Bee-otch of the Day: May 2021

Thursday, May 13, 2021

5.13.21 Bee-otch of the Day: Ellen DeGeneres

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

Name: Ellen DeGeneres
Age: 63
Occupation: unfunny comedienne
Last Seen: Los Angeles
Bee-otched For: being a quitter
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PLEASE NOTE: We are in the process of moving to a new location. As a result, Bee-otch of the Day will be updated less frequently than usual for the time being. Thank you for your patience.

It seems that not long ago, Ellen DeGeneres was on top of the world.

Her daytime talk show was one of the highest-rated programs in syndication. Her guests were giant A-listers in Hollywood. The world was her oyster.

And then, the bottom fell out.

When she was spotted in George W. BusHitler's skybox at a Dallas Cowboys football game, many in the LGBTQ+ community called her a traitor for being a friend to somebody who was no friend to them. But of course, Ellen's fame took an even bigger nosedive when it was revealed that her show's workplace was very toxic.

The reports regarding the culture at Ellen were damning. Producers told her fans things like not to look at her or even be smarter than her if they were playing one of her games. The backlash from the negativity regarding the behind-the-scenes hellhole caused the show to lose half of its viewers.

Now, it's the end.

Ellen has officially announced that the 2021-22 season for the show will be its last. She claimed that she needed something new to challenge her and that the backstage melee had nothing to do with her discontinuing her program. She claims that she wants to do things related to her favorite causes, such as the environment. As a matter of fact, she recently narrated "Endangered", a documentary on Discovery +.

Not a whole lot of people defended Ellen through her situation, though she did find an ally in Howard Stern. When the backstage problems on her show were hot headlines, Stern stood up for her, claiming that he felt terrible when she lost her 1990s sitcom after she came out as gay in 1997, causing the show's ratings to decline and advertisers to pull their spots.

Now, I'm one of those people who judges on talent and not by how different they are. Look at Bill Cosby: back in the 1960s, he was one of the first black comics to be accepted by white audiences. He was clean and was somebody the whole family could enjoy. Because of this, he was on many children's shows like Sesame Street and Captain Kangaroo. Hell, he even saved NBC when The Cosby Show became a ratings smash. Personally, I never found him funny. But, to each their own. IMHO, I think he used his race to get to places most other African Americans would never be allowed to go. And yes, he used his race to get what he wanted, like raping and drugging women.

When it comes to blacks, gays and just about everybody else, there's no "I hate this person because they're gay" or "this guy's black, so he must be in a gang". I know. I've dealt with too many assholes who are a part of a minority. One reason why I started this very blog was because when I was a teen in the 1990s, I lived in northern Michigan, where the only real rock station there avoided bands that I actually liked, like KoRn, Rage Against the Machine, Tool and others. Instead, the station was loaded with butt rock from the 70s and then-currents from soccer mom acts like Counting Crows, Goo Goo Dolls and Melissa Etheridge. One of the worst-kept secrets was that part of the reason why the station's new rock selections were limp was because their programming director and midday jock is a lesbian. Not only that, but the station even had a Saturday morning standup comedy show and they were load it up with crap from Ellen and the horrid Rosie O'Donnell. But, guess what? There's a TON of members of the LGBTQ+ family who know how to rock, namely the likes of Lzzy Hale, Billie Joe Armstrong and Otep, just to name a few. It's just that this woman was nothing more than a puppet for her bosses in North Dakota, who cared more about money than programming.

The reality is that Ellen is simply not that funny and I get douche chills when I have to watch her horrible show. Simply put, good riddance. I kinda knew that something was up with her and it was all before her downfall. Now, she can spend time eating caviar with dictators and living a life where nobody has to look at her because she can live a private life with Portia and their millions.

Yes, Ellen wants us all to be kind to everybody. But, when that person doesn't want to give you a seat at the table, then, you can tell them to fuck off.

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Wednesday, May 12, 2021

5.12.21 Bee-otches of the Day: the media

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

Name: the media
Age: ageless
Occupation: entertainers and informers of the world
Last Seen: everywhere
Bee-otched For: ratings? What ratings?
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PLEASE NOTE: We are in the process of moving to a new location. As a result, Bee-otch of the Day will be updated less frequently than usual for the time being. Thank you for your patience.

A few weeks ago in Grand Rapids (yeah, I know I'm late with all the moving and etc.), the Nielsen radio ratings were released.

