LINK
TO YEAR SEVEN
6TH YEAR OF THE
M5 1/1/06 -12/31/06
12/24/06 EMMIS CONTINUES TO SUCK
AS 06 ENDS....As I tuned in the naval
battle scene in Ben-Hur it reminded me of all the CE`s still chained
to an ore on the USS-AMESS. Some of those readers of this site
wonder how much of a "TV" dividend did Jeff get, I could
not find out how much he owns so I can not guess. The stock seems
to have found a new home at $8 a share for now. Emmis still can
not find any one to be chef at VUE as the ultra slow and cheap
rebuild continues. The word of cutbacks has those at Monument
Circle in a panic sine there is now more bodies there than any
were else in the empire. No word if any holiday bonuses were given
out, I doubt it with the timing of Jeffs announcement. This will
most likely be the last post of 06 unless some thing big happens
so Emmissucks & #41 wishes all the FE`s and CE`s a happy holiday
season and for the CE`s "You
live to serve this ship so row well and live!"
12/14/06 JEFF TAKES PAY CUT, AND
STILL OVER PAID!... In an article in
Wednesdays Indianapolis
Star it is reported that
"Jeff Smulyan
volunteered Tuesday to cut his salary next fiscal year from $880,000
to $1."
Jeff also claims more
cost cutting is yet to come. He claims not all will be terminations.
This from the man with these immortal quotes
"It's our people that
make the difference"&"
I have no major changes planned for WVUE"
The pucker factor at Emmis
is at a new high as the stock reaches a new company low of $8.05.
Does any one know when a stock gets to the de-listing level? Some
think it may break $8 going negative this Friday. The street is
reading the same SEC filings I am. This dog is worthless and Jeff
drove it there. One FE upon hearing the news said,
"Jeff is not worth a
$1 per year, he`s been raping the stock holders for years. He
should give back a few hundred mil in IGG. You will note he did
not disclose what options he will get in 07, thats is were he
gets his real income. This looks like a PR ploy."
Every time I think this pig
is about over, Jeff will amaze me. I also wish to thank the hordes
of loyal readers who continue to feed this site info. With out
the dedication of these humans to getting the truth out, this
site would have been vary short lived. Many believe like I do
,that injustice can only flourish if you do not shine a light
on it. This site has been a small beam of light exposing this
inhumane greedy company for what they are. It turns out that this
sort of business practice also does not hold up in the long term.
To all the Fe`s out there, hold onto your stock certificates,
they will be worth some thing on Ebay some day. One of Jeff`s
proposed cost cutting measures is full implementation of the "Soylent"
process. Remember Tuesday is Soylent Green day. Jeff turn in your
torch, the street has spoken :-)
12/11/06 $8.19 a share and dropping
! Talk of de-listing ?
11/29/06 $8.36 .... Emmis stock hits all time low as the empire files SEC
statements. I was going to wait until this week end for this post
after I got my $8 special dividend check but the street has fully
realized the true value of Emmis. Now with still a huge debt the
company does not have much left to sell. I am sure Jeff will give
himself a raise for doing so well. I ran into a New Orleans broadcasting
icon today and when she found out I was "Emmissucks" the acknowledging
laugh was one of the things that makes running this blog worth
it. Many who have found out face to face have had the same sort
of reaction.
FE reminder ,I got a few updates from
some FE`s on their email addresses. One FE said,
" I used your
Alumni page to find a new (XXXX) for my station. The person I located
only had a link on your site. I can only imagine how many people
are using it to catch up and find talent. I will keep you up to
date on my email."
Do not forget to check and update your
contact info if needed. I also ran into a few FE`s on my way out
of town for vacation. The folks at New Orleans international had
no idea why all these people got together. I spent a week and
a half in a secure undisclosed location up north. The truth is
out there, and I will continue to post it!
11/01/06 THE M5 IS DEAD !!!!... No official announcement was made but approximately
three weeks ago the cord from WVUE to CCC was cut and WVUE was
left in human hands. This exclusive is brought to you by A-Mess
,with out them who would have bought that stuff. Station staffers
report that some were between 10% and 50% of the station has been
rebuilt. WVUE continues to lose staffers while trying to hire
more. They have interviewed a number of candidates for VIC`s position,
no takes yet. Borg implants are being removed as VUE re-joins
humanity, if FOX ever gets a good show -I maybe able to watch
it.
10/29/06 MR BMW IS GONE.... Back to CCC and his new owners.This leaves the New
orleans Cube running amuck. While the dismantling of the M5 continues
,support from CCC is disappearing. A frequenter of this site told
me to check out how behind the Emmis site is, yep they still have
VUE run by Jeff West-the MIA GM after Katrina and the DMA is still
listed at 42. I guess they do not care about the facts or TV.
Another Engineer pulls the pin at VUE as the brain drain contues.
WVUE has hired some master control humans. They are finding out
even in death ,the M5 is a pain and trouble. There was not one
redeemable thing about the M5, it lost money, cost audience, broke
the law and technically never worked. Only two cubes left in Jeffs
folly! Row on!!!
10/08/06 MR BMW FIXES LIP SYNC PROBLEM... After over 5 years of lip sync problems with the M5
at VUE , Mr. BMW seems to have the cure. One FE put it this way,
10/03/06
"The technological
engineering brain trusts at the cube finally figured out how
to cure lip-flap. Their 9pm New Cast last night had no video for
the first three
minutes. No lip flap there. Then video and no audio. No lip-flap
there as well
Must be the new Engineering Manager."
A CE wanted to know,
"Will we get to
choose the color of our BMW?"
