Don't Touch That Dial

By John Gunner Gooch

Controversy isn’t something usually associated with the community’s radio station, WRHC 106.7 FM, but that was the case during a recent Radio Harbor Country membership meeting when program host Martin Dzuris filed an appeal and made his case to reclaim the second hour of his “Martin Dzuris Live!” show that the Programming Committee had voted to take away.Dzuris feels the decision to reduce his air time was based more on his conservative political leanings than his performance behind the microphone, and that has led the more liberal members of the Programming Committee to try to hold him to a more professional standard than his colleagues at the all-volunteer operation. Members of the Programming Committee have denied that discrimination charge, saying that Dzuris didn’t heed advice to tighten up the content of his show, and that taking it back to its original hour format would help do that.If you’ve never met Dzuris, I’d describe him as a character, and I mean that in the best way. He’s an interesting guy with an interesting background; an immigrant from the Czech Republic who truly appreciates our freedom of speech and other opportunities that were not so readily available in the country of his birth. He’s also not shy about using his freedom of speech to voice his opinions on hot button issues, and, love him or hate him,you have to admire his passion. His Monday evening show has gotten a buzz, has broken stories, and has engaged listeners who phone in to join the lively art of conversation by agreeing or disagreeing with his views on various topics. If dialogue is the lifeblood of a vibrant community, Dzuris is certainly doing his part to keep it pumping through the body politic.Fred Upton and Cindy McCain have been guests on his show, and so have Judy Truesdell and Kim Clark, not to mention Rev. Kenneth Mundt. He’s a longtime friend and supporter of Ibrahim Parlak, backing the Harbert restaurateur’s legal efforts to fight deportation back to Turkey and become an American citizen. If “Martin Dzuris Live!” isn’t your cup of tea, it’s preceded in the lineup by “Democracy Now,” and followed by the “Wilbur Fibble Comedy Hour.” That’s diversity, and an eclectic selection of shows that WRHC is rightly proud to be broadcasting.At this point it’s hard to tell how this controversy is going to end, but a decision on the appeal is expected to be handed down in the near future. Dzuris would like at least a six-month trial period of retaining his two hours on the air so he can prove to those in charge he is capable of making changes and being a little kinder and gentler to callers he may disagree with, while also taking steps to tighten up the content of his program.While the debate over the Dzuris situation got decidedly heated at times during the meeting, it was nice to see some cooler heads prevail near the end and ask for compromise and common ground to be found to resolve things in a more amicable manner. I also took it as a good sign that Dzuris stuck around long after the meeting adjourned to continue the conversation with some of his detractors and supporters. Managing to disagree agreeably is one of life’s biggest challenges, but somehow as a community and a country we’ve always been able to find ways to do that. One of the bright spots about living in this country is that our foundational similarities that bond us are much stronger than the differences that could otherwise pull us apart to the breaking point.“100 watts of power, 1000 watts of community” is the WRHC motto the late, great Mike Hojnacki came up with, and it’s a powerful statement for the little powerhouse of a radio station that always keeps things interesting.If you want to find out what happens to Martin Dzuris, don’t change that dial. Stay in touch, and stay tuned.