Wednesday, December 26, 2007

So...what's the big deal about Larz and his advertising?

Many have asked me now what exactly the big deal is if Larz takes specific advertising from various Chicago radio sources on his website.

Well, let me tell you.

As has been repeatedly documented here, Larz has shown a consistent pattern of favoritism towards those that he views as being in power and those that are his friends. Recall how certain topics were and are forbidden. Try offering a criticism of Steve Dahl or Nine FM. You'll either have your post deleted or Larz will accuse you of having an "agenda" of some sort (as if Larz himself doesn't).

Larz claims that advertising won't affect the content in the main body of his site. But why should we believe him? He already sucks up to those in power and those who are his friends... do you honestly believe he won't do the same with those who are actually giving him money?

In point of fact, within the very same message where he laughably claims that the advertising won't affect the content of his web site, he calls Kaempfer's book the "best book of the year." Now, there's probably been thousands of books released this year. Kaempfer's book might very well be quite good.....but the "best of the year"?!?!!?!? Are you kidding me?

Larz also states that WXRT is one of the "finest radio stations in the history of Chicago radio." Not surprisingly, this closely mirrors what is in the ad that WXRT is paying for "CHicago's finest rock." Now, many people may actually agree with Larz' statement (myself included), but it is still interesting that he went out of his way to say it.

In short, I find no reason to believe Larz when he states that advertising won't affect the content of his message board, given Larz' long track record of selective enforcement of rules and pandering to those he perceives as being in power.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

This just in: Larz accepting advertising on his site

Larz is now taking advertising dollars from XRT as well as a book by Richard Kaempfer. Interestingly, Larz calls Kaempfer's book the "best book of the year."

This latest move represents Larz' end game for his web site. As I have previously documented, he used duplicitous means to establish his web site, but was eventually able to eliminate the competition and create a virtual monopoly on Chicagoland radio web sites. He now wants to make money on the site and is openly whoring himself out to accomplish this.

I would think a detailed account of the site's financing would be in order. Does his advertising revenue exceed the costs associated with the site? This is implied by the fact that the revenue supposedly will be going toward funding "future upgrades" (which mysteriously go unnamed).

Saturday, November 24, 2007

The case of the missing "open"

As many of you may remember, Chicagolandradioandmedia.com was known for years as the home of news and "open" discussion on Chicagoland radio, media, and more. You can see a picture of the old heading here: http://web.archive.org/web/20070811183751/http://www.chicagolandradioandmedia.com/ (thisarchived picture takes a while to load so be patient). This was a screen shot from August 11th of this year.

Contrast the above header with what currently heads Larz's web page. Hmmmmmm. What is missing? That's right, Larz has finally deleted the "open" part. Now, part of me is a little happy with this development because perhaps this means Larz has become self-aware enough to realize that there is nothing open about the discussion on his board at all. Entire topics are verboten and Larz has "openly" stated that he will delete a post if it merely pisses him off.

However, why would Larz have actually felt the need to make such a change, I wondered.

And then it hit me.

What changed in between August 11th and now in the chicagoland internet community? That's right....the Blabbin Cabin closed down. With no competition to worry about, Larz felt like he didn't have to go through the charade of having "open" discussion anymore. Therefore, he changed the header and began being more forward about openly stating that he would delete posts on a whim.

And there you have it. The case of the missing "open"

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!

That is, everyone except Larz!!!

Funny how Larz is so insecure that his readers might view some criticisms of himself that he feels the need to shut down his website for a week during Thanksgiving. What a douche!

Happy Holidays!

If your post pisses Larz off, he will delete it

Every once in a while, Larz puts down his guard and lets his true, power-hungry self shine through. Recently, someone had the audacity to wonder whether Q101 would switch formats....a topic that apparently Larz would like to see forbidden from his site. Interestingly, Larz, in commenting on the original post had this to say:

"If it "pissed me off", I would have just deleted it."

And there you have it folks. Larz criterion for censorship is simply whether or not a post "pisses him off."

Chicagolandradioandmedia.com. Truly the home of "open" discussion on Chicagoland radio, media, and more. What an absolute joke.

On the issue of "spamming"

I have been accused by Larz and a commenter of "spamming" Larz' board. Frankly, I don't understand how that is possible considering any post I make over at the board is deleted by Larz within a minute or two. If daring to be critical of some of the stuff Larz does is "spamming" then I suppose I am guilty.

What people DON'T realize, however, is that Larz (or perhaps Blowtorch) HAS definitely spammed me in the past. When Crimson Cage (AKA Blowtorch) first unjustly banned me from his site (something he later admitted was wrong in a private email exchange), I emailed his account using a hotmail account. This was the first and only usage of that particular account that I had ever made. Within a couple of days after emailing Crimson Cage, I suddenly got signed up for about a million different sites under the name Mappo, Mappo de Crappo, Mapoko, etc. Some of the sites were sort of funny (the San Diego Gay and Lesbian Club, the Bucky Covington Fan Club) but most of them were just lame. However, the spam was so much as to render my email account basically unusable.

