Captured Webb - Crazy like a fox?

Huge developments on the Mike Webb front.
Note: Meet the Stress has been moving our HQ & have been fairly AWOL from the courtroom proceedings, (but obviously full-steam ahead on acronym usage). Much thanks to blatherwatch and others for keeping everyone up to speed.

Ex-KIRO talk-show host Mike Webb has been on trial for insurance fraud after being arrested in January (and promptly fired from KIRO). Your over-enthusiastic staff here at Meet the Stress had a unique experience in a KC Courthouse hallway with Mr. Webb in late July - chronicled here in: Mike Webb begs the question: "Can I shoot 'em?". We found out that Webb has a garlic-esque aversion to all things photog - but did manage to capture the soul of a charging Webb in full corporate corruption scandal glory:


Mike Webb with Attorney Mark Larranga
(exclaiming "No... Mike... DON'T!")

Amazingly, until recently, this was the closest anyone has come to capturing the elusive omnivore. Before that, the only other was from Webb's site (no pun intended):
Meet the Stress' on-call paleontologist has carbon-dated this photo back to the cretaceous


But no longer. Seattle Times reporter Natalie Singer has broken the chain with this beaut:

Note: Any similarities between these photos and photos found in
Multinomah County's "Faces of Meth" Campaign are purely coincidental.

And the downward spiral just continues to... hmmm...(synonym for spiral further downward?... something?... oh fuggetaboudit). As reported by Blatherwatch: on Wednesday during a break in court, Webb had a giant non-psychobilly freakout, landing him in Harborzoo Med ctr for psych observation.

BUT! This tantrum - and consequential handcuffing - occurred in front of jurors from his case, and (of course) promptly resulted in a mistrial. Equally prompt prosecutor Nancy Balin is pushing to retry the case as early as next week.

So the big question remains: How will the King County legal system effectively prosecute a walking mistrial?

Note to KIRO: Love him or hate him, your overnight ratings would be gargantuan if Webb was doing the overnights. At the very least, rid yourselves of the Styblehead Boast-to-Boast ratings black-hole before all graveyard workers have juror-present tantrums of their own!


Next project: New updated photo of Styblehead with his supposed "long luxurious locks" (shudder)

Mike Webb court photo & Letter from "Anon"

Mike Webb (left) with Attorney Mark Larranaga - July 27, 2006
(not great, but I'm still in training, sensei)

To the Editor:
Anonymous said...
Nate: The efforts of you, Brian, Travis, Hood, and others in trying to attack people within the radio biz with blogs, photos, and whatever else, will ultimately fail, because programming decisions are made based on ratings, talent, personality, and longetivity within the biz, and not from unsubstatiated comments found on blogs. I suggest that if you are truly interested in news talk radio, that you consider interning with a talk host, that you consider promotions work for a news/talk station, or, that you consider a CC or professional degree in broadcast journalism or engineering.

(Editor's note: I know a "Hood", but am unfamiliar with "Brian, Travis")

First off, who said I was interested in the "programming decisions" within "the radio biz' or "truly interested in news talk radio"? Meet the Stress® is the product of a marginally part-time recreative activity - end scene.

Related to this, how does one "ultimately fail" at such an activity? Is this like falling while waterskiing? I'm excited that a few folks - you included - have decided to express interest in my recreational activities (hits, posts, links, etc). I'll be frank - Meet the Stress® was an ultimate failure for much of it's existence. This "failure" never haulted our staff's investigative efforts before, nor will it now. And by the way, thanks for expressing an interest with your hit & comment. *wink wink*

But let's get to the big beefs:

"unsubstatiated comments" &
"trying to attack people within the radio biz"

Note: Mike Webb is no longer affiliated with any radio station or network (or "biz")... well, aside from "progressive networks" - who's sole affiliation is Mr. Webb's basement internet-stream flame-thrower broadcast. (Not unlike your's truly®)

This aside, unsubstatiated [sic] comments? Both blatherwatch & Meet the Stress® were present in the courtroom to clearly hear Webb's outbursts: "Watch your back" & "Can I shoot em". Thats two sources with verbatim quotes. No, we weren't under the official sanction of the NYTimes, but I don't see that requirement in the First Amendment.

Furthermore, under this charished First Amendment, Mike Webb has often chastised public figures for being too secretive. Is Webb now suddenly exempt from this clause?

Finally, and related to disclosure, most newspaper editors do require a name, address, email & phone contact with every letter. We here at Meet the Stress® were graceful enough to print Mr. Anonypuss' post without said requirement. We do however reserve the right to recognize the irony of being chastised by a ghostly gutless turd.

So if you have the minerals, at least pull 'em out next time & include your contacts.

Otherwise, it's feeding time Leo!

Webb Bupkis (?)

Michael Hood & I both had it in our notes - and then immediately posted the date in our 1&0 collections:

August 1st, 10:30AM, King County Courthouse, Room E-733

Showed up early & waited until 10:50AM. Correct room - Judge Spector & Prosecutor Nancy Balin. But different trial (robbery) in progress & with no end in sight.

Afterwards I dropped by the Norm Maleng's office & checked the docket. Clerk there said that the next Mike Webb trial session would be September 5th (also in our notes).

