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Wally on 99X

I asked former 99X employees to share their thoughts regarding the developments at 99X.  I'm going to post one a day.  Some are longer than others.  All were good.  Today's contribution is from Wally.  Wally is on a Christian radio show called Total Axxess. It's easy to make fun of the Christian music industry, but at probably 1/8th former new Morning X's budget, Wally puts on a great show that is entertaining, even for a liberal lapsed Baptist like myself.  Here's what Wally had to say:

I am not all that sure of what happened.  I have heard different reports. The truth is I find it ironic that people that threw me and Fred under the bus finally had the same thing happen to them.  They survived the take over of Cumulus and saved their jobs for what?  Is a few more years of employment at a company you don't like worth your integrity?

The saddest thing was watching a heritage station like 99x spiral down out of control.  I find it interesting after Chris Williams, Toucher and I were forced out they kept trying to use us as the excuse for the station's poor performance when the reality is, after our departure, they never got back to near the ratings we had.

Even though I still come home to Atlanta every weekend their demise doesn't really affect me since I, like a lot of other people in Atlanta, already took them off my radio preset.

Wally Featured on AllAccess.com

Radio industry news website AllAccess.com is featuring "10 Questions with Wally."  A couple of highlights:

2) How do you prepare for your show day? What's your biggest challenge?
My dysfunctional life provides a lot of show prep for me but I also do the normal stuff like scour the Internet for odd stories and audio, I watch "Headline News" (not Fox contrary to popular belief) and tape TV shows. I also do a ton of artist interviews. That was in place before I got here so that takes a lot of my time. I have done like 70-plus interviews in the short time I have been here.

My biggest challenge is being funny in a restrictive format. Historically, Christians don't have the best sense of humor and usually any jokes I make that have a victim (as all good comedy does) is met by scathing e-mails from crazy Christians about being judgmental. Their e-mails are the best because they usually quote a ton of Scripture and they have no idea that as soon as they start that I stop reading. [Italics added.]
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5) Who do you look up to as an air personality not at your station?
I've always liked Kevin and Bean. And one of my old partners Fred Toucher. He is a BCN in Boston. We are radically different but I've always respected him. His take on things always surprised me. I never knew where he was going to go. If he gets the right breaks, I think he will be the next big thing.

I've listened to TotalAxxess (Wally's show) several times and I think that it's better and edgier than most big budget morning shows located in major markets.  You can check out TotalAxxess (Wally's show) online at WayFM.com (7pm-12a EST.)  The show also has a great website. 

Thanks to FK for alerting me to this story!

Wally the Progressive

Wally, who was the poster boy for conservative Christians during his tenure at 99X, now days is defending himself for being too progressive:

Night time radio personality "Wally "of Total Axxess Christian Radio responded passionately on the evening of August 16 to a complaint sent to the station the night before via email. Sent from an angry pastor who was not named, the email expressed the pastor's disapproval of the show playing the popular mainstream song "I'm Going Home," performed by American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry's band, "Daughtry."
...
After some hesitation on how to respond, the radio station gave Wally the microphone, allowing him a chance to defend the station's stance. Understandably upset, Wally told listeners that this kind of attitude was exactly what turns non-believers against Christianity, and ultimately against God. Addressing the pastor himself, Wally went on to say that this sort of mentality is not going to keep people in church, and that it is this kind of behavior that turns people away from the Christian church in general.

Wally has been doing a syndicated Christian radio show called Total Axxess.  While the station is non-commercial, it does give him the opportunity to rock the occasional air guitar:

Wally Update

I spent some time talking to Wally earlier this week.  He's back in town from doing three nights at RealRadio 104.1, WKTS in Orlando Florida with "Just Plain" Mark Sutherland from his Disney Radio days.  Wally and Mark didn't part on the best of terms, so the short gig gave them the chance to mend some fences and see if they could work together.  Far from Disney content, however, Wally reported that he and Mark talked about such subjects as suicidal feelings, crises of faith, and his anger toward Muslims/Arabs/"Brown People".

In terms of the job search, Wally's looking for the right opportunity, and doesn't want to limit himself to a particular market size.  He was close to taking a West Coast job but his recent experience at 99X helped confirm his feeling that the job wasn't right for him. 

Wally on The Whip Show, 5/25, 7am

In a post on FredToucher.com (registration required,) Chris Williams, program director for 105.3 The Buzz, writes: "Wally has a few weeks free hanging out in Atlanta while he weighs some offers so I asked him to come hang out and have fun with Whip."  In addition to promoting Wally's appearance on the air and FredToucher.com, the folks at the Buzz have been circulating a clever, "hacked" version of 99X.com (jpg, 135K). Wally is scheduled for 7am. 

