The Don (Curtis) of UNC Football

Media UNC Scandal41

This was originally written over Father’s Day weekend but due to everything that came out last Monday and Tuesday this would have been lost in all the noise. I want to say thanks to the other SFN writers who helped in creating this piece.

Last Thursday (6/16) and Friday (6/17) there was a huge deluge of data related to the ongoing scandals over at The Flagship.  It has been tough to make sense of a lot of it.   But we offer a big thanks to WRAL.com for making available this searchable database of emails that were released last Fall (as best as we can tell). In that database you can find this gem of an email entitled “Great Job Last Night” sent from Don Curtis to Dick Baddour and Holden Thorp:

Sent:Friday, August 27, 2010 10:00 AM
To:Baddour, Richard A; Thorp, Hoiden
Don Curtis [[email protected]]

I thought both of you did a great job last night….Here are a few thoughts t hope are helpful.

1) I thought Dick begin to really gain some ground when he touched briefly on how some compliance issues are governed. I would seriously consider a full description of what we do in the area of compliance,…how the athletes are briefed….how the academic support system is designed….how the coaches are briefed…The NCAA’s role etc. I bewlieve Alumni in general would be impressed with how much effort is exerted here. I also think they could see how some things are impossible to totally control and supervise. We need to fully establish that we are not reacting because of the investigation of these issues, but had a program in place.
2) I Think that the timeline of when Butch hired the Tutor for his personal work…and when she was hired by the University is confusing. If, for example, Butch hires her, she does a good job for him…and then a job comes open at UNC, it would logical for htm to hire here. I know that there are some highly involved HR issues involved. But last night may have raised more questions that it answered.
3) I think that it is very important, if this is true, to continue to point out that WE discovered the latest issues, and not the NCAA. And again, within the confines of what can be said, that the NCAA is not yet investigating UNC..but rather the conduce of some of our students.
4) I don’t think that most people are aware of the UNC Honor System being involved here….almost all of the “fans” are asking what the NCAA is going to levy 1) to the school, and 2) to the players. I don’t think the average fan has any idea that the student honor system will likely have a very big say in what is done.
5) Holden’s comments were perfect I thought Butch came out well too.
Unfortunately, more peopie will read and hear news reports of what was said, rather than having it heard themselves. This is why I believe we need to continue to release as much background information about our long standing policies and practices as possible.

I am sure you know what the average football fan wants to know: 1) Who’s going play. 2) What are the possible penalties to what players 3) Where the Coaches involved, and 4) How does this affect our long range future. All of which are not likely possible to answer to anyone’s satisfaction without creating a bigger mess. I heard from two UNC Fans…not alumni…their comments: “We’ll get throught this….” Optimistic rather than condeming. Interesting I thought
Just some thoughts.

And Now an Offer:
Perhaps a one hour program on the our discussing the whole compliance problem facing all schools….Perhaps involving Yow From State, Dick From Carolina, and maybe a third. Such a program would focus on the problem of compliance with the current situation used as just an example of how difficult it is to manage. We have 72 stations acorss the state. Program couid be taped, rather than live. Would not involved listener call ins. Host of Pro ram would not be investigating but rather conducting a interview on compliance issues and programs. stations reach 1.2 Million North Carolinans….this is more than the combined circulation of Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro Dailies, As hot a issue as this is, (think we could get clearance on all of the top News/Talk, and sports talk stations as well

This email was then forwarded by Holden Thorp to Nancy Davis, UNC’s Associate Vice Chancellor of University Relations.  Before we look at this ridiculous email in detail, I am sure many of you are asking …

Who is Don Curtis?


Well maybe you’ve heard of a company called the Curtis Media Group. It owns 25 radio stations and provides the North Carolina News Network to 72 stations across the state. The company also has partnerships with Innerbanks Media and Foothills Radio Group, which operate seven additional North Carolina radio stations.

A little more about Curtis Media Group’s ownership of local sports talk stations:

Under the plan, Capitol Broadcasting Co. will acquire two sports radio stations now owned by Curtis Media: 620 AM The Bull and 1550 AM. It will also purchase the brand and intellectual property of what is now 850 AM The Buzz. David Glenn, now of 850 AM, will move to Capitol station 99.9 The Fan. The Buzz’s Adam Gold and Joe Ovies will move to the newly renamed 620 AM The Buzz.

In addition, Capitol will acquire 1550 AM from Curtis and change the station to a Spanish-language sports station, ESPN Deportes.

Curtis Media would get the N.C. News Network from Capitol Broadcasting, along with a satellite distribution network that Capitol owns; it is used to broadcast sports for Duke, N.C. State and East Carolina universities and the Carolina Hurricanes. Curtis Media also will buy the tower and the frequency of 850 AM from McClatchey Broadcasting, and most likely change it from a sports station to a music format.