I don`t think so. No
word on a buyer for VUE or HI. The stock seems to have found its
level at $12. Some one just called me and suggested I tune in
60 minuets. I did, the story was the HP CEO`s getting indicted
and tapped. The caller wanted to know if Emmis tried to find the
leaks in their HQ and on their board. To be honest I do not know
how far they have gone. I do know they have tried. I do not even
know the identity of the top two leaks that have contacted this
site, thats the way I like it, as long as I can confirm the data.
As expected info is getting less and less as the Empire crumbles.It
has been almost a year since we have heard from CCC and longer
from the Hawaiian cube. I would encourage anyone to send in data
using the most anonymous means possible. As it turns out resistance
was not futile.
9/22/06 MR BMW TAKES THE CON OF
ENGINERRING AT WVUE.... How long before
his first Beemer is stolen or stripped in NOLA? More to come!
9/21/06 VIC IS OUT ,TAPPED,LUNCHED,TERMINATED,FIRED,DOWNSIZED,ETC!!!
The phone calls started this morning
while your webmaster was in a secure undisclosed location in Baton
Rouge, LA. I had to run out of the bunker and voice my take on
this sudden turn of events. The word spread like wild fire in
Chocolate City as one broadcaster after another called yours truly
and asked if I had heard. My email box was crammed with news from
all over the US from FE`s wanting to inform me of the news.
" did you hear
(XXXX) got the boot? May he burn with the others!"
Another said,
"What goes around
comes around, I have spread the word in my DMA warning them about
(XXX)."
Another
"Not since Big
M got canned have I laughed so much, hope your enjoying it as
much as I am."
Another
" Do you know
if they tapped (XXXX) or lunched him, I heard it was involuntary
and the official word is he is perusing other interest. Are any
of the axes of evil still left at VUE?"
Well I do not have
any specifics on how he was given the tap. A few locals are afraid
he may be hired to fill one of the openings in New Orleans, god
help the crew if he does land a local position. Now that he is
out of the hive he is no longer of interest to this blog. More
news from the moldy eight, WVUE is actively looking for human
master control people, let me say that again...WVUE is actively
looking for human master control people. Check the Emmis web site
for more info. This is part of the re-birth of MC at WVUE and
the shut down of the M5. Emmis has announced a $4 a share dividend
as part of the sale of TV, yep they will pay me $8. The stock
is still hovering around $12 a share. Now for a rare radio email,
"Regarding the
article on KZLA and the hiring of Rick Dees:
over and over again, repeating repeatedly repeated,
emmis research shows
it's not the talent, it's what's in the show
yet emmis keeps hiring on a popularity contest
wonder how long before Rick escapes the evil clutches?"
Emmis never listens
to anyone, Jeff and a few patrons call the shots, that is why
the company is were it is, in debt and liquidating core assets.
Some will not understand why a bunch of FE`s (including me) would
enjoy any one loosing there job ,but certain people who were so
istrimental in using the purge of 01 as a political foot ball
have earned the destain of the tapped. Any one who keeped up with
this blog knows how this latest FE treated his drones and the
vary public threats directed at your webmaster (its in the archive),
I will not shead any tears for him ,there are plenty of companies
who need ax men. At this point only one CE is left at VUE who
was a key player as a collaborator in 01. We will report on his
exit when it comes. "Tuesday
is Soylent Green day!"
8/26/06 5 YEARS + OF LOL HUMOR.... A few FE`s echoed this recent comment,
"ROFLMAO! You
just continue to outdo yourself! Hope all is coming along well
with the post Katrina efforts. I just got my house finished in
Slidell and am trying to sell it. It's in brand new condition
and actually much better than pre-storm. If you hear of anyone
through the grapevine vine looking for a brand new roof, I've
got one. Life on the job is going good. As I jog the beach in
sunny Florida and sit pool side with the babes of the Southwest
flight attendants, I think of what I use to do and just shake
my head. Thanks Jeff! Look who's laughing now!"
A fellow broadcaster
said,
" I do not know
what I will do for comedy relief in broadcasting once Emmis folds.
Emmissucks has been a benchmark for exposing how some of stupid
Corporations can trash a cash machine of broadcasting. The greed
and incompetence you have exposed at Emmis should be a warning
to others that they might be exposed to the world for what they
truly are, scum."
M5 continues to shine.
On Wednesday it was reported by no less than 4 CE`s that "the system is down" this went on for a quarter hour and
the problem has yet to be identified. In a recent Mad Money radio
show Emmis and Jeff were exposed for backing out of his "go
private" deal. You live to serve this ship....
8/20/06 QUALITY HAS NO PLACE AT
EMMIS.....
"I'm not a
CE, or FE, just got addicted to your site (being a Former Orleanian).
Anyway.. Came across this on yahoo
L.A. loses lone
country music station
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060818/ap_en_mu/la_loses_country_3
I especially love
the Emmis quote:
"Val Maki,
vice president of Emmis Communications' radio division, said the
format change was a "better business decision despite what
a wonderful station KZLA was.""
I decided to swing
by the moldy New Orleans cube and saw that new motif has been
chosen. This was apparently done to make the drones "feel"
safer. The reality is they are not. This will eliminate the last
vestiges of the 1960`s Star-Trek theme the building once had.
The stock is still stuck at $11.50 as Jeff tries to figure out
how to suck the last $ out of the company. "At least the Titanic had a band" Big "M"
8/10/06 FE`S SHOW CONCERN FOR JEFF`S
MENTAL HEALTH....
"Greetings, (XXXXX) and
thanks, as always, for the update.
Excuse me, did that article say "...mental health experts
who can testify..." Ummm, where the
hell were these experts when Emmis Good Old Boy department heads
were psychologically
twisting competent individuals into little balls of poo? Jeff
and Mental Health? OXYMORON!
