Bee-otches of the Day: Tyrone Bynum and Robert S. Womack

Names: Tyrone Bynum and Robert S. Womack
Ages: 62, 58
Occupations: lawyer, Kent County Commissioner
Last Seen: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Bee-otched For: attempting a hostile takeover

The saga of the radio douchebag known as Tyrone Bynum just won't end.

Last year, we handed BOTD dishonors to the asshat who operates urban AC WPRR 1680 and its low-powered translator at 102.5 - operating as The Ride - for running an illegal operation. Under FCC rules, 1680 and 102.5 must be simulcast 24/7. But, 10,000-watt 1680 has been airing an oddball mish-mash of random classic urban tunes for about a year with no commercials and another FCC no-no, no legal station IDs.

We also ripped Bynum a new one because The Ride's new studio is located at Rogers Plaza, the Grand Rapids area's most-dead shopping mall and the butt of many, many jokes. You could say that it is more embarrassing than the rickety parking area at Rivertown Crossings. If you want to hear some of those jokes, BTW, just listen to the old Chris Rock routine of "Every town in America has two malls: the mall white people go to and the mall white people used to go to."

Well now, we've heard from a reliable source that Tyrone, along with fellow radio prick and Kent County commissioner Robert S. Womack - who has a show on The Ride - attempted a hostile takeover of 97.3 The Heat. The 49-watt urban station is owned by the non-profit Empowerment Radio Project, which is run by Jose Flores. Word has it that Flores knows a few folks from the FCC and is now threatening to report WPRR to them.

But, there's one problem: Tyrone does not own WPRR. 

According to my source, Bynum has been leasing the station, formerly liberal talk Public Reality Radio from longtime owner Robert Goodrich who filed for bankruptcy in 2020. Goodrich was marred with poor business decisions, such as firing station programmer and Southpaws host Darren Gibson because of his lack of support for 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton due to the screwjob the Democrats put on the more progressive candidate, Bernie Sanders. Goodrich also made headlines for firing all of his minor employees at his movie theaters so he could start selling liquor. In the end, Goodrich lost the GQT movie theater chain his father started in 1930, which is now owned by several private equity firms.

Goodrich - now in his 80s - also lost his home and now lives in a small townhouse off of East Paris in Kentwood. But somehow, he still has WPRR, which he's leasing to Bynum, who is also his personal lawyer.

If WPRR is fined for Bynum's idiotic bullshit, sadly, Goodrich might be the one slapped with the fine. Why, you might ask? Look no further than Traverse City. 

A few years ago, a similar situation occurred between a radio station owner and another entity that was leasing his stations. The renters broke an FCC law but it was the owner who paid for their snafu.

The owner was Roy Henderson, who owns WLDR 101.9 Traverse City, WBNZ 92.3 Frankfort, WLLS 99.3 Beulah, and WWKK 750 Petoskey. He used to own 100.7 Bear Lake and WMTE 1340 Manistee, but he lost those stations due to them being silent for too long.

With a partner, Henderson started WKLT in Kalkaska in 1979, then at 97.7, 6,000 watts, and a top 40 format. With northern Michigan being overloaded with CHRs, Kilt 98 was a ratings dud, even with Michael O'Shea as one of their jocks. In 1981, WKLT flipped to country, but ratings did not improve. 

Obviously, Henderson had nothing to lose when he flipped WKLT again a year later to a format that was successful in larger cities, but not up north: album-oriented rock. Now known as 98 Rock, the station's ratings rose and two years later in 1984, Henderson sold the station for $250,000 to Langer Gokey, a wealthy Pepsi bottler from Minot, ND.

Henderson took the money and ran off to Texas where he started a chain of successful stations that played Texas-style music. He also bought tiny, small-town stations that made little - if any - profit and moved them to larger cities, which made him millions.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was a blessing to deep-pocketed broadcasters like Henderson. He could buy up more radio stations and he was eying one of the fastest-growing in America: the one he abandoned years ago, Traverse City. While he was investing in Texas, WKLT's new owners boosted their signal by moving 97.7 to 97.5 and expanding their power from 6,000 to 32,000 watts. They even purchased 98.9 WJML in Petoskey - a station that once creamed WKLT in the ratings in its short lifespan - and flipped it to WKLZ, a full-time simulcast of WKLT. Henderson was jealous of KLT's success and growth. So, he felt that buying up a ton of lackluster signals in the Grand Traverse region - plus a 100,000-watt heritage station in the area - would boost his ego.

In 2000, Henderson bought WLDR from longtime owners Don Wiitala and Dave Maxon for $3.6 million, the biggest price for one single radio station in northern Michigan. Henderson also bought several other stations, such as 1210 AM in Kingsley, a station that despite being a 50,000-watt flamethrower, was daytime only to protect WPHT Philadelphia. 

