I've answered the "Where's Greggo?" inquisition over and over and over. But what of Russ Martin?
At one time he was the No. 1 radio voice in this market. The first half of this decade 105.3's Russ Martin Show and The Ticket's Hardline battled for supremacy amongst male listeners in afternoon drive-time. Then his ratings slumped. Then he got arrested. Then 105.3 flipped formats and - poof - he disappeared.
Until now.
I'll be on vacation next week, but wanted to give a proper heads-up that the Dallas Observer's July 16 cover story will feature Russ Martin. It will answer questions like ...
*When, if ever, will Russ be back on the air in Dallas?
*What do former sidekicks like J.D. Ryan, Dan O'Malley, Trey Trenholm and Dan Lewis really think of Russ?
*What's the outlook for his domestic abuse trial, set for July 27?
*What part - if any - did his arrest play in 105.3's decision to go all sports?
*Who dares to call Russ a "pussy"?
*If Russ made $1 million, how much did his cast members make?
*Is Russ really being paid the life of his existing contract? If so, how much must those bi-weekly checks be for?
*Is it true that new CBS employees had it in their contracts not to make eye contact with Russ?
*What dirty ploy did Russ aim at Mike Rhyner?
*Who does Russ get along with better: David Kunkel or Ron Jeremy?
*How much - if any - of the Russ Martin Show was real?
*When the RMS gang gathered for a Last Supper, who picked up the check?
*Has Russ really reconciled with his former fiancee and, if so, just how much is that ring on her finger worth?
*And, most of all, was the Russ Martin you heard on radio a grandly acted character manufactured for the sole purpose of luring in listeners and generating revenue? Or was it merely a glimpse of a real-life prick of a personality who eventually pissed off his bosses and alienated friends? Or, perhaps, was Russ Martin both?