The audacity. Emmis has created more spoils of war than Enron.
I will lay you odds though
that not a one of those mental health experts was a doctor working
for Unum Provident. Those
doctors could turn a nervous breakdown into an overreaction to
a job performance review.
Let's hear how the Emmis media attempt may have affected Smulyan's
victims.
Seen in a control room way back in 1979:
We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing
Are doing the impossible for the ungrateful.
We have done so much with so little for so long
We can now do anything with nothing."
One other FE said,
"Does this
mean he is going the way of Dr. Daystrom?"
Emmis stock closed
at $11.40, a "dead cat" bounce. "PULL UP, PULL
UP!
8//9/05 JEFF PULLS OUT OF GO PRIVATE
OFFER AND COMPLAINS ABOUT HOW CORP AMERICA TREATS HUMANS.... First Jeff slams TV,then radio, then TV again ,now
as he pulls out of his offer to take A-mess private ,radio is
not to invest in. With this Emmis stock plunged 20% to just
above $11 a share. Yours truly liquidated all but my two free
shares a few weeks ago. This vote of no confidence from
Jeff will probably doom the stock. And now for some humor
sent in by a fellow FE The following is true and appeared 9 months
ago,
December 9, 2005
Millionaire Emmis CEO battles Honda over $1,945
Smulyan says repo attempt invaded his privacy; car company says
arrogance is driving lawsuit
By Kevin Corcoran
kevin.corcoran@indystar.com
December 9, 2005
Emmis Communications CEO Jeff Smulyan ordinarily wouldn't fight
over a measly $1,945.64. After all, he's in the middle of trying
to buy the Washington Nationals baseball team.
But the broadcast and magazine mogul says principle has compelled
him to wage a two-year court fight that could go to trial early
next year.
Smulyan was livid when men entered his wooded estate near Eagle
Creek Reservoir on Memorial Day weekend 2003 to repossess the
2000 Honda Accord EX leased by his fiancee, who had fallen behind
on her payments.
They woke up Smulyan, chairman of the public company that owns
WIBC radio and Indianapolis Monthly magazine, with a phone call.
When he came out to his driveway at 2 a.m., he ordered the men
off his property, and they left without the car.
In July of that year, Smulyan, 58, filed suit. A Marion Superior
Court jury trial on whether American Honda Finance Corp., based
in California, caused the repo men to trespass and invade his
privacy has been set for March 21.
The case includes competing claims of high-handedness and arrogance.
"He's just angry because no one does this to him," said
Jeffrey J. Mortier, the Honda finance company's Indianapolis lawyer.
"He's a successful businessman, and he expects people to
back down from him."
Indianapolis-based Emmis operates in 24 U.S. markets, Hungary
and Belgium. It owns 25 radio stations, including six in Indiana,
a statewide news network, television stations and magazines.
Smulyan, who made $1.9 million in salary, cash incentives and
stock bonuses last year, says he's trying to strike a blow for
the little guy who lacks the wherewithal to challenge shabby treatment
by a corporate giant.
When the facts come out in court about Honda's repossession tactics
against his wife, Heather, he said, a jury will side with him
against the finance company. The couple married in July 2003.
"Their approach has been one of remarkable institutional
arrogance," Smulyan said in a telephone interview last week
from New York, where he was meeting with investors. "I'm
probably one of the few people on the planet who can do anything
about it."
Neither Smulyan nor the finance company has spared much expense
in their legal battle, which has occupied the time of a half-dozen
highly paid attorneys for more than two years.
In court filings attempting to quash subpoenas for depositions
of Honda Finance employees, Mortier accused Smulyan of having
"nearly limitless resources" to harass the company.
Smulyan's attorneys counter that such a claim is "disingenuous,"
given that Honda Finance reported $1 billion in annual revenue
last year.
An effort at mediation failed, and the trespassing case has been
combined with a breach-of-contract and defamation lawsuit Heather
Smulyan filed in May.
That suit alleges Honda Finance put a black mark on her credit
record even though she had offered to pay the money she owes on
the car lease by wire transfer, personal check sent by overnight
express or credit card.
When those offers were rejected -- Honda Finance asked her to
wire the money from a Wal-Mart -- Jeff Smulyan said he mailed
a personal check from his account to pay off the lease days before
the repo attempt.
But Smulyan said he put in a stop-payment order on the check after
the repo men woke him up. Days later, Heather Smulyan turned the
car in at Honda West.
Marion Superior Court Judge Cale Bradford, who would preside over
what's expected to be a two-day trial, declined to comment.
He has held two pretrial conferences and received a 3-inch stack
of pleadings from the parties, who have reserved the right to
call more than a dozen witnesses, including Emmis board members
and mental health experts who can testify regarding how the repo
attempt may have affected Smulyan.
Smulyan's home is bordered by Eagle Creek reservoir, a fence and
a wooded area. A gate blocks the driveway. That night, however,
the repo men were able to enter the grounds because the night
watchman was asleep and the entrance was under repair.
Mortier said the repo men went to Smulyan's house and dialed his
phone number, even though Smulyan's fiancee maintained a separate
Marion County residence, because she had given that address to
Honda and it appeared on her credit report.
He said Honda Finance did not tell the repo men to go to Smulyan's
house at 2 a.m., but their actions did not violate the law.
The lawsuit, however, claims the nighttime visit "intruded
into Mr. Smulyan's emotional solace."
Smulyan said any damages awarded would go to charity. Already,
he said he has given a $10,000 settlement from the repo firm to
the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society, which assists 8,000 poor people
a year with civil cases.
