Low and behold, I was caught off guard by portions of the interview showing up in yesterday's NY Daily News...but what can you do? My only real problem with it is that the reporter who filed thee story in the NY Daily News didn't spell my name right....other than that? ROCK ON!!!!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
No apologies by radio producer Rick Del Gado, who was Hot, then not
By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, February 13th 2008, 4:00 AM
Rick Del Gado played key roles in two of the messiest incidents in recent city radio history. He was the producer when Opie and Anthony held their infamous "Sex in St. Patrick's" contest on WNEW (102.7 FM) in 2002 and again when the morning team at WQHT (97.1 FM) aired the "Tsunami Song" in 2005.
Both times, he got fired.
And both times, he tells Chaunce Hayden in Steppin' Out magazine, he was just following orders.
"I don't think I crossed the line either time," he tells Hayden. "It was my job."
At the moment, Del Gado doesn't have a radio job. After Hot-97, he worked in San Francisco for a while, but now he's "between gigs," as they say - and he doesn't sound particularly happy about it.
He notes to Hayden that Opie and Anthony had been doing the St. Patrick's stunt for three years. "The listeners got involved, everybody had fun and management signed off," he says. "It was no secret to anybody. It was just entertainment. It was to get people to listen. That's what we're in radio for, to get people to listen."
With the "Tsunami Song," he says the same thing: "I did what they [management] told me to do," which was get attention. He has said many times that the song, which mocks tsunami victims, was intended as a parody of the gooey, vacant "charity" songs of celebrity do-gooders.
"My job is to step over the line," he says. "The dump button and management is there to make sure we don't go too far."
But the song got through at a time when Hot-97 wanted the right kind of attention. "In this corporate B.S. world, somebody has to take the fall if you get bad publicity," Del Gado says.
In fact, he adds, "All the radio people I talk to ... have patted me on the back. They all work in the industry and they admire I did something they couldn't do themselves for fear of losing their jobs."
He readily admits he's not happy that "everybody gets paid, except for me." He also suggests his old bosses Opie and Anthony "aren't bringing in any ad dollars these days. The only guys in radio who bring in big ad dollars are Howard Stern and Imus."
He further differentiates between Opie and Anthony. "I thought they would have my back. I learned early on that one had my back and the other didn't."
That one, he says, is Opie. "Opie is a d- and no one likes him," says Del Gado. "But nobody will tell that to his face."
Del Gado also says "shock radio" is "dead in corporate America. Because Howard Stern made so much money for his company, other companies thought they could take the same format and turn it into gold as well. But all they did was turn shock radio into dog s-."
He seems frustrated that people don't get parodies.
"It's comedy," he says. "It's stupid comedy. It's so stupid it's got to be funny. If anyone takes it seriously, they're an idiot."
And his own career?
"I don't think it needs fixing. I think radio needs fixing.
"I apologize for nothing and I never will."
2 comments:
Any comments on what Opie had to say in return?
Hey Rick. Why didnt you try to get back with the Opie and Anthony show when they got their contract with XM/Krock?
Have you talked to anyone from the show since?
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