Al Mascitti out at WDEL ?
Friend of DL, Al Mascitti, appears to have been replaced by 105.9 talker, Susan Monday
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Jason330 is a deep cover double agent working for the GOP. Don't tell anybody.Comments (196)
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- What Happened to Al Mascitti? | kavips | March 8, 2016
Yikes! I just heard this. Was wondering if it was true.
Wtf?
Another sign he might have been fired: his program page on WDEL’s website is being re-directed back to the homepage.
http://www.wdel.com/mascitti
The explanation I’m hearing, from someone who should know, is that it’s a consolidation of upstate and downstate talk show hosts and they will save more by keeping the downstater on board.
Of course, when the ratings fall … and they have to cut their ad rates …
Well this is bad news. If anything, it means even less coverage of political topics in Northern NCCo and certainly one less reason to listen to WDEL.
Even if there is more to it than my digging suggests, it wouldn’t be Schwartzkopf. Even if he is speaker of the house, his sway with northern Delaware media (as opposed to a publication that still fancies itself as statewide) is rather limited. I’d have a much easier time believing that he had precipitated the removal of a coastal Sussex media personality.
In any event, Cass is absolutely right … this will cost WDEL more than a few listeners and it will reduce the quality of public discourse on topics critical to Wilmington and New Castle County.
One other thing about Al … we can be confident that he, unlike so many other recently retired or bought-out journalists, will not be taking a job in state or county government, or with the University of Delaware.
Let’s hope we hear his voice again — loud and clear, and soon!
The dumbing-down of Delaware continues. I learned something new from his show every day.
I also got so much satisfaction appearing on his show. Al is a true friend, and I admit I don’t have that many of those.
His firing leaves a void that literally will not be filled.
Susan is really terrible, too. She really knows weel hardly anything, especially about Delaware. Completely uninformed, just wait and listen.
Delaware just lost the best radio talk show and its best talk show host. Al was intelligent , well informed, witty, with a great sense of humor, and open to calls from those who disagreed with him. I will truly miss the opportunity to hear him in my home and while driving. I hope another station picks him up. I listened on a regular basis. His
show was the only one worth listening to.
“His show was the only one worth listening to.”
His show was the only thing I did listen to on WDEL.
Check out this ‘deep thinking’ from Susan Monday:
“Delaware 105.9 Blog: Susan Monday
Here we go again: Delaware Gas Tax Revisited
Just when you were getting comfortable with the low prices at the pump, some Delaware legislators want to revisit the gas tax.
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/firststatepolitics/2016/02/17/gas-tax/80225922/
They think you wouldn’t mind paying 10 cents more per gallon because it wouldn’t hurt so much now that most of us are paying on average $1.60/gallon.
Just like you didn’t mind when legislators raised the tolls on Delaware roadways.
And just like you didn’t mind when they raised the DMV fees.
You support improvements to Delaware’s roads and bridges, right?
I’m just not sure where the money from the increased tolls and DMV fees went, are you? I thought THAT money was to go toward road projects.
Why is it, year after year, instead of making some much-needed budget cuts, legislators keep tapping into the same old pocketbook: YOURS and MINE.
I guess they’re hoping we have short-term memory.
Posted at 8:49pm on February 18, 2016 by Susan Monday”
Oy.
His show was the only thing I did listen to on WDEL.
Me too, when I could.
Shocked to hear this. Have been listening to Al mornings for last 10 years. Got much of my local info from him. I’ll have to scramble without Al on the radio. Hope Al will be a presence one way or another soon.
I am shocked! Al was great, I can not stand listening to the afternoon talk. I don’t think I will be tuning in much going forward.
I will no longer be listening to WDEL; no reason to.
Well, there’s still Alan Loudell’s trivia question at 12:30.
However, with Al gone, it’s not likely I’ll ever wear the t-shirt I won a couple of weeks ago.
I’m hoping this isn’t true…..! Although he made me angry, he also made me think! Al was opinionated…but he heaped his opinions on both sides of the political aisle. I will especially miss the Tuesday morning show. Perhaps we should start a petition: Bring Al Back!
We should start calling Susan Monday and tell her we want to talk about Al Mascitti.
yes, call susan monday on monday. see if they put it on the air. this is a big loss. let them know.
They’ve got an ad guy running the station now instead of the radio guy (Pete Booker) who preceded him. Guy couldn’t care less about content. They pissed away a whole bunch of $$’s building a ‘performance center’ that was unnecessary, and they nickel-and-dimed the radio side, especially ‘DEL. News just doesn’t ‘sell’ like it used to.
Monday won’t even be up in New Castle County, she’ll broadcast from the downstate affiliate. Gotta pay for that performance center…
BTW, the ‘radio guys’ there are incredibly nice. Peter MacArthur, Don Volz, Allen Loudell, fellow Cuse guy Andrew Sgroi, World’s Greatest Engineer Gerald Butts, yes, even Rick, all of ’em, made me feel at home. Down-to earth people. Gonna miss ’em a lot.
Ugh ugh ugh! Heard a commercial for Susan this morning and it basically sounded like it was recorded without any knowledge of Al’s loyal liberal base. I’m done with WDEL.
I just heard this shocking announcement this morning. We keep a household radio that is set on WDEL all day. I am looking for a new station right now. Al Mascitti was the best, most informative talk show on the air, including national shows. I will not listen to WDEL any more. I hope Al will write in here to this blog and let us know if he will be on air somewhere else, or blogging somewhere. He was a major source for us of political information and will be missed!
Well, of course, we’d LOVE to have him blog here. His perspective and take on local and national events is irreplaceable.
was everyday listener of all since i move here from ny
all was great like him a lot
listen everyday
hope to find you online to listen to you
will have to find another station to listen to from now on
good luck al, great job
paul g
Susan’s question: how would you like to be remembered? Sounds like a corporate seminar. Switching back to Radio Times.
Here’s a column from her first guest, the pretty much only right winger to write for the Philly Daily News:
http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/christine_flowers/20160219_Obama_s_skipping_of_Scalia_s_funeral_is_an_affront_to_all.html
They’re talking about Nancy Reagan. I’ve clicked off.
What the hell? The best talk show in Delaware replaced with this drivel? I was a regular listener and caller on the Al Mascitti show. I miss him already and been its less than 15 minutes. What a bummer. WDEL has made a big mistake! They will lose listeners in droves.
So you have taken the last liberal leaning radio host off my radio dial. I refuse to listen. The current female hosting Susan Monday is talking about Nancy Reagan . Mrs. Reagan was the POWER behind the throne of a cosmetically attractive actor without a lick of intelligence. And the GOP fears and savages Hillary Clinton. I guess I am off to NPR entirely. And the GOP blusters off about taking back their country. They have stolen it and own it lock, stock and barrel.
“Well, I could tell you about myself, but there’s Google for that. Let’s talk about Nancy Rea” … CLICK.
Good mourning, news fans : (
Yeah, I tuned in out of curiosity, but I’m tuning out. This is mind-numbingly vapid.
i called wdel to say (off-air) that the station should be embarrassed to run this crap show. hope others will too. 302-839-1059. we could also call the bosses in wilmington.
Already have removed WDEL from my radio selections. Someone doesn’t want to see Delaware minds stimulated and challenged. Goodbye!
Well, that’s it for WDEL then. The last thing I will do is send a polite, short, hard copy letter to the station stating as such. I hope Al considers a podcast based show or perhaps a slot on gabnet.net if he can’t find a seat at a traditional broadcaster. I’ll keep tabs at DE Lib to see where he pops up again. Keep us updated!
Al. Plzzzz tell us where you are and that you are ok
They didn’t even show us the respect to te us you aren’t going to do YOUR program
I don’t care what you said if it got you in trouble
I have left Wdel for good
Can’t imagine my mornings without you
Please all listeners lets find al and flow his new program
It’s 9:08 am. I’m lost and mad
Peace …
He didn’t say anything to get in trouble. It was a $$ move pure and simple. Man, this Susan Monday is bad. She even tried to get her nickname over, I’m not making this up, ‘Su-Mo’.
Call the Wilmington studio, 478-2700, to let them know how you feel. Just remember, the people answering the phones are very nice and it’s not their fault. She’s so bad that they might just consider changing their minds, especially if enough people call.
