3.2.20 Bee-otch of the Day: Bob Goodrich

BECOME AN AFFILIATE OF T-SHIRT HELL AND MAKE SOME MONEY!

Bee-otch of the Day honors are awarded Monday through Thursday; Bee-otch of the Week is awarded Sunday morning on Chuck69.com.

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Name: Bob Goodrich
Age: 79
Occupation: owner of a bankrupt movie theater chain and a failing radio station
Last Seen: Grand Rapids, MI
Bee-otched For: facing karma                                                                

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It's no secret that those of you who have read my blog for years know that once upon a time, I had a shitty boss.

He refused to give raises. He spent millions on new machines but paid people low wages to run them. He told people like me - even when I had sweat trenching my shirt - that I didn't do enough. Yet, he lived in a giant house in the country and went on vacation once per month. Meanwhile, I lived in a small, crappy apartment that I could barely afford due to his piss-poor wages.

A few weeks ago, I was emptying trash when I saw a brochure addressed to my ex-boss, even though he retired nine years ago and has distanced himself from our company. It was from the Republican Party, asking him to continue his support for Drumpf. I fondly remember a small Bush sign in front of my workplace in 2004. It's a known fact that Republicans - who love low wages and love to bust unions - are a huge reason why we had the economic breakdown of 2008.

And sadly, it's some Democrats that are in line with the Repukes.

One of them is Bob Goodrich. I used to like him, but in recent years, he's become a total asshole. My love for him collapsed when he fired most of the hosts on his so-called progressive talk station, WPRR 1680 "Public Reality Radio" here in Grand Rapids. Tragically, Goodrich fired any host who opposed the Democratic Party, especially after the melee that cost Bernie Sanders the nomination in 2016. Station programmer and Southpaws host Darren Gibson and Women Libs Radio host Mary Harrington were among the casualties.

Goodrich also angered many when he fired all of their employees under 18 at his Goodrich Quality Theatres chain recently. Some of the underage workers even signed petitions to get their jobs back.

Well, unlike what John Lennon sang about 50 years ago, karma isn't all that instant, but it will get you.

Last week, Goodrich Quality Theatres filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing over $33 million in debt to vendors and studios. Goodrich told MLive that his theaters do bring in money, but not enough to pay off his creditors. He claimed that the chain's downfall began in the early 2010s when his company started to remodel their theaters. Many of the upgrades his cinemas got included new seats (Goodrich is an owner of Telescopic Seating Systems, which makes movie theater seats), IMAX auditoriums and sound and picture upgrades as well. Film distributors forcing theater owners like Goodrich to go digital five years ago might have had an effect on him. One of his debtors is Christie, a company that makes projectors.

But then came Netflix, Hulu and all of its ilk which is way cheaper than going out for a first-run movie. Meanwhile, the GQTs and AMCs of the world charge $12 per adult ticket plus an arm and a leg to enjoy some fresh popped popcorn that only took $1 to make.

Goodrich owns 30 theaters in five states. Their headquarters are here in Grand Rapids where the closest cinema they own is the tiny Ada-Lowell 5, about a 1/2 an hour from town. GQT did have theaters here in Grand Rapids - their first theater, the Savoy opened in 1930, but closed in the 70s - but they couldn't compete with the Loeks family and their dominant Celebration Cinema chain.

Since about half of Goodrich's theaters are leased, it's expected that a judge will order him to give them back to the lessees. It might take out some of GQT's debt. But how much is anybody's guess.

Oh, and the lawyer representing Goodrich in all this? Why, it's good 'ol Tyrone Bynum, the same asshat who fucked over the now-defunct AM 640 and helped Goodrich broom out those who wouldn't allow "vote blue no matter who" in their vocabulary. I would not be surprised if he runs his practice the same way he runs his radio shows. Considering that WPRR only gets a .3 in the ratings, plus the fact that Goodrich is lying that they're a non-profit though they aren't, it only questions how legitimate his practices are. It's almost like the AT&T commercial with the "tax professional" named Dennis Celery.

I understand that owning a movie theater is a tough business, especially if you're a small fish in a wide pond dominated by AMC, Regal and Cinemark. When the distributors forced all cinemas to go digital five years ago, it was devastating news for tiny, small town cinemas, especially those with only one or two screens. Some even had to resort to fundraisers to keep their doors open.

In tiny Suttons Bay, for example, the Bay Theater was owned by the Bahle family for over 40 years. However, financial struggles caused them to close not long ago. But a non-profit bought the theater, built in 1946 and is back to showing movies again. Another theater owner in northern Michigan, the Dawsons - whose Northern Michigan Cinemas are located in Bellaire, Petoskey, Cheboygan, Gaylord and Mackinaw City - got into tax troubles. Their matriarch spent a year in prison while others in the family had to fork over a million bucks to the IRS.

Yes, I love movies, and yes, if there's a movie I just gotta see, Celebration Cinema is my personal choice. Then again, they run a virtual monopoly in my area, though if I wanted to drive an extra 20 minutes, there's the AMC out on Alpine. But yes, I'll admit that I like staying home to watch a movie a lot better. No crowds, no crying children and no high prices. True, John Loeks is a Repuke, but at least he runs his business a helluva lot more legitimately than Goodrich does.

And unlike Goodrich, he'll shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun.


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