My suspicion is that Blowtorch shared our private emails with Larz. I suspect Larz was behind the spamming because many of the "nicknames" he used to sign me up under were names I have only seen him use in the past (Crappo, Mappo de Crappo, etc.)

Anyway, despite the accusations levied my way, I think it is important to realize that either Larz or Blowtorch are definite spammers.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Does anyone have information on the post Larz recently deleted?

I missed the post that Larz censored (the one that is the subject of Dude, where is my post?). For the record, I think Larz was correct to delete the previous deleted post about all of the female radio personalities and who they are sleeping with. Those posts contain potentially per se defamtory information and were not properly sourced. I sincerely doubt one person knows who every female jock from different radio stations is sleeping with (it would have been more believable if it had just been from one station).

Anyway, if you have any information on the second post, please send it to larzwatch@hotmail.com. Thanks!

The case of Conan

Conan, who used to post at both Crow_On and Blabbin Cabin, is admittedly a bit of an annoying spaz. That being said, he seems like a basically nice guy....which makes Larz' reaction to him in a recent post is very telling. Conan made a post about the Chicago Bulls for Zooey and promised that this would be his only non-radio related post. Larz felt the need to comment with a rather dickish "Let's hope this is true."

Why would Larz be a bit of an ass? Well, obviously Conan isn't a well-connected person in the Chicago radio scene nor is he a close friend of Larz's. Therefore, Conan is meaningless to Larz and he feels he has a free license to be a dick.

What's also interesting is how Larz would even dare give a tsk-tsk for posting a non radio related thread. Larz used to have these huge long posts about a reality TV show named Rock Star, not to mention his Music News Saturdays (which mysteriously disappeared after ja-ja's board went down...these posts were one of his dubious justifications for keeping his site open after he promised to close it).

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Thank you!!!

I'd like to thank all of you who wrote kind words to the tipline (and I'll even thank those of you who wrote unkind words!!) But remember, what I really need is tips! I know many of you have had negative experiences with Larz in the past. Write to the tipline...if you wish to be anonymous, I will respect that. So write now!!!! larzwatch@hotmail.com.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

The curious case of Sal

Larz likes to state how Crow_On was too negative and how that was what led him to found his own board. Obviously, this is completely false as documented below.

One thing that I find funny is this guy Sal. Sal and Larz are apparently buds (at lease judging by some of the back and forth between the two). Bu Sal is easily one of the biggest condescending dickheads on the site. Could there be a example of "negativity?" And yet, Larz continues to allow him to post without repercussions. So much for getting rid of "negativity."

Do you ever notice....

That Larz is fond of accusing me of "lying" and "distorting" and libeling him? And yet, he never states exactly WHERE OR WHEN I have done such things. Why no specifics? Things that make you go hmmmmmmmm......

Monday, November 5, 2007

A challenge to Larz (or anyone else)

Larz is now implying on his board that he is going to sue me, Google, and Blogspot for libel and defamation of character.

One little problem. In order for something to be libelous/defamatory, it has to be FALSE.

So here's the challenge, Larz (or any of his cronies): where is the statements of fact within my blog posts which are false? Where? I've had other people on the old Blabbin Cabin board say that my recollection of events is identical to theirs. So tell me. Where are the lies?

Another problem: Larz is anonymous. Larz isn't his real name. Ergo, EVEN IF MY STATEMENTS WERE FALSE (which they aren't) and are not per se defamatory, he would have NO DAMAGES TO RECOVER.

I hope whoever the retard who is giving him legal advice is doing it pro bono.

Edit: Typical Larz. Some moron on his site (probably Larz' lawyer) is making some absurd claim that since Jon Stewart isn't the real name of the actual person and that Jon Stewart could still sue you, that that means Larz can sue. Obviously, this is completely absurd, as a stage name used by an easily identifiable person is completely different than a random name chosen by an anonymous person on the internet. I pointed this out as did some other person. Of course, Larz deletes both my post and the other person's leaving the impression that "Legal Eagle" was making some sort of profound and valid point.

Introducing the larzwatch tipline

If you have any tips on Larz and his actions, please send them to larzwatch@hotmail.com. Any and all feedback is appreciated!!!

When the real Larz appears

Larz likes to paint himself as this nice, aw-shucks type of guy who just wants to run a happy-go-lucky website.

Every once in a while, though, he lets his true nature get through.

One recent example came when someone named "Caddboy" innocuously posted wondering about the future of Buzz should Steve and Garry reunite.

Here was his first post:

" What happens to Buzz Kilman if the Steve & Garry
reunion happens & there isn't enough money to go around. Does he still talk to Johnny B? Or is there a lot of bad blood there?"

Pretty innocent and a reasonable question to wonder about, huh?

Later in response to some discussion of Wendy, Caddboy again posted:

"With the Combination of Buzz & Steve Wendy was in the support role. With the team of Steve & Garry Wouldn't Buzz fall into the support role?
and become expendable?"

Again, a reasonable concern and question.

What is the response of Larz, Mr. Nice Guy himself?

