Commentary- I believe in giving someone a second chance to do the right thing. I waited to post this commentary after the Z107.7 Friday talk show to see if Gary Daigneault, owner of the little radio station in this community, would apologize to Cora Heiser as he had promised last week. He did not keep his word.

While claiming to “serve the community” with his radio broadcasts, Daigneault has used radio broadcasts to bully certain citizens and to promote his biased point of view on several matters. Some have called him a “Shock Jock,” but I believe his method is very deliberate and perhaps he is unaware of his mannerisms and style……or is he?

Each morning he evaluates the news to be reported, the most important  is reported first out of the box followed by secondary stories, then press releases/public service announcements (approved by him, if his nose isn’t bent with an individual connected with the PSA), followed by bake sales and school sports scores.  And today, finally, at the very end was his personal report that “Something good happened in the Morongo Basin!”  He then proceeded to “report” on his meeting with Cora Heiser last week.

At the 7:00 AM hour, which is NOT recorded, Gary Daigneault stated that last week Cora Heiser walked into his office just after he requested on air, again, proof from her that he was involved in anything illegal ……blah-blah-blah. (He was sure to state his version of his perceived attacks on his character and previously roped in the entire crew of Theatre 29.)

Then I heard…”Cora showed class when she apologized first.” At 7AM Daigneault explained they had a conversation to exchange their view on the matter and then he apologized to her for over reacting!  I listened to the end; he did not personally apologize to her on the radio airwaves, period. He handled this as a news story of their meeting, as he saw it.

At the 9:00 AM hour….Get this! Gary Daigneault CHANGED his script to read -Cora showed grace and class to walk into the studio after I DEMANDED that she provide her proof to me….blah-blah-blah! Oh yes, he added at the end, we agreed to bury the hatchet. I wonder if he will change the print version of this non-apology on his website?

It is now 11:15 AM and I just wasted an hour of my time listening to the entire hour talk show and there was no apology to Cora Heisman, as he promised.  Most of us with previous experience with Daigneault knew he would stay true to his character and not apologize on the air to her. Cora, there is no Santa Claus, no tooth fairy and the word “apology” is not in Gary Daigneault’s vocabulary.

During this morning’s talk show, Gary Daigneault cut off a caller who wanted to voice a complaint and he said, “I cannot let you do this.  It is not fair to slam another person on the air without both sides of the story.”  He went on to reconfirm his “community persona” by saying, “I have to give people an equal chance to hear both sides.”

Well, there you go…..talking out of both sides of his mouth because that is the very same thing Daigneault did to Cora by slamming her on his radio show, following her at school with his crumpled envelope and acting like a cyber-bully by posting complaints on her Facebook page. (FYI-This is not allowed by Facebook and he could have been kicked off  if a complaint was filed.)

It is my opinion when Cora had him up against the ropes and even posting Daigneault’s “Theatre 29 Project presentation” video footage on this blog, he had no choice to crank up his rhetoric. This may be the reason he over re-acted because the video footage…straight from the horse’s mouth… had him by the “nads,” using his own personal abbreviation of the word “gonads.”

Let me add this, Gary Daigneault told the few listeners on the talk show, “It was difficult for me to write because I had to admit I was wrong.”

Maybe that is why he kept changing up the script for his non-apology to Cora. Here is a simple example Gary Daigneault could have used….short and sweet….without the drama and going into the details of “DEMANDED” proof,etc.

To Cora Heiser,

I wish to apologize to you on the air because I was wrong.

Sincerely,

Gary Daigneault

Naw!….that would require some class on his part….He will always be a little man. (What? 4’10” thereabouts?)