It’s unlikely that many watching the Democratic National Convention last week could have guessed that the son of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) would ultimately lead to a media firestorm for one of news/talk radio’s highest-rated local hosts in Jay Weber.
But the 1130 WISN host went viral on X after he labeled Walz’s son, Gus, a “babbling bitch boy” after the 17-year-old fought back tears as his father accepted the Vice Presidential nomination.
Since his comments, Weber has not been featured on the Milwaukee news/talk station. The guest for his program on Friday was adamant that Weber had previously scheduled to be off on Friday and that he would return on Monday. Except he didn’t. He was not on the air as suggested, leading many to assume that the longtime host had been suspended. However, the station has yet to comment publicly on the matter.
As the situation rose in notoriety and attention, questions persisted. What should be done about the situation? What discipline, if any, should Weber face? Will this ultimately lead to him losing his job? Who should address the situation publicly?
That led us to ask similar questions of three news/talk radio leaders. After the controversy, we asked on current news/talk radio program director, a former brand leader, and a current high-level executive for their perspective on the situation. Those interviewed were granted anonymity to speak more openly about the situation and their management approach.
“If I could, I would take social media away from every talent I work with,” the current program director said. “That is unrealistic and that is where trust, responsibility, and reminders about social media come into play in coaching. It is forever and more than just a talent’s loyal audience sees it, which is always where the trouble begins.”
Both program directors believed both 1130 WISN and Jay Weber need to address the situation publicly before letting the news cycle carry the story out to sea.
“Do not deflect, ignore, or hope it will go away. It never does and will only get worse,” the current program director said. “There have been plenty of times I kept the talent away from the public and made the statement myself and then stopped commenting, knowing the news cycle would push it away.
“There have been others — and this is one — where the host needs to publicly apologize and then have no comment and let it end. But something had to be done, quickly, and with an appropriate sense of urgency and empathy,” they continued. “Off the air, you need to make sure you look that talent in the eye and have a very sincere, deep, and specific conversation about the line and what happens when they cross it. They can get near the line, they can even walk on it, but never cross it. Before that happens, though, you do need to make sure everyone understands where the line is. Then, if you trust your talent, all is good.”
“There is more than just listener complaints. There are huge clients. I think that it is essential that all clients get a call from the AE, sales manager, and/or market manager,” the former program director stated. “Nip the controversy in the bud. Have the host write notes to all clients apologizing for the mistake.”
The high-level executive Barrett Media spoke with shared that their company likes to impress upon its employees that social media is no different than over-the-air radio. Essentially, FCC guidelines extend to the on-air talent’s digital presence as much as it does to their radio show. But that company, the executive said, goes a step further.
“If your high school-age son or daughter were to see or hear this on the air, is this something you’d be proud of? Fortunately, we don’t really get into this situation very often. We have, certainly,” the executive said. “It’s sort of like the ‘What is porn? I can’t define it, but when I see it, I’ll know it.'”
The executive continued that there are still some radio talents clinging to the Howard Stern style of broadcasting that just doesn’t really fly in 2024 America.
“You have a few hangers-on that still think ‘If I say something really off the wall, I’ll get notoriety. The situation that happened recently … if you don’t know the situation, then don’t comment on it. Don’t make some kind of rash, controversial comment on something that you don’t know anything about. Those are some of those counseling or coaching sessions that we’ll get into with our people should that happen. When you do have these incidents, I will tell you as (an executive), I personally get involved in the mediation of issues of this nature. They’re that important … We don’t take these kind of instances lightly. But we also deal with the person and the situation and the specificity of the incident and the action because everyone’s different and every instance is different.”
The executive added that they are not averse to hiring and employing a host willing to walk up to the proverbial line or isn’t afraid to court controversy. However, they believe that there needs to be some transparency from the studio to the station and company leadership before those topics are discussed.
“Let’s say you’re one of my personalities and I know you’re a guy who has put me in hot water in the past. I would say to you, and I’d have our leadership team — our manager — say to you ‘Look, we’ve had hot water moments before. Here’s all I need from you: If you’re going to go down a slippery slope, you tell me before you do it. Don’t surprise me. Don’t let me get a call like this. Tell me beforehand ‘Hey, I’m going to address this. It might get ugly.’ You tell me beforehand so I can deal with it and I won’t be surprised. That’s one of the biggest problems we have as leadership, is when we get surprised by it. It’s all about communication. It’s critical.”
While Milwaukee news/talk listeners await to hear from Jay Weber, who originally walked back his comments before sharing a strongly worded apology for his comments the morning after the controversy went viral, both the current and former program directors believed balancing supporting your host who created a situation that has received international attention behind-the-scenes with public scorn can be a delicate balance.
“A PD must protect the host when and if possible,” the former programmer stated. “Sometimes, the error is so egregious that the PD must focus on protecting the brand. No host is bigger than the brand. The radio station’s reputation must be first. The PD also needs to take some responsibility. It’s the program director’s ship. Look at football coaches. They take the blame for the error that cost the game. If the host has never screwed up before, stand up for them.”
“You can do both (supporting your host internally while disciplining them publicly or vice versa) simultaneously,” the current leader shared. “Having a talent’s back and disciplining them if the situation warrants are two different things. Especially in public vs. private. Saying in public that I support my talent and that they have the right to their own opinion is easy in most situations. And then, behind the scenes, smacking them around for being stupid or having their mouth and brain moving at different speeds is also easy when it is called for and does not have to ever be in the public domain.
“In this case, however, I could not defend what the talent said. He crossed a huge line, which he addressed in his apology which is way too late. Now, I do not know this talent and have never worked with him. Everyone gets one mistake, even a big one. I hope this was a learning experience for him and then you move on. However, if it is something has has occurred repeatedly, that is a different story.”
The current leader concluded by stating, “I would never expect to have to say to any talent not to be stupid and make fun of a candidate’s son who has a non-verbal learning disability. It is a pretty easy rule that has been followed going back to Amy Carter: families are off-limits. Unless A: they are adults and in the public eye, and B: Actually did something that is newsworthy and worth talking about. Jerry Ford’s kid smoking pot in the White House, Hunter Biden, etc… Outside that, you’d think your talent has enough common sense to stay away from the kids of the people we talk about.”
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
