| RMS/DOS Update...
Current mood: informative Shortly after 1:00 p.m. yesterday, Brian Purdy (CBS Market Manager), David Henry (105.3 General Manager), and Gavin Spittle (V.P. of Talk Programming for CBS Radio Dallas) walked into Russ Martin's studio. Fifteen minutes later, Russ came into the office Clo and I shared and informed us The Russ Martin Show had been cancelled, and Live 105.3 was flipping formats to all sports programming. Many of you have asked if we saw this coming. A couple of weeks ago, JD and I noticed that some things weren't adding up and that something was going on. We just didn't know the full extent. The station had been trying to implement more sports broadcasts at night and on the weekends, and the new ratings system has favored sporting events early on. CBS feels going all sports is their best chance at success with the new ratings system, and The Russ Martin Show wouldn't be a part of it. We were all informed that we were being terminated effective immediately. We grabbed what we could carry and walked out the back door as the television crews walked in the front. The rest of our stuff will be delivered to us. Nice, huh? Russ and JD are under contract. One way or another, that will work itself out. I know The Russ Martin Show will be back on the air. It's just a matter of where and when. The moment anything new surfaces that I'm allowed to report on, I will do so. The Russ Martin Show Listeners' Foundation is in tact and operational. If a police officer or fire fighter falls in the line of duty, his/her family will be taken care of. Just because the show isn't on the air, that doesn't mean our support for those who protect us wavers. Many of you have also inquired about the status of The Dan O'Malley Show. Since I've been terminated, they can't really do The Dan O'Malley Show, so that is gone, as well. I do not have a contract. Hell, it took over four years just to be put on salary. Not being under contract means I can be on the air any time at any place without having to sit out a non-compete, so I've got that going for me which is nice. I have no hard feelings. I created a number of lasting relationships with people at Live 105.3, CBS Radio, and, more importantly, so many dedicated and loving fans. I started at 105.3 in March of 2002 as a lowly board-op. A few months later, I had my own show and started screening calls for The Russ Martin Show. Over six years later, my ride has ended at 105.3. And I do mean RIDE. What a bitchin' roller coaster! When people use the term 'blood, sweat, and tears', it doesn't usually apply literally. In this case, it does. I've actually bled - you try wiring explosives for six years and not cutting yourself let alone not blowing yourself up. Forget about being unemployed. I'm lucky to be alive. I've sweated, too. Driving the Spittleville police car in the Heroes Parade is an honor, but when there's no air conditioning and the power windows don't work, an honor becomes a near heat stroke. There have been real tears, too. Everytime a police officer or a fire fighter was killed in the line of duty, we cried. We all cried together...not as station employees or listeners...but as people. We all had triumphs and tribulations while on the air at 105.3, and through all of it, we leave with slightly heavy hearts but heads held high. Your encouraging words (with some vague death threats towards CBS managment) are appreciated more than you can possibly know. Being in a room full of your friends, you forget that hundreds of thousands of people are hanging on your every word. This situation opened my eyes even wider to how far reaching the shows were. We'll be back. We're not dead. We're still here. We just have a lot more free time on our hands now. Fuck the devil. Idle hands are OUR playground. Check back often for more updates, and I shall do my best to keep everyone in the loop. Until then, it's all about what's next... | 
