In January 2011, I published my first Radio Geo’s Media Blog.
Since then, I’ve written about a thousand of them, which has produced over five thousand comments.

However, after reviewing the Life-Liners, what I found most interesting was how many of them I’ve changed my mind about over the years.

Now, as we head towards the twelve days of Christmas, I thought it might be a good time to repost some of my most-read blogs.
So, with that in mind, may I present Radio Geo’s Media Blog, “All Time Top 12.”

#2 SCAM ALERT

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from a company that wanted to know if I’d be interested in becoming a Secret Shopper.
They wanted me to shop at various retailers in West Palm Beach and then evaluate their service with a written report.

Not only did they say that they would pay me two hundred dollars for my services, but that I’d also get to keep all the stuff.
Hell of a way to kick start Christmas shopping, so “Hell Yeah” was what I was thinkin’.

A few days later, they contacted me again, asking where they should send a check and that they needed a phone number so they could text me.

Imagine my surprise when a special delivery letter showed up the next day containing a check made out to me for $2500.00.
The check was followed by a text telling me to contact them as soon as I’d deposited the check.

I decided to use the ATM at the bank because checks always clear much faster when deposited there. (Mistake #1)
As soon as I made the deposit, I texted them, and they told me to check my email for step-by-step instructions.

While driving home, small warning bells started going off in my head: “Hey, who the hell sends $2500.00 to someone they don’t even know?” However, when I opened the email, their instructions were quite detailed and looked very official.

The first thing they told me to do was when the check cleared in a couple of days, pay myself $200.00 and then go to the closest Walmart and spend $150.00
Then they wanted me to shop at Target and spend another $150.00. Hey, this was gonna be fun; Christmas shopping on their tab.

After shopping at Walmart and Target, they told me to go to Western Union and send a MoneyGram for a thousand dollars to two other “Secret Shoppers.
Then, when all my assigned tasks were completed, I would need to submit a short report to them about how it all went.

It all seemed a little weird, but as long as the check cleared in the next day or so, what did I care?
Getting a little greedy, when I asked how many of these assignments I could expect before Christmas, they said it depends on how quickly you complete this assignment,
but I, of course, wasn’t going to do anything until that check cleared.

Still feeling weird, I forwarded a copy of their instructions to our CFO, Ric Hindes.
Rick said it smelled like a scam, but he couldn’t figure out what they were scamming.

I then decided to run it by my bank manager, and she claimed that it had all the signs of a scam, but had I made the deposit inside, they could have checked with their bank to see if there were sufficient funds to cover it.

However, she explained they weren’t allowed to hold a check for more than 24 hours, which means that the funds would be available the next day at 5 pm.
However, she added, I wouldn’t withdraw any of the money because it could take up to a week to know if the check was good, and you’re responsible for any of the funds you used if it bounces.

CLANG ClANG! Ahhh, there it is; that’s why the company wanted me to complete my assignment quickly.
Their goal was to get me to wire the thousand-dollar checks to their worker bees before the week was up.

The next day, the pressure from the scammers really started to heat up, but I told them that I wasn’t going to do anything until the check cleared.
The next day, I got 105 texts from them, and they were starting to get nasty.

The claim was that mystery shoppers were waiting for me to complete my assignment so they could start theirs. I calmed them down by saying I would call the bank the next morning to see if the check had cleared yet.
The next day, they were all over me, so I told them that the check had cleared and that I’d withdraw the money on my way home from work.

Stalling, I told them that the bank was closed by the time I got there and because the ATM had a limit on how much I could withdraw, I’d have to do it in the morning.
By the next morning, they were going ballistic, and somehow, the Wal-Mart and Target assignment had fallen by the wayside.

Now, they just wanted me to get the money from the bank and head to Western Union.
Then, when I told them that the bank wouldn’t give me the money because there was something wrong with the check, they freaked out.

They called bullshit because, as they said, there’s no way the bank could know anything about the check yet. (they should know)
I bought some time by saying that I would go back to the bank and demand my money, but instead, I went on the Rich Stevens talk show at WFTL in Fort Lauderdale to talk about the scam.

A lot of folks called in to tell us about their own scam stories, which I hope helped a few people.
The whole time I was on Rich’s show, talking about the scammers, they were texting me like crazy, and I couldn’t help but think that if these guys worked this hard at something legitimate, they’d probably be very successful.

Once I finished the show, I told them that I was on my way to the bank and they’d hear from me shortly.
A half-hour later, I texted them that the bank said that you’ll have to reissue the check because something was wrong with this one.

When they said there was no way they would write me another check, I told them that all I could do was try again tomorrow.
Then the texts started slowing down, and I can only guess they were on to me.

