WECK radio owner Buddy Shula and midday announcer and “Breakfast with the Beatles” host JP (John Piccillo) disagree about some details, but they agree on one thing: JP is no longer with the station carried on 1230 AM and 100.1, 100.5 and 102.9 after about a year there.
Using titles of Beatles songs to describe how their working relationship ended, they couldn’t "Let It Be" and "Come Together."
In a lengthy Facebook post, Piccillo, who recently went on personal leave from his midday duties to take care of his elderly mother, disagreed with programming decisions made by Shula without naming him.
He indicated the final straw in their working relationship came when the oldies station stopped running social media posts and on-air promos about Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz’s appearance on Sunday’s “Breakfast with The Beatles” program hosted by Piccillo.
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John “JP” Piccillo has left WECK radio after the oldies station stopped running promos and social media posts for his “Breakfast with the Beatles” Sunday program.
According to Piccillo, Shula scrapped the promo and the social media posts because of four complaints, while hundreds on social media loved the idea. JP added he also was concerned that the show might not run.
“We took a little timeout and it was all about negotiating a final decision where everybody was happy and we’re going forward,” JP said in a brief interview Tuesday.
“For me, that was it,” wrote Piccillo. “How could you cower to four people? How about instead, realizing this show wasn’t political. It was two friends talking Beatles.”
Piccillo, who started his radio career in 1976 and worked with Shula in 1981 when the owner was his intern, also was upset he was no longer the one in charge of the “cool” sound of the oldies station he incorporated as program director because of a few minor ratings dips.
“Long story short, his version and mine didn’t ‘mesh,’ ” wrote JP. “We pivoted away from ‘cool.’ It’s his station, it’s his right.”
Asked for a response, Shula wrote in an email that he thought inviting Poloncarz on The Beatles show “was a great idea as long as it was not about politics, as WECK does not get into politics. The show was perfect and sounded great. Mark is a friend; he has always been a friend to me and WECK. “
Shula said he didn’t have a problem with a promo that was recorded after the show was pre-recorded five days before it aired, but did with a post on the station’s Facebook page.
He used a metaphor to explain the situation. “We were engaged but we never got married and the engagement is over,” said JP.
“Nothing discussed politics,” Shula wrote of the pre-recorded show. “Great lifestyle stuff, especially from a community servant like Mark. Then, without my permission, a post went up on the WECK Facebook page. The reason I did not approve of it was because I knew it would be an opportunity for those who oppose Mark would not like it. That is exactly what happened. In less than 60 minutes of the Facebook post going up, we had 28 (not 4) negative comments about Mark.
“I did not even realize the post was up, so I was informed of this, and immediately took it down as this was a Tuesday. The show is on Sunday, and I was not going to let who know how many bad comments over the next 5 days stay on our Facebook page. WECK did not make this political as JP says. The Facebook comments from people who do not like Mark made it political. So, I took it down. JP was upset and proceeded to text me that ‘he's done.’ He also went to his own personal Facebook to say, ‘he quits, and this will be the last BWTB show.'
“NEVER did I or my management team even THINK of not running the show or the promotion of the show. The ONLY thing I did was take down a post on the WECK FB page that had 28 negative comments in less than an hour regarding Mark's appearance. That is what happened. JP had NO REASON to assume I was going to pull the actual show.”
Nevertheless, by taking down the Facebook post that led to criticism of the county executive and drawing the ire of Piccillo, Shula opened himself up to criticism.
The owner appeared to be sensitive when it comes to protecting the station from being seen as political. In an odd way by trying to avoid politics, Shula may have unintentionally made his decision appear political.
Radio host John Piccillo, who goes by JP on the air, confirmed that he has left the station he has been at since 1995. He has been the midday host since 1998.
Shula did confirm he disagreed with some of JP’s programming decisions in an effort to have the station “go in a younger direction.”
“It has always been my goal to be a station for boomers and seniors,” wrote Shula. “He was pulling songs like ‘Cherish’ " from The Association because it was not ‘cool.’ I told him that everyone was not ‘cool’ growing up. There were the ‘cool’ people and then there was everyone else. He simply does not like the more middle of the road playlist, which is what brought WECK up to be a big station.”
Using another Beatles song title, in “The End,” Shula complimented his former employee.
“I was honored to work with him,” he wrote. “He was a mentor when I first began radio. I wish him the best.”
Piccillo, who isn’t the first accomplished radio veteran to leave WECK unhappy, also wished to put the situation behind him during a text exchange with me.
“The owner down deep isn’t a BAD person, but his need to control EVERYTHING, and not allow his people to do what they do, to not trust in decades-long veterans, is sad,” Piccillo wrote.