For Trowbridge

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When I volunteered in the newsroom at KUNM, I was honored to share time and space with Tom Trowbridge.

I was treated quite shabbily by the news director and management. I was forced out for "speaking truth to power," as one middle manager likes to say (a politically correct phrase, going about academic circles.)

I felt horrible for a long time. I felt like a failure. I was ashamed and embarrassed. It was total humiliation.

But now I see I was in good company.

Tom is one of those old-school journalists. He does the "grunt" work without complaint. His standards are pristine. He is never influenced by power or glitter or sex appeal. He is fair and never editorializes. He's a ruthless editor.

He did his job professionally, consistantly. He did it under terrible working conditions, without respect. The entire organization depended on his consistancy, but never acknowledged it openly.

When he left, it rather broke my heart. Yeah, I was gone. But I wasn't a big contributor. KUNM's news dept. is the only possible hope for REAL, regional news in the entire state. It is failing its mission horribly. Tom's contribution was a precious resource.

When he moved on, however, it was a salve to my aching heart. I no longer feel ashamed. Anybody who could alienate Mr. Trowbridge so badly that he felt compelled to leave would, of course, take me out with the garbage.

I wrote a little tribute to Tom in my Radio blog, if you'd like to see it. I'm sending him a DVD copy of "Deadline," and included this little note.

Official announcement in UNM's student paper. Nobody "enjoyed" 911: student reporter. KUNM host leaves radio business