The firm, Ron Jones CIB Agency, was an independent contractor
for Honda Finance. Bryce H. Bennett Jr., the firm's attorney,
said the settlement is confidential, and he cannot discuss it,
other than to confirm his client is no longer being sued.
The remaining defendant, Honda Finance, did nothing wrong, said
Mortier, the company's lawyer.
"Mr. Smulyan's anger is misplaced. This wasn't the first
time she was late, and she refused to pay with secured funds because
it was too inconvenient for her. Obviously, the last thing we
want to do is take the car back. We gave her numerous chances,
and we were left with no choice but to secure the asset."
Heather Smulyan said a Honda Finance company employee she spoke
with was rude, and that she would have settled for an apology.
"They don't even think they did anything wrong," she
said.
Mortier said Jeff Smulyan is wasting his own time and the court's
with legal filings and case conferences.
He said Honda Finance is willing to forgive the roughly $2,000
owed on the $13,500 lease if the lawsuit is dropped.
"Absolutely, positively not," Jeff Smulyan said when
a reporter relayed that offer.
Smulyan said he is generally not litigious, but this case is bigger
than just someone trying to repossess his fiancee's car.
"I want somebody
at Honda to understand you do not treat human beings this way,"
Smulyan said. "This is exactly why corporate America looks
bad."
Jeff treated like he
treats most humans, what goes around comes around We can only
hope he joins Ken Lay in infamy.
07/17/06 BRECK SLAMS EMMIS.... In
a stunning few comments at the end of a cable special on weather
, Bob slammed Emmis for re-building at pre-Katrina elevations.
While he tried to make excuses for the decisions, you could tell
he was not a happy camper. Emmis is not going to invest in a station
they want to unload.
Kelly Donnell a Emmis FE and now
FE from WWL-TV will be joining the WVUE crew as the new Creative
Services Director. Some early rumors had him as the New GM. Info
is still coming in. Apparently Kelly was not thought fondly of
at the big "W" , in fact after he told his bosses he
was going to WVUE ,he was escorted from the building and the celebrating
began. Many current and former big "W" employees have
relayed their opinions of his managerial style, "The worst person ever to work at WWL!" most were along this thought. Others indicate the
irony of going from the big "W" to the sinking Eight.
Having no personal experience with him I can only go by the flood
of comments from those who have. I hate to see another Katrina
inflicted on the humans at WVUE ,but some one did not do their
home work on this hire. Row On!
07/04/06
"Hard Lessons From
Emmis
By John M. Higgins -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/26/2006
Emmis Communications shareholders
are in for a difficult lesson about the downside of investing
in a company where a single shareholder really runs the show.
The shareholder in question
is Jeff Smulyan, CEO of what was a radio and TV company. Over
the past year, he rallied the TV-station market by auctioning
off 15 of his 16 stations at prices far better than expected.
However, Wall Street turned
sour on Emmis’ stock last spring, fearing the outlook for
its 21 big-market radio stations and a questionable bid for a
piece of Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals. Smulyan
responded by bidding to take the Indianapolis-based company private,
offering to buy the 83% of shares he doesn’t already own
in a deal valuing the company at around $1 billion.
Last week, a special committee
of independent directors hired two sets of investment bankers
to evaluate the fairness of the bid to public shareholders. One
was Morgan Stanley—no surprise given that two of the directors
are former Emmis executives. The other was Lazard Freres &
Co., which served a similar role in Citadel Broadcasting’s
recent $2.7 billion acquisition of ABC Radio.
What will the bankers find?
If Emmis were put on the auction block, the company would probably
be worth quite a bit more than the $15.25 per share Smulyan is
offering.
Last summer, the company was
buying back its own stock at $19.50 per share. In September, the
company’s shares traded for $25 each. With station clusters
in the biggest markets—New York, Los Angeles and Chicago—even
given recent operating problems, shareholders could see something
close to that price again in a vigorous auction.
Ah, but Smulyan won’t
let Emmis hit the auction block. It’s his baby. Even though
he owns just 17% of the stock, it’s in super-voting Class
B shares, which carry 10 votes each, giving him a total of 67%
of shareholder votes. He openly vows to use his power to reject
any competing offer that might come in. Class A shareholders don’t
get to call the shots.
The structure is very common
among media companies; shareholders at Liberty Media, Cablevision
Systems, EchoStar and Comcast face similar situations. It’s
rarely a major issue in normal operations, but when it comes to
selling the company, the insider holding the control premium has
a big advantage.
So while the buyout proposal
will doubtless get some other media and private-equity players
sniffing around, they won’t be able to trigger a spirited
bidding contest that would give Emmis investors maximum value.
Smulyan wouldn’t comment.
But it’s clear he still needs to coax approval from outside
shareholders, and the special committee will doubtless raise his
bid at least a couple of bucks a share.
But the deal carries a lesson
that, while a company’s stock certificates may bear a stamp
that says Class A, investors who actually own them are sometimes
second-class citizens."
I have been saying
this for years, what Jeff want ,he gets... at least when it comes
to A-Mess. This will be Jeffs last chance to screw investors as
he takes Emmis private. The board has hired lawyers to explore
there options. They have none. A note to all those who still hold
the stock, brake out the lube and a condom.
06/23/06 NOT GONE .... Many have asked "are you still there?" ,yep
still here. Spent some time on vacation and not much been happening
in the disintegrating hive. WVUE debuted its new sets while the
staff and anchors complain of the mosquitoes, flies, rats and
mice. WVUE always had a small rodent problem but leaving the building
open for six months did not help. Insiders say the locals are
out of the loop on the re-build, A-Mess has elected to go back
to the same elevation as pre-Katrina leaving one to wonder who
will be dumb enough to buy a station destined to flood again?