Sooooooo disappointed. What a brainless move. I don’t see how this could be a wise business decision, if that’s really what it was supposed to be. Al’s show was the only reason I listened to WDEL. What a loss for Delaware. I do hope he resurfaces with another program somewhere. Until then, he will be missed.
Oh my. I didn’t turn it off soon enough. She believes in astrology? She’s advocating staying in a bad marriage – like her parents did – and saying that women (she’s only cited women) who don’t remarry after their husband dies are somehow honorable? What the hell year is this?
And is she really on this marriage advice trip without being married?
WDEL must really be screening calls because these callers (and Monday) are an embarrassment.
With Al gone , I’m gone !! WDEL lost a listener. Al, if you’re out there, keep us informed on your future radio plans.
I am finished with WDEL. Al enlightened me every time I listened. Decided to tune in today to hear his views on upcoming election and found out he’s no longer there??
CRUSHED!!!
What if anything can a listner do to get him back on? There is no balance in local talk radio without him. Susan Monday and Rick Jensen? Give me a break!!!!!!
Call 478-2700. Tell them you want him back.
I think my ears are bleeding-
An hour of Nancy Reagan????
Anybody have a good idea of what to listen to?
Oh wait- now she’s talking about selfies- MUCH more important subject-
Wilmington needs Al . We don’t want a downstate person talking flower show news . Come on, I’m sick of this woman already .so long WDEL. Wilmington needs Al.
AL is one of the most articulate radio personalities around, locally or nation wide. An excellent writer/journalist. Hope we hear from him.
Talking about selfies … she’s an oral selfie.
Ten minutes was nine and a half too many. I’m done.
Where is Al? There were things he said that made me really angry, but I always got a good idea of what was happening in the world and in Delaware. Where will I go now to get a balanced view? Al was honest and full of good information. Alan Loudell is great, but the other stuff———. Susan Monday?????? Really?
Just facebooked WDEL about Al, asking why no announcement that he was gone and this woman is the new morning voice of the station. Here’s Chris Carl’s lame response: “We decided to make a change. Out of respect to Al, we didn’t make a huge deal about it.” We need to deluge them with demands that he come back. Knowing Al, however, he’ll probably refuse. As for Ms. Monday, her idea of substance is talking about selfies.
What a disappointment to learn this morning that Al is no longer on WDEL. Have been listening to the station for over 60 years. Since moving to Lewes and retiring, I looked forward to each morning listening and learning from Al and his guests. No reason to listen to the station any more. So sad.
This is a pretty horrible decision. Agree with him or not, Al’s show was the best thing going with respect to local politics, which receives very little coverage anywhere else. Rick is far too focused on Obama-Dem bashing & national politics to give much air to local matters. I’d listen to Rick more often if he devoted more time to Delaware matters. If I want to hear someone shill for national conservative causes, I’ll turn on WILM. I’ll give Susan a shot but will tune out if she doesn’t cover local politics/issues with the same focus and scope as Al.
I am disheartened. Delaware needs his point of view and intelligence. Local radio is over for me. That woman is an idiot.
I got the excuse from WDEL via an email that “Management decided to make a change and go with a more caller-based radio show.” As if Al’s program wasn’t caller-based! Al covered topics specific to what’s going on in Delaware. So far, what I’ve heard, there’s been about two callers calling to discuss selfies, the flower show, and marriage?! She’s not interesting or entertaining! Snooze! Any chance that this is a marketing ploy to see what the temperature is in North Delaware for her show?! Hope not!
It’s been a pretty brutal listen so far this morning. I doubt that I’ll continue wasting my time with this show. These type of lightweight “talk” shows might play well in Slower Lower but it’s not going to fly in NCC. Big mistake, WDEL.
I am done with WDEL. I followed Al in the paper and even when he substituted for John Watson on WILM. When he and Alan Loudel went to WDEL it was the best thing that happened to WDEL. I know when WILM started to change their ways Alan Loudel left them. Could the writing be on the wall for him? They could go back to WILM (if that station wanted to make money) and kill WDEL’s ratings. I hope Al Miscitti shows up somewhere where I can hear him on the radio or even TV. I hope he pulls Alan Loudel away from WDEL too. I emailed Al to his personal email, but I haven’t gotten a response. We love you Al…your style, your wit and your intelligence.
Hi, El Somnambulo,
I just got off the phone with someone named Chris at WDEL. From what he said, it sounds as though Al was let go for being too “political.” He said that they were looking for less political programming. Chris was a total jerk on the phone. When I told him how bad this Susan Monday was, he asked me if I had listened to her. I said that five minutes was all I could stand.
I said that I would no longer be listening to WDEL unless they brought Al back, he said, “Well, how will you know if you’re not listening?” I replied that I would be able to find out on Delawareliberal.net, and he said, “Oh, you’re a liberal then; that explains it.”
Frankly, this Chris person was pretty nasty and condescending. If his attitude is that of WDEL, then Al should consider himself fortunate to no longer be there. I’ve been listening to Al as often as I can for the past ten years, and will sincerely miss him. His was a voice of reason in a world of right-wing talk radio.
El Somnambulo, I will miss Tuesday mornings with my favourite masked Mexican luchador, and also with your alter ego.
Most sad of all is that caller Wally has lost his foil. HA!
Thanks to Al for the years of fun and informative radio. Many of your listeners appreciated your efforts.
I know Al checks in here on occasion. I hope he sees how much we all think of him and are outraged at this. From what I heard, it all happened on Friday. What did they do? Fire him after he got off the air, with no warning!!!!! Sounds like it. Let’s all keep calling WDEL; but as someone said, Al would never come back. And why didn’t they cut Rick Jensen to save money???? No liberal voice anymore….
“I am” pig-bittin’ mad!” Even when I disagreed with Al, there was something to learn. Unlike the PM guy, he did not harangue and he would engage in many areas of discussion in one segment most of which were of topical Delaware and Wilmington interest. Al being kept off the air is another news source and point of view lost. As a loyal morning listener since the John Rago program, I’m now switching to WHYY.
This is the response I received from my complaint on WDEL’s FB page. He includes his email address, so send him your thoughts. “Out of respect for Al” What does that mean? I read it to mean that the firing was something they considered negative against Al — not this hogwash about cutting costs.
WDEL Hi June. We decided to make a change. Out of respect for Al, we’re not making a big deal about it. Hopefully you give Susan a try. If not, we certainly respect your wishes. Best regards – Chris Carl (ccarl@wdel.com)
Remember the “What will Al say next?!” promo spots that were running on WDEL as late as Friday, 3/4? It’s seems like Al got the same shxtty treatment that WDEL gave to a top-notch reporter Mellanie Armstrong. The lack of respect and consideration for long-time listeners from WDEL staff management is stunning.
Al opined freely on local issues… my bet is he stepped on the toes of some advertiser.
Statewide? Not anymore.WDEL may as well move to Selbyville or mabey Dagsboro.
Just called and got sent to Chris Carl’s voicemail. Not that I listened anymore (I’m in Arizona) but I would stream the show on occasion.
Every caller on the Susan Monday show with the exception of one ,has been from downstate this morning. The topics are down right boring. This might work downstate,but it will not work in New Castle County. WDEL has made a very,very bad decision in letting go of Al Masciti. I for one will no longer listen to WDEL.
How will I keep up with Taylor Swift without the Minister of Culture on Fridays?
What about the Delaware legislature and the fine work they do? El Somnambulu, we’re talking to you.
My daily dose of “what a load of crap!”. Gone now.
Susan Monday, about as exciting as a Monday morning, hit the snooze button.
WDEL just shot themselves in the foot
Just emailed Chris Carl and this is the response
“Sorry to hear that you don’t like Susan. At least you tried. That’s all we can ask for.
And sorry to hear you won’t be listening any more.
For what it’s worth, Al still has a lot of friends in the building, myself included, and we already miss him.
Best regards,
Chris Carl”
What an asinine move by WDEL. They should have axed “my way or the highway” Rick Jensen. Al was an articulate purveyor of Local and National news and his overall commentary was on point. Al you will be sorely missed by many. Our only hope is that you surface somewhere and we as loyal listeners can again enjoy your sometimes witty, sometimes controversial views and comments. Missing you is a gross understatement.
