper needs our support before it disappears. If that happens, it’s one less thing to read and that’s never a good thing for us the consumer.
Plus their cartoons always make me laugh out loud.
CB Says:January 7th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Hey I can’t control what Lenny sends me…
Haterade Says:January 7th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
Sally … your comment on this subject is just about as assinine as your posts about Reynolds / Davis during the election. Maybe you should spend less time listening to those idiots on WBEN and more time brushing up on your spelling skills.
In da Buff: Naked Words from the Naked City Says:January 7th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
[…] I had this whole idea earlier today as to what I was going to write about my WNYMEDIA brethren getting pulled from Kevin Hardwick’s show…but then I read a comment by RT101 on Buffalo Pundito’s blog that aggravated me…I usually don’get aggravted about things that are written on blogs or the net about me or something I write…but when someone calls out a friend of mine for being immature or being in poor tast, I feel a need to respond… […]
buffaloi.com » The "Hardline Four" speak Says:January 7th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
[…] The four Buffalo Pundit, Buffalo Geek, Random Thoughts 101, and Buffalo Hodgepodge all have slightly different views. Random Thoughts and Hodgepodge seem to think everyone should just move on. As Hodgepodge says: We’ve tangled ourselves up in so much self-absorption that I think we’ve lost sight of the big picture. The show was never about us. The show was about Western New York. Specifically, leadership in Western New York. And the show was an opportunity to discuss and confront what so many of us, myself included, believe is at the heart of our region’s half-century of decline: failed economic, political, and community leadership. […]
buffalowatchdog Says:January 8th, 2007 at 12:43 am
Generally, we take pride in our poor taste…
Come on Sally, you can’t be serious…???
Thats about the most ignorant statement I have seen posted all weekend…
At least RT101 has a reason for his blind faith in our local media… What’s yours?
brylun Says:January 8th, 2007 at 11:39 am
WBEN Radio 930 is generally thought of as a conservative station. I don’t think BuffaloPundit fits that mold. If conservative listeners are forced to hear BuffaloPundit’s views, they may decide not to listen.
Isn’t it clear to you that your views are dissimilar to Radio 930’s audience?
Why not go on Air America? Isn’t that a better fit for you?
Mike from Grand Island Says:January 8th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
you’re under their skin - good
you’re on the verge of competing with them - better
now close the deal - best
Haterade Says:January 8th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
brylun … if “conservative” listeners are “forced” to hear the local bloggers “views” for 10 minutes on a Sunday morning, they may switch off wben permanently ? But then where would they get their fix of Rush ? And could they live without the daily conspiracies of Bauerle ?
I think wben has a right to put whomever they want on their station, but they should at least be honest about the reason.
brylun Says:January 8th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Haterade,
Wouldn’t WBEN listeners go to Air America if they wanted liberal viewpoints?
And why are you and BuffaloPundit so interested in WBEN anyway? Wouldn’t you and your viewpoints both be better served by going to Air America?
Hawk (Not Hank) Says:January 8th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
brylun - there is no air america affiliate in buffalo now. Only commercial news station is WBEN. WBFO and WNED AM are public stations
If people want a real news station on the morning drive then they should listen to WNED AM - 970. Good reporters delivering real news.
brylun Says:January 8th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
I guess there’s no Air America affiliate because not enough people wanted to listen to that viewpoint.
Perhaps WBEN doesn’t want to share that fate and a business decision is the basis for their action.
Christina Abt Says:January 8th, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Here’s my two cents as someone who has had a regular voice on local radio and has long lobbied for more women in local talk radio.
The situation….you were playing in their sandbox. They didn’t want you there any more.
The most effective reaction….make your own sandbox and let the listeners decide.
Haterade Says:January 8th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
brylun … why do you think you know my “viewpoints” ?
Did you ever listen to the Hardwick show ? It’s really not a “liberal vs conservative” thing. The bottom line is that Wenger didn’t like the people who criticize their dopey “personalities” to be on a show they broadcast, then he made up excuses instead of just saying the truth. You think that 10 minutes of a Sunday morning show that is probably listened to by the same people who are on these blogs ( as opposed to the usual half-witted audience ) was a make or break business decision ?
realist Says:January 8th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
WBEN is a poor-mans FOX, except they don’t even attempt to give the impression that they are “fair & balanced”.
jimmywallback Says:January 8th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
I gave up on WBEN long long long ago. I only listen for the home and gardening shows on Saturdays.
I would rather listen to the rythmic thump thump thump of my tires running on the expansion joints of the Thruway it would be more informative.
FearlessLeader Says:January 8th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
WOW! That Christina Abt is sure insightful. Get your own sandbox. Duh.
Maybe Sally and she could start a radio station together and call it dumb-blonde-athon. Oh wait, on her WOW blog Ms. Abt is already cheering the launch of all women radio, which Greenstone lauched in September. Way to stay on top of things babe!
Christina Abt Says:January 8th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Thanks Fearless Leader, but I’ve been brunette all my life…and apparently the basics of a situation are too much for you to handle.
Reality sucks. Power and money rule. WBEN has both.
Rather than continue to debate the terms of what happened and why, it is my view that Pundit et al would be better off to put their energies elsewhere. They have already created the foundation of a media group that can effect change and help our WNY community. Rather than lament and rail against the establishment for banning them…..form a new world order…WNY according to WNY Media.
And fyi….I am not your Babe.
FearlessLeader Says:January 8th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
Thanks babe. You didn’t need to explain your already comically obvious and simplistic analysis. I just wanted you “as someone who has had a regular voice on local radio and has long lobbied for more women in local talk radio” to recognize that you are an idiot. Later, babe.
Eliz Says:January 8th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
WNED-AM. That and the combination of the News and various blogs gives me everything I need in terms of local news and intelligent commentary on national and international issues.
WBEN–who cares?
brylun Says:January 9th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Haterade,
You ask why I think I know your viewpoints and in the next sentence you call WBEN radio personnel “dopey.” I think I have a good idea of your viewpoints based on your conclusion of “dopey.” Am I missing something?
I agree with Christina Abt. Get your own sandbox.
As an observation, I think that your viewpoint won’t get enough support from advertisers to fund a radio show. See Air America. But there are always blogs like this one, where your viewpoint is well represented.
Haterade Says:January 9th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
No, brylun … you inferred that I am *gasp*…a liberal. I don’t like the current state of affairs … but am probably more to the right on most issues. I don’t have a blog. I am just a citizen, and I have a right to call those morons at WBEN anything I please. You mistakenly tried to turn this into a “liberal vs. conservative” issue, which it is not. It is about the thin skin of the dopes at wben, and the failure of Wenger to come clean about his reasons.
Don Oakley Says:January 10th, 2007 at 10:55 am
Why does WBEN have some Professor from UB on the radio to comment about some local/national event when they have no name recognotion?
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