The Cormac MacSweeney Blog - 660News Calgary

Believe it or not, just because I work in radio doesn’t mean everyone knows my name. What it does mean is that many people want to give you a piece of their mind on everything from the news of the day to how your co-workers sound. They may have never heard of me before but they definitely want to make their opinion heard.

I have no problem talking with people about anything they wish. I like to talk, which is why I’m in radio, and if I know enough about the subject I will talk your ear off. Anyone who has met me probably knows that as long as I’m not doing live hits on the Morning Show, I’m good for a chat. While I can say some pretty silly things myself, it’s also amusing to hear what subjects people bring up.

Politics is always a good topic. Everyone has an opinion, and some think they can voice them on the airwaves by giving me a piece of their mind. I have had a few political junkies approach me and urge me to call them for their views on political affairs or some who tell me how to write my stories. I always play devil’s advocate and challenge whatever they say just for fun, which sometimes generates some heat. Once or twice people have given me their cards or written down their numbers with hopes of getting on the radio. Unfortunately this will not get you on the air!

Once after talking to one man on Stephen Avenue he began ranting about City Council and its “secret plan” for a good ten minutes. I eventually had to start walking away from him apologizing because I had a story to write. Before I could get away he told me to call him and handed me his card. His card said his occupation is “International Man of Mischief.” I’m not quite sure what that meant and I’m not sure I want to find out!

At one point, a woman began speaking to me about how she couldn’t stand most commercial radio. She ranted about a music station in our city and how much she hated the on-air staff. Then she told me how commercial radio is on a downward spiral, probably not realizing that an all news radio station is a commercial radio station. It was when she started using profanities to describe some of my co-workers and friends that I started to tune her out.

If you’re not a fan, you’re not a fan. That’s fine, everyone has their own preference in personalities and music. But attacking someone and their on-air abilities by cursing like a sailor is just not fair. The jocks and newscasters I know are simply doing their job to the best of their ability.

Finally there are always the stories about what others think of you.

I once had a friend say “You’ll never believe what happened to me last night. I was driving with some guys who are construction workers and they were listening to 660News.” At this point I figured it was going to be another story of someone who really likes the station, and it was…kind of. She went on to say, “They all love the station and say they listen to it all the time while working at the site. So I yelled, ‘I know someone who works at that station!’ Just after I said that one of your reports came on the air. Before I could point out that I knew you, one of the guys yelled “Cormac Mac Sweeney?…I HATE Cormac Mac Sweeney.’” They then changed the station.

Obviously the story took an odd turn and was not what I expected — or hoped for — at all. I know that when you take a job that puts you in the public eye (or ear) you are not going to be liked by everyone. The man was straight and to the point, but didn’t swear or make fun.

Why my friend chose to tell me that story I really don’t know, but it is actually refreshing to get those reality checks every now and then. One thing I never want to become is one of those media personalities who lets their local celebrity go to their head. Believe it or not, I think someone politely hating me keeps me in line.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 17th, 2007 at 2:47 pm and is filed under Misc. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.