I’ll miss Al’s show immensely since he never, ever denied any politician (including yours truly) access to his listeners whether he agreed or disagreed with their position. In fact if you were inclined to present a perspective/position openly and honestly with deference to the opposition perspective he would actively embrace that opportunity. He knew and realized that all policies and dialogues that affected or disaffected the community deserved to be aired in the public domain. I have called Chris Carl and voiced my concern and disagreement with this shortsighted policy of removing a voice in tune with and knowledgeable about local politics, New Castle County politics and national politics. A shameful display of media censorship.
Representative John Kowalko
I am very conservative, and Al pushed my buttons daily, and made me think. I will miss him. Susan “tell me why I don’t like Monday’s” …..Blah!
I was shocked this morning when I tuned into WDEL expecting to hear Al. I don’t agree with everything he says but there was no denying he was one of the smart guys in the room. Al will be missed.
I’m a registered Independent who is a moderate politically [I vote for whom I like best both DEMS and GOP]. I also am a Christian. My one gripe with Al’s show, and the reason I’d switch stations to from WDEL to NPR’s Radio Times on WHYY-FM or NPR’s On Point on WDDE-online, was his bashing of the Christian faith, just like Bill Maher. So my conclusion from listening to both Al and Maher is that to be a serious liberal you must hate Christianity and those who have that belief. So I could never be a Democrat and as I dislike many of the GOP’s policies making neither party a welcoming place for a person like me, just as Al’s show wasn’t a welcoming place for someone like me. Maybe Al’s show got enough complaints from Catholic, Methodist, and Lutheran business folks [prominent faiths in NCC] who’d not buy ad time during Al’s show. It always gets down to money. We’ll never know the real reason. I wish Al well and wish he could find a way to not put all Christians into the same pile as the Westboro Baptists.
Only Rightwingnuts still listen to talk radio. Al did not give that audience what it wanted – “Confirmation Bias”.
bye bye WDEL. too bad.
Religious belief deserves nothing but ridicule. In any other aspect of modern human discourse belief in an idea or philosophy on no evidence, based only on feelings and arcane traditions, and with conflicting theories being held as equally certain would be laughed out of town straightaway.
But when god is involved we’re all suppose to pretend that it’s perfectly reasonable, even commendable! It’s isn’t. It’s weak, immature thinking. Anything “good” done in god’s name could (and regularly is) done without reliance on Bronze Age myths and superstitions.
I never listened to Al, but now I wished I had.
There are plenty of people who are Christian and Democrat. Al had a great tolerance (well “great” may be too strong of a word) of those who have faith in a higher power.
However, he was relatively intolerant of those who felt the need to expose others to their faith or demand that their faith govern the lives of others or demonstrated their Christianity in public but in private were pretty unchristian. In short, the hypocritical Christians (or any faith for that matter). I don’t feel that Al lumped all Christians in the same pile, but he did have an eye for hypocrisy which he promptly called out.
Al quite regularly said [paraphrasing] that belief in God was nuts, especially if it involved a Jewish Carpenter. He said he no longer believed in God or Jesus and was rather blunt about it. He’d mock those who had such a belief [which might offend a large segment of WDEL’s audience and advertisers. So, based on comments made here since my post, it’s OK for non-believers to publicly to express their beliefs or non-beliefs, but not for a Christian? That sure sounds very tolerant [note sarcasm].
I’m not looking to get into a “religious debate” with any of you here, we’ll just have to agree to disagree. I simply expressed my thoughts. Most of the posts explain why folks like me who take their faith walk seriously tend to not be Democrats nor Republicans, because Jesus was neither. All were welcome to become his follower. We ,as his believers are commanded by Christ, in Matthew 28, to make disciples of all nation’s baptizing them…
It would appear that The Good News from Jesus isn’t meant for any of you today, so don’t worry about it, someone else it was meant for and they received its life changing message even here on this liberal blog. It may be for some of you some other day. It’s in God’s timing. Be blessed and be at peace.
I hope if someone here knows Al personally, they will encourage him to consider starting his own blog. His knowledge and opinions are needed on a public stage! I can’t imagine getting through this election year without his input!
Mike, your faith is weak if a radio show host and dissenting opinion impacted it so much. That’s your cross to bear. (Couldn’t resist. My bad.)
So you are giving up your God-given mission to save our sinful souls from the fires of Hell? quitter.
someone in the posts above, refers to calling WDEL and being told Al was “too political”? If so, how in the world is Rick Jensen still on?
Al was awesome. I am a radio junkie and he ( and Alan Loudel) just blow me away. I often thought that if WDEL had any idea what thy had with Al, they would be working on syndication.
I would love to see a movement to bring pressure onWDEL’s sponsors..the HVAC guys, Concord Pets etc, to tell WDEL this is just unacceptable PARTICULARLY given what a lightweight knee-jerk wing nut Jensen is. AL has intellectual gravitas..is that too much for the business gyus at WDEL to appreciate? That he is not a chucklehead like Jensen…e.g. isn’t it awesome radio to hear him (RJ) enthusing over a beer he is drinking? Can’t you just taste it? His “weasel of the week” is so lame…if he were a lawyer, how often would the judge have to reprimand him with” Mr Jensen, you are leading the witness.” Honestly and I feel bad as I type this, but when I am driving around and have WDEL on from the morning show and now it is Jensen, it is very sad to hear what poses as “arguments ” on that show. Zero substance. So, back to the beginning, how could Al be too political if this Fox-worthy material in the afternoons passes muster? I’m absolutely available if someone with web skills I lack organizes an action of protest not just to WDEL but get them where it hurts: their sponsors.
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This is a terrible loss. Al knew what was going on with politics in New Castle County, especially at the county and city level. Al was provocative which makes a great host. When this woman started talking about the Philly Flower show today, I turned to NPR. At least there they had a great debate about the Philly soda tax.
Unbelievable! Al Mascitti was THE BEST! I hope he turns up somewhere soon on the Delaware airways. The most informed and intelligent newsman in Delaware. Goodbye WDEL.
I wholeheartedly agree with Michael Fahey. We in New Castle County have matters parochial to us…the dismantling of public schools due to the high-handedness of the State Department of Education apparently with the blessing of the Governor’s administration the loss of major businesses such as DuPont, Hercules, GM, Chrysler, MBNA in recent years. Al encouraged these discussions. Who needs a fun fest of essentially asking us why The Reagans belong on Mt. Olympus? The assumed statement that Nancy so good and such a “saint” was to be expected on the Rick Jensen program in the afternoon. But, for Heaven’s Sake, Mrs. Reagan crusaded that ” Just Say No” message on Different Strokes and 2 members of the juvenile cast were druggies. In fact, most of Hollywood family shows had child members on drugs. Maureen McCormick aka Marcia Brady admitted as much in her autobiography. So if I want fluff, I have got Hoda and Kathie Lee guzzling their wine every morning.
I am devastated that Al’s show is gone. I looked forward to my commute because of Al. I too am done with WDEL.
I wouldn’t get too angry at Chris Carl. He was just the guy who had to field all the calls today. Couldn’t have been fun. Don’t think he has anything to do with the downstate station, and I highly doubt that he had anything to do with the decision.
I just hope he passes on the numbers of people who called and the level of anger that they felt to whatever idiot(s) made the decision.
These folks said: “pandora says:
March 7, 2016 at 3:32 pm
Mike, your faith is weak if a radio show host and dissenting opinion impacted it so much. That’s your cross to bear. (Couldn’t resist. My bad.)
Ben says:
March 7, 2016 at 3:41 pm
So you are giving up your God-given mission to save our sinful souls from the fires of Hell? quitter.
No, my faith is NOT weak at all. I’m not giving up my God given mission to make disciples [God does the saving, we are simply his messengers, bringers of the Good News].
I just choose to not waste my time listening to folks like Al and Maher bash the faith. I tried to call Al one time to discuss it with him. He really didn’t want to hear what I had to say, and as the talk show host, that is his right as it is HIS show. So he simply would talk over me, getting louder and louder interrupting much like Donald Trump does to those he disagrees with. So that’s not a reasonable way to discuss any issue and certainly not the issue of faith. So I respect his right to have his non-belief.