"Wow. You just won't stop. Buzz is ALREADY in a supporting role. He would do the same if it were Steve & Garry in the spotlight. Buzz is the spice that makes the meal taste great -- not the meal itself.

What is your motivation here? Do want Buzz to be fired? Or are you just mad that he's happily working with Steve Dahl, somebody you clearly don't like?"

You see, Larz perceives Steve Dahl as someone in power and, as such, is very hesitant to allow any criticism of him on his site. Caddboy responded to this by stating that he actually WAS a fan of Steve's, he was just wondering what Buzz's future would hold. But Larz gets a whiff of any criticism directed Steve's way, and he goes apeshit. And since Caddboy wasn't anyone Larz felt was in a position of power, he let him have it.

This is just one example of many of Larz and his selective enforcement of "excessive negativity."

The TRUE history of Chicagolandradioandmedia.com

This is a repost from the old blabbin cabin board. But it is a worthwhile read for those of you who do not know the history of Larz and his board and are looking to get up to speed.

1. A couple of years back, ja-ja ran a board called Crow_On. Crow_On was the main source of Chicagoland radio and media news on the internet (although there were others). Larz was a poster on that board. One day, about 2 years ago, ja-ja announced that she was going to take some time off from her board. She did NOT announce that the board would be permanently closed. She put the time period at about a couple of months, although was vague as to the exact timing. She made a general announcement on the board to see if anyone wanted to start up an alternative board in her absence.

2. Some dude (or girl?) named Adrian took up the offer and made an announcement of the same. The board he or she created was basically identical to the old Crow_on format. Ja-ja, despite her request for help, then made an announcement that she "felt raped" by this new board. Larz jumped all over this new guy as well, stating how "disrespectful" he had been, and contrasting it to himself. He really ripped into this Adrian and fawned all over ja-ja.

3. Larz then made an announcement that HE had been talking with ja-ja about establishing his own board in her absence. He again attacked Adrian and went ahead and opened his board. He stated that when ja-ja would return, he would close his board (he was just basically "filling in). Amusingly, despite his criticisms of Adrian for using an identical copy of crow_on, Larz' own board was essentially the exact same thing as crow_on, albeit with a different color scheme.

4. Adrian, a few days after Larz started his board, closed his/her board apparently deciding it wasn't worth the trouble.

5. People on ja-ja's board (including myself) attacked her for the "rape" comment, finding it highly inappropriate for the situation. She soon thereafter made a full apology, both for her comment and towards the manner in which she had attacked Adrian. Larz, on the other hand, declined to apologize.

6. Without explanation, ja-ja restarted the board a few weeks after shutting it down, much earlier than she had initially anticipated.

7. Larz, despite his promise to shut the board down upon ja-ja's return, now hemmed and hawed about shutting his own board down. He decided to put the decision up to a vote on his own site. It was obvious he wanted to continue running this site, and that that was likely his plan from the get-go. After all, ja-ja had returned to her site just a few weeks after shutting it down, and Larz ALREADY had decided to go against his original pledge.

8. Larz further claimed (rather ridiculously) that the audience and topics of his board would be largely distinct from that of ja-ja's board. This despite the fact that ja-ja had JUST shut her board down and had referred people to Larz's board. The only really notable difference between this board and ja-ja's board was that Larz would post "Music News Saturday." He would post like 10 music stories, most of which went uncommented upon. Otherwise, the topics were all radio-related.

9. Ja-ja, to her credit, stated she didn't mind Larz keeping his new site.

10. For at least the first year, there really was only 4 regular posters on Larz board: Larz himself (who probably posted at least 3/4 of the stories), ZooCow (who would duplicate his posts at crow_on and here), MegaHurtz, and myself (who was asking Larz to apologize or at least own up to his betrayal of his initial pledge).

11. As time went on, Larz would make little potshots at Crow_on. These would mostly take the form of "Unlike OTHER message boards......" with "other message boards" being a clear euphamism for crow_on.

12. I have no direct knowledge of what led Ja-ja to eventually tire of Larz. I can only speculate that it may have something to do with Larz' unprovoked potshots at crow_on. I did inform ja-ja on several occasions of Larz' behavior which is what leads me to my speculation.

13. Ultimately, apparently ja-ja and Larz came to a mutual agreement not to speak of each other or each other's boards. Larz (once again) broke his pledge multiple times, allowing many negative comments directed at crow_on.

14. Larz now claims that he felt Crow_On was "too negative" and that was the reason he started his new board. In actuality, this may very well be what he felt, but it stands in direct contradiction to how he presented himself to ja-ja when he started the board as well as the history of what actually happened.

AND THAT IS THE TRUE HISTORY OF LARZ'S BOARD.

Welcome to Larzwatch!

Hello all!!! This is Mappo. I have created this blog to periodically update you on Larz, webmaster of the website www.chicagolandradioandmedia.com. Larz, as many of you know, is a dishonest phony. He claims to be loathe to deleting posts and to be home to "open" discussion on chicagoland media. Those of us who have been watching his site for some time know otherwise. In short, Larz uses his website to protect those that he sees as powerful.

Anyway, check back here regularly for updates on the neverending hypocrisy of Larz!