WOOD-AM/FM won the book - probably because of Rush's death - while Christian WCSG was at #2. B93, GRD and LAV rounded the top five.

However, there were a few embarrassments. WFGR had its worst book in a while, while The Q 94.5 had its worst book since its debut a few years ago. Urban stations seem to be the worst off of the bunch with Magic 104.9 registering at a 1.7 while the recently-launched 102.5 The Drive is nowhere to be seen, Steve Harvey and all.

Of Grand Rapids' high-powered music stations, Thunder 107.3 continues to be a joke with a 1.7, though ratings are up for the floundering frequency. Sister sports station WJRW is also a joke with a paltry .7, tied with Muskegon rocker WMRR 101.7.

A few weeks ago in Traverse City, the Ticker website published an article about how the local radio stations are reshaping their formats in the age of the pandemic. They talked with Chris Warren, the general manager of Midwestern Broadcasting's cluster (WTCM-AM/FM, WCCW-AM/FM, Z93 and KLT) and claimed that when it comes to music, they can't compete with Pandora and others. So their top asset is something that one cannot get from streaming: local content.

In the article, Warren talked about the importance of personalities at their stations, especially KLT's overrated Nina Blackwood wannabe Terri Ray, who has been KLT's programming director for some 25 years. Before Midwestern purchased KLT in December 2019, former owner Northern Broadcast fired most of the staff, save for Ray, who has been with KLT since 1984. Since Midwestern's purchase of KLT, the company rehired morning man Steve "Omelette" Normandin and moved Dean Berry over from oldies sister station WCCW-FM 107.5.

Warren also states that he had gotten a Nielsen report claiming that "good old fashioned radio listenership is stronger now than it's ever been" and that they've "always touted levels in the neighborhood of 90-92 percent of adults listening to local radio – whether it's 15 minutes a day, or 15 hours a day". Hmmmm.... OK, so how *is* Midwestern doing? According to the article, Warren claims that Midwestern "had a strong year".

OK, so what about dem ratings?

Since the pandemic began, only one major radio company in northern Michigan, Black Diamond Broadcasting, still subscribes to the Nielsen ratings. Their stations are doing quite well, though Rock 105/95-5 has lost some ground this past year. Now that WTCM-FM no longer has a signal in the Straits Area with 93.5 flipping to a KLT simulcast, Big Country 102.9 has been their best performer. Classic rocker The Bear has also improved, though recently, popular morning host Smitty exited the station and radio altogether.

Now, Midwestern is claiming that they have a hit on their hands with the return of Omelette. But, is it for real? Bear in mind that when he replaced the godawful Bob and Tom Show on The Bear, the station had lackluster ratings, which was why he was fired. Of course as mentioned, KLT is now on 93.5 in the Petoskey area and 96.7 near Alpena (98.9 was spun-off to a religious group because of FCC limits). How it's affected WTCM-FM is anyone's guess.

So, let's say that I owned a supermarket and one day, a Midwestern sales rep walked into my store. This is how the convo would go:

Midwestern Sales Rep: Hi! My name is Lou Skunt, and I'm a sales rep at Midwestern Broadcasting Co., the owners of WTCM, WCCW, Z93 and KLT. Are you the owner of this business?
Me: Yes.
MSR: Great! Well, I'm here to talk to you about buying some air time at our wonderful group of stations here in the Grand Traverse Region. You know, Midwestern Broadcasting has been in business since 1939 and has been family-owned since day one! We have some of the highest-rated radio stations in the area and we feature some of the most-popular talent! Listen, King Chuck, did you know that according to Nielsen, radio listenership is as strong as ever and that around 90-92% of all adults in this area listen to the radio at any given time?
Me: Prove it.
MSR: Well, here's the article.
Me: Do you have the latest ratings?
MSR: Here you go!
Me: Ummmm... This is from before you rehired Omelette. This is not current.
MSR: Well, um, books are, um, expensive. Um, well, you know that Omelette is the #1 morning show in northern Michigan, right?
Me: Prove it.
MSR: Well.... um.... he is! You know, right?
Me: Listen. What are you hearing?
MSR: Slow, symphonic music. Why?
Me: That's a channel called "Escape" on SiriusXM. It's calm and relaxing and perfect for my shoppers, many of whom are elderly folks over 50. And why do I have Sirius? It's because I'm a Howard Stern guy and you people would have never given him the time of day 20 years ago.
MSR: Well, we have Omelette, and he's, um, like Stern...
Me: Yeah, he rips off everything he's done. And why you assholes were crying that he wouldn't sell up here, you were pumping horseshit from Rush and Dr. Laura on WTCM-AM who were more offensive than anything Howard's ever done. Look. Radio is dead. Quit spinning.
MSR: Look, I'll cut you a deal...
Me: (grabs cell phone to call the cops)

