There was me, being a lil sceptical about Ms Aaron’s abilities. She really does have an eye for talent. Talent, along with best practices, watchwords of the dearly departed Maxie Jackson. Ms Aaron, with no history of radio management, radio achievement, radio network success, really does know how to surround herself with the right people.
Here, on audio, is captured Ms Aaron’s first appointment. In full flow. The interim General Manager of KPFT, Houston. On his first day. Mr Jack Valinski. This evening, Jack was the first guest on ‘his’ show, Queer Voices, where until a week ago he’d been exec producer, for over 17 years.
But tonight Jack showed why he’s stepped up. And now Jack says he’s trying to prove himself as station manager, as at the mo he only has the ‘interim’ label, you understand. Don’t worry, Jack, the way you lay it on the line here, you’ve clearly got all the talent, all the technique, all the best practices needed to succeed in today’s Pacifica.
When Jack was vetted by Ms Aaron it was obviously his ideas on ‘the vision thing’ that clinched the job (2:10, 11:17). Here is Jack’s big interview, 4:30 – 25:51. Too many highlights even to list, so please enjoy the full KPFT experience:
https://mega.nz/#!DrIHBY5Z!o8j-mUPSgJz-thJwPPI0eYgiXnsuTArg1iH-Ngv6g-c (26:13, 12 MB, the archive’s original 64 KBps); temporarily, with same timestamps, in these station archives: https://archive.kpft.org & https://kpft.org/programming/newstalk/queer-voices/
Another intern – sorry, interim – is the executive director, Mr John Vernile. His job’s been made a lot easier with Ms Aaron’s judicious elevation of Jack. Texas is all sown up now. John won’t have to get his hands around the Houston issues, & take a deep dive into the options. (I know John’s from the music industry, but in the age of #MeToo he’d better be careful with his catchphrases.)
All this leaves Jack hardly able to contain himself, like Willy Wonka on meth, as he’s left alone to devise his multi-dimensional integrated plan for the station. That vision thing, again.
The surrealness of it all was unintentionally captured with the outgoing music, The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy. Pure genius. Enjoy these 20 minutes of Jack at his most impressive.
Thank Allah we’ve got Ms Aaron, Pacifica’s living, breathing deity.
Remind me, what was all that fuss about, some Maxie guy or someone, right?
PacificaWatch 