The names the scammers used were Wander Thorman and Kevin Pool, and the last text they got from me read, “You can’t scam a scammer, Mo-Fos!
Hey, this just in … Surprise, surprise, the check bounced, which cost me 12 dollars but well worth it not to mention that over 3000 people have read this blog, and we got a radio show out of it too.

Unfortunately, when I texted the bad news about the check bouncing to Wander and Kevin, they never responded. C’mon guys!

Radio Geo’s Media Blog is a politically incorrect inside look at Radio, TV, Music, Movies, Books, Social Media, Politics, and Religion, but mostly Life, primarily written with men in mind.
For a peek at upcoming Blogs or to see some you may have missed, go to GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is appreciated.
If you’d like to subscribe, email your address to radiogeo@gmail.com.

In January 2011, I published my first Radio Geo’s Media Blog, and since then, I’ve written over a thousand of them, which has produced more than five thousand comments.
After reviewing all the Life-Liners that have popped into my head over the years, what I find most interesting is how many of them I’ve changed my mind about.

Now, as we head towards the twelve days of Christmas, I thought that this would be a good time as any to repost some of my most-read blogs.
So, without further ado, may I present Radio Geo’s “All-Time” Top 12.

#12 K103 PART II, CRAIG WALKER

Like many broadcasters I’ve always wanted to own my own radio station. Hey, if they won’t give you a piece of the rock, you get your own rock, right?
Eventually, my brother Reg and I, along with our CFO Bill Yde, raised some money and purchased a brand-new facility in Portland Oregen KKCW (K-103).

While waiting for the approval from the FCC, I decided to fly to Portland and check out the lay of the land.
Then, after listening to the # 1 radio station in town, KGW, I realized I had to have their morning man. 

His name was Craig Walker (pictured above), and his on-air style reminded me a lot of Ron Chapman at KVIL in Dallas.
Not only was Craig warm and smooth, but I could tell he loved Portland, and that Portland loved him, especially the ladies.

When I finally got to meet Craig, I liked him even more, but I also realized that he wasn’t going to be easy to land.
Not only did he have a non-compete, but if you looked up the word expensive, you’d see his photo.

When our investors refused to sign off on our deal with Craig Reg and I took care of it by mortgaging our homes. (Craig claims that he still has the napkin I wrote his offer on.)
Having to wait a year for him would have been a deal-breaker for most, but for the most part it was perfect for us.

Our plan was to do the same thing in Portland that we did in Dallas, Palm Beach, and San Antonio.
We called the concept, “Build Your Own Radio Station” which was originally created in Dallas as a stall technique while waiting for Arbitron to merge the Dallas and Fort Worth rating books.

It worked so well that even though we didn’t have to, we did it again in Palm Beach on WRMF and on KLLS in San Antonio.
Even though we were only being cute in Palm Beach and Sanantonio, in Portland, we weren’t kidding, we needed to stall for a whole year.

It all began with produced promos saying that the FCC had granted us a license to broadcast at 103 on the FM band.
The promo then went on to say that we were required by law to serve the public, so the best way to do that we figured, was by turning the radio station over to the Portland people.

Now that 103 FM was their radio station, we told them that we were standing by the phones anxious to hear what Portland wanted us to do with it.
Then, every Monday morning, using their calls telling us to do it, we’d launch something new.

Even though we didn’t officially have Craig, I had a piece of paper saying that at some point I would, so we let it leak; why keep it a secret, right?
Eventually, a newspaper reporter finally took the bait and came-a-calling.

She started by asking about our plans for the station, but of course, I knew that she was really there to ask about Craig Walker.
When she finally got around to it, she said, “I heard a rumor that Craig Walker was joining you guys, but when I checked it out with KGW, they said absolutely not.”

I responded by asking if she ever listened to Craig, and when she said that she did, I said, “Can you imagine how good he’s going to sound in stereo on K103?

Because of his non-compete, Craig never said a word about any of this in public.
However, the lady reporter did mention that the last time she asked Craig about it, he did have a mischievous smile on his face.

Then, suddenly, KGW pulled Craig off the air.
I guess they were hoping the Portland people would forget about him, but they must have forgotten that he was on TV every afternoon as the host of PM Magazine.

When Craig finally hit the air on K-103, the folks were so hungry to hear him on the radio again that he went #1 his first morning.
Oh, and KGW? Well, they went from first to worst, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Enjoy your retirement, Mr. Walker, and as I’m sure you know, Portland be berry, berry, good to us.
(Craig pictured above and below)

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS

Diplomacy doesn’t always work; ask the folks who had to deal with Attila The Hun, Genghis Khan, Hitler, Mussolini, Himmler, Hirohito, Stalin, Castro, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Ghadafi. Sadam Hussein and Osama Bin Ladin.

Few people notice you doing anything right, but everyone sees you do something wrong.

Wealthy people are all alike; even rich thugs don’t share.

