A message to the MyNorthwest comments section

Don and I have been in radio for more than 20 years. I have developed some pretty thick skin. In doing this job, I understand that not everyone will agree with my opinion.

I did something uncomfortable for me today. I asked our web team to turn off the comments on our own website for the stories I write. I hate to admit it, but the culture that has evolved in the comment section on our show page is horrible. For the longest time, I just shrugged my shoulders and have thought that it just comes with the territory.

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I absolutely realize that this is an apples to oranges comparison, but I’ve been inspired by all the brave women that are coming forward to tell their stories of workplace harassment. It dawned on me today that if women deserve a workplace free of harassment, so do I.

It does not matter what the topic of this daily commentary is, the comment section will devolve into personal attacks and abuse in a matter of hours. I don’t even read them anymore.

I’m tired of being a punching bag for a small group of mean and unhappy people. I want the abuse to stop.

But what about the clicks? The all mighty clicks? How will we keep our click numbers up? My paycheck comes directly from the advertisers that pay to be a part of the show. So I’ve always felt pressure to carrying that. I’ve put up with all the trolls because I knew it meant more web traffic for the company. More web traffic means more ads. More ads means more revenue.

I just don’t want to play that game anymore. It’s not worth it for me to bear the brunt of all the bile for more clicks on our page.

The irony of this to me is that I’ve never been more proud of the Ron & Don Nation. The vast majority of people that listen to our show are amazing. Whenever we bring a need to our community, you always respond. Always. The trust that you put into us is my favorite thing about doing a local radio show. Thank you for that, I don’t take it for granted.

I’m going to continue to write these commentaries. But I’d like to not have a pit in my stomach every time I look at the comments. That’s not what I signed up for.

I know I’m frequently wrong in my opinion, or that you might disagree. If you really need to reach me, you can still email the station or find me on all the social media platforms.

We can agree to disagree without things getting personal. Who knows, you might convince me to change my mind.

You can hear “What are we talking about here?” everyday at 4:45 p.m. on 97.3 FM.

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