The new set has some blue ,but no smurf bricks. it looks like
a sever cut back was done on the main and weather palace sets.
I have received a number of comments
from those FE`s no longer with A-Mess. I understand some of the
FE`s are worse off, but this site is only for Emmis info ,others
will have to take on the new breed of poor companies. I do not
mind hearing from all those FE`s but remember to check your public
email for my replies.
Emmis is now screwing some folks out
side of there normal sphere of influence but I have yet to confirm,
more when its confirmed.
Emmsi stock at $16 and holding since
Jeff has offered to take the mess private. Keep bailing Jeff.
A few have asked what I did on vacation,
this pic is a clue
I will ad, this is the only pic of
your webmaster posted on this site. Also A tech bulletin, this
is the first posting from the new supper Doppler 8888B computer.
It is a Kontron 7520 chassis with 20 slot PCI backplane, a Trenton
Technology T4G2.5 SBC, 2 gigs of DDR RAM and 70 GIGs of U320 hard
drive for the core. This now quadruples the previous processing
power of the old 8888.
05/12/06 RAY SHONBAK MIA???
"I have recently
realized that all mention of Ray Schonbak is gone from the Emmis
web site. I have googled for days to try to find out where he
went.
Please tell me he finally got it stuck up his ass.
I'm sorry I can't reveal my identity, but I knew if anyone would
have the answer, you would."
To be honest, I have
no idea where Ray is now. But it looks like he ticked off a few
humans.If you know were he is ,drop us a line. I also got info
that the CCC building will remain with Emmis as will the Daily
Dud, they can have em
05/08/06 EMMIS TO GO PRIVATE....
In only what could be a stunning announcement
, Jeff wants to buy back all the publicly traded stock and take
Emmis private. No word on how he intends to rais the half billion
to do this. Just a year ago he proclaimed radio dead ,now he wants
to buy it. On word of this the stock soared to $16 a share. One
of the many emails said,
"Emmis is buying
back all of its public held stocks, I know one stock he isn't
getting, my one stock for getting full time, because if that happens
and the stock goes to skyrocket, I will sell it then, until then,
it can be worth it 16 dollars a share."
another one said,
" He will never
get my share, Can a stock holder be forced to sell? I want to
take my share to the grave."
and yet another
" I trhink this
is just his attempt at a pump and dump, hope he gets caught. Even
if it is not a scam ,the only reason he would go this rout is
to avoid regulations by the SEC.
I will be watching
to see if is a pump and dump, and I will report on it.
EXTRA EXTRA CCC hub
sold to Hearst,
"Hearst-Argyle
Television is doubling up its TV holdings in Central Florida.
The owner of local
NBC affiliate WESH-Channel 2 has reached a deal with Emmis Communications
to purchase WB affiliate WKCF-Channel 18 for $217.5 million, the
companies announced today."
More on this in the
Orlando
Centinel. This leaves only two TV cubes left in the hive WVUE
and KGMB.
On the lighter side one FE sent in
this,
"Consider what might have
been.......................
SMULYAN APPROVED AS NEW NATS OWNER
In a stunning move today MLB announced that Jeff Smulyan had been
approved as
the new owner of the Washington Nationals. In an effort to make
the Nationals a more
competitive, streamlined organization, the following changes were
announced, effective immediately, in an effort to cut waste, the
Nationals will field 4 players instead of 9. One outfielder will
play centerfield, this will eliminate the need for left and right
fielders. The pitching staff will consist solely of left-handed
throwers. This way, when the pitch is made and momentum is carrying
the player toward the third base dugout, he can immediately bolt
toward shortstop to cover this position. This would eliminate
the need for a third baseman. The ball boy can stay provided he
can pull double duty by catching as well. All the venders in the
stands will be replaced by automated vending machines that would
dispense food items at regularly scheduled intervals to be programmed
and monitored in Citizens Park in Philadelphia. And last but finally
no means least, the coveted foul ball souveniers will be run down
and retrieved by the stadium ushers and put back into play. "
Not since the wreck of the M5 was sent
in have I laughed so hard.
05/04/06 JEFF LOSSES BASEBALL... An FE had this to say,
"I just read where
Jeff lost out on his bid to purchase the Washington Nationals
baseball team. I can only hope that the powers that be from MLB.
got a good look at this web site and used it as a factor in coming
to their decision in which case you've outdone yourself. I'll
miss this site."
I do not think this
little site played a roll in the decision but it does make one
wonder. This site will not be going away ,it will be a monument
to greed and ineptitude. After A-mess announced the fourth quarter
losses the stock tumbled to just above $10 a share, it has rebounded
a bit to just below $14. This maybe do in part to the loss of
the baseball team. And finally HOT 97 in New York lost it`s lease
after the latest shooting at the station. One of the rappers continued
with his interview despite the fact he still had a bullet in his
leg. HOT 97 is the poorly run hip-hop Emmis owned station that
in addition to have a number of shootings on station property
,is also known for the poorly composed and aired tsunami song.
No word on the sale
of the last three cubes. "You
Live to serve this ship."
04/16/06 ALL QUIET ON THE EMMIS
FRONT... For the most part nothing
much going on. A few contact were made from Emmis publishing.
This is the first time I have heard from that division. One of
them said " We love
the site, thought only we were abused by Emmis. Jeff seems to
treat all with equal destain. Good luck on the shut down."
I also heard from a contractor for Emmis
who said " Your site
seems to be one sided and biased."
to which I replied, "
I have posted all "pro-Emmis" comments sent in, it has
only been a handful over the years, I do not have room for all
the anti Emmis stuff." He quickly
changed his tune. Good luck to all those humans that will be stuck
with Jeff and the gang.
