BILLY MAYS DEAD: WHO REALLY BROKE THE STORY?

[Super Scribbler]

I'm confused. St. Pete Times columnist Eric Deggans writes the death of Billy Mays may ignite a new radio morning show fued between Bubba the Love Sponge, who now claims he broke the story first, and Todd Schnitt, who says he talked to the pitchman hours before he died. The two are already locked in a previously filed defamation lawsuit.

And I hear 820 WWBA talker Dan York proclaiming his station's news department was all over Mays death minutes after it happened on Sunday morning and they are Tampa's new breaking news leader beating every other station in town to the Mays story. Promos now feature Shayna Lance heralding all the stories they've broken first recently, without specifying any.

But I heard about Mays death first on 970 WFLA and couldn't find it on TBO.com or Tampabay.com or TMZ.com, or anywhere else for at least 30 minutes after Hal Lamb and Todd Schnitt claimed exclusivity! So, what's going on... which station really got the story first?

[Cowhead]

I heard it first from kids on 96.7WKID...AND they predicted Karl Malden's death!

[scrubnurse]

Dick Ring broke the story. 

[Studio20]

I'm confused. St. Pete Times columnist Eric Deggans writes the death of Billy Mays may ignite a new radio morning show fued between Bubba the Love Sponge, who now claims he broke the story first, and Todd Schnitt, who says he talked to the pitchman hours before he died. The two are already locked in a previously filed defamation lawsuit.

Don't you just love it? Another glorified blogger throwing fire on what was a smoldering fuel of two of the last radio jocks in town.
I'd suggest the Times go back to the previous radio guy, ...but that was Ernest Hooper, and that would be two more steps back.

[DToTheJ]

I heard it first from kids on 96.7WKID...AND they predicted Karl Malden's death!

I believe there was a serious wager of Double Bubble riding on that bold prediction...

[smedge2006]

I'd suggest the Times go back to the previous radio guy, ...but that was Ernest Hooper, and that would be two more steps back.

Actually, neither the Times nor the Trib has had a dedicated person covering radio since about 2000, when both papers fired their radio writers. After that, the "media" writers would occasionally throw a bone to radio, and what appeared in the papers were mostly puff pieces in the business section about how neat it was to have eight radio stations in one building. I think the lack of coverage by the papers has allowed the deterioration of this medium to slip under the radar -- which is probably fine by a lot of people with skin in the game.

[naughtytalker]

You people are crazy. The question is which Tampa Bay radio outlet broke the story of Billy Mays death! Not what where you doing when Elvis died or where were you when JFK was assassinated or how did you learn the shuttle Challenger blew up! I'll tell you who had it first, the same station that always has it first and it ain't the chest thumpers Bubba or WWBA. It was Tampa heritage AM powerhouse Newsradio 970 WFLA. You got that!

[Cedric]

You people are crazy. The question is which Tampa Bay radio outlet broke the story of Billy Mays death! Not what where you doing when Elvis died or where were you when JFK was assassinated or how did you learn the shuttle Challenger blew up! I'll tell you who had it first, the same station that always has it first and it ain't the chest thumpers Bubba or WWBA. It was Tampa heritage AM powerhouse Newsradio 970 WFLA. You got that!

The same station that always has it first, huh? You don't even have Sean Hannity first... wtf are you talking about??? Yeah, that's one awesome news department you got over there. I especially love the day old weather forecasts you guys have been airing, not to mention the now perpetual technical gaffs and dead air I've been hearing since the cutbacks. You know, for a dude who's been treated so poorly by CC, you sure do kiss a lot of butt. Are you hoping the midget will take notice? By the way, coming off vacation solely to gloat about talking to Billy Mays.... truly disgusting.

I think it's hilarious that radio personalities are trying to take credit for breaking this story, when the blogosphere won hands down!!! If you want to know the truth about any story, and get the info first, people with common sense don't tune to a understaffed, automated, joke of a radio station... truly a shell of its former self. Your days as an "AM powerhouse" are over, please go away, and take FLZ with you. That is all.

[naughtytalker]

Cedric, I think you're turning me on.

[Cedric]

Cedric, I think you're turning me on.

At least someone is...