HOMICIDAL HUGS - CRAIG SHELTON - DECEMBER 31, 2010

HOMICIDAL HUGS

Written By: Craig Shelton
Date posted: 12-31-2010

DID TRANSPARENCY RULE IN 2010 WITHIN HOUSTON'S LOCAL SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA?

When HMW was launched in late March 2010, my principal partners quizzed me in our planning meetings on how HMW would become an effective addition to the local makeup of Houston's media.

The partners questioned the scenario primarily due to their knowledge of my personal relationships with local program directors and our ongoing "cold war" over hiring practices. The partners also fully understand the culture that exists within what most consider to be an arrogant, self-entitled media base in Houston.

 

Fortunately, for the HMW partners, my understanding of the local players in media is uniquely balanced. My individual background in the music and stage entertainment communities, coupled with my two-plus years of working inside the sports media, afforded me an uncommon advantage based on my learnings via my personal experiences in working with the local personalities.

The most common denominator(s) in local sports and entertainment media is the arrogance and transparency displayed in both formats of media. A former program director at a major market sports talk station once told me of Houston's sports talk hosts that "the guys in Houston create an atmosphere on radio that's more like a ladies locker room than a men's locker room". I was in full agreement with that at the time and honestly speaking there has been ZERO occurrences to sway my initial opinion.


HATERS HIDING BEHIND HUGS?

 I once coined a phrase in a verse I wrote for a hip-hop mixtape that defines individuals who have disingenuous intentions: "Homicidal Hugs"!

Growing up in the southside streets of H-Town, you learned at an early age that "killers come with a smile" when you're dealing with certain elements in the streets. Even though I would never suggest that the spineless personalities that make up most of the local H-Town media scene is somehow imposing on the same level of an inner-city gangster, there are some similarities.

What I've observed with much of the local media in my personal dealings are "in your face-behind your back" types of personalities. When I'm in the presence of these guys, it's all love and "Craig is my guy" or "I'm a HUGE "Lesbo" guy"! That's a bigger pile of billsh*t than the Houston Texans are laying on their fans these days with keeping Gary Kubiak as head coach. That's more ridiculous than building an NBA franchise around a 7'6" center with a degenerative high ankle condition! I mean who does that?

I fully understand that due to the nature of HMW's format in being critical of local media personalities, HMW will always draw criticism from said media. That makes for an odd set of circumstances though, being that many of the observations and recommendations HMW made in 2010 regarding many issues with the local stations have been "dead on".

Stations program directors have reacted on numerous occasions to HMW blogs and made meaningful changes mirroring our recommendations. Many of the local hosts whom claim to be friends of HMW go out of their way not to mention HMW or give HMW just credit for our work and detailed, accurate analysis of their individual shows/stations.

For example, I blogged Tuesday night (http://sheltonmedia.blogspot.com/2010/12/march-on-reliant-by-craig-chelton-12-29.html) that a trusted HMW source contacted me with information that Texans owner, Bob McNair, was NOT going to fire Gary Kubiak or GM Rick Smith, as Barry Warner of Sports Radio 610 was reporting. I reported that Bob McNair was going to retain both Kubiak and Smith, but require Kubiak to fire DC Frank Bush and the entire defensive coaching staff. The next day Barry Warner retracted his report and alluded to the details I reported in the HMW blog report. Now every station is reporting the same info HMW broke, but NONE acknowledged that HMW broke the story Tuesday night simultaneous to Barry Warner's inaccurate breaking news story.


I personally e-mailed my HMW report on Tuesday night to all the local sports talk hosts to assure they had it, and to prove their negative bias towards HMW. Mind you folks, I e-mailed the story to the guys who claim to be "friends" of HMW as well.


A LINE IN THE SAND!

Let me be clear about my stance on the local media. For nine months now, HMW has been providing our service and its clear we're having an impact, as we approach our first 250,000 hits to the blog. Initially, I tried to cultivate relationships with station management at all the local stations.

Let me be totally clear though, HMW (Craig Shelton) doesn't need your asses to have success. In fact, you got "snookered" by the "Black Creep" all along. Think about it? You helped to launch HMW cause your arrogance and desire for attention was too much to resist the attention. Now that HMW is well established beyond the Houston market, we're trending towards a more regional and national scene.

When HMW writes national articles and posts them on fan pages, web sites, message boards, etc., the feedback from national media personalities is professional and not surly and whiny like the local media. The feedback and total hits to the HMW website are far better than when we blog about local talking heads.

Nothing has changed for me in my perception of "many" of the local arrogant, spineless, non-informational, recycled personalities eating up our air time in Houston.



THE AMAZING TRUTH!

I think about Lamont Mann of HMW and his activity on message boards and twitter. I observe Lamont chat back and forth with locals on a daily basis. Then Lamont writes a blog where he's hardly killing anyone and suddenly the same so called "friend" of HMW is suddenly completely non-responsive to Lamont's attempt to chat on twitter. Hmmmm...why's that? That's phony, and cowardly. I stand by that statement, so look me up if the accused would like to refute my accusation?

That's just weak and so p*ssy that it totally disgusts me that a grown-ass man working in media has the audacity to get salty when he's mildly criticized? That's disappointing and surprising that guys go on air and criticize athletes and other media members, but have the nerve to act bitchy over soft circumstances. Ridiculous!!!

Here's the deal! There's not a single member of the Houston media that has ever dealt with me that doesn't understand that anytime they can schedule it, I'm available for them to KISS MY HMW ASS!

I know who you characters really are and I don't respect most of what I see. YOU DON'T ACT LIKE MEN, YOU ACT LIKE CHILDREN. You're always correct. You're always the smartest guys in the room. Your show is the "greatest show on earth". Your station is the greatest station in town! (That's regardless of the numbers saying "not so much".)

When you're being critical, you're doing your job. When you're being criticized, the other guy is always hating. C'mon "men" grow up or hire some damned women to talk sports. Wait, what am I saying? Women and blacks don't get FULL-TIME on air jobs in Houston's sports talk market.

THANKS FROM LESBO!


All of my soapbox jibberish aside, there are good folks I'd like to acknowledge. If I don't mention your name, assume I either forgot it unintentionally, or I deem you as an individual that can pucker up and KISS MY BLACK ASS!! You decide!

Thanks to the following Houston media members for your support of me personally and the HMW family:


Ralph Cooper
Kevin Cooper
Marcus Coleman
Max Edison
Jerome Solomon
John McClain
David Nuno
Ken Hoffman
Carl Dukes
Brian Erickson
ND Kalu
Nick Strong
Anna-Megan Raley
Fred Faour

Special thanks to my brothers in crime: Bobby Z, Rollo, DJ Tony Mixx, and Glen "Sweet" Miller!!


A very, very, special thanks to my HMW team. I'm blessed beyond definition to have you guys in my corner! God Bless you and your families. I could never say thanks enough to all you guys, Lamont, Mike, J.O., especially!


Thanks to the associated bloggers that contributed to HMW in 2010: Richard Walker, Sean Garza, Billy Rigney, and Rick Tindal. Thanks to all you guys.
 
AND ESPECIALLY TO ALL THE HMW FOLLOWERS: HAPPY FREAKIN' NEW YEAR!!!!


Dig in fellas; 2011 will be @ God Speed!!!!


Craig Shelton


HMW


Email: houstonmediawatch@yahoo.com
Blog: http://www.houstonmediawatch.com/
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