I don’t try to force my beliefs on anyone. I wouldn’t want someone to try to force their beliefs on me. I try, to do what Jesus did. He talked to folks offering a teaching and then he said, follow me. Then he turned and walked away towards the next village or town. Those who followed were his followers, those who didn’t weren’t. No where in the Bible, does Jesus put someone in a stranglehold and say repent heathen. He doesn’t force us to be his followers. He died on the cross and rose from the grave on Easter Sunday aka Resurrection Sunday, so that his blood would be the final sin offering making all of us acceptable to God, etc, etc. Trying not to get preachy. My point is, Jesus and God the Father, want all folks to come to him, but he didn’t make us into robots, he gave each of us free will. So the banquet table is set. Your place at the table is there with your name tag. If you don’t sit down at the table and pick up your fork and eat, you’ll starve and die [spiritually]. So my job is to present the Gospel message and encourage you to accept God’s invitation to join him by being a follower of his Son Jesus Christ. It is not my job to harass you or try to force you, simply bring the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ and what he’s done for all of us.
Welcome to the first open meeting of AA, Almasciti Anonymous . Like most of you, I too was aimless and foundering , my mornings spent scanning the airwaves like a radio junkie. Then I found Al, the new elixir, the healthy addiction. I never learned so much with so little internal effort on my part. Was he perfect?, no, was he always correct?, no, did he lose his temper with alarming frequency?, yes. Will it be easy to move on content with his memory alone to sustain us?, no. Will Steve Tanzer , Al, and Gary forever be the latter day equivalent of the Three Musketeers? yes. Do we have to accept their absence passively? No. No No! Let’s do the station calls, then approach each advertiser, before he gets a national job on the West Coast.
I followed allan loudell from WILM to WDEL n found Al Mascitti later. I found Al refreshing, as radio is full of right wing ditto heads!
As I cant listen to Loudell most days n liked the fact i could listen to Al most days bright n early. His wit put mebin a good mood to start the day.
I am probably moving to NPR n dump WDEL. Most of the advertisement based programming of WDEL is bogus anyways.
Good luck WDEL, you r going to need it.
So who will be hosting on Tuesday? Timothy?
What a rip off. WDEL should be reported to the FCC for their lack of community service and their license challenged next time it is reviewed. It is OK that there are two distinctive parts of this state and WDEL provided great service to the northern area. I was glad to find Al and Rick and Alan when I first moved to Delaware. Their knowledge and skill help many of us understand the Delaware way. Obviously the Excitement around the FM addition
Was a ploy to. I live in Pike Creek and still can’t get a decent signal AM or FM. Thanks Al for your great work. I will miss you.
this is to AL
i found you here 1 1/2 year ago after i moved here from NYC
i hope we all have a chance to hear you on radio again and soon.
please try and keep us posted
thank you for great time .
paul g
I’ve listened to Al daily for the last five years. I was wondering what Steve Tanzer was chuckling about when Al asked last Tuesday if El Sonambulo would be back next week. I suppose they already new what was going on.
Anyway, I called on the services of #INTERNETWARLORD! It’s great having a superhero in the family!
Wow. Just wow. Glad I missed the Nancy Reagan lollapalozza. When I tuned in she was talking about the flower show and then began talking about selfies. Then there was a longish ad where she said we should all drive into Lewes to buy some nutrisystem foods. Local radio at its best! Drive 90 miles to buy diet foods! Include me out.
is there some way to send this whole thread to wdel?
I’m gonna miss Al. He is very good at his job. The lady on this morning, was a ditto head. Wdel has lost me.
I too followed Loudell from WILM to WDEL.
And then I discovered the wonderful programming that I had been missing- as well as Edward Murrow-worthy radio journalism! I was especially pleased to find that my favorite News Journal-ist was now dissecting the “Delaware Way” 5 days a week on the radio! In a state that regularly rates low (last ranking was 48th or “F”) for public integrity, Al could be depended upon to let Delawareans know what our local politicians regularly tried to hide from the taxpayers. And on Fridays, he was joined by another great former News Journal-ist- Gary Mullinax!
I didn’t always agree with Al, but, the news and issues that he talked about were important to the (New Castle county) community at large- this was the immeasurable value of his program.
I did try to give Monday a listen, but found her so innocuous, annoying, and out of touch with the concerns of New Castle Countians that I could not keep my radio switched on- it was the mental equivalent of someone scratching their fingernails across a chalkboard (or being forced to listen to the vapid Delilah on WJBR). My radio will now be turned off after the top of the hour update at 9am- and the advertisers who have paid for their commercials to air from 9am to noon will not be reaching me.
I am saddened that Delmarva Broadcasting thinks that Delawareans are a homogeneous bunch. Folks north of the C&D Canal honestly have different concerns than their fellows south of the canal. The innocent fluff that passes for entertainment south of the canal does not have a measurable market up here.
I agree that, in addition to letting WDEL know how we feel, we should also voice our concerns to their advertisers- money talks, as we have already seen.
Good luck Al! We miss you! I hope that you are able to return in some capacity to help shine a light on the murky shadows of the “Delaware Way”! A voice like yours is sorely needed and sorely missed!
I’ve listened to Susan Monday on occasion since 105.9 started. She is not as knowledgeable in general, as Al Mascitti, and that is putting it politely. She does however lean to the left on most issues. She also doesn’t seem to enjoy living down state, so my guess is that she will take this opportunity to relocate.
Steve Gove: No, we, or at least I, had no idea this was coming. The reference to El Somnambulo was due to the fact that we couldn’t find his music for the lead-in segment.
No music, no Bulo.
BTW, here’s what you won’t hear from us on today’s show since there will BE no today’s show:
More extortion paid to DuPont by State and NCC
Chip Flowers forgives us all
Tommy Gordon and his two-farmer constituency
Speaker Pete gets challenged
Return of the General Assembly.
Very well said, Frank M. I’ve always felt that WDEL was the last bastion of traditional local media on which New Castle Countians could rely for news, information and frank discussion. Al was the top of the heap and only Rick occasionally comes close.
That’s probably what puzzles me most about this decision. WDEL’s entire daily programming is built around news. Al and Rick riff on the news. Allan Loudell and Peter MacArthur are all about the news.
To dump into the middle of this format a fluffball who is more like a lesser Kathy Lee Gifford makes no sense.
I’ve listened to Monday a few times. Don’t care which way she leans but too often not very relevant. She does have a somewhat soothing voice, which is probably not conducive to listening to while driving.
Regardless of whether there is an able substitute for Al (which there is not), Al attracted listeners – good for the station. Listeners were entertained – good for us. If Al alights somewhere with a similar format, listeners will gravitate there. Hopefully, he finds a gig somewhere in our reception area.
By the way, most people in lower Delaware consider anything from Dover north, to be Northern Delaware except for Wilmington which is somewhere in Pennsylvania?
Co-signing Bulo’s comment above.
And given that the NJ’s news coverage of NCCo is pretty light still, you’d think that the fact that the WDEL’s news operation (reporting and talk) would be a serious differentiator.
For all those who feel strongly about this, don’t forget to send a letter to the station (2727 Shipley Rd. 19810) with your feelings. Calls and emails are nice, but they are pretty low on the concern ticker. They also may not fall into whatever document retention program that WDEL has going, if any.
I think corporate WDEL considers morning and afternoon talk to be entertainment, not news. Al has deep local knowledge and a background in political journalism, so he transcends the entertainment category.
listening a bit to her show this morning out of morbid curiosity and so you won’t have to (this will be the last day i listen). in addition to the vacuousness of the new host, we’re treated to the bonehead opinions of downstate hicks. since no self-respecting new castle countian would ever call this show, there’ll be a steady diet of that. this is a disaster.
Al Mascitti is a deceitful, patronizing misanthrope who did nothing to encourage thoughtful dialogue about important issues. He ignored people and insights that didn’t prop up his own distorted viewpoint, only to claim here and on air that these sources were silent on relevant issues. He bullied and vilified others, snubbing the facts for singular anecdotes, gossip and, at times, outright falsehoods.
While I disagree with Rick Jensen and his conservative views on almost every topic, he has always been fair and allowed debate. So, if it was a choice between the two shock jock entertainers, I think the station made the right one.
Frankly, I think we could all use less “talk” programming on radio and T.V. Fortunately, I didn’t hear of any cuts to the newsroom or its quality team of journalists. I’ll continue to listen to WDEL for local news and information.
Shorter CF: I was a faithful listener. 🙂
Now on wdel 9-12… Mornings with the Moron. Utter waste.