Now for something out of the norm for
this site. I have had a few inquiries about the state of New Orleans
. With all the positive ad`s running and Mardi-Gras being held
most of the US thinks every thing is back to normal, NOT! Over
90% of the damage has not been touched.These two pics were shot
at noon today, note all the white fema trailers.
This is East Loyola Dr. in Kenner,
some 9 miles on the good side of Katrina. To the east of New Orleans
is total wipe out. Most visitors will only see the Quarter and
not much else. The French Quarter was hardly touched. It is now
projected that it could take 25 years to rebuild. The power company
is est up to a year more to restore power to some sections. Phone
service could also take up to a year to restore in some areas.
Only one third of the areas residents have returned. Hurricane
season starts in June.
03/31/06 NOT GONE YET... A number of emails have asked if the site is active,
yep ,as stated ...I will be cutting back as the hive is in its
final days. Emmis stock near record low. WVUE building a local
master control to replace M5 unit. Now they will have to train
and hire humans. VIC makes freinds with sub contractors as WVUE
re-builds. Do not expect any offers to buy remaining TV until
it is re-built.
03/15/06 HAPPY TAPPING DAY !....
It was five years ago that Jeff tapped
hundreds of humans and for the most part continues to this vary
day. I did get a flood of Email from the tapped FE`s. I will now
share some of those tales.
"Hey ,My tapping
was much like yours. 30 plus years with (XXX) and I
was escorted to the GM`s office and told "You are no longer
needed" ,they escorted me to my desk. I packed and was out
the door in ten minuets. So much for loyalty."
Another FE said,
"At a meeting
full of corporate heads, including Randy B,
which I'm sure they regret inviting me to, Tamerlano had
his year long plan about who he was going to fire. He had
particular eyes on three women, all of whom were over
age 50. He mentioned one by name specifically.
Right after that meeting, the women he was blaming for
low sales, EACH ONE OF WHOM WAS MEETING OR
EXCEEDING GOALS SET BY TAMERLANO, each had
one fourth to one half of their clients taken away and given
to new sales people. Three women over 50 were
replaced with two men and two women under 30. In
addition, the three women over 50 were meeting or
exceeding their sales goals as SET BY TAMERLANO.
It appeared to me that Tamerlano picked "fall gals"
to
take the hit for not making the impossible sales goals
set by Evil Emmispire.
Being unfairly treated, the three women took a formal
complaint to corporate regarding sexism and agism.
The corporate HR officer took the complaints right back
to Tamerlano and let him know who was saying what.
Tamerlano threatened with legal action for "impugning"
his reputation. I quote that word because that is the
word corporate used in its written response to the
complaint. Tamerlano lied in his refuting of each statement
made. Not a one of those three women over 50 worked
for KOIN for another year.
For us, nothing was worse than going to work even one
more day as sacrificial lambs. The other two women still
think we two caused them trouble by involving them in
a complaint. What they don't know is, they were gone
already. Their gag orders have not yet expired. One denies
anything was wrong and even denies signing a gag order.
The other has refused to talk with me."
Looks like age and
gender discrimination continue to rain at A-Mess, yet another
said,
" I did not ever
plan to comment ,but since my gag order was up two years ago it
may be sorta safe now. I was not tapped in the traditional way.
My General Manager invited me out for a bite. He told me just
after ordering lunch that my ideas did not gel with that of Emmis
and I was no longer welcome at the station. "the locks have
been changed and your personal effects will be delivered to you."
I was in shock, I did not eat...I just left that scum holding
the check. BTW I am better off now and did not have to put up
with the M5 or its owners.PS you rock!"
This FE was not technically
tapped, he was "lunched", that is tapping for dept heads.
And another,
" My shafting/tapping
was the norm for Emmis, tap the people who are top of scale and
know what they are doing. I am out of TV now and wish to thank
Jeff. Hope he enjoys some Brokeback action some day when the law
catches up with him."
Jeff has made so many
friends over the past five years. I will be forwarding these all
to the "great places to work institute" so Jeff gets
all the credit he deserves.
03/05/06 60,000+ IN JUST UNDER FIVE
YEARS... It is amazing how one comment
sent in to an employee links page has developed. We are just a
few days away from Tapping day ,so if you have a tail from any
of the massive tappings Emmis did, send it in. Just got a coppy
of the letter from Jeff,
"February 17, 2006
Dear Emmis Alumni,
Accompanying this letter is Emmis Television success bonus. While
the past year has been difficult in many ways, the sale of the
TV division has provided Emmis with a unique opportunity to reward
you and your coworkers for all you've done to make your stations
so valuable. While such a bonus is unusual in the business world,
I believe it's a proper and fitting farewell to such a hard-working
group of people.
There is not much else I can say about our association that has
not already been said. Your efforts at Emmis will be remembered
with gratitude and respect, and I have every co nfidence that
you will continue to produce the best American television.
Warm regards,
Jeff Smulyan"
The P.M. will be at his new/old job
on Monday as the New Orleans cubes moral continues to plummet.
Still no word on how or when Emmis will unload the last three
stations. This has left them as bastard step children to real
bad company. One CE put it this way,
" I wish they
would just sell us. Anyone...even Montecito broadcasting. We are
in a time freeze until Jeff dumps us."
"If even one gets
out, it`s a victory." Major Eric Fincham
02/20/06 PUPPET MASTER CUTS STRINGS
TO HIVE... In a shocker to yours truly
,the puppet master will be leaving the moldy eight for his former
employer. Best known for telling the 10 to 40 year veterans of
VUE they had no room to complain, this just after two days at
the New Orleans cube. "Be
happy in your work!"