The people who bitch the most are usually the people who caused what the bitching’s about.

Nobody is more powerful than the middle class; we can elect the government, and we can also throw them out.

When asked if you want to hear a joke, does anybody ever say yes?

People who are hurt, hurt others.

I can remember when people were known for more important things than being a Republican or Democrat.

When Cami was a little girl, my mom scolded me for taking her on so many adventures because she’d never remember any of them.  I responded, “I don’t care; we’re both enjoying ourselves right now.”

You know you’re getting old when people start calling you mister. I’m still not used to it, and whenever someone calls me Mr. Johns, I can’t help but look around to see what the hell my father’s doing here.

Why would Trump think that whatever the hell he’s working on is much more important than kids being with their parents?

The Countdown Continues Tomorow with #11.

Radio Geo’s Media Blog is a politically incorrect inside look at Radio, TV, Music, Movies, Books, Social Media, Politics, and Religion, but mostly Life, primarily written with men in mind.
For a peek at upcoming Blogs or to see some you may have missed, go to GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is appreciated.
If you’d like to subscribe, email your address to radiogeo@gmail.com.

In January 2011, I published my first Radio Geo’s Media Blog.
Since then, I’ve written about a thousand of them, which has produced over five thousand comments.

However, after reviewing the LIfe-Liners, what I found most interesting was how many of them I’ve changed my mind about over the years.

Now, as we head towards the twelve days of Christmas, I thought it might be a good time to repost some of my most-read blogs.
So, with that in mind, may I present Radio Geo’s Media Blog, “All Time Top 12.”

#11 “THE DATING GAME.”

One day, more than a few years ago, sitting in my office gazing out at La lla Cove and thinking, “It don’t get much better than this,” I got a call from my friend, Bobby Cole.
Bobby was nearby at a tennis ranch in Rancho Santa Fe, where he was taking some lessons and wanted me to join him for lunch.

I was a consultant for Fairmont Communications at the time, and Bobby, who wanted my opinion about someone he was thinking of hiring, was their VP of programming (Me and Bobby pictured below)

Joining us for lunch, Bobby explained, would be the former long-time host of “The Dating Game,” Jim Lange (pictured above), who Bobby was considering for mornings at K101 in San Francisco.
Upon my arrival at the ranch, I was directed to a conference room where Bobby and several other students were finishing up a lecture class with the tennis pro.

When Jim showed up a few minutes later, we stood in the hall right outside the conference room, chit-chatting about stuff until we noticed that the instructor was staring at us.
Thinking we may be a distraction, we moved away from the doorway.

Suddenly, the pro stopped talking and came out into the hall after us, and I thought, oh-oh, we’re in for it now.
Instead, he stuck out his hand and said, “You’re Mr. Lange from the Dating Game, aren’t you?

When Jim acknowledged that he was, the pro said, ” I grew up in Mexico City, where I learned to speak English by watching you on the Dating Game.”
“Because of you,” he went on to say, “I now live in America doing what I only dreamed of doing those many years ago, so I just had to take this opportunity to come out here and thank you.” 

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS

Most mistakes are not life-threatening or career-ending.

One of the many things I dislike is today; bad people are more famous than good people.

Winning a couple of battles doesn’t mean you’ve won the war.

From a distance, most good and bad ideas look much alike.

Everybody owes somebody a thank you.

Unfortunately it’s the words spoken before I’m sorry that can never be taken back.

Do you think that the folks who got rich or richer off the virus should be penalized in any way?

Only losers judge winners by how they won.

People with money should always be wary of those who don’t.

Hey Joe, if the world doesn’t care about America, why would you care about the world?

Speaking of Joe, I predict that he’ll only work on projects that he can’t be held responsible for, like the Corona Virus and Climate control. I prefer that he work on things that he can fix, homeless people, bringing our troops home, and an uncomplicated health care program.

I have in common with wealthy people because I don’t like rich people either.

One of the few things that the right and left agree upon is; Trump talks too much.

The only problem with succeeding quickly is, now what?

The more you communicate, the fewer misunderstandings.

When your instincts need a little help, try hard work.

If you can handle being alone, you can handle almost anything.

Has anybody checked to see if anything’s changed since Hollywood started making minorities the heroes in their movies?

Only 53% of America voted, but 83% joined Amazon Prime should give you a little insight into where America is at.

You can’t change what you see in your rearview mirror, but you can always change what you see out of your windshield.

Destiny is tough to run from.

Corporations’ worst enemy is time.

It’s never too late.

One of the reasons that Ray Charles was referred to as a genius was because he was aware that great music came from all walks of life, not just from black folk.

Why do we continually forgive people who continue to make bad choices and ignore those who don’t?

How do you become the next big thing?

Never be afraid to fall in love.

You don’t learn very much after being the best. 

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