1 of 1- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline 
Former TSN 1050 Morning Man Unloads On The Station In Stunning Video
"It is probably the most embarrassing - if you want to call it a radio station, it's hard to put it in those kind of terms. Because it was a great idea ... and then when others came into the picture, they took a knee, they turtled, they tanked. They did it on purpose!
"...It had nothing to do with any integrity for any who worked there...We were lied to."
And that is just the start of this jaw dropping video from former TSN 1050 morning man Mike Richards. For 20 minutes, he goes into an expansive explanation (some might say rant) about what happened at the station, how he felt let down by management, attacks Bell CEO George Cope and Bell "Let's Talk Day" and how let down he feels by what the corporation did to him, despite a bump in the ratings against impossible odds.
This isn't something you'll see everyday but it sure is an interesting glimpse behind-the-scenes at what's going on at CHUM, which once ruled the city and has now been reduced to almost negligible numbers.
And trust me when I say, no one gets spared.
- cGrant
- Banned
Offline
Re: Former TSN 1050 Morning Man Unloads On The Station In Stunning Video
Saw it -- two words: CAREER KILLER.
- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline
Re: Former TSN 1050 Morning Man Unloads On The Station In Stunning Video
Have to admit I had the same thought while watching it.
- •
Thread Starter- Muffaraw Joe
- Member
Offline
Re: Former TSN 1050 Morning Man Unloads On The Station In Stunning Video
I love this, he knows he won't work there again, he has nothing to lose...and chances are not to many other stations would hire him, so he's doing his own thing and has the freedom to do so!
Brilliant video and the truth has been told!
The world would be so good if it weren't for some people...
- Johnny B
- Member
Offline
Re: Former TSN 1050 Morning Man Unloads On The Station In Stunning Video
Some good inside baseball stuff here...he's cherry-picking the numbers (men 25-54) but those are the exact ones TSN1050, and all male-skewing demo or sports stations care about...if we had a bad book management would spin it to focus on the certain day parts and demos that we did good at...god knows I have a half-dozen stories of program directors lying or back stabbing talent...but the shit does roll downhill...there are hundreds of current and former broadcasters who wish they could do this.....especially towards Bell, Rogers and Corus...too bad his audience isn't large enough to make a true impact...I think his points about Bell Let's Talk have merit as well...Bell won't respond of course but if they did or were asked to they'd simply dismiss it and say something lame like - "Mike is a disgruntled ex-employee and we seriously disagree with his recollection of the events he claims occurred."
- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline
Re: Former TSN 1050 Morning Man Unloads On The Station In Stunning Video
I think part of what set him off is that he had great ratings at the Fan 960 in Calgary and could probably have stayed there indefinitely and successfully for years to come. I suspect he was made promises by Bell that weren't kept and that's what convinced him to leave a sure thing and bring his act to Toronto, the biggest media market in Canada.
So the bitterness is understandable. I'm just surprised that he burned this bridge, since he could certainly have tried to go back out west, where he was an established star and could presumably have picked up right where he left off. Not so sure that competitor Rogers would welcome him back now.
Here's an article from the Globe and Mail way back in 2011 that illustrates what the expectations were for Richards in Toronto:
April 11, 2011: Richards pushed Calgary radio to the limits
- •
Thread Starter- betaylored
- Member
Offline
Re: Former TSN 1050 Morning Man Unloads On The Station In Stunning Video
The people currently working for TSN and Bell should watch this. Not that any of this is a surprise to anyone, but the details are pretty fugly.
Maybe this was cathartic for Mike Richards. It might even bring him some new viewers.
If he came back to sports radio, his previous numbers would suggest he could make a success out of it. Without trying I can name three people working on air now who flamed out, and were hired a few years later by another company.
Though I don't think they ever did a post mortem report on their time with their previous company..
Last edited by betaylored (June 27, 2018 11:25 am)
- Doug Thompson
- Member
Offline
Re: Former TSN 1050 Morning Man Unloads On The Station In Stunning Video
Mike RIchards is an extremely talented (and funny) broadcaster. I worked with him when I was Creative DIrector and Mike was on the morning show on the Team 1050 back in 2001/2002 (another ill fated format). My brother lived in Canmore, Alberta for 8 years and always listened to Mike's program from Calgary. I have great respect for Mike. He always tells it like it is. ANY sports station in North America would be lucky to have him.
.
[img][IMG][/img][/img]
- PaulR
- Member
Offline
Re: Former TSN 1050 Morning Man Unloads On The Station In Stunning Video
I have a great deal of respect for Mike Richards. I listened to him on the TSN 1050 morning show and stopped listening to the station after he left. He worked through his illness because he respected his audience. Good for him for speaking out.
- Old Codger
- Unregistered
Re: Former TSN 1050 Morning Man Unloads On The Station In Stunning Video
Burning bridges? Boo hoo. Bell burned the bridges not Mike. He knows what he's talking about and who he's talking about and he nailed it. Bullseye...bang on. These people aren't worth working for. There's nothing to be gained and it would be a short term stint at any rate. And that remark about the audience? you bet your ever-lovin' arse they don't care about listeners or viewers. And that 'p.d.'? Stereotypical. [and useless]
"Career killer"? No. And better still? He's not an ass kisser.
The fact that Canada's original sports network lost the rights to nhl hockey IN CANADA and for forever and a day tells you all you need to know about the dumbasses sitting up in that ivory tower,,,crapping into their golden toilets.
They're just plain stupid. A pox on the lot of them. Oh wait. Too late. They're already 'poxified'.
- betaylored
- Member
Offline
Re: Former TSN 1050 Morning Man Unloads On The Station In Stunning Video
Thursday morning, CBC's Simon Dingley retweeted Mike Richards piece on TSN with the caption "Inside the world of private sports radio in Toronto. What really goes on..."
Twitter is a funny beast, this could fade away, or the ripple effect could mean that this becomes a Twitter conversation over the long weekend.
Yea it's only Twitter, but that's where TSN's target audience lives, and where a lot of the public's perception of something is formed, so this can't be something TSN's going to be thrilled about. But I bet Mike Richards is okay with this being shared in the Twitterverse.
Last edited by betaylored (June 28, 2018 11:52 am)