I listened to Susan Monday for a bit and I think I see where they are going with this. She doesn’t offer many opinions or insights, but she does seem to take more callers, and from a wider area representing WDEL’s expanded listening area. She spends her air time repeating the “question of the day” and rehashing what was discussed before the (more frequent?) commercial breaks. From an audience and advertising point of view I can see why they are doing this. But I find the show remarkably content-free. Listening to talk radio is a marginally useful activity anyway, so with Al gone I find my time is better spent elsewhere. But I’m from New Castle County, so I get that my concerns aren’t of broad interest elsewhere.
yes, puck, it’s a low-brow version of a talk show. maybe it plays with farmers and tax-dodgers downstate, or in lancaster, pa., where the small-timers who own wdel are located.
I guess the takeaway is: New Castle County isn’t big enough to support even one commercial media outlet focusing on local politics.
Holy $hit.
Talking about school referendums … she harkens back to ancient Greece and says she “could sit in a field with a box and teach kids something.”
That was after saying she had 60 kids in her Catholic grade school classroom in Philly … and implying that the referenda aren’t to benefit kids. (So they’re presumably to benefit only the people on the payroll?)
What taxes are down staters dodging? I’ll stack my fed and state tax rates up against yours any day.
“Listening to talk radio is a marginally useful activity anyway”
Which is why I only listen while driving and even then it’s choice between talk or tunes. You can guess what usually wins.
dave: some of her (apparently) regular callers have talked about moving to lower delaware for tax reasons. i know delawareliberal has plenty of smart, reasonable followers from downstate. should not have lumped them all together.
I was out running errands and my car radio was set to WDEL so I caught the school referendum discussion. I second mediawatch’s sentiments. Holy sh*t! Is it really too much to ask that Monday do research on the topic she’s discussing?
The idea that you can lump Christina’s referendum with other districts, like Cape, demonstrates a stunning ignorance on the topic. An equally uniformed caller cited the plans for the Wilmington school district – I’ll assume he’s referencing WEIC, but who knows. Needless to say Monday had no clue about WEIC and what was going on. Let alone the fact that even if CSD loses its city schools/students they will still desperately need money.
Sheesh, does she even read the articles on her employer’s news site? You’d think that would be a basic requirement. And her referring to children as illegals who cost taxpayers money was really ugly. Talk about an out in the open dog whistle. Trump would be so proud.
I miss Al.
BTW, my car dial has been reprogrammed. Monday’s worth a ton of blog posts – they write themselves. She’s that big of an embarrassment.
I realize she’s still a newcomer to Sussex but her lack of knowledge of the Cape district is unbelievable. According to the district’s website — for the average home in the district, the tax increase tops out at $74 per year, in the fourth year. She’s yapping about how spending 20 cents a day is too much … that kids really don’t need new buildings and better equipment/technology to get a good education. More importantly, she ought to acknowledge that the reason the impact on the average taxpayer is so small is because so much of the district’s property value is beachfront — the businesses in Rehoboth and those palatial beach houses that are rented throughout the summer and where few school-age kids live from September to June.
In a perverse way, I find her ignorance entertaining.
Kavips Post linking to this post is worth clicking over and reading:
“Furthermore at exactly the same time, Allan Loudell’s blog comment section has switched over to only to Facebook verification, there is no bypass. Those of you who do comment on Facebook, and feel disheartened by Al’s absence, should go to Allan Loudell’s blog and replicate the thread you put down at Delaware Liberal..
Whether this change was insisted by someone to shut down a very powerful voice which did create multiple backlashes which in fact, did stymie a rather large number of New Castle County crony get-rich-schemes, OR…. whether it was as is being played, a business move to try and grow more conservative listeners downstate,….. either way, there is now no progressive main stream media outlet in this state.
It’s like the world just went silent.
=====
What can we do?
Use your facebook account to log onto her greeting on Al Loudell’s Blog and express your complaint. (If you get scrubbed, comment on that too, here)
Join the boycott of Boulden Brothers, Sobieski, Calvert (Now One Hour Air) Horizon HVAC, Concord Pet. They are the largest commercial advertisers. (can’t really boycott the DSEA)… Hitting them publicly will put progressitivity back on the burner faster than anything else. Visit them on Facebook.
Scold Susan Monday’s twitter feed that Northern Delaware’s attention span is too short for her ramblings; we are all dropping off … 30 tweets allegedly stand for 30,000 people who didn’t bother to tweet but feel the same way… (That is what Twitter advertising claims.)”
GOOD RIDDANCE!
Tom Gordon chimes in!
Can we all just take a moment to be thankful that he wasn’t replaced by Colin Flaherty?
I hope that no one is naive enough to believe that this was anything other than a politically motivated move on the part of WDEL. No doubt Al stepped on the wrong toes, whether it was a corporation or a politician, and that’s why he got the boot.
Mike Reath’s comment in today’s News Journal that WDEL “…did not cite a specific incident that led to Mascitti’s removal” is pure obfuscation. Or should I say “corporate speak.” This was not a budgetary matter – if he had stated that Al was fired for opinions that he espoused on the air, it would smack of censorship, and this would raise all sorts of First Amendment issues.
Another of Mr. Reath’s statements regarding WDEL’s “…plan to generate or to increase the amount of unique content that we create for broadcast” is again pure hogwash. “Unique content”? Susan Monday? Who is he kidding?
The only progressive voice in the tri-state area has been silenced. As others have done, I have removed WDEL from the push buttons on my car radio, and have de-programmed the station from all of the radios in my house. In years past, I patronized advertisers whom I’d heard on Al’s program, and told them that I had heard their spot on his program specifically. I’ll miss them, but they won’t be getting my business again. I’ll also miss Phillies baseball and high school football, but at least I’ll have more free time. I have already written to Mike Reath to express my displeasure at the current situation, and hand delivered the letter to WDEL yesterday.
Al Mascitti has been part of my life for ten years. Although I didn’t always agree with him, he was a breath of fresh air in the spectrum of right-wing talk radio. I wish I had a dollar for every time I shouted “Yes!” for every time Al put down an obnoxious or right-wing caller. And Wally, yes, I’ll miss you, too.
If there’s anything good that comes out of this, at least for me, it’s that I won’t have to listen to Rick “I have an anecdote that proves my point” Jensen shilling for Dan White, Doctor Fink, or his BMW dealer.
Farewell for now, Al, and thanks for the memories. If, as Mike Reath stated, that “…the station plans to maintain a relationship…” with you, don’t believe it, and don’t take him up on it. WDEL doesn’t deserve you.
Delaware Business Times ran an interview with Pete Booker in September of last year regarding his retirement and what he thinks the future of radio may be. Pete is quoted as saying that AM radio has maybe 10 more years of useful life and FM radio has about 20.
Maybe the loss of Al’s voice due to “business decisions” reflects this forthcoming change. I’m not sure what medium can possibly replace radio (other than maybe podcasts?- but I’m no media expert) but, it sounds like there are a large enough number of excellent former News Journal and radio media journalists out there that some enterprising folks could band together in the new media formats and grow these new mediums.
Unlike days of old, the cost of entry into the media market should be much less since one does not have to buy gigantic radio transmission towers and physical equipment on that scale anymore. I’m guessing that the biggest expense nowadays would be payroll and server space/ upkeep.
If currently existing media outlets do not reflect a community’s needs, there’s no reason a community can’t start its own.
Delmarva Broadcasting appears to believe that they can attract everyone in Delaware to the same talk shows. Ain’t gonna work. Whoever made the programming decisions had probably heard Al and Steve’s hilarious take on downstate Delaware. I remember him saying a friend had moved away from there when he found out his son had a favorite NASCAR driver, LOL. They knew Al would be brutal on downstate callers. So guess who became the odd man out?
Actually, I would have listened more if they did have Al on with downstate callers. It would be immensely entertaining. Hmm, I wonder if he could find a part time home on WGMD. I’d love for him to pull the chains of that station’s typical caller.
I just won a t-shirt from WDEL last month and Al took my phone info. I no longer live in the area and listen to the station on my phone. Well, at least I used to. Without Al I really have no reason to listen.
@anonymous
No problem. I talk about the downstaters as well, except I make it a bit more nuanced. Sussex County is actually 2 counties. One part is basically what some folks call Eastern Sussex and the folks are pretty smart and sophisticated (but it does have some fringe types).
Western Sussex is, well…whatever stereotype you have for downstaters that stereotype is really applicable to Western Sussex.