Henderson also planned a giant multi-use project called the Covelly Broadcast Centre at the corner of Front and Park in downtown Traverse City. He demolished several buildings and put up a foundation. However, he butted heads with the city commission over building height and even threatened to sue them. He even tried to move the long-troubled Bear Lake station to Bellaire, but the FCC didn't allow it.

And then, 9/11 hit and it gave Roy an excuse to abort the Covelly project. He blamed a lot of people for his problems. One finger was pointed at Ross Biederman, the owner of Midwestern Broadcasting (owners of WTCM, WCCW, Z93, and KLT) and Radio Centre. Roy wanted Covelly to be taller, but the city commission complained that it was too tall. Feeling that the city was in bed with Biederman - whose father, Les, founded WTCM and NBC affiliate WPBN 7&4 - Henderson flipped WLDR from its decades-old AC format to country as Sunny Country 101.9.

Biederman's WTCM-FM 103.5 had ruled the radio ratings roost for many years. Henderson even took one of WTCM's top jocks, Ryan Dobry to handle middays at WLDR. However, WTCM still came out on top of the ratings heap. Even worse, Dobry and the rest of WLDR's jocks all quit due to bounced paychecks and a toxic workplace that Henderson inflicted on his staff. Rumor had it that Henderson threw staplers and even computer monitors at his staff. At that time, Henderson put his botched Covelly project - basically a hole in the ground with a fence around it - on the market for $5 million. It sat abandoned for years until the city forced Henderson to sell it to the highest bidder. He got $2 million.

Not long after the mass exodus at WLDR, Henderson hired market vet Dan Stevens - the former night jock at WCCW - to handle mornings, programming, and even sales at the station. I chatted with Dancin' Dan a few years ago and he told me that under contract, Henderson was supposed to pay him $28,000 plus benefits. Instead, he was paying him $22,000. He knew that he had to cover his ass, so he recorded himself arguing with Roy and his British wife, Susanne. Well, it was enough for a judge to rule in favor of Stevens, who was awarded $25,000.

Over the years, Henderson had his fair share of legal problems and people who simply avoided him and his stations like the plague. He installed an HD transmitter for WLDR so he could air more programming, such as smooth jazz and oldies. He even used WLDR's signal to retransmit the programming on his Bear Lake station, which aired a conservative news-talk format that featured Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Don Imus. Word had it that he slapped on a banner on his stations' studios across from Tom's West Bay telling fans of those shows that they now needed an HD radio to hear them. Well, that didn't sit well with WTCM, and eventually, Henderson had to knock it off. Rumor also had it that Henderson forced electronics stores to carry $100 tabletop HD radios. Obviously, all they did was collect dust on the shelves.

It's worth noting that the Bear Lake station at 100.1 FM is now silent, and so is another Manistee area station Henderson bought, WMTE 1340. In WMTE's case, the previous owners sold off the transmission site. Henderson couldn't secure a new site and its license was deleted by the FCC due to inactivity. As for 100.1 - whose call signs over the years included WRQT, WZTU, WSRI, and WCUZ - the station never had a stable life, no matter the owner. When it was AC-formatted WRQT in the late 80s, it was silenced due to tax trouble. When it was 80s-centric classic hits Star FM in the late 90s, it lasted only a short time due to its lack of profitability. It was silent most of the time Henderson owned it, save for its short-lived talk format and when it simulcasted WLDR. A few years ago, Henderson finally sent 100.1's license back to the FCC after the station's tower's owner, Roger Hoppe - who himself owned 100.1 in the early/mid-90s as WZTU 100.1 The Storm - reported him to the FCC because he did not pay him tower rent for two years.

Speaking of the West Bay studios, with few people working for Roy, it became very neglected. In 2015, a water main in the building broke, forcing WLDR off the air. Word had it that Roy shut the heater off to save on his bills. Reportedly, Henderson was forced to toss most of the station's equipment because it was water-logged. 

Also during the 2010s, Henderson would have his non-WLDR stations off the air without telling the FCC. One brave soul reported him regarding 99.3, only to have Roy lie to the Commission by telling them what commercials aired during the time in question by his station's programming supplier, Westwood One. Often, if you listened to WLDR's top-of-the-hour ID, you'd hear Roy's other stations bunched in to make the FCC feel that all of them simulcasted each other. On the outside, Roy wanted everyone to feel that he was almighty and powerful. Instead, he was in dire need of help.

Roy owned several houses in Texas, Michigan, Connecticut, and even England, where his wife was born. He allegedly stopped paying his taxes and he had to sell them to pay them off. Henderson even lost the transmitter site for WLDR, which was sold in a Sheriff's sale to Jerry and Sheryl Coyne, whose Blarney Stone Broadcasting owns Grayling-based rock station WQON/Q100 and sports-talker 101.1 WGRY. 

In 2018, Blarney Stone worked a deal to help Henderson by operating his stations. Under the Local Marketing Agreement (LMA), WLDR rebranded from 101.9 The Bay to simply 101.9 WLDR. Meanwhile, 99.3 simulcasted Q100, and 92.3 repeated WGRY as Up North Sports Radio.