Because Tuesday's session was an ongoing motion exchange/debate (mostly on jury selection), I'm assuming that between last Monday (07/26) and Tuesday, there was some out-of-court agreement to remaining motions - negating need for Tuesday session. Either that, or the motions were too tough - and vacations too important - and everything was punted until September 5th

There it is. Whole lot of nothin'. Well, other than an unrelated yet funny incident with the robbery trial. Two young whipper-snappers from court gallery tossed out. Apparently a witness was asked for father's name, and stated (correctly) that his father's name was "James Brown". Frick & Frack got the boot for guffawing in excess. Only by the grace of god go I - or have gone I.

So in lieu of this voided Mike Webb special report, we will rejoin previously scheduled programming with another fine episode of:

"Jack Chick Theatre"
(Love the downward spiral of propaganda in this one. heheheheh)

Mike Webb begs the question: "Can I shoot 'em?"

Ex-talk show host Mike Webb saw his first trial date today - facing insurance fraud charges - & Meet the Stress was there to witness (or add to?) the spectacle.

Mike Webb? What's all this, then?

Alright, a quick recap - skip the itals if you know the backstory: Mike Webb is former 10 year talk-jock vet at KIRO. A left-leaning liberal of sorts, but never mentally stable/sharp enough to help push the progressive movement wagon forward. Thanks to progressive blogger extraordinaire Blatherwatch's Michael Hood, we all followed Webb's downward spiral into oblivion - culminating in December 2005 (of sorts) when Webb was charged with insurance fraud, and then promptly sacked by KIRO.

As mentioned, this is the quick recap. For the unabridged version of all things Webb, you would be wise to visit blatherwatch's detailed Mike Webb file, or Geoff Parish's expose' "Tangled Webb".

So when I last visited the "Mike Webb file", I also discovered the heading "Mike Webb trial finally begins Thursday!" (07/27/06). Hmmmmmmmm... Thursday. Not much on the personal docket that day.

Arriving at 9:45am at the King County Courthouse outside room E-733, I link up with Michael Hood of blatherwatch - a man who hears every flea-fart in NW radioland - and we prepare for Webb's entrance. I had seen Webb before at a KIRO "battle of the talk show hosts" event, but not long enough to talk to him or take a photo, so I really didn't know what to expect.

Webb turns the corner - a literal behemoth of a human being (the ol' radio/visual disconnect shock)- & I start snapping off a few photos. (Note: I am SERIOUSLY in need of some digicam assistance/tutoring). Webb immediately raises his briefcase - not unlike a perp-walking corporate schill - & passes us by. I tried for a few more clicks, when Webb turned to me and says:

"You know, you're a real asshole!"

I know, huge dis right? Would've cost him a cool 350K on KIRO, but not so much as a dent here. I'll check with Hood, but I may have shed a tear.

The court proceedings are fairly uneventful - mostly trial/vacation scheduling issues (seriously). Well, I should say uneventful aside from a few Mike Webb over-the-shoulder bellers toward the gallery (occupied soley by Michael Hood & yours truly). My favorite, looking in our direction:

"Watch your back!"

Duly noted. Did the stenographer pick that up? Actually I take that back. That was my favorite Mike Webbism until defense attorney Mark Larranaga got up to leave & directed Mike "Don't talk to anyone, okay?". Webb's response?

"Can I shoot em?"

Mentally unstable? Pshaw!

OH YEAH! Judge Spector did ask if Webb's attorney would be bringing character witnesses ("No"). To which the Judge responded:

"Alright, so there will be no mention of Mr. Webb's good character"
*Chuckles, guffaws, & sniggers from gallery*

I know I know, this was just legalese , but still hit us both in the coffee-spit mechanism.

The trial day finally winds-up much how it began: a few motions of which no one will object; a few other motions that are too thick & get punted. Yawn. I start to warm-up the digicam. Mike Webb notices this, whips out his cell phone, & starts taking a few photos of his own inside the courtroom. I wave & ham it up a tad.

And then the fireworks really crackle. Outside the courtroom, I try to reciprocate with a few more candid shots - Webb does the suitcase perp-walk again. But then as he gets in close, Webb grabs for - and runs off with - my camera. Both Michael & I shout about this, & Webb tries to dunk it in the nearest recycling container (failing).

Note: This whole time Webb's attorney Larranaga is exhorting him - much like a mother with a child: "Mike! Mike! STOP THAT!"

Webb & attorney turn towards stairway door & scramble through. I attempt to follow, but Mike Webb - former KIRO News/talk personality - has decided to play a game of push o'war with the door.

Webb finally releases the door, and I fly through - only to face-off with him once more. Well actually, the truth is that the liberal, progressive, & tolerant Mr. Mike Webb backs me up into a corner & proceeds to spout-out a few dozen more FCC 350K words. It was quite Cheney-esque. I responded with something about my 1st amendment rights equaling his - you know, a progressive backbone phrase - but it didn't seem to matter.

After several more barrages, Mike Webb's mouth seemed to run it's course, & proceeded to fade-out into nothing, growing fainter & fainter down the King County Courthouse stairway.

But fear not, folks. Coming again on Tuesday - August 1st, 10:30am in Room E-733, I can just hear the barrage starting anew from the depths of those hallowed halls - as the Mike Webb insurance fraud trial rolls on.