Office parties can be a drag but in the case of Dave FM and V-103, two very different radio stations, the combo made for an “Ebony and Ivory” sort of situation.
CBS Radio, which owns both stations, held the party yesterday at Hudson Grille and it featured karaoke.
“Best office party we’ve had in years,” said V-103 morning co-host Wanda Smith, who is getting married to her second husband on Christmas Day in Miami and will be going to Honduras and Mexico for her honeymoon. She won’t be back on air until January 11.
Smith wasn’t sure why the party went so well but believed her boss Rick Caffey’s opening speech helped. He noted how tough the economic times are but that actually means it’s a good time to celebrate what you have.
Smith crooned Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive,” then joined Caffey in a duet of the holiday classic, “The Christmas Song.”
Dave FM’s Yvonne Monet also busted a move with “Hot in Herre.” “She was like a real white rapper,” Smith said. “She had a hoodie and was being really silly. Everyone was cheering her on. Anyone who did karaoke, we cheered them, good or bad. It was just a big happy celebration for everybody.”
To Smith, who has been at V-103 for 12 years-plus, “it felt like family. Sometimes, we go back and forth between departments and argue. But yesterday was all about love and hugging and embracing and dancing, black folks with white folks.”
She also went on air with Baron on Dave FM and Baron joined her and Frank Ski on V-103 once he got off the air at Dave FM 9 a.m.
When asked about any cultural differences he observed, he said he noticed the black folks at the party grabbed to-go boxes from the all-you-can-eat buffet. He compared it to little old white ladies stealing sugar packets from restaurants.
Ski didn’t deny it. “That was kind of hood,” he mused. “We call that ghetto fabulous!”
Baron rationalized that the food would have gone to waste so the black folks were being thrifty. The little old white ladies, in comparison, are just stealing.
Ski then suggested he and Baron do a bar crawl, something he only learned about last year.
He said black folks can’t do crawls at black clubs because they always make you wait an hour to get in. “You can’t hop black clubs,” he said.
Baron later said he was nervous going on V-103, worried he might say something offensive. Fortunately, Ski backed him up on the “take out” observation. But he did sound awkward repeating Ski’s line, “That was hood.” It didn’t sound quite right coming out of Baron’s mouth.
7 comments Add your comment
e+mc2
December 18th, 2009
8:01 pm
haha that’s funny. I really like workin’ with the folks over at cbsRadio. they’re all very nice and professional. merry christmas to them and to everyone
Who Cares
December 18th, 2009
8:27 pm
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Bobby Gaines
December 18th, 2009
8:43 pm
Baron had his largest listening audience of 2009 by being on with Frank and Wanda on.V103. Too bad the PPM’s didn’t help him and Dave FM.
Jimmy Baron
December 19th, 2009
8:59 pm
Actually, Bobby, I’d go a step further. It’s possible that 5 minutes on Frank & Wanda gave me a bigger audience than 13 years on 99X! It was very generous of them to have me on, though. I had fun.
radio guy
December 20th, 2009
8:57 am
I know this is your blog but no reasonable person would conclude that you have ability to be objective…Clearly the folks at V103 have “worked you” and anything they do becomes noteworthy… your next job should be with FOX because of your experience NOT being fair and balanced…enjoy… BTW the stereotypes promoted in this story really shows how far we have to go…
lacey
December 21st, 2009
9:36 am
I totally agree with the radio guy Rodney-it is your blog but it is supported by the AJC and you supposedly “report” on all the radio and tv information-but in reality-you report on the stations, people and management that you like-that don’t disagree with your biased musings!! You NEVER report ratings information factually-giving arbitron numbers for obscure demos-so that your friends actually look like they are succeeding-you are such a suck up to V-103 and the Bull-writing an entire article on Jason Pullman-a b level at best jock who has no support either inside or outside the building. You do a great disservice to the people that are not actually intelligent enough to see behind the curtain and know what goes actually goes on. Thank God for Roddy Freeman!!!
Rodney Ho
December 21st, 2009
9:45 am
Wow. Happy times during the holiday season, eh?
Isn’t using the word “NEVER” a bit harsh when it comes to my ratings reports? I’m not sure why you think 18-34 and 25-54 are “obscure demos.” Those are the ones I usually reference. V-103 is the No. 1 station in town. They get coverage accordingly. If that’s a “suck up,” well, such is life. And it’s true. No one is free of bias, no matter what they say about objectivity. I try to be as fair as I can but I’m human and far from perfect on that front. Roddy has his own biases, too, as he’ll freely admit. But yes, I will agree with you: Thank God for Roddy Freeman!
Pullman may not necessarily be the second coming of Ryan Seacrest but he’s new and doing well. That’s why I wrote about him.
Email me at rho@ajc.com if you’d like to discuss some more in a less public forum. I won’t reveal who you are if you prefer your anonymity.