Things seemed to be hunky dory in the beginning until the FCC slammed Henderson with yet another fine. This time, it helped to expose how neglectful Henderson really is. In the 2010s, 99.3's 50,000-watt transmitter had a failure and it could only pump out a few hundred watts. With no money to fix the transmitter, Henderson kept 99.3 silent most of the time. Since 99.3's signal could not reach Traverse City, the Coynes installed a small transmitter on their WLDR tower without FCC approval. Apparently, the engineer at Alpena country station WATZ - also at 99.3 -  was flustered at the Traverse City area 99.3 bushwhacking at the Alpena 99.3's signal.

By the way, WATZ is owned by Roy's sworn enemy, Ross Biederman. 

Because of this, Roy evicted the Coynes from their LMA. Within days, they moved WLDR's format to 94.5 Mackinaw City and 106.3 Thompsonville as North FM. They also moved their Traverse City studios to Building 50. North FM was a ratings flop, so they ended up relaying Q100 while WGRY's sports format moved to 1210 and 101.1 Traverse City and 1110 Petoskey. 

Henderson took the Coynes to court, which was all done virtually during the pandemic. The Coynes alleged that Henderson violated the contract because 99.3's signal was not at full power. All sorts of vitriol was put on Henderson because of his mismanagement. 

However, Henderson had his excuses. He told the judge - and even the FCC - that he hasn't been in the involvement in managing his stations for years because he had a heart attack several years ago. He now lives in Cascade Township - just outside Grand Rapids - in a townhouse over by the Walmart there. According to Henderson, he moved to GR to be close to his son, Ward, who now works in real estate. 

(Interesting fact regarding Ward: when Roy traded 1210 for AM 750 in Petoskey, he assigned 750 with the call sign WARD. On the other hand, 1210 was given WJNL since it now simulcasted 1110 WJML Petoskey. Oddly enough, WARD and WJNL were once the call signs of what is now CBS-owned independent tv station WPKD channel 19 in Pittsburgh, formerly a dual CBS and ABC affiliate in Johnstown, PA. Long-hampered with a poor signal and competition from far-superior Altoona CBS affiliate WTAJ-10, the station moved to the Pittsburgh area in the 1990s. Being a move-in expert, Henderson might know a thing or two about the station and its unique history.)

To make a long story short, after the judge read his verdict, the results were made confidential. But, he also had to report to the FCC, who made the results public. Simply put, he told Roy that he needed to buy the transmitter back if he wanted WLDR to broadcast ever again. Right before the verdict was made, Roy started broadcasting WLDR from the station's tiny relay tower on top of its West Bay studios with an oldies format. With a meager 800 watts, the station was only heard in Traverse City proper. He also re-signed 99.3 (now WLLS) and 92.3 WBNZ back on the air with various formats, such as adult standards and even an all-over-the-road rock format ala Q100.

Last April, all of Henderson's stations in northern Michigan fell silent due to financial distress. If the stations do not re-sign back on the air until then, the FCC will automatically revoke their licenses. Now, if WLDR, WARD, WBNZ, and WLLS all leave the air forever, the good news is that it could be a game-changer for the northern Michigan FM dial. The bad news is that if Henderson either A) allows his stations to be silenced forever or B) sells them all off (and he ain't gonna get a million bucks for sure), it's likely that it will probably go into the hands of a religious group like K-Love or the dolts who now own the old WFUR-FM 102.9 here in Grand Rapids, Bible Broadcasting Network.

(And in the "Don't Know What You've Got 'Til It's Gone Department", I used to trash WFUR for sounding boring and ancient. BBN's programming is just simply horrible.)

Coincidentally, guess who just lives down 28th Street from Roy? None other than Bob Goodrich. Maybe the two are good friends. 

If the world could ever learn anything from the Bob Goodriches, the Roy Hendersons, and the Tyrone Bynums of the world, it's NOT how to run a successful business. Gaslighting, lying and backstabbing are no ways of treating others. I've worked for many people in my lifetime and the company that I work for now is the sole employer I've ever had where I'm paid a decent wage, have good benefits, and haven't had my hours cut to make way for an asshole who can't wipe his own ass. I wanted to be a DJ growing up, and I'm happy I never got behind a microphone in my life knowing how idiotic radio station owners are.

If Bob Goodrich gets fined for the shit Tyrone's been pulling for years, it will be karma for putting his trust in the hands of someone who should not be trusted. He left the left in Grand Rapids voiceless. Judging by the ratings, 102.5 The Ride has few, if any riders.

As Trent Reznor sang, "Bow down before the one you serve, you're gonna get what you deserve."

---

Got a Bee-otch to nominate? E-mail us @ chuck69dotcom@gmail.com. All suggestions (except for me) are welcome!

Bee-otch of the Day Archives can be seen on http://beeotchoftheday.blogspot.com

Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!

CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!