When the president of the United States tells me my achievements were the manifestation of my government's beneficent efforts, I sit upright.
I am a broadcaster with 60 years experience. I've owned and operated, and/or constructed, six radio stations in Michigan, Texas, Indiana and Kentucky. I specialized in buying troubled properties and building them into hard working, audience-serving/involved/winning/profitable stations. In the business world, we call these "turn-arounds."
The last radio station I owned and operated for 20 years had never had a year of profit prior to my purchase, only negative cash flow. I took a huge risk and bought WIKI-FM. (The station was in red ink from its inception and for an additional 12 years before I bought it. Previous owners could not pay their bills.)
I agreed to pay $170,000 to a bank for the right to take responsibility for that loan. After 20 years operating that radio station, I sold it and its assets for a total of more than $1 million.
The effort was all-encompassing. I was general manager, sales manager, sales person, on-air talent, and I created all my customer's commercials. In addition, I hired, trained and managed the station's staff.
I had achieved this sort of turn-around in Michigan and Texas in previous years, performing the same tasks.
I want to make very clear that I had no financial help in my small business swashbuckling from the United States government, including the SBA.
I will not tolerate a man telling me my achievements were due to the largesse of the federal government. In actuality my achievements were, in several respects, in spite of the federal government.
George A. Freeman, Tiffin