02/19/06 EMMIS HANDS OUT BONUSES
FOR SALE OF TV.... According to now
FE`s Jeff has come through with the cash and a note. I am waiting
on the contents of the note. A radio drone speaks out ," I just found this web site.
You have only touched on the anti human employee mission of Emmis.
If they were to fire the receptionist here, we would have to lock
the doors. We only have three or four humans at the station at
its peak occupancy. They want to cut some more. In keeping with
your theme, I heard Jeff muttering "sterilize, sterilize,
sterilize." When Jeff is sitting in
the etched glass steam room at HQ all by him self as the last
human ,he will be happy.
2/12/06 EMMIS CONTINUES TO AUTOMATE
& TAP HUMANS..... While not much
is left of TV in the hive ,Jeff has turned to radio for more cuts,
"Emmis Selects
dMarc Broadcasting
dMarc Broadcasting
has announced that Emmis Communications will install dMarc's RevenueSuite
automated advertising solution in all of their stations throughout
North America.
RevenueSuite works
directly through each radio station's digital automation systems
to automatically insert paid commercials into open and unsold
slots, thus maximizing the stations' sell-through and revenue
capability. RevenueSuite updates the traffic log, distributes
pre-encoded creative, and generates real-time affidavits for each
station.
"With RevenueSuite,
Emmis Communications will have a powerful automated solution to
maximize all of these stations' advertising revenues," said
dMarc Broadcasting President Ryan Steelberg. "Emmis' decision
to implement dMarc's platform confirms that RevenueSuite has become
the industry leader and is now supporting several hundred station
affiliates across the country.
"The partnership
we've formed with dMarc gives Emmis potential access to new revenue
through thousands of advertisers on the Google system," explained
Val Maki, vice president for radio operations at Emmis. "
I did not anticipate
covering any radio stuff ,but if it is sent in, I will post it.
The local cube has a bunch of unhappy drones actively looking
for positions around town, including the P.M. No word from CCC
in some time, wonder if any one is left. Tuesday is Soylent green
day.
02/07/06 NEW CAPTAIN OF SINKING
EIGHT... Vanessa Oubre is heading back
to New Orleans. She will take over as general manager of WVUE
FOX 8. A one time FE of VUE she jumped ship to go to WALA. She
said "I decided my
family has been displaced since the hurricane, and it's time to
start to rebuild." Her home in Chocolate
City was hit with five feet of water. She will now be an umpa-lumpa
as WVUE gets re-built for sale.
02/05/06 BUZZ ON THE BLOCK... One thing I had not heard about in some time ,but a
viewer sent in this tip,
"You mentioned
the 3 stations that are left and said that's all the remains of
Emmis TV. Emmis is also selling off their 50% ownership of The
Daily Buzz. No buyers yet. "
We can all remember
when A-Mess moved this vary bad show to CCC, now its time to scrap
it. Many other blogs are telling of the whole sale blood bath
going on at the former cubes. For that info you will have to go
to those blogs. As far as Emmis info ,Emmissucks is still your
Emmis authority. Row on.
02/03/06 THE FINAL THREE.... WCKF -CCC, WVUE-moldy & KGMB- over priced. This
is A-messes total TV ownership as of now. Resistance has paid
off. Many now FE`s report being gagged. This was expected. I am
prepping this as Bridge On The River Kwai plays on TCM, karma
I guess.No word on the sale of the last three. Emmis stock is
hovering at pre buy back levels. As the empire crumbles let us
reflect on the royal screw ups made by Jeff and Emmis. Jeff bought
into TV with a plan to run it like radio, no people. Jeff hires
Mikei to execute this plan. Emmis buys SX NET, it fails and is
scrapped. Jeff starts internet radio scam, it fails costing millions.
Emmis deploys Central crapping ,it fails and puts Emmis deep in
the red. Jeff continues to give him self raises as the company
continues in red ink. Jeff pitches scheme for pay digital service
using other companies transmitters, never get off the ground because
many people finally realize what a snake oil salesman Jeff is.
EMMIS sells off TV to avoid foreclosure by creditors. Yours truly
has never been better off. "This
was all in the TPS report"
01/29/06 WVUE SOLD!... Well not quite, the VUE sinking 8 collectables sold
to a VUE alumni for just over two years if domain registration
fees. The FE said "Death
to Emmis" , a sentiment echoed by
so many.Another soon to be FE said this on the air at KHON,
"Here's the amazing
kicker to last night's 6 p.m. newscast on Honolulu's Emmis-owned
KHON-2-Fox, which will soon slip into the hands of tight-fished
(company D) Broadcasting. It was written and read
by veteran newscaster Joe Moore, who has been highly critical
of the new owners...
"Finally tonight,
this has been a difficult day for most of us here at KHON2. It
was the final day on the job for our general manager Rick Blangiardi,
who refused to carry out the mass firing of over one third of
our station employees as ordered by our new owners, who will take
over tomorrow.
"The firings are
not a matter of cutting excess fat to improve efficiency; they
will be a butchering of an already lean workforce that will remove
muscle, bone, and vital organs. A small percentage of the people
fired will be replaced by automation, the rest will severely reduce
our ability to serve the community in the manner in which you,
and we have become accustom.
"The new owners
have changed the name of their company from (company D)
to Montecito. It is a virtual company, with no office building,
that specializes in buying and selling TV stations. Their business
plan for KHON2 calls for an immediate, drastic, across the board
reduction of personnel in order to slash the payroll. At the same
time, the plan calls for a huge increase in advertising revenue
to be generated by a sales department that is already far exceeding
industry standards. In short, it is not a plan used by a quality
broadcast company to foster a long-term commitment to its employees,
or to the viewers it is charged with serving.