By selling the various assets of 850 AM The Buzz, McClatchey will get out of the broadcast business.

What else do we know about Don? Looking at his bio we find this little nugget:

Active in the University of North Carolina, his alma mater, he currently serves on the Board of the UNC Alumni Association, The National Development Council, the UNC School of Journalism Board of Visitors, the UNC Journalism Foundation Board of Directors, and has previously also served on the UNC Board of Visitors and the Education Foundation Board. In 2005, he received the William R. Davie Award for his service to the University.

And:

When Curtis finished high school in Bessemer City, he enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1965, and studied in the School for Journalism and Mass Communication. Five years later and three credits short from earning a bachelor’s degree, Curtis left UNC, returned to Bessemer City, and resumed his communications career.

Curtis experienced a widely successful career in communications without earning a college degree. However, in 2002 the University of North Carolina held a special ceremony to honor Curtis. After passing an oral examination, Curtis earned his bachelor’s degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Additionally, he gave the Fall 2010 commencement address at the UNC School of Journalism (you can watch it here on youtube.com).  Curtis has served on the UNC board of Trustees since being elected in 2009.  His term will expire in 2013.

OK, back to the email:

Curtis’ email makes seven main points.  He numbers five of them, adds an observation, and then he makes an “offer.”  Let’s take these one by one, with my comments after each.

1) I thought Dick begin to really gain some ground when he touched briefly on how some compliance issues are governed. I would seriously consider a full description of what we do in the area of compliance,…how the athletes are briefed….how the academic support system is designed….how the coaches are briefed…The NCAA’s role etc. I bewlieve Alumni in general would be impressed with how much effort is exerted here. I also think they could see how some things are impossible to totally control and supervise. We need to fully establish that we are not reacting because of the investigation of these issues, but had a program in place.

Don obviously knows UNC Alumni very well!  I agree that UNC alumni and fans have been “impressed” by the university’s efforts (to prevent records from being seen by the public) and they have easily believed the notion that Butch can’t possibly be expected to “control and supervise” his Associate Head Coach and a handful of high-profile players. As for convincing the public that UNC was “not reacting” and had “a program in place,” that would take some serious spinning, even for them.

2) I Think that the timeline of when Butch hired the Tutor for his personal work…and when she was hired by the University is confusing. If, for example, Butch hires her, she does a good job for him…and then a job comes open at UNC, it would logical for htm to hire here. I know that there are some highly involved HR issues involved. But last night may have raised more questions that it answered.

“I Think that the timeline of when Butch hired the Tutor for his personal work…and when she was hired by the University is confusing.”  You aren’t kidding Don! “[C]onfusing” is an understatement!  It is so confusing that you have the facts totally wrong.  Information that came out last Fall indicated that the tutor was fired by UNC, and subsequently worked Butch.  No wonder you are confused.

3) I think that it is very important, if this is true, to continue to point out that WE discovered the latest issues, and not the NCAA. And again, within the confines of what can be said, that the NCAA is not yet investigating UNC..but rather the conduce of some of our students.

This is Gold Jerry. Gold!!!

I don’t know what the “latest issues” are that he is talking about, but can someone point out when, during this entire affair, UNC discovered ANYTHING before it was uncovered by the NCAA and/or in the new media first? 

4) I don’t think that most people are aware of the UNC Honor System being involved here….almost all of the “fans” are asking what the NCAA is going to levy 1) to the school, and 2) to the players. I don’t think the average fan has any idea that the student honor system will likely have a very big say in what is done.

Take a look back at how the Burney situation was handled for an example of how much “say” the “UNC Honor System” has had.

5) Holden’s comments were perfect I thought Butch came out well too. Unfortunately, more peopie will read and hear news reports of what was said, rather than having it heard themselves. This is why I believe we need to continue to release as much background information about our long standing policies and practices as possible.

What exactly are UNC’s “long standing policies and practices”? We are all ears.

I am sure you know what the average football fan wants to know: 1) Who’s going play. 2) What are the possible penalties to what players 3) Where the Coaches involved, and 4) How does this affect our long range future. All of which are not likely possible to answer to anyone’s satisfaction without creating a bigger mess. I heard from two UNC Fans…not alumni…their comments: “We’ll get throught this….” Optimistic rather than condeming. Interesting I thought
Just some thoughts.

Amazing that Don ran across two UNC fans who were not graduates!  What are the chances?!

