Buzz

Lest we forget the s.o.b.
The Dallas school board is seeking names for more than a dozen schools. Upwards of 50 suggestions have been submitted, including Arthur Ashe, Cesar Chavez, and Anne Frank.

But Buzz figures that if the purpose of naming a school is to offer students a moral example, the district would be foolhardy not to name at least one building after disgraced ex-trustee Dan Peavy.

Consider: Every time students entered the school's hallowed halls and every time their parents attended a PTA meeting, they'd be reminded of the trustee who taught us racism is hardier and more virulent than the Ebola virus.

In that spirit, we recommend naming one building--even if it's only a maintenance shed--the Goddamned Tits on a Warthog Dan Fucking Peavy High School.

Assume the position
Once again, we find ourselves wondering just what skills the Fort Worth Star-Telegram seeks in journalists. In a recent letter to employees during "National Customer Service Week," publisher Rich Connor and executive editor Debbie Price reiterated the S-T's mission: "Every employee's position at this newspaper ultimately leads to servicing the customer."

"I'm not a prostitute," one reporter pointed out--a bit tentatively.
We'd write it off as just a Freudian slip, if it weren't for a memo that came out a few days earlier, headlined: "How employees can build Star-Telegram circulation!" This dubious stunt would have S-T reporters and editors peddling subscriptions--for a $5 bounty each time they convinced an "acquaintance, neighbor, etc." to sign up for a free trial subscription. (Could that "etc." refer to news sources?)

Don't mess with the Mouse
Jim Hightower is scrambling to get his reedy voice heard again--at least at length--after ABC Broadcasting dumped his syndicated talk show. Proving that the right wing has no lock on conspiracy theories, Hightower, a pocketbook populist, claims his anti-corporate message was squelched last month after Capitol Cities/ABC merged with Disney.

Over the last two years, Hightower has taken jabs at Disney and its chief executive, Michael Eisner, on his show, carried locally by WBAP 820-AM. Presumably, Eisner was a regular listener.

"It is totally an animosity thing," says Betsy Moon, project coordinator for Hightower, who says she has been inundated with calls from stations angered by the cancellation.

ABC has a more innocent explanation: it claims the three-hour weekend show, "Hightower Radio," was cut because of low ratings.

The nation's major radio syndicators--mega-corporations every one--have rejected proposals to carry the show. "Considering the anti-corporate message, it's not surprising that they don't want to carry Hightower's show," Moon says.

But those who can no longer get Hightower whole hog can still hear two-minute daily "Populist Bites,"which Hightower feeds directly to stations--except WBAP, which also dropped the "Bites.