The following email has been circulated trying to get Blaine taken off the radio…
Hello! We are asking all local activists to get involved with an issue involving Republican County Commissioner Blaine Young.
Perhaps you read the recent editorial in the FNP (http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_editorial.htm?StoryID=101873§ion=ed) or Monday’s rebuttal from a Blaine Young supporter (http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_lte.htm?storyid=102122). Bottom line: while he may be adhering to the letter of the law, he is certainly in violation of its spirit, and we believe that Young should not have a three-hour daily radio show or his daily morning “Sound Off” that airs during Bob Miller’s show.
There are several things you can do this week — and then you can call or email your friends and ask them to do the same. Be sure to email me (teacherdbc@aol.com) and Tony Soltero (tony.soltero@gmail.com) afterward to let us know what you’ve done. We’ll be looking forward to hearing from each and every one of you!
First, everyone receiving this email should notify WFMD (at least once!) that you find the situation inappropriate and unacceptable. You can call their comment line at 301-663-9940 and their office at 301-663-4181, or email program director Frank Mitchell at frank@wfmd.com and frankmitchell@clearchannel.com [note-- I don't know if both email addresses are current, so be safe and send to both]. To send a letter or stop by in person, the address is 5966 Grove Hill Road, Frederick, 21703. We encourage you to contact the station twice over the course of the next week, using two different avenues of communication.
Second, write letters to the FNP and the Gazette, expressing your disapproval of the current situation. I am available to help you edit and organize your thoughts, but we do ask that each person write an original letter. Some ideas to get you started:
- Young’s show is extremely political; this presents a conflict of interest. It might be different if he were hosting a music program, but the current situation is unethical on his part and unprofessional on the part of WFMD.
- Does WFMD want to undermine its credibility as a “news” source by offering one local politician unlimited access to the airwaves while denying it to all others? That’s not news, that’s propaganda. Blaine Young is now a public official, and does not deserve any special treatment from any media outlets that want to claim they’re serving the public interest.
- Offering some token on-air time to other County Commissioners is not “fair and balanced.” It is still his show and named for him. That having been said, why not give Kai Hagen a three-hour daily show. As the 2006 election proved, he has a loyal, devoted constituency of his own. Why SHOULDN’T he have a show if Blaine Young has one?
- It has been argued that having his own show could just as easily work against Young, as voters who follow the issues will be inclined to vote against him when they hear his program. In fact, as he himself is surely aware, many voters do not follow issues closely enough; what matters more is name recognition — something he is getting all day, every day on WFMD.
- Cable 10′s former show about local topics, Pressing Issues, followed a strict policy of keeping current officeholders off the show, in the interest of journalistic objectivity. WFMD should do the same.
Finally, please contact one or all of the following local companies that advertise on Young’s program, and notify them that you will not patronize their businesses as long as they continue to sponsor the Blaine Young Show.
Barley & Hops
http://www.barleyandhops.net/
5473 Urbana Pike
Frederick MD 21704
301-668-5555Buckingham’s Choice
http://www.buckinghamschoice.org/
3200 Baker Circle
Adamstown MD 21710
800-409-6111N.Z. Cramer & Son
101 Woodsboro Creagerstown Rd.
Woodsboro MD 21798
301-898-9116Dr. Robert Crouch
http://pages.frederick.com/health/crouch.htm
900 Toll House Ave
Frederick MD 21701
301-663-4774Frederick Equipment Company
http://www.frederickequipment.com/
9640 Liberty Road
Frederick MD 21701
301- 898-1200Frederick Shell
http://www.frederick.com/frederick_shell_carwash-sp-2691/
1275 West Patrick St.
Frederick MD 21702
301-663-1818Good Feet
http://ourlocations.com/cgi-bin/goodfeet/goodfeet2.pl
1560 Opossumtown Pike
Frederick, MD 21702
301-624-0040Putman Plumbing & Heating
http://www.putmanplumbing.com/
P.O. Box 141
Middletown MD 21769
301-371-4395Dr. John Vitarello (Cardiovascular Specialists of Frederick)
http://www.frederickheartdocs.com/JohnVitarello,M.D..html
180 Thomas Johnson Drive
Suite 202
Frederick MD 21702
301-631-6877Frederick MD 21701
301-662-2250
Yellow Cab
http://www.frederick.com/index.php?action=sponsor&id=2885
350 East Church St.