Eastern Sussex does have more than it’s share of folks from other states such as NY and NJ, who came here for tax relief. I have found that many of them want what they had in NY and NJ but without the high taxes. My simple explanation to them is that in Sussex County, you don’t pay anything, but you also don’t get anything. The county provides almost no services. So if you want something you will have to pay for it because there is no free lunch. As someone at DL (I think it was Geezer) said one time, taxes are the price you pay for civilization and the reason taxes were high in places like NJ because people wanted stuff. I consider it a public service to educate them about the correlation between stuff and taxes.
Bless your heart.
Bless your heart?
Jason, can we please keep religion out of this?
I messaged WDEL on Facebook. Told them I though Mascitti was entertaining and talented. A liberal with bite. Told them I hoped Mascitti would be picked up by another station so I could listen to him. Somebody from WDEL emailed me back and said “Good Luck with your search.” Thanks for your kind message, WDEL. This not so liberal listener wants good programming, and you’re not providing it.
Heading up I95 this morning, to take my 90 something Dad to the doctor, I thought that to be fair I would give Susan Tuesday a try. I lasted 30 minutes. Now I can understand that with a new format and new ways there would be a few bumps on the road, but the gaps in sound and the dead air were worse then the pot holes I had to dodge in Philly. I could not believe that Ms. Susan was taking a poll on the use of waterboarding. It made sense that most of the calls came from the southern part of the state since they do water boarding all summer long. But I was amazed at her lack of engagement with the callers and a sense of her keeping score of who was for and against. So before I left the listening area (neither AM or FM can be received North of PHL) I called the station to record my vote. NO ONE AT WDEL WAS ANSWERING.
On my return trip I settled behind the wheel willing to endure Delaware’s answer to Donald Trump. On a day when there were several primaries and a state official was calling for the end of the Department of Education in the state, and on a day when welfare money for Du Pont continues to increase, I figured things would be lively on ALL STATE WDEL AM AND FM. Rick was trying to engage us with what we do with the plastic bags we get at the grocery stores and how do we feel about the nickel surcharge proposed in the state legislature. I called and someone answered! Rick is familiar with me, (“Liberal friend of Al’s who thinks he’s a minister”). I told Rick I was in favor of the surcharge because the bags kill fish. Then I told him about my morning problems getting through to the station to vote in favor of waterboarding. He laughed at that and then I told him I thought we should use water boarding on the WDEL management until they tell us the truth about AL. HE HUNG UP. Trumpeting is alive in Delaware.
Tomorrow’s morning show question: “Are you for or against slavery?”
Big Ida made a great point about snail mail and Kavips nailed it with the sponsors. In order to show Al how much we appreciated his voice we need to use ours.
The People of The City of Wilmington need Al. Now more than ever. I’m wondering if Monday knows where the Browntown area is , how about The Cool Springs area ? And what kinda of history of Wilmington does she know ? And by that I mean recent history too. AL could tell the truth about Wilmington . What does Monday know about Tom G. or Elmer S.? AL told the truth. This City deserves more than the unique content promised to be delivered by Monday . The only good thing about this situation is that AL is probably felling O K with this .I really would like to hear him laugh at the downstate callers when they say I’m calling from Gumboro.
Judging from some of the responses people have posted here, WDEL is more bush league than I imagined. Hey guys, you dumped Al, his listeners are angry and letting you know. That’s it. You made the call, now deal with it! What neophyte could possibly believe that antagonizing people further with these passive-aggressive responses could lead to anything good? “Good luck with that”? Yeah, I got your good luck right here! I also wonder if they realize how they have devalued Rick Jensen’s show. Al would work people into a lather and those who are of that bent would hang around to hear Rick’s take. The two bookended each other and allowed each to use the other as their foil. Now that they have the media equivalent of a dust bunny on in the morning, I can only think that the energy will be lost and folks will just shrug and go on about their day while Rick will rant into the echo chamber that other conservative talk shows do better with nationally anyway. Give it a year and they’ll be grasping for a national show for the morning slot in some brain dead way to save the ship.
Oh well, we should all write our letters/tweets/emails then just move on. Hopefully Al will surface somewhere soon. In the mean time, there are only a thousand forms of media to occupy ourselves with, I’m sure we can do without ….discomforting… those poor tea cups at Shipley Rd.
I tuned in Monday expecting to hear about the General Assembly being back in session and a host of other topics. I thought perhaps Al was on vacation until I got to work and checked the website, and his smiling face was gone. Very bad decision.
I will still listen to WDEL for its coverage of high school sports. They do a great job with highlight packages and live broadcasts. Sean and Big Don are a credit to Delaware radio.
I listened yesterday for about 30 minutes heading to Middletown from Wilmington. In fairness she had an interesting topic to me anyway (search and seizure differences between Bradley and Wheeler cases), and an attorney guest who sounded knowledgeable but she dragged it out with questions and then went to one of those elongated commercial / traffic / news breaks and I never got to hear the specifics from the expert of why Wheeler was let go. I noticed the long dead air breaks too. There was one stretch where they played a loop of Men At Work, Who Can It Be Now, which seemed to last forever and I found that vaguely ironic.
Susan Monday SUMO is horrible, probably one of the reasons they cut 2 hours from her show. She is neither liked or respected by her colleagues at 105.9. Her show is routinely peppered with profanities, and derogatory slurs like dykes, fags, n*****s without any repercussions from management.
I too listened to Al, I called in fairly regularly to the point I considered him a friend. While we did not always agree on everything and our discussions often got heated there was a mutual respect. As you all know if you wanted to make a point with Al your reasons had to be based on fact not conjecture, or some other lame ass logic. That’s what made Al so great IMHO, SUMO isn’t even close to being in Al’s league as a talk show host or human being.
Miss Monday seems to be anti- Public school because, Heaven Forbid, they are funded by taxes. Better to have an unpaid nun, if you can find one, and saddle her with over-crowded classrooms. BECAUSE look how smart Miss Monday turned out ! On the other hand, I suppose she will fall in with the Governor Pro Business Markell, and the state legislators who believe that the state budget is designed to give millions and millions and millions to Big Business. Corporations have become really good shake down artists. How long will Du Pont remain in Delaware? 5 years just long enough to collect their 9.6 million dollars? Even after recently firing another 1700 employees, but keeping 100. Then off to some other state or city handing out even bigger incentives. George Smiley pretty much implied that Delaware was going to make this routine procedure in order to attract businesses. So that is where our taxes go. Even as Conservatives habitually groan about assistance to the poor.
I am INCENSED. I’ve followed Al all my life, first at TNJ (where we both worked), later on the air, and recently online since I now live in Seattle. I’m in all four stages of grief at once. I haven’t heard the new morning host, but at least its not that Flaherty moron. I want my … I want my … I want my Mas-cit-ti.
I might tune in for an hour where Wally, Stan and Liz all called Susan Monday- but the call screener has probably been warned. Yesterday it was on in the car and I listened for about 15 minutes. WDEL is now sounding like one of those robot stations with no personnel during the morning. Dead air stretches and 2 commercials playing over each other. Embarrassing.
please don’t quit calling or writing wdel about this foolish move. they hate inconvenience.
If AL still wants to work in radio, we should let it be known that he has a following. He recently stated that he still needs a job. Regardless, thanks AL I really enjoyed your commentary. To be honest, I would rather hear AL on a show without the phone calls.
Dave G: Al made a point of having enough material to be able to carry on a solo conversation for the three hours in the event that no one called.
I listened to Su Mo during her ‘Waterboarding–good or bad’ segment yesterday while driving our taxes to the accountant. When no one called, she was reduced to trying to rephrase the same question in different ways–never adding any more information or context. Pure floundering around. Wasn’t long before I was back at Little Steven’s Underground Garage.
To anon: It may make more hay if you send letters, polite and to the point, to WDEL advertisers (good starting list is up there ^ somewhere ) and CC the station. Realizing that the demographics of the station have suddenly changed may make them more circumspect when it comes to buying a block of advertising. And that hits traditional broadcasting where it really hurts.
Re WDEL advertising– this is something I know from having done some deals with them for a former client … they have a program which is essentially remnant advertising, where the business pays a lower rate, gets a small number of ads in prime slots during the month and the rest of the buy gets dumped into whatever holes the station can’t fill with ads sold at premium rates.