Meanwhile, the Ticker also talked with Jerry Coyne, who owns rocker Q100 and sports talker WGRY 101.1 - Up North Sports Sports Radio. Recently, WGRY's programming added on WJML 1110 Petoskey, WJNL 1210 Traverse City and the low-power translator at 101.1 in TC. According to Coyne, the stations will be the area's flagship for Detroit Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons sports while Q100 will handle the Lions.

With the Tigers moving to UNSR, it ends 80 years of the baseball team's games being aired on any Traverse City station owned by Midwestern. Because of this, it's adding to the rumor mill that the for sale sign is shining brightly at the Radio Centre complex in downtown TC. Company president Ross Biederman is 80 years old and none of his biological children are involved with the company. Chris Warren, however, is his stepson, but unlike Ross, he's not a radio guy, but rather a bean counter. Now, I have talked with a former Midwestern employee who is still good pals with many at 314 E. Front St. and he told me that Ron Jolly is quashing the rumors because his show is a top biller at WTCM-AM. Granted, none of Detroit's teams - especially the Tigers at this current moment - are to die for. But the fact that northern Michigan's biggest Tiger affiliate is a daytimer with an FM translator station whose signal doesn't quite make it to Elk Rapids should be an embarrassment. After all, up until last year, nighttime games were on WCCW-FM 107.5.

However, it is a good deal that because of the addition of sports talk on 1110/1210/101.1, it marks the end of 30 years of low-rated shitty conservative talk on WJML. Did WJML ever have a one share in the ratings ever as a talk station? Anyway, it leaves Dave Ramsey, Laura Ingraham and a bunch of low-ranked talkers off the air up north. True, WJML *did* have a few good talkers here and there at one time, like Mike Malloy and Ed Schultz. Hell, they even had a progressive talk sister in the 2000s, Kool 750! Of course, that station died a sad death when it was sold to a certain radio slumlord who is sitting on eggshells because his inflated ego cost him everything.

The moral of the story is simple: radio is a business. You take care of people and they'll take care of you. I know, Nielsen ain't cheap. It sucks that only one major radio group up north is subscribing to the ratings while the rest pull shit out of their ass. It's hard to tell what really sucks up north when the lesser of all the radio evils subscribes to the book.

And that, my friend, is what makes them more evil.

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CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!

Monday, May 10, 2021

5.9.21 Bee-otch of the Day: the douchebag who heckled Governor Whitmer in Traverse City last week

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

Name: unknown
Age: reportedly 39
Occupation: unknown
Last Seen: jail
Bee-otched For: ruining a visit from Whitmer
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PLEASE NOTE: We are in the process of moving to a new location. As a result, Bee-otch of the Day will be updated less frequently than usual for the time being. Thank you for your patience.

Last Thursday was supposed to be an eventful day for the citizens of Traverse City, Michigan for all the right reasons.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer came to Discovery Pier in nearby Grelickville and signed a bill into law on a kayak protecting our state's natural resources. However, while the Governor was speaking, a heckler was kind enough to scream and yell throughout her speech. He shouted obscenities and told her to "go back to Lansing".

After the speech, Leelanau County Police showed up to confront the protestor, who was arguing with Rick Coates, part of rock station 97.5 WKLT's The Omelette Show. During the argument, the man was asked why he wouldn't run for office, and his response was "the only people who are elected to office are criminals like Whitmer". In front of officers, said douchenozzle took the microphone from the hand of WPBN-TV 7&4 reporter Natalie Spala and threw it across the parking lot. Then, after the cops arrested the man, he spat on Spala's cameraman.

Currently, the man - whose name has not been revealed - is serving time in the Leelanau County Jail.