Wally Quits 99X

From Toucher via FredToucher.com 

Give Wally A ROUND OF APPLAUSE! He quit 99X today. People want to hire him. There is a station in the Top 3 markets that would blow him if he agreed to take a job there. Stand up for yourself I always say and good things will happen. So again THREE CHEERS FOR WALLY my good friend.

Needless to say, I've never been a fan of Wally's politics, but I am a fan of Wally the human being.  He is talented, funny, and genuine.  I expect that 30 years from now, I'll be singing "It's O.K. to Cry Now Wally" to cheer up my wife.

04/14/2006 8:18PM
Rodney Ho writes an excellent summary of the "Morning 'X'odus" on his Blog, Radio Talk.  He also has some interesting quotes in a post on Radio-info.com:

Wally just told [Ho] yes, he quit. "I got hosed," he said. "They kept silencing me. The new owners don’t like me." Yet he was trying not to be bitter: "It’s their choice. It’s their business. It’s not a surprise. They have the right to do that for me."

"I had to get out so bad, I didn't care," he added.

Opening for Jimmy on FreeFM?, Wally Silenced

I'm out of town with limited Internet access.  Fortunately, thanks to some observant readers, I'm able to post a quick update.

A Radio-Info.com poster, observed that Jimmy Baron's blog post about a "huge phone call" coincides with a recent lineup opening at 106.9 FreeFM, the station where Jimmy's been auditioning.  Meanwhile, 99X is certainly giving the appearance of bad faith with its listeners and advertisers as it continues to list Jimmy as a cast member, despite the fact that Baron's contract expired a week ago today and sources close to the show indicate that little progress have been made in negotiations.

Meanwhile, Wally has again been silenced.  Sources inside 99X suggest that Wally "pissed off the new owners" with his opinions and they don't appreciate his sense of humor.  So why no mention on 99X about this change?  "The one thing people fear here more than competition is the truth. Case in point Barnes is leaving to be a movie star, Jimmy is just out today, to name a few."

So what do you do after dismantling a great morning show?  You give yourself a raise.

Recent News Pile Demonstrates 99X Double Standard

So, how does Wally describe Cynthia McKinney in this morning's 8:12 News Pile?  "You stupid garbage, piece of garbage."  How about Axel and Leslie?  They agree--"Crazy."  Yet when a Homeland Security official is arrested for attempting to seduce a minor, the story passes without comment.   

Cynthia McKinney acted badly.  She showed a lack of impulse control that does not befit a member of Congress.  Never-the-less, few African Americans would fail to understand the frustration of rising to the level of a U.S. Congressional Representative only to be treated like a potential criminal.  Charges of racial discrimination regarding the Capital Hill Police (via MetroBlogging Atlanta) are nothing new, and McKinney is not the first one to bring them up. According to BBC Journalist Greg Palast, "[Cynthia McKinney]" was beaten in the August 2002 Democratic primary. More precisely, she was beaten to death, politically, by [a] fabricated quote."   

Not surprisingly, the Georgia Republican Party is attempting to paint Cynthia McKinney as the "face of the state Democratic Party" to distract voters from the corruption of a probable Perdue/Reed gubernatorial ticket.   

Moral of the story?  If you're going to commit a crime and you want good coverage on 99X, you had better be a Republican.

Update 03/05/2006 3:12 PM

Here's an interesting video showing McKinney's perspective.  It was filmed before the incident occurred.

Wally II

Joey Mills, local activist and long time 99X listener, supplied the following email from Wally:

I think we got it worked out.  Jimmy and Axel really went to bat for me and I appreciate it very much.  thanks to you as well.  I think the e-mail from you and the others helped very much.  take care

and from Leslie:

We're working it out.....please keep listening! 

As another 99X listener observed:  "Stuff like this is why I love radio and the internet. A few passionate people can actually make a difference."

Update 03/21/2006 1:19 PM

Corrected attribution of "Stuff like this..." quote. 

 

Wally

Sources close to the show indicate that Wally was "told not to speak" on today's show.  Wally has been working without a contract since last year. 

Update 03/21/2006 8:29 PM

Joey Mills shared this email from Leslie Fram:

It's really trying to keep it to 3 main voices as to not confuse the audience. With 4 people on mic on any show it tends to become a pile-on and hard to distinguish.  Wally is going to come in on certain breaks.

Developing...