"It is the sincere
hope of all of us, who have worked long & hard to make this
TV station what it is today, that the departure of Rick Blangiardi,
who stood up for us while he was standing tall for quality television,
it is our hope that his departure will not be in vain, that our
new owners will reconsider their draconian plan and pledge to
the people of this state that operating KHON in the best interest
of the people of Hawaii is not only their number one goal, but
also their number one priority.
"For all of us
at KHON2, thank you for joining us this evening, we hope to see
you later tonight for our KHON2 news at 10." (The message
was not repeated at 10 p.m.)"
This was sent in by
many from newblues. Emmis has no concern for its human Employees,
before,during or after the sale. "I am not a number, I am a free man!"
01/22/06 CONFIRMED, EXCLUSIVE!!!!!
Soon to be FE`s gagged. This is a last
ditch effort to quell the masses from speaking out. If you have
not yet looked at the gag order
nows the time to look at this thing. While it has not been confirmed
that all drones being tapped will be forced to sign this thing,
it seems as though this is why Jeff wants to do the tapping. If
the stations pass to the new owners there would be no legal way
to gag drones. This is exactly what I thought was going to happen.
While some call the severance generous ,others are calling it
what it truly is, hush money. Despite the threat of paragraph
9 many have confirmed they have been gagged. One now FE put it
this way,
"I got the tap
yesterday. The Emmis HR guy admitted that they did not
anticipate the deep cuts that (company
D) is making at the stations.
21 here, 40
in Hawaii. I don't know the numbers in Kansas for sure, I heard
24 at
one of the stations. No wonder Emmis had (company D) pay
for half of the
severance! The same bit as before, several goons in attendance,
leave
now and come back later to get you stuff. Don't talk to the staff
etc.
I've never been out of work in the last (XX) years and
its a little scary.
I sure feel sympathy for the folks left....Emmis is going to look
like
the good guys real soon. The severance amount was fair by today's
standards."
The severance amounts
seem to be exactly what is spelled out in EMMISES employee hand
book or the union contracts if the drone is covered under such
a contract. Caution to union drones, you do not have sign the
gag order if you do not want any thing beyond what your union
contract spells out. The carrot for this from Emmis is that three
months pay! As I stated earlier, Jeff is not generous unless it
serves him. To all those just tapped or about to be, there is
life after Emmis and it is good. EMMIS will be A-Mess to the end.Row
on.
01/21/06 FINAL SCREWING BY EMMIS?... As more stations leave the hive it has become apparent
Emmis did not have its humans in mind. Many of the new owners
are continuing the Emmis tradition of tapping. The odd thing is
Emmis wants to do the tapping for the new owners. At first this
had me wondering but I think I have it, and it is not pretty.
I will let all know if my suspicions are correct. Some blogs are
touting Emmisses tappings as generous. I do not think so. This
is a link
to one paper that got on board. Jeff never does any thing
to be generous. The Emmissucks
auction is going well, it will end this week, still time to
pick up a chunk of the hive! As part of our follow up on the hives
final tappings and screwings ,let us know how they handled it
if you get the tap. Emmissucks will post the true story behind
the generous tapping. I have been emailed from yet another VUE
alum, info to be added. Don`t for get to send in your current
info! "The truth is
out there!"
01/15/06 MID LEVEL FE DRONES TAPPED... As predicted by this site and not unexpected by all
concerned ,many FE managers are "Leaving
to pursue other interest" or " We have a differing vision of
the future.". Standard BS for mid
level drone tapping. Many of these departures have gone un-noticed
others have made the media blogs. More to come as active sale
takes place at the remaining cubes. A-Mess stock is back down
at pre-buy back levels. All Jeff got for the quarter billion was
a short spike in the stock price.
A FE wanted to make sure Emmissucks
sticks around for a while so this person dumped off enough cash
to pay for Emmissucks domain registration for the next five years,
done...Please do not leave cash in my mail box, it may be taken
by others. This FE human also left me some interesting items to
sell on ebay for possibly more funding to extend the domain registration.
Check it out at EBAY
LINK.
No word on the three remaining cubes
left to sell. These will be the hard ones to unload. I bumped
into another FE at the local pizza place and he seems to doing
well. Although he has yet to send his contact info to be added
to the alumni page, hint,hint. With the Katrina aftermath the
alumni links page is more vital than ever. Please send in your
current info.
The band is warming up as Emmis sinks.
01//07/06 LAST YEAR OF THE EVIL
EMPIRE?... At least that is what most
hope for. A recent FE said, "have
you looked at the company web site ,they are dropping the stations
like yesterdays paper?" As act of
sale goes threw I expect them all to go away. "Why did you drop Big easy from your link list?
Are they gone?" They are not gone,
they dropped a link to this site, so I did same. No word on the
last three cubes in the hive. These were bound to be the hard
ones to unload, Florida is stuck with the M5, New Orleans is moldy
and Hawaii is over priced. I did hear from a number of viewers
who will miss my brand of humor when Emmis is gone. While webmastering
this site has had some pitfalls ,it also gave me a chance to hear
all the info direct from those who have had to deal with A-Mess
over the last five years. A high number of good people got the
corp shaft from Jeff, and most will never forget what the people
company did for them. As one put it "despite his last ditch effort to look good to
the public and the shafted employees ,he will always be a dirtbag
in my eyes." This page along with
the hive ,are in terminal mode. After Emmis is totally out this
site will be a reminder to all of the greed and stupidity of a
few. More to come...
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