Category: Commentary/Editorial || By

There are two places where dirty tricks are not only routine, they're expected: The Mon Valley, and the radio industry.

In the Mon Valley, political campaigns are sometimes conducted with the same level of dignity as an ultimate fighting championship.

In the radio business, stories are rife of rival stations sabotaging each others' contests, concerts and promotions.

So it was only natural that these two groups of dirty tricks would eventually intersect. We just didn't expect them to intersect above Tube City Online's head.

. . .

Tuesday morning, I received an angry phone call from longtime Pittsburgh radio producer and engineer Larry Gerson --- better known as "Laid Back Larry" from the old O'Brien & Garry show. Gerson wasn't laid back at all when he called me. He was steamed.

"Why did Tube City media file an objection to my license?" he asked. Last year, Gerson, who lives in the Woodland Hills School District, and several of his friends applied to the Federal Communications Commission for a low-power FM radio station to be licensed to North Versailles Twp.

I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

After little bit of digging, Gerson and I figured out what had happened: Someone filed an objection to Gerson's application under the name "Tube City Community Public Radio" --- just one word off of our corporate name "Tube City Community Media."

There was no identifying information on the objection --- just the name of a high-priced Washington, D.C., law firm. (Tube City Online can't afford a high-priced lawyer in Washington, D.C. We have a modestly priced lawyer in Wexford, Pa.)

. . .

We have filed paperwork asking the Federal Communications Commission to dismiss the objection from "Tube City Community Public Radio" as fraudulent, and we have further pledged to cooperate with any investigation into the real identity of "Tube City Community Public Radio."

More than that, I am not supposed to say at this time.

Both Gerson and I have our suspicions about who filed the paperwork. This person didn't do a very good job covering his or her tracks; they have a long-standing grudge with Gerson; and they are very familiar with our work at Tube City Online.

Naturally, we confronted this person. He or she gave us a "non-denial denial" --- "I have no idea what you're talking about, so I can't comment" --- and this person's fancy-pants Washington attorney would not identify his real client.

But within minutes of our legal filing with the FCC, we received notice that the other group, which we believe to be entirely fictitious, has changed its name to "Mon Valley Public Radio."

There is a happy ending. If Gerson's group, called "Tri-Borough Communications," gets its radio license, they want Tube City Online to provide some content.

In the meantime, we are continuing our partnership with McKeesport's WEDO (810) ... and we're watching our radio for exploding rats.

. . .

Joe Haupt photo via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons