Sometimes the Roundtable on WJOX is interesting radio. Wednesday’s one o’clock hour provided great radio as David Neal and his lawyer appeared. The appearance didn’t provide much more than what was discussed on Paul Finebaum’s show, or the Birmingham News article. What was informative, was the heartfelt nature of Neal’s appearance.

He set the record straight. He was fired for “insubordination” for doing a cut-in at 2 a.m. without the approval of his supervisors. Something Neal had done many times before, and which didn’t require prior authorization. Neal was also terminated for what appears to be his complaints over another Fox 6 personality who showed up allegedly inebriated at a Town Hall meeting.

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Neal and his lawyer did not identify the personality. However, does the word performer have meaning? Perhaps that is a big clue? Perhaps it is not.

In the end, I believe Neal. Television management…all media management is scuzzy. They have an agenda. Unfortunately, this time a good guy got hurt. I’m not a Neal fan. I’ve always preferred James Spann. However, I’m a bigger Neal fan today than ever. He’s a good guy being smeared by a big company. Cheers to him for fighting!

11 thoughts on “The David Neal mess”

  1. Was “The Mick” the one that was housed at the Town Hall meeting? That guy is weird.

  2. I don’t know. And David Neal isn’t talking.

    I actually find him the only redeeming part of the morning show on Fox 6. The others on that show are just…creepy.

  3. would bet it was “The Mick” i heard from pretty good authority several years ago just after he came back to birmingham to fox he had to go to rehab for a stint.

  5. Well I do not watch Fox 6 news anymore after this has happened.

    I never could figure out why Mickey is even on the air.

  6. I’m pretty sure that Mickey has been in AA for a number of years now. That’s not to say that he hasn’t fallen of the wagon, but why would management protect him and throw Neal under the bus? He’s their biggest star, it doesn’t make sense.

    Unless of course the management got tired of paying a high salary to the weather guy.

  7. Of course D.N is the better meteorologist, however…M.f. is the better entertainer, so this begs the question, if someone we like is more entertaining than someone we “trust” where do our loyalties lie?

  8. It’s all about the weather. I don’t give a damn about who reads it. Just get it right and give an National Perspective. Check out Tom Skilling on WGN if you want to know what you are missing.
    I will give Dave credit for one thing. He has excellent taste in Women.

  9. The whole Fox 6 Morning crew is too silly, and very anoying. They waist too much time playing and not reporting the news. Especially MF. I switched a long time ago. And when I did give them the time of day, I prefered James Spann.

  10. We have always watched David Neals weather reports. Wherever he goes my
    family will follow. Glad he is back – we missed him.

  11. I know that the general manager specifically sought out Mickey Ferguson to replace John Carroll because he was an “entertainer”. The GM claimed a morning show does not need a real meterologist. Not sure why they dropped David Neal. He cost a lot but less than Spann did.

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