Since the pandemic began, Governor Whitmer has been lauded for her state shutdowns, but has also been a target for violent conservatives who have threatened to kill her and her family. Last year, a militia group was caught planning to kill the Governor, even going as far as to stalk her vacation home near Elk Rapids, Michigan. This new attack on the Governor is just another threat from someone who doesn't understand how politics work.

To make matters worse, the radio and TV station that was there at the signing might have added to the man's actions. WKLT is owned by Midwestern Broadcasting, whose sister station, WTCM 580, has given northern Michigan the unholy noises of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and others for over three decades. Almost coincidentally, it was Midwestern who also founded 7&4, which after several ownership changes is now in the hands of the one and only Sinclair Broadcast Group. As many broadcasting geeks know, Sinclair is pretty much the Antichrist of journalism by turning local newscasts into ultra-right flaming piles of shit.

It wouldn't shock me if this prick was brainwashed by all the fake news in the world. He probably thinks that science doesn't exist and that COVID-19 is a fairytale. In reality, we need to thank Governor Whitmer for putting our health first, even if it means that businesses have to close for good, big and small. Also, major props go out to Ms. Spala, who has been with 7&4 for three years. She took the jerk's slings and arrows and came out unscathed. I hope that test will allow her to move up in the broadcasting world, especially to bigger markets like Grand Rapids.

As for this loser, I hope he and his tinfoil hat rot in jail for a long, long time. What he did last week was inexcusable and made a poor example of the right.

He needs to end up in a psych ward... with all the other assholes on the right with him.

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CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!

Thursday, May 6, 2021

5.4.21 Bee-otch of the Day: Bobby Paul Edwards

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

Name: Bobby Paul Edwards
Age: 57
Occupation: former restaurant manager
Last Seen: jail
Bee-otched For: modern-day slavery
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PLEASE NOTE: We are in the process of moving to a new location. As a result, Bee-otch of the Day will be updated less frequently than usual for the time being. Thank you for your patience.
To some people in the south, slavery is alive and well.

But, the law is the law.

Bobby Paul Edwards is serving a ten-year jail sentence for forcing a mentally challenged black man to work for no pay at the restaurant he managed in Conway, South Carolina, which is by Myrtle Beach, J&J Cafeteria. He was sentenced in 2019 for beating cook John Smith multiple times with a belt and pots and pans and forced him to work over 100 hours per week without pay.

Now, a judge has ordered Edwards to pay Smith $546,000 for all the pain he caused him. Originally, he was only ordered to pay him $273,000, bit the Department of Justice ruled that overtime compensation and the delay of payment should be added to his settlement.

Smith, who has an IQ of 70, started working at J&J when he was 12 in 1990. In 2009, Edwards started managing the restaurant and that's when the abuse began for Smith. Edwards ordered Smith to live in an attached apartment and ordered him to work without a day off. According to court documents, Smith was not allowed to take any time off. If he didn't comply with Edwards' orders, he threatened that he would be arrested.

According to court documents, Edwards would dip metal tongs into hot oil and pressed it onto Smith's neck. He would also punch Smith and beat him with pots and pans. Smith's family would even come visit and Edwards would hide him because he had scars on his body. Thankfully in 2014, a concerned waitress finally spoke out and turned Edwards to a labor board.

In 2019, Edwards plead guilty for enslaving Smith and was given a ten-year jail sentence. With $546,000, Smith can live decently for a good while. However, it will not erase the scars he received from Edwards.

As for J&J Cafeteria, they are still in business, though people have hounded Yelp with negativity surrounding its racist legacy. It might explain why it has no website or social media page.

You know, it's a shame that I've heard it all: bounced paychecks and abuse from bosses. Hell, when I was a teen, I worked at a restaurant myself and worked with a child molester with mental issues. However, he wasn't convicted yet, so he was still hirable... barely.

The point is, is that I hope J&J has been sold since and that if they have new owners, they can return integrity into their business. Otherwise, I wouldn't be eating there if I were visiting Myrtle Beach. I hope that Bobby Paul Edwards will rot in hell for what he did and will receive torture worse than what he gave Smith.

When slavery officially ended in 1863, some people didn't get the message.

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CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

5.3.21 Bee-otch of the Day: those wanting to shut down WSOU

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

Name: various
Age: various
Occupation: various
Last Seen: various, especially around New York City
Bee-otched For: wanting to kill rock 'n roll
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PLEASE NOTE: We are in the process of moving to a new location. As a result, Bee-otch of the Day will be updated less frequently than usual for the time being. Thank you for your patience.

