Beware Of How You Fire Somebody...
December 29, 2008
I'm not an attorney but, if you feel you MUST tell somebody why they were fired...this story might help you understand how important it is to tell the truth. (Or better yet...shut up!)
Three weeks ago here in Des Moines radio station 98.3 WOW-FM(Citadel Broadcasting) fired J. Michael McKoy a popular mid-afternoon radio talk show host. At the time, it seems, "Mac" was told it was a budget cut. The station told other media folks in the market it was a financial decision. Nothing personal...
Well, true to form, Mac told Terry Peters, the brass at 98.3 WOW-FM and the local media different. In fact he offered to work "for free". They said..."Nope, you need to go."
Today, Mac signed on at a new station. He's on each weekday from 2 - 4 on 940-AM. (Thanks to Doug Mitchell for the photo) The difference this time is Mac bought the time so....he is not an employee. So, what he says...is his stuff only.
And, today he spent the better part of two hours telling anybody listening (and those numbers are not clear) how "evil" the brass at 98.3 WOW-FM is. And, yep, he used those words...and while he didn't name names...he pretty much went through the list of "positions" so for folks here...it was clear who he was talking about.
The lesson...when you fire somebody. Keep your mouth shut...because you never know when the truth might come out...and from where.
Michael Libbie - Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications