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Aaron Podolefsky, Greg Hassler, KOKO radio, missouri, NCAA, Shawn Jones, University of Central Missouri
This is the thirty-seventh post in an ongoing series as we file Missouri Sunshine Law (RSMo 610) requests and investigate the non-renewal of the contract of University of Central Missouri President Aaron Podolefsky. Links to previous coverage are below the fold. BG and MB
Univerity of Central Missouri Associate Athletic Director Shawn Jones speaking at the 2009 NCAA National Convention – describing the University’s relationship with KOKO radio (D&H Media):
The transcript:
….I am the, the play by play announcer for my institution. And that is my background, uh, before getting into athletics and eventually into athletics administration. But I still, uh, am the voice of my school. So, when I arrived and I looked at our broadcasting situation our, our institution was actually paying, uh, to have the, the football and men’s basketball games on the radio. We were paying a local station and then we had the chance to go out and sell some advertising and try to recoup the costs.
Well, certainly that was a win situation for that local, uh, radio station, but it really wasn’t for us. We were losing money, still getting good coverage. Well then a new station came into the market. And we had that wonderful thing called competition. So, I said, let’s flip this. Now, what are you gonna pay us to carry our games, because both of them wanted to carry the games. What are you gonna pay us?
So, so, we developed a situation where now where we’re at, at this point, we receive a rights fee every year. An up front amount of money, uh, that we know we’re gonna get. Then, my self, my staff and the sales staff of the radio station, we sell the advertising together. And we split the advertising where the station gets seventy-five percent, we get twenty-five percent. If I sell to somebody on their list they get the money, the, the person who’s the sales person, so they don’t lose any commissions.
The, the point being is, is we have a situation where we are true partners. We work together, but, but the onus is on them to go out and make the money. Uh, as an institution what I want to do is just get our events on there. But they’re so happy to, to be making the money and to be the home of Central Missouri Athletics and, and we’re so happy to have this great partner. And so it works very well.
And now we have football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, some softball games on the air. They let us use their Internet site to carry some, some softball, some volleyball. We have coach’s shows. We have a weekly coach’s show. Uh, they give us advertising now. I mean they literally give it to us, uh, and a chance to promote our upcoming events because we’re truly partners.
Uh, we don’t treat them like, uh, just a member of the media. Um, you know, and, and we share all revenues, we, we trade spreadsheets often. So, it’s a very nice situation.
And, and when you make somebody a partner it’s important when we have that, uh, that gear day that you guys all know and the coaches get their gear in. I make sure that the sports director at the, at the local station, he’s got his new shirt and his new warm ups. And, and if we have a team that is fortunate enough to advance and, and maybe participate in an elite eight or, or win a regional and, and we’re buying rings for the team, you know, I, I go to my, my boss, the athletic director, and say, can, can we get a ring for the sports director, he travels, we’ve got this partnership? And, and those are the kind of things we do. So, we’ve really created a, a wonderful relationship there we’re really proud of….
The May 2005 contract between the University of Central Missouri and D&H Media (KOKO radio).
“…So, so, we developed a situation where now where we’re at, at this point, we receive a rights fee every year. An up front amount of money, uh, that we know we’re gonna get…”
Except, we can’t quite figure out when anyone made those quarterly payments. Maybe they can’t, either.
“…Uh, we don’t treat them like, uh, just a member of the media. Um, you know, and, and we share all revenues, we, we trade spreadsheets often. So, it’s a very nice situation…”
Spreadsheets? There are spreadsheets?
…But they’re so happy to, to be making the money and to be the home of Central Missouri Athletics and, and we’re so happy to have this great partner. And so it works very well…
That’s interesting. A member of the Board of Governors wrote:
…Furthermore, had I been in a situation where others were engaged in this behavior, I would not have tolerated it. The comments by the radio personality were inappropriate, and I voiced my disapproval upon learning about the incident. However, this man has no connection to the board and his comments should have no reflection on the members of the Board of Governors…
Maybe the board feels that way because none of them actually signed the ten year contract with the radio station.
Interesting. There’s a ten year radio contract (a strong association with the university), the Associate Athletic Director describes a close relationship and a situation where the radio station sports director may get a ring (another strong association with the University), but when that individual makes a comment on the radio that connection to the institution disappears? How quaint.
Maybe they should ask for their warm ups back.
Our previous coverage of the issue:
Three steps behind, and to the right (January 25, 2008)
Three steps behind, and to the right, part 2 – a microcosm of our universe (September 21, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”? (October 15, 2009) (transcript of a portion of the live radio broadcast)
It wasn’t just about a tree (October 21, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: I heard it on the radio (October 21, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: let’s not get cut out of the will (October 22, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: $87.75 will get you one sheet of paper (October 23, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: They’re not playing hardball, they’re playing cat and mouse (Octobe
r 23, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: a cola and some scoreboards (October 24, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: a few more pieces of the puzzle? (October 28, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: your silence means consent (October 29, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: let’s not get cut out of the will, part 2 (October 30, 2009)
Old media irony impairment (October 30, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: I heard it on the radio, part 2 (October 31, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: where everybody knows your name (October 31, 2009)
Methinks that someone is paying attention! (November 2, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: Bond, Stadium Bond (November 4, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: where everybody knows your name, part 2 (November 4, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: I heard it on the radio, part 3 (November 5, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: nothing succeeds like success (November 6, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: your Friday news dump (November 6, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: nothing exceeds like excess (November 7, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: a grade for Accounting 101 (November 7, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: there ought to be a law (November 8, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: there’s gotta be a contract around here somewhere (November 9, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: there ought to be a law, part 2 (November 10, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: Garbo speaks! (November 12, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle (November 13, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”? Follow the money and it reveals the timeline (November 14, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: the new president search consulting contract (November 18, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: a march on a cold and rainy day (November 18, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: raise their voices (November 19, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: great moments in radio reporting (November 21, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: Oh, my! (December 3, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: It’s simple, really… (December 5, 2009)
“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: I do truly care about the success of our students (December 6, 2009)
1. Who is this “competition” of whom Jones speaks? The page at the UCM site that describes Jones’s duties reads,
Are there other local stations? And why does Jones refer to the stations en masse?
2. Jones mentions that,
So who gets the commission when Jones and Co. sells to somebody or their own list? And why is the Associate Athletic Director selling radio advertising? Who is paying him for selling radio advertising?
3. Jones mentions that the use of the radio station’s internet site is provided for free. Really? How does the accounting work for such a thing? This might be a good question for someone in the University Advancement Office who is accustomed to working with gifts to the university.
4. A similar question arises regarding the free advertising that is given by the radio station:
How much and what kind of advertising? What is it worth? Where is the accounting?
5. Is there more money involved that we suspected?
Perhaps there are additional revenue streams beyond mere advertising.
6. Who pays the fee for the on-air talent?
Clearly, Jones is employed by UCM, but is he also employed by the radio and television stations for his work on their behalf? If he is in the employ of both, the situation would clearly present a profound conflict of interest. However, if he is employed solely by the university, his work as on-air talent for the radio station would necessarily appear as a significant line item in the media budget.
Says Jones,
Of course! Because prior to Jones arrival, the university wasn’t gifting the radio station(s) with on-air talent. Rather, that cost was borne by the station.
If we are to believe Jones, his employment status creates, at the very best, an accounting quagmire. At its worst, the situation would appear to throw Jones into an untenable test of loyalties.
“So, it’s a very nice situation.”
— Shawn Jones, Associate Athletic Director, Univerity of Central Missouri .
“I’ve got this thing and it’s fucking golden.”
— Rod Blagojevich, disgraced former governor, Illinois.
— MrJM
http://twitter.com/misterjayem
The license holder for KTBG 90.9 “the bridge” is the University of Central Missouri. This station, a member / listener supported public radio station, carries the broadcast of UCM sports. However unlike KOKO and “the bar” KTBG is not allowed to sell underwriting sponsorships for its UCM Sports broadcasts.
During the 2008 football season, the Homecoming game actually, the student staff member charged with board operator duties found himself locked out of the studio facilities. By the time access was acquired the football game had started. The game was still being broadcast by the University’s partners at D&H Media and “the bridge” was on the air before the end of the first quarter.
UCM Athletics Administration had a cow! As a result of one student being late one time, board operator duties for UCM sports broadcasts have since been handled by the professional staff, at an institution and radio station where the mission is to train students to become working professionals.
Recently, due to transmission difficulties, “the bridge” was off the air. Its online stream however was still working. Professional staff was required to board op the preseason basketball games so that they would be on the web stream even though warrensburgradio.com also serves that function.
It sure must be nice for UCM Athletics to have their own toy radio station to play with so that they can have this “…wonderful thing called competition.” It’s too bad they won’t allow “the bridge” to “go out and make the money.”