Life and Stuff

The long wait and anticipated debut of the 'The Buddy Cianci Show" finally happened this morning at 10 AM on WPRO-AM in Providence. To be honest, I was surprised at what I heard. To me, Buddy was always a loudmouth, dishonest politician who would always favor the poor and elderly over the hard working, blue collar Joes who worked to make his city better. His reputation finally caught up with him 5 years ago when he was convicted on a Rico conspiracy charge and sentenced to five years of hard time at the Fort Dix correctional facility on the south shore of New Jersey. Most public officials are ignored once they leave office for good or return from a prison sentence, but not old Buddy. What set him apart from other public officials was a larger than life personality, and a penchant for witty one-liners in the most difficult of situations. That is probably the most likely reason why Buddy was welcomed back with open arms when he made his triumphant return to the airwaves this morning.

To be fair, Buddy did seemed more subdued and humble than in years past. The way he spoke gave me the impression that he really seemed sorry for what he did and that the time he spent in jail made him a changed man. What bothers me so much about this program is that it is hosted by a convicted felon that had a notorious reputation for using people to get what he wanted. Normally, people who are convicted criminal in any capacity are disgraced felons who are forced to take a job as a civil servant or minimum wage employee, not Buddy. Buddy was immediately given a cushy job which will keep him in the public eye for much longer than he deserves, and why you ask, it is all because of ratings and who he is. It is as if his prison term never happened. Several callers were more than willing to call into the program and tell him how much they loved him and what a thrill it was to hear him on the radio. Thankfully, for detractors like myself, the only people who called in were either senile or a personal friend of Buddy's, leading me to conclude that most of the state could care less about the hoopla.

Maybe things will change in due time, the program might attract a wider audience full of different cultures than anticipated. However, one known truth still remains. Buddy is not a buddy of the majority of the state, and because of that, he'll have difficulty getting calls from all over. However, I believe the show will succeed in large part because the controversial nature of its star. I don't like him, but I have to admit he roped me in. Best of luck to you Buddy, just don't ever run for mayor again.