Radio Free Boston: The Rise and Fall of WBCN

"The Reallllll WBCN, Boston!"

Michael Wiener and Gerald Carrus sat in their office on the fiftieth floor of the Prudential, looking down at the twinkling skyline of the city that had rejected them. As the two owners sat stunned in their defeat, even while publicly claiming a victory, they had to admire the fortitude of their former opponents, whom they were now inheriting, like it or not. As the two pondered their next step, the ex-strikers below headed off, arm in arm, from party to party, chattering excitedly in their groups, to continue the revelry long into (or through) the night. But Monday would soon arrive, and other than the fact that they had a job to report to, nobody knew exactly what to expect once they got there. Although the outright sacking of half the staff had been forestalled, both sides realized that a reckoning still waited. Plus, outside of WBCN’s bubble, the challenges that had threatened the station before the strike remained; WCOZ, the greatest radio threat ’BCN would ever face, was still very much an immediate danger. And soon, that “THE REALLLLLL WBCN, BOSTON!” Fly low, beat the radar. May the wind at your back not be your own. And remember, wherever you go, there you are, so take us along. tony berardini, radio show Closer 144 radio free boston relentless competitor would become far more dangerous as it converted, Transformer-like, into something larger and wilder: a radio beast known as “Kick-Ass Rock and Roll.” Producer Steve Lushbaugh created a famous radio station sounder that blasted out, in Godlike magnitude, “The Reallllll WBCN!” across the air every hour or so. Like a marquee and spotlights proclaiming the presence of a major event inside a theater, the blaring announcement trumpeted ’BCN’s official (and authentic) return. The employees, flushed with success, reported back to work on Monday, 12 March, finding that the environment at the station was far from unpleasant. Charles Laquidara’s first poststrike “Big Mattress” became a nonstop party as listeners phoned in their good wishes, friends and supporters were thanked on the air, and Laquidara established the Hot Chocolate hit, “Every 1’s a Winner,” as a victory song. “There was a harmonious reentry,” David Bieber remembered. “There was a big party at a roller rink, catered top shelf, where everybody got skates. Mike Wiener and his wife Zena were there, Gerry Carrus . . . there was really a good feeling. It was like that refreshing breeze that happens after a hurricane blows away all the bad air.” However, although everyone smiled and acted cordially, there remained serious differences with the new owners, who still maintained that the size of the station’s workforce needed to be whittled down. The New York Times reported, “Michael Wiener praised the settlement as a victory, although it represented a repudiation of his policies and a delay, at least temporarily, in his attempts to cut costs at the station.” Even the union’s official “Strike Victory” press release, largely penned by Danny Schechter, acknowledged the latter point: “The union recognizes our need to review our staff requirements . And we are determined that any necessary staff reductions will not be effected in a capricious manner.” “We had a strike settlement that we signed to end the walkout . . . which just meant that we went back to work under the terms of the previous contract,” Tony Berardini explained. “Then we had to sit down and work out a new contract . . . which was really something. As you can imagine, everyone was all fired up. At that first contract meeting with Phil Mamber and the new owners, about thirty people—jocks and sales and news—all showed up. It turned into a three-ring circus; the new owners just got pummeled! Mike and Gerry had the most pained looks on their faces. It was brutal; [there were] several hours of recriminations and venting, and “the reallllll wbCn, boston!” 145 all they wanted to do was move forward and get the station back on track. But it eventually smoothed out.” Against the backdrop of the station’s familiar voices triumphantly reassuming their positions on the air, the inevitable trimming began. The first station casualty after the strike was Clint Gilbert, the employee responsible for staffing and running the Listener Line, who was let go by Wiener, ostensibly for his activities with the Committee for Community Access (CCA). As expected, John Brodey, who had been on...