Not very long ago, POJ-fans were surprised by the sudden disappearance of a fond morning voice. Heidi Tauber, KPOJ's AM news voice, abruptly disappeared without warning or explanation; one day, they ID'd by their familiar and playful "THC-Thom, Heidi, and Carl", and the next day – "Carl Wolfson and Friends".
We can speak for none other than ourselves but we were fans of Heidi's work, not only because we think intellectual female voices on the radio are far too few and far between but also because she was such a stalwart of the POJ crew, as the photos on the site have attested to. I enjoyed listening to her and couldn't imagine why POJ would suddenly cashier her. The chemistry between the morning crew was indeed undeniable.
So it was like a starving man after food that we leapt on Steve Duin's typically-excellent column in The Big O, titled "There Are No Broads In Broadcasting" (14-day pay-wall warning). Here was, finally something!
She says Dirks, who didn't return calls, shook her off. "We've gone beyond the point of no return," he said. "That means," Tauber translates, "I'd been warned to be perfect. My newscasts were inconsistent and not up to par.
"It was a damn hard par, too. A 5 or a 6. Uphill. Narrow. Trees everywhere."
Been there. Double-bogied that.
Although we've worked many of the same stories, I'd never met Tauber until this week, but God, I know that voice. A '97 Brunello in the land of Two Buck Chuck. The reassuring glow of the familiar.
Now, we've all heard that jobs in broadcasting are here-today-gone-tomorrow-no-warning-thanky-here's the door. We're not that naïve (and we're not in broadcasting). But if Steve Duin's column reflects reality, we wonder why they had to go this far:
"The best gig I've ever had. And I blew it," she says. "I was let go. Three years of me don't exist."
She blew it? They actually have her blaming herself? Sad, POJ, sad. Yes, indeed, broadcasting is cutthroat, but just because it is that way doesn't mean it has to always be that way, does it?
Now, I'm not going to stop listening to KPOJ ... after all, we have no other decent liberal voice in town. They carry Mike Malloy and Randi Rhodes; that's enough for me right there. Getting Thom to actually relocate to Oregon from Vermont is a coup of which to be proud of. And liberal radio nationwide? POJ is the template for it.
But seriously, you really ought to have done better by Heidi. Now, you know I love you KPOJ, and friends are always serious and honest with each other. This was not your finest moment. Would it have killed you to have announced it a few days in advance, given her a farewell broadcast or two?
I'm hanging with you, POJ, but please, a little more class next time. And a tip of the hat to Heidi for helping you to build an AM audience would be a heck of a neat thing to do just about now.
For a morning news person at KPOJ.
I wonder...
Freelancer