Some of the smaller retailers — I wouldn’t know the names for sure — like local jewelers or appliance stores would fall into this category, and I doubt they’d abandon a deeply discounted rate just because Al’s gone.
And the same would be true for the biggest advertisers — Horizon, PJ Fitzpatrick — overall, the station’s listeners fit their target demographic.
We may be able to budge some advertisers … but most of them spread their buys over the whole business day.
Of course … if we could get them to specify that they don’t want weekday mornings included in their ad buy — then we’ve got something.
good grief, now she’s talking about jesus and churches. she doesn’t know anything about that, either.
Hit ’em in their target demographic: Tell them your aging but moneyed aunt is feeble, barely competent to manage her financial affairs, and needs her heater fixed, and you will warn her not to use the services of a WDEL morning sponsor.
Miss Al very much. Jury still out on Susan. I would give her a while longer before saying
Rick Jensen just stated on air that Al told him that he wanted out and had been begging the station to fire him for more than a year. Rick spoke with Al on Saturday and confirmed the NJ’s statement that the door may be open for Al to return as guest host every now and again, assuming Al wants to do that.
While I’m happy that Al got the time off that he wanted, it leaves listeners with a big hole in discussion about NCC politics. Hopefully Rick will step up his game and focus less on national politics. There are so many other places to go that do it better.
It’s not hard for me to envision Al saying “OK, so fire me,” but I would be wary of believing Rick’s recounting of any conversation with Al. It’s clear to me that he’s trying to spin the story in furtherance of Delmarva Broadcasting’s corporate interests.
To quote Rick Jensen, “Really?” Rick fabricates so much that it would be well nigh impossible to believe his story. If Al had wanted out that badly, he would have quit on his own. And those of you who know Al will attest to that being the case.
I won’t believe anything that Delmarva Broadcasting/WDEL/Rick Jensen says until I hear it directly from Al.
Al, if you’re monitoring this site, you should be able to collect unemployment. Good luck to you and Mrs. Mascitti.
I agree with others. Whereas Rick may be on the level, it just doesn’t wash. Who on earth begs to be fired? That is not good resume material. I am sure a more elegant exit and amicable transition would be the preferred option for anyone wanting to move on. That, and I’d think that we would be hearing such through Al’s reliable proxies. So I’d like to believe Rick, but I do have my doubts. OTOH, maybe Al is the “burn it all down” type, which could explain why I liked his show.
The station made a big mistake… a good life’s about being able to make decisions on various topics, Al allowed us to love and hate his opinion at times, but also think…. I called the number El Somnambulo said 3024782700, I left a polite message to bring back Al, Please do the same
Although I would like to believe Rick, there was some controversy when his co-host Gerry was fired/ quit back in 2008 (?). I seem to remember reading a blog posting (presumably authored by Gerry), where Gerry accused Rick of going along with Delmarva Broadcasting’s company line regarding the separation, reinforcing the company line on air. I never got a clear idea of what the Gerry situation was about, but, I seem to recall that he was also an outspoken fellow- it would not surprise me to learn that some influential local politicians had Gerry on their “short” lists.
I tried to ask Rick about that at the time and he cut me off then just like he did the other day. Rick is in denial and is sharing a heavy dose of projection. HE IS THE WEASEL.
Maybe this could be Al’s big break. Maybe somebody could tell the powers that be at SiriusXM Satellite Radio. There are several channels he might fit in such as Progress or POTUS Politics which also carries Michael Smerconish. Somebody send tapes of his shows to SXM. Be nice to hear his wisdom all over North America.
If AL still wants to work in radio, I agree.
Have a relative that works for (not serious) radio. Al is superior to smerconish. But he has grown over the years. Al belongs here to hear. The X has a shaky future.
They say confession is good for the soul.
I think I have even said that a few times in my ministry. I was raised by a father who was a benefit of the doubt sort of guy who encouraged me to give people a second chance. soo I called Susan Wednesday today. The discussion was about the downstate John Wesley UMC and the approval of its transformation into a brewpub. Besides the irony of Methodist churches becoming places where alcoholic beverages are served can be mind blowing to faithful Methodists. The arguments were based on the non-scriptural idea that the church is not a building but was the people gathered. Though I am sensitive to such thought I think we reject the importance of building too quickly. The structure acts as the skeleton of the congregation. It contains the voices of a hundred or two of years of witness by the saints of the church. And in this area many of the churches were integral parts of the Black experience. The decisions to sell are difficult to make. Two churches where I have served have been sold. One is now an upscale restaurant and the other a Hebrew boys school. I hope that Trustees in local churches and at the conference are prayerfully considering their decisions. Churches are more than buildings. They are living breathing parts of the body.
Miss Wednesday suggested that maybe Old Swedes could be turned into a bar. I assured her that there was a viable congregation at the church.
Miss Wednesday is learning. Connections are rough. She often talks about topics she has limited resources. She cuts people off when she is reluctant to talk about these topics.
In the mean time I continue to miss. Al. He is a great conversationalist. My bromance has been destroyed. Thank Al for keeping an old retired guy thinking. It’s time for a Salon with
Al, Gary, El. S. And those who love lively conversation about the issues of the day.
Last week Rick promoted his show with the meaty topic of whose voice was worse- Hillary Clinton’s or Sarah Palin’s. Anybody want to guess his answer? Wonder how he likes Susan Monday’s shrill voice? Removing Al Mascitti’s voice is so disheartening. Pastor Paul mentioned Miss Monday’s suggestion that Old Swedes Church might make a suitable brewpub. I heard her make this absurd comment and wondered When did this venerable church close? The atmosphere on this show is stultifying. It’s the same Conservative dribble one hears on every talk radio show on the radio. We need a tough guy in the White House because that is the number one job of the President. And Clinton dropped the ball when he didn’t capture Bin Laden….but it was totally okay for George Bush to totally ignore Bin Laden for the first 9 months of his term of office despite security warnings. Why do they give him a free pass? I guess there will be steady callers (usually Males from downstate) repeating this mantra. Oh, and from one of the comments above, am I to glean Rick has a BMW. No wonder we were subjected to his jeering Government Motors comments back during the bailouts. To quote the gal whose voice you prefer, ” How’s that workin’ out for you?” Thousands of American jobs were saved, Rick. Sadly, not Al’s.
Sumo is a train wreck! Lets be honest. My guess is that WDEL will lose a lot of advertisers once they realize folks have stopped listening.
Maybe Rick felt compelled to say something about Al’s departure in order to avoid awkward nominations for “Weasel of the Week” tomorrow.
yes, call rick’s show and nominate the new boss at wdel for weasel of the week.
For being liberals there is a lot of intolerance being spewed here towards a woman radio host. Hillary would be so proud.
Wow. Stupidest comment of the day so far. Must be a conservative.
I deal with women and men as individuals. I haven’t called out Susan Monday for her sex. I’ve called her out for her opinions and obvious lack of research. LiberalsRus, you really don’t understand feminism.
This doesn’t add anything significantly new to the discussion, but it is the response to my email from Mike Reath, Delmarva Broadcasting VP and general manager, so I thought it was worth sharing:
Thank you for reaching out to us on the programming change involving the Al Mascitti Show. I know that you were a fan.
Strategically, the move is part of a corporate initiative to restructure our news/talk operations in Delaware. The process began with the purchase of 101.7 FM last spring which added a terrific signal over Kent County. Since then we’ve launched DelawareSportsZone.com, changed format on WYUS from Spanish to ESPN Sports Radio and beefed up the content on WDEL.com. All the while taking note of the News Journal’s seemingly unstoppable decline in circulation and corresponding cuts in Delaware coverage.
Allan Loudell’s News at Noon has been simulcast successfully downstate on Delaware 105.9 for three years. He will now be joined by The Rick Jensen Show while we have begun airing The Susan Monday Show up here.
It is a change and we realize that it will take some time for her show to settle in. Al’s ratings were very low in the beginning and grew over time. The net gain will be more resources across all our platforms to cover the state.
Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Thanks for sharing
I understand their intentions
But they will find out that they cannot dum down Al’s listeners Ok well maybe a few
It would have been wiser to try to smarten up the lower 2/3 of de
I’m a conservative and never found Al’s program right or left
It was always what is right and true
He is so knowledgable
If you can post this to the thread at your choice
Al and all his well… Stuff is now not utilized
The range of characters that called were
Ummmm. Well great !
I’m actually not a conservative. I’m giving Susan a chance and tired of seeing you bitch about your hero Al going away. Not Susan’s fault so leave the vitriol to the conservatives.
That was some crafty buzzmarketing for Delawaresportszone.com which I didn’t know about, but now I do.
I don’t know Al personally and don’t know (or care) about his financial situation. While I like his show immensely and am very sorry that he’s gone, it wouldn’t surprise me if he did indeed ask for his release if he wasn’t enjoying it anymore. If he quit, instead of being let go, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to collect unemployment while seeking another job. Perhaps Delmarva finally saw the opportunity to oblige Al as part of their restructuring. I’ll take Jensen on his word until I receive info to the contrary otherwise from a more credible source like Al, for example.
After listening to Susan Monday for a week, it’s fair to say that she seems woefully unprepared to offer any meaningful insights on most topics. Her strong suit is fostering discussion, which appears to be what Delmarva was looking for in replacing Al.
He did not ask for his release.
Jensen is just puckering up and doing what Jensen does.
Pretty despicable that Jensen is peddling that story, though. Issues with the truth are why I don’t listen to Jensen, really.
Jensen has the easiest gig in the history of radio. Listen the Sean Hannity at night, then say that same shit the next day and act like he thought of it. It is utterly ridiculous.
Just came in the house from the yard to change to more summery clothes. Heard some caller on the Jensen show. This caller had the audacity to say that he thinks all the Republicans wannabe POTUS love America and the all the Democratic wannabe POTUS hate America. This is the mentality this station has sunk to. I hope this low information guy remembers that bit of inanity when Cruz or Rubio cut Social Security should America have the misfortune to elect either of these lazy opportunists . Today Rick has a substitute who is calling Democrats Lefties and encouraging all the down-staters to call in and express their hatred of Hillary. Republican men are delusional.
Perhaps today is the day that Rick will, “beg to be fired?” All this Trumpeting is tiring. WDEL has shown their true colors.
None of which are neither black nor brown. It is a shame they waited so long to make these changes. An earlier response and they could have ridden the Trump wave to Assawoman bay.
WDEL used to be a premiere station. Now Delaware has none I guess. Wilmington not only lost major corporations, it has lost a station that has been around for as long as I can remember. I used to be a big radio fan and listened every morning as I did my housework. Not anymore. These little media foot soldiers for the big media moguls are an embarrassment to America. They would say anything for approval.
JL and Cass,
Al told me last Friday “it’s been in the works for months” — and he wasn’t referring to asking for his release.
I know Al well enough to envision scenarios where he would say “OK, fire me” or “FU, I quit,” but it’s quite clear that this is not how it played out last Friday.
It was, quite simply, a “management decision” made by new manager whose tastes in radio programming remain aligned with the Clear Channel model even though Clear Channel dumped him a couple of years back.
They have a downstate sub in for Rick today and Monday- so, today appears to be a sample of what folks downstate are hearing when they tune in to the FM. I weep for the folks south of the canal- if the hosts aren’t annoying, the inanity of the callers who are being put through to the air is bad enough to kill brain cells!
What happened to our unique and classy radio station? It is long gone, I fear. The news is the only bit of the station that is left to us that is worth listening to, and I fear that it will become a Fox News clone in short order.
The CBS affiliation may keep WDEL from falling into the Fox News muck …but it’s another reason to urge WDDE to seek a stronger transmitter upstate than its periodic programming through WMPH.
I guess that Rick must have been afraid of being nominated as “weasel of the week.” Perhaps those of you who still listen to WDEL could call in next Friday to do some nominating.
For those of you unfamiliar with the history of WDEL, it has been on the air since 1922. Seems as though it’s now in its declining years.
At least I don’t have to listen to Colin, Cameron, and Gavin any more.
WILM is a Clear Channel/ iheart station. It’s terrible and only angry old white people listen to it. Why in the world would Delmarva Broadcasting seek to emulate such a terrible station?
Next thing you know, we’ll have Ann Coulter or some other ill-informed right wing blonde tramp shouting at us.
Al Mascitti discussed real topics that actually impacted Delawareans. Susan Monday wants to know if you snooped on your kids or if you care about a brew pub opening in a former church building. Legit Christians don’t even care about it, as their “church” is not defined by a building, yet somehow that’s a topic worthy of discussion? No thanks, SM.
Good luck, WDEL. Also, fuck off.
Southern, white, right, stupid. WDEL
jared morris was pretty cool in place of jensen. just saying.
Monday has been on the air down here for while. Mostly shallow tabloid fluff topics. Do you speed up at yellow lights et al. I listen to the angry Republican station. They have on legislators and occasionally discuss substantive issues of which they are always on the wrong side
I miss Al. I haven’t listened to wdel since he’s no longer there. And I will not tune in any longer. I always looked forward to hearing Al opine about politics, religion,etc. And often learned something every day. When I found Al on the radio years ago I was elated. Now I’m going through Al withdrawal. Seriously. Well, wdel you screwed up. Al and Alan L. are gems and you got rid of one. Too bad. And you lost me too (even though I’m no gem).
Just did some research on the computer. WDEL is owned by Delmarva Broadcasting which is a mouthpiece of Clear Channel. Clear Channel was founded in 2007 in Texas by , in large part , Bain Capital. Does Bain Capital sound familiar? It is Romney’s businee which destroyed small businesses and created Big Box stores like Staples. Clear Channel has taken over AM radio and spews Republican propaganda all over the dial. I have listened to many a station change overnight into unrelentingly hate radio. They seem to model themselves like Pravda did during the Soviet Union. This station definitely has a southern Delaware Confederate feel to it. And we no longer have a local Wilmington station that reflects different points of view. BUT the irony is that Republicans love to spew hatred of Communists and then resort to the very same rotten tactics of Bolsheviks. Bye bye REPRESENTATIVE Democracy.
I was about to listen to WDEL through my phone app (I live in VA now) when I remembered that Al is gone. Never mind.
Words I never thought I’d hear on WDEL mornings except in a joking manner: Oak Orchard. Dagsboro. Millsboro. Pot Nets.
All heard in the past hour today. Know what I didn’t hear? Anyone from New Castle county.
NCC businesses are wasting their advertising money.
WDEL has no connection to Clear Channel. That is WILM. Delmarva is owned by Steinman Communications out of Lancaster, Pa., which also publishes the newspapers in that city.
I know the Steinman Family owns Delmarva Broadcasting. However, Clear Channel has a listing of its stations and WDEL was listed. So there is a connection. Tuned in a bit. The usual Republican mantra…..hating on unions. Miss Monday claims she was a teacher FORCED to join a union. Some nurse bemoaned the fact she was expected to join a union and only the bad nurses relied on them. Explain to me why I have encountered several doctors who were slipshod and worthy of malpractice. (I didn’t sue.) But I am sure that they are AMA members. AS f or teacher unions, my team leader teacher was NEVER a member of the union. She was given all the support and benefits as the rest of us.
I taught in Delaware. Just heard some guy who has been angry since 2008 ( want to guess why? ) . Obama had not yet EVEN set foot in the OVAL office. He bragged that he has his gunpowder ready. I was ready to hear a REBEL Yell and insulting the northeast listeners. Well, pardon us, for following as many sources of news possible and weighing and evaluating. This man thinks with a weapon.
In Sussex county the republican party has abdicated leadership to talk radio hosts and fix news commentators
Wake me up when the wingnuts start calling out law enforcement unions.
There is no such connection. Your source is in error.
For reasons not clear to me, this Clear Channel outdoor (billboards) page lists WDEL’s Mike Reath as a contact.
http://outdoorphotoliths.clearchanneloutdoor.com/GeneratedPDFs/11_1_2013_13339778.pdf
But I don’t believe the radio station has any connection other than that the current general manager (Reath’s boss) was previously dumped by Clear Channel, as I noted in a much earlier post on this thread — which I hope continues until Al gets back to work.
Correction: Went back to the list and realized what I thought were all Clear Channel stations were possibly listing all and any stations in the area. I had originated my search with Clear Channel. Sorry for the misinformation. But from the conversations, I have heard, it might as well be. IF people want to accuse Democrats of being solely responsible for the misbehavior at Trump rallies, then conduct one of those numerous Congressional investigations and find out the party affiliations of the culprits. Maybe once these meaningless and expensive time wasting investigations will bear fruit, at least, on this issue.