by Ed Ryan
It's amazing how one decision can put years, sometimes decades, of reputation building and trust in jeopardy. One decision made by one employee can also throw the reputation of an entire radio station into question. That's what Entercom in New Orleans and talker Garland Robinette are both dealing with after it was reported that Robinette borrowed $250,000 from a man under federal investigation. Turns out that local businessman was involved in an issue that came up on Robinette's show and the article makes the reader think there could be a conflict of interest. As a General Manager how would you deal with this situation?
Adding more discomfort to the situation, WWL News Director Dave Cohen finds himself in the position of having his top two stories of the day involve a fellow employee. You think trust isn't important to Entercom? Cohen's story ended with the following disclaimer. "Neither Robinette, his supervisor, nor any other employees at WWL (aside from Cohen himself) had any input into the writing of this article." As a GM of a trusted news station, would you have added that disclaimer?
Robinette started off his show Tuesday addressing his dilemma. "I know many of you are waiting to hear my response to the Times-Picayune article that was published Saturday. Believe me, I would like nothing more than to respond to each and every allegation, because I have answers, for each and every allegation. But I?ve been asked to refrain from discussing these matters. I agreed to do so long before the Times-Picayune report and I intend to keep that commitment as difficult as that may be. I am not the target of any investigation."
Robinette then appealed to the audience, leaning on his 4 decades of work in the community, to ask listeners to continue to trust him. "I have done absolutely nothing wrong. The terms of the loan mentioned in the article are contained in a signed note related to a piece of property. The loan is due and will be satisfied in October of this year. The fact is, that those who trust the work I?ve done for and with this city for over 40 years will hopefully continue to trust me. My opinions are NOT and have not ever been for sale. I would never dishonor your trust, nor my family?s. The fact of the matter is, I am extremely proud of the work I?ve done prior to, during and after Katrina. I fully expect to continue that work."
Entercom has also issued a statement about the Robinette situation. "In December 2010, Garland Robinette informed WWL about a loan he and his wife Nancy received in 2007 relating to a piece of property they owned, which Garland confirms is due and will be satisfied in October of this year. We do not intend to comment on it publicly any further and do not expect this matter to affect Garland's status with WWL. We expect him to continue his unique and vital role addressing on WWL the important issues facing New Orleans and the Gulf South."
At some point Gulf Coast listeners will make the decision themselves on whether they can trust Robinette every time he cracks the mic. Whether his 40 plus years in the goodwill bank are good enough for them remains to be seen. Reporters are always held to a higher standard and they know that going in to the game. The loan transaction may be as clean as a whistle and paid in full by the due date. However, who the loan was from and what took place since the loan was made may be too much for the listeners to tolerate.
As a General Manager, do you believe trust has been lost?
As a General Manager what would you do if you were sitting in the WWL chair?
Feedback me at edryan@radioink.com or leave your comments below
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