Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Henson fires back at 950

By John McMullen

Philadelphia, PA (The Phanatic Magazine) - A series of lineup and schedule changes at WPEN (soon to be ESPN 950) ignited a number of passionate reactions around town last week. My own take created quite a firestorm in Bala Cynwyd but after a wide-ranging discussion with station management earlier this week, some of those concerns were tempered.

Not so for former program director and morning show host Gregg Henson, who claims he suggested similar changes when he was with the station and may have been fired because of his it.

"WPEN picked up ESPN, moved Jody MacDonald to midday and hired a Philly sports talk veteran, Mike Missnelli to host afternoon drive," Henson wrote in a recent blog post. "Odd, these were exactly the changes I outlined and fought for while I was the PD and in the end it cost me my job.

"When I went to my bosses with this exact plan, I was seen as a malcontent who wasn't willing to work with the staff I had inherited. I was told to shut up and give the current station a "positive spin."

Henson then took sharp aim at station manger Bob DeBlois.

"Here's the kicker, the guy responsible for all the various mistakes at the station is still unbelievably calling the shots at WPEN even though it continues to stagger to gain audience," Henson continued

"In hindsight my biggest mistake was letting this guy communicate my ideas to the GM, he made sure that everything I said was filtered through him which I am sure wasn't good news for me. He was the master at perpetuating his own job.

"If the general manager had just listened to me and allowed me to put a product on the air that would work, the radio station may have been making inroads by now."

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