As Ozzy Osbourne once once sang, "You can't kill rock 'n roll, it's here to stay."

Or, can they?

Once upon a time, the largest radio market in the USA, New York, hosted a heavy plethora of rock stations. Those stations had names like WPLJ, WNEW and K-Rock. Because of corporate stupidity, those stations are just a memory now. New York *does* have an alternative station, Audacy's Alt 92.3, where K-Rock and Howard Stern once graced their airwaves. Of course, some even ask if Audacy's definition of alternative *is* rock at all.

True, New York has at least one station playing Foo Fighters, Green Day and other harder alternative bands. However, that means having to sit through Billie Eilish, AJR, Mumford and Sons and other wimpy pop acts to get to them. But, if one wants to listen to true rock gods like Slipknot, Metallica, The Pretty Reckless and others, your options in the Big Apple include SiriusXM, internet streaming or WSOU 89.5.

Since 1986, the station, nicknamed "Pirate Radio" has been at the forefront of hard rock and heavy metal. As other rock stations in the Big Apple folded over the years due to corporate BS, WSOU has remained at the forefront of rock, both new and old.

But now, some people want to shut it down.

A protest group called "Shutdown WSOU" are pressuring the station's owners to close it down because of them playing so-called "Satanic" music. So, why do they want WSOU to cease to exist? Because they're owned by Seton Hall University, which is a Catholic institution.

Shutdown WSOU is headed by Richard Smaglick, who happens to live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He told TV station News 12 "This is a Catholic University. Catholic universities of America have lost track of their mission to an extreme. It's so bad that this Catholic university is airing Satanism to what they call a target audience of 12-year-olds in the largest media market in North America and that needs to end."

Sounds like someone's stuck in 1986.

A spokesperson for WSOU said, "WSOU's advisory board comprised of WSOU students and alumni along with Seton Hall University clergy and administrators, meets regularly to review the station's content and operating policies and standards. The goal is to ensure that WSOU continues to realize its mission, goals, and long-held operating procedures. Further incorporating and integrating Catholic mission and ministry into WSOU's wide-ranging and popular programming is always a priority."

WSOU is primarily active rock, though on the weekends, the station airs several Catholic-based public affairs programs, a Sunday mass and even a polka show.

The strange connection between a religious institution and a secularly-programmed radio or TV station is as old as broadcasting itself. KSL Radio and TV has been connected to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints since it began nearly 100 years ago. Notoriously, KSL-TV has been known for pre-empting network shows they've long-found offensive. Currently, the station airs Days Of Our Lives at 1 a.m. because the program contains a gay couple. South Bend, IN NBC station WNDU-TV was once owned by Notre Dame University, but sold the station to Gray Television in 2005. Green Bay's WBAY-TV was started by the Norbertine Order of Priests, who owned the current ABC affiliate until 1974.

Granted, Catholicism is imperfect, just like any other religion, especially one with ties to Christianity. People love to judge President Biden for his views, though unlike Drumpf, he actually goes to church on Sunday as opposed to getting brainwashed by a televangelist. People judge Cardi B. because of her megahit from last year, "WAP", which stands for "Wet Ass Pussy". Yet, she, like Biden is a practicing Catholic. Same thing with Slayer, who were criticized for years for their Satanic overtones in their music. And yet, lead singer Tom Araya is - you guessed it - Catholic.

Here in Grand Rapids, we had a similar problem with Howard Stern. For many years, religious groups tried to push WKLQ into canceling the King of All Media. Well, they did, and KLQ ended up with multiple failed morning shows until the station itself signed off for good in 2009. Funny that these religious pricks had to get their way, yet, many of them are fans of WCSG, a radio station who had a pedophile as their morning show host for many years. Of course, that asshole, John Balyo is now serving a 35-year jail sentence for molesting two 12-year-old boys as part of a sex ring.

Granted, nobody's perfect, and neither are Catholics and rock stars alike. But, as long as people listen to WSOU and it makes money for Seton Hall, let it go. If Seton Hall wants to eliminate WSOU, that's fine, too. Personally, I think a dumbass from Wisconsin has better things to do than to tell a radio station in New Jersey what to do.

Besides, playing death metal is definitely a more-Godly thing than to molest choir boys.

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CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!