Media Frenzy

By Rob Holbert Managing Editor

I have to admit when I first heard about “Lockdown Shout outs,” my skepticism was palpable. The concept of allowing people to call into WBLX and offer “shout outs” to jail and prison inmates seemed a bit irresponsible at first blush.

But the way WBLX on-air personality DJ Rodski sees it, he’s trying to offer people behind bars a way to find hope that will eventually lead them out of the prison life. He was inspired by his own experience behind bars to use the airwaves for “shout outs.”

“I was incarcerated in 1991 for conspiracy. I dropped off some dope for someone. I knew what it was, but didn’t think I could really get in trouble. I did seven years and four months,” he said.

Rodski has been offering the shout outs for two years as he worked the overnight shift. When he shifted to a daytime slot about seven months ago, the callouts to jailbirds came with him.

“It is to give people who are incarcerated some words of encouragement,” Rodski said. “We all know people who’ve been incarcerated. I do this because I’ve been incarcerated before.”

Rodski says inmates are typically allowed small, personal radios with headsets. With the huge reach of BLX’s signal, he says guests of the state from Florida to Mississippi can hear the station. Rodski says allowing people to get a message to an inmate is not designed as a glorification of prison life, but to show inmates there are people who care about them. Rodski says he preaches against the kinds of things that landed him and others in the slammer. He thinks it’s had a good effect.

“We had some people who called in and said they were hustling. They heard the show and said they’d decided to change their lives,” he recalled.

Occasionally, Rodski says, former inmates will come by the station to say how much the “shout outs” meant to them.

“When they come in, I let them get on the mic and I ask them what they plan to do with their lives now,” Rodski says. “I let them know it’s nobody else’s fault and they need to take responsibility.”

Rodski says there has been a small amount of criticism about the “shout outs.” Most are from victims of crime who feel like it is offering comfort to people who hurt them, he said. But he maintains that such criticism is not the norm.

“We don’t do this to legitimize criminal activity,” he said. “We let them know there is nothing glamorous about lockdown. But everybody needs to be offered forgiveness.”

Emmy wins for WKRG

WKRG TV-5 recently won several Emmy Awards for hurricane coverage surrounding Hurricane Katrina..

Former reporter Jennifer Mayerle and photographer Arnell Hamilton won an Emmy in the Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards for Breaking News in early December for a story called “Hardy Jackson’s Heartache,” which chronicled a Biloxi man’s Katrina tragedy. Jackson’s wife was swept away in the storm’s floodwaters. Mayerle is now a reporter at WGCL, Atlanta’s CBS affiliate.

WKRG’s Glenn Austin and photographer Gary Arnold also won an Emmy for their general assignment report “Hurricane Season 2006.”

The Suncoast regionals include broadcasters throughout Florida, Mobile-Pensacola and New Orleans.

Media events of 2006

In keeping with this issue’s theme of looking back, I’d like to offer a short list of the some of the Mobile area’s biggest or most interesting media stories of 2006. They are in no particular order.

1. The passing of legendary local radio personality Dennis Wayne “Hound Dawg” Stacy.

2. The Mobile Register changing its name to Press-Register.

3. The final settlement of the bankruptcy proceedings that had WZEW and WAVH in an ownership limbo for so long.

4. The announcement that Clear Channel would be selling most of its radio and television stations.

5. The arrival of Bob Franklin as WPMI’s general manager.

6. Mario Mazza’s arrival as general manager at WHIL.

7. WAVH becoming “The Pirate.”

8. The passing of former WKRG-TV5 chief meteorologist Bob Stuart.

9. The passing of Mobile radio giant, Bernie Dittman of WABB and the subsequent decision to keep the station locally owned.

10. WPMI’s story on the “Crichton Leprechaun” has everyone in town saying “I want da gold!”

Rob Holbert is Lagniappe managing editor. Contact him at rholbert@lagniappemobile.com.

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