The dismissal of a popular University of South Carolina radio host appears to be a colossal “failure to communicate” – although very few of the players involved in the drama seem interested in seeing the story told.
Mainstream media is done with it – not wanting to alienate its sources – while the threat of corporate litigation hangs heavy in the air.
Here’s what we know – popular USC men’s basketball and baseball play-by-play announcer Mike Morgan did not resign earlier this week, as was reported in the press.
Morgan was fired by ISP, the company that pays USC $9 million a year for the exclusive advertising, marketing and promotional rights to Gamecock sports.
According to multiple sources, the Winston Salem-based firm made its decision to fire Morgan exclusively on the recommendation of Liz McMillan, who manages the University’s sports promotions efforts.
McMillan’s alleged justification for firing Morgan?
That the announcer was involved in “major dispute” with a key USC advertiser over an invoice, and that the advertiser was threatening to pull its business over the disagreement.
Sources at the University have confirmed that this was the justification provided to them by McMillan, as well.
So is it true?
FITS has obtained emails showing that the “major advertiser” in question was Time Warner Cable, although based on these documents it appears that the nature of the dispute between Morgan and Time Warner appears to have been greatly – and perhaps intentionally – exaggerated.
In fact, the emails obtained by FITS show that the dispute that allegedly led to Morgan’s termination was over his personal cable bill, not any official University or Gamecock marketing business, as was suggested.
Specifically, the claim that Time Warner ever remotely considered pulling its contract with ISP – a contract which has been valued by some sources at nearly $150,000 a year – has been flatly rejected by Time Warner officials.
A source close to the top of the Time Warner food chain confirmed to FITS that the company never issued any ultimatum regarding Morgan, and that the company’s contract with ISP was never in jeopardy at any point during Morgan’s dispute over his cable bill.
Also of interest is a rumor that McMillan may have had a motive for seeing Morgan fired – specifically, his alleged whistle-blowing role in a now-defunct pyramid scam that entangled several Gamecock marketing “celebrities.”
Neither Morgan nor McMillan was not immediately available for comment, and University officials referred FITS questions regarding Morgan’s firing to ISP.
Chris Ferris, the executive at ISP who fired Morgan earlier this week, did not return calls seeking comment.
Stay tuned as we continue to work to get to the bottom of what happened here …
By BringMikeBack! April 24, 2009 at 11:56 am
Keep diggin’ FITS! This is outrageous! Time-Warner should be mad as hell at McMillan/ISP and USC for lying about T-W so they could generate a false excuse for letting Morgan go over a damn vendetta that goes back years. If the T-W / USC relationship weren’t in jeopardy before, it should be now. BRING MIKE MORGAN BACK AND FIRE LIZ McMILLAN!
By Jeff April 24, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Dude, USC had nothing to do with Mike’s firing. It was all Liz and ISP.
USC sold their rights to them when they agreed for ISP to handle all USC programming. Now USC is being paid a nice sum of 15 million to do that, but they lost control of the programming. In other words, be mad at Liz and ISP, not USC. This one was out of their control.
By Steve Spurrier April 24, 2009 at 1:00 pm
This story has been linked over on Cocky Talk, some interesting comments
http://www.cockytalk.com/showthread.php?t=95135
By Madison1776 April 24, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I linked to this over at gamecockcentral.com and it got blocked on the free forum (still up on the pay side).
Also, Will you’re cred is taking some hits by a couple of folks who just can’t believe you have sources. Believe it or not, I actually said good things about you.
By Justin April 24, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Cockytalk.com is really gay. Real Gamecock fans don’t get their news from a bunch of yokels who gossip all day while they should be working.
BRING MIKE MORGAN BACK NOW!
By baker April 24, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Good job of reporting, Will. I’m not a listener to USC basketball or baseball broadcasts, but I reckon a lot of folks are. Interesting stuff.
By sTEVE April 24, 2009 at 2:05 pm
anyone got a email address for liz?
By Jeff April 24, 2009 at 2:10 pm
LMcMillan@ISPSports.com
By Tony April 24, 2009 at 2:20 pm
LMcMillan@ISPSports.com
By Jeff April 24, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Hey guys, here are the incompetents in charge of USC broadcasting. I’d gladly give back the money from our contract with ISP if we (the University) could regain control.
http://www.ispsports.com/our-team.cfm?partners&type=1&partner=43
By ultimatetailgater April 24, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Liz McMillan, General Manager
Gamecock Sports Properties
Williams-Brice Stadium
1125 George Rogers Blvd.
Columbia, SC 29208
lmcmillan@ispsports.com
Tel: 803-777-7895
Fax: 803-777-7376
Fire away
By StupidShouldHurtMore (SSHM) April 24, 2009 at 2:33 pm
That Pyramid Scam … are we talking about that music-buying service that a LOT of the marketing “celebs” got involved in and invested their $$ in? Interesting . . .
By BringMikeBack! April 24, 2009 at 2:40 pm
sTEVE – try liz@about2beunemployedandlikelytobeimplicatedintheburnloungeinvestication.com
By Morgan Supporter April 24, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Keep raising hell!
By LOHD April 24, 2009 at 4:07 pm
This has been linked over at LOHD also. Keep seeking the truth FITSnews!!!
By smoovecock April 24, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Yeah I am a Moderator on Cockytalk and let me just say…GameCockCentral.com or TheBigSpur.com is much better than our site. BUD FOSTER IS COMING TO BE OUR NEXT D. COORD! WRITE IT DOWN!
By smoovecock April 24, 2009 at 4:51 pm
BUD FOSTER IS COMING TO SOUTH CAROLINA…WRITE IT DOWN.
By Friday April 24, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Cockytalk is the best forum re: USC sports. No other like it.
Time Warner should be -PISSED- that they’ve been brought into the middle of this. Betthey are getting upset customers trying to switch to satellite because of this.
By Jeff April 24, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Cockytalk? Best forum? ROTFLMAO!
Good one.
By kay April 25, 2009 at 8:29 am
Does it make sense that one person was able to get Morgan fired? Anyone that has been at the university understands that if a coach wants to keep someone they do. if a coach wanted to keep Morgan then that would have happened. morgan answered to the athletic department and 2 major broadcasting companies. all three had to sign off on the change. Has anyone talked to former coaches? if they are honest, they might tell the REAL story on what it is like to work with Morgan. Do you really think that if Tanner or Horn wanted Morgan to stay, he would have been asked to leave? Morgan was with the university for 10 years which is plenty of time to build relationships that last forever. The current coaches can’t speak freely. Maybe there is somenone the new coaches want broadcasting, happens all the time. The fans never know the whole story and sometimes it is just time for change.
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By Jeff April 25, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Kay, you are so incorrect on all accounts that it isn’t even worth detailing. Let’s just say this … The points you attempted to make in that little diatribe , they are all factually WRONG!
By charmr April 26, 2009 at 10:58 am
Anybody who says that CockyTalk or GamecockCentral is a better Gamecock site than TheBigSpur.com is freakin crazy, high on something, or the owner of one of those sites.
TheBigSpur is BY FAR the best site out there for all things Gamecock. And it’s about to get better. Great addition from one of the other sites is going to be announce really soon…
By stephen April 27, 2009 at 10:16 am
Jeff,
Not saying that you yourself are wrong, however, by avoiding rebutting even one point that kay mentioned, you have pretty much written yourself into irrelevance. Saying things like “you are so incorrect on all accounts that it isn’t even worth detailing” does not do anything for your own argument. Just makes you sound like you don’t have anything worthwhile to say back.