And Now an Offer:
Perhaps a one hour program on the our discussing the whole compliance problem facing all schools….Perhaps involving Yow From State, Dick From Carolina, and maybe a third. Such a program would focus on the problem of compliance with the current situation used as just an example of how difficult it is to manage. We have 72 stations acorss the state. Program couid be taped, rather than live. Would not involved listener call ins. Host of Pro ram would not be investigating but rather conducting a interview on compliance issues and programs. stations reach 1.2 Million North Carolinans….this is more than the combined circulation of Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro Dailies, As hot a issue as this is, (think we could get clearance on all of the top News/Talk, and sports talk stations as well

Don wants to use his stations, all 72 of them, to push the narrative that all schools face problems with complying with NCAA rules. He also wants to drag NC State into the middle of their mess.  He thinks he can get this program onto “all News/Talk, and sports talk stations.” The program would focus on compliance issues and not investigating.  Wow, that’s surprising!  A UNC-CH BOT member attempting to use his company to advance UNC’s agenda and at the same time harm NC State.  Unheard of! 

I think I speak for a large segement of NC State graduates who would decline to be pulled into the UNC football sleaze pit in order to mitigate their damage.  However, I will pass along my two cents in case Don is interested.  The new media’s information flow has accumulated a critical mass of outlets such that UNC is no longer able to keep them all plugged.  Also, the corruption machine became too large and complacent to remain agile.  That brazen, above-the-law shit works great until it stops working.  Just ask Al Capone or Pablo Escobar. 

None of that is our problem.

About 1.21 Jigawatts

Class of '98, Mechanical Engineer, State fan since arriving on campus and it's been a painful ride ever since. I live by the Law of NC State Fandom, "For every Elation there is an equal and opposite Frustration."

Media UNC Scandal

41 Responses to The Don (Curtis) of UNC Football

  1. Branimated 06/30/2011 at 11:17 AM #

    Another thing that should be considered in regards to this article, and Curtis’ practices in general, is the point about CMG buying properties from McClatchey Media, which purchased the Buzz a while back, along with a few other frequencies.

    What many people don’t know is that the owner of McClatchey Media, Billy McClatchey, is Don’s son-in-law, and he most likely used MM as a puppet to circumvent some FCC laws that prevent radio monopolies…in other words, a company can only own so many frequencies within a radio market.

    I guess one of the things they teach you at the University of Non-Compliance is how to bend the rules to get your way.

  2. highstick 06/30/2011 at 11:33 AM #

    sequoyah…you saved me the time of researching that because that was what I was thinking. Just hope Erskine doesn’t yank the chain of Rep. Jim Clyburn(Dem-SC) so that Clyburn’s daughter(an FCC Commissioner) doesn’t conveniently overlook those complaints.

  3. IamGumbyDammit 06/30/2011 at 11:36 AM #

    If he looks like a turd and stinks like a turd, he’s probably a….

  4. wolf8895 06/30/2011 at 1:01 PM #

    CMG Stations

    Just in case anyone’s interested.

  5. IMFletcherWolf 06/30/2011 at 1:27 PM #

    Honestly, I don’t see anything damning going on here. Yes, Don Curtis is a UNC-CH alum and he is supporting his school. Like Clarksa, I would want someone like Curtis supporting us if State were in a situation like this. A boycott of his stations is absurd. JMO.

  6. Old School Wolf 06/30/2011 at 2:03 PM #

    Five years of study during the Vietnam war and got his degree with an oral exam huh ? And served on the BOT? I was hoping they only gave an oral for academically challenged athletes.

  7. Branimated 06/30/2011 at 2:21 PM #

    ^^Agreed. No point in boycotting. Terrestrial radio is doing a fine job of destroying itself…no need for us to try and help.

  8. JSRy2k 06/30/2011 at 5:18 PM #

    “…Butch trying to explain the difficulties of keeping kids in line and O’Brien dryly countering. Heck, O’Brien’s been keeping Butch’s kids in line for four years straight now.”

    Booya! That’s priceless Russia 🙂

  9. packpride_ie94 06/30/2011 at 10:28 PM #

    This man is hugely successful in the field of communications and has his degree from the school of journalism at our “flagship university”. You’d think he could write an e-mail to a University Chancellor that ISN’T riddled with spelling errors, typos, sentence fragments, and run-on sentences.

    Thankfully, his message still came through loud and clear and is now a matter of public record. Another fine example of “The Carolina Way” = “To Seem Rather Than to Be”.

  10. TruthBKnown Returns 07/01/2011 at 10:16 AM #

    Looks like this will be a one-man boycott then. 😉

    If he wanted to help get the TRUTH out, I wouldn’t have a problem with him. But he doesn’t want that. His purpose is to use his position of power to help them spin their way out of this, if not cover up the muck. That’s why I have a problem with it. And if this were NC State or Duke, would he offer the same? Most definitely not. That may be a straw man argument, but it’s surely true. That tells me UNX has a benefit not afforded to others, which gives them an unfair advantage, which confirms that a boycott is in order for anyone who cares.

  11. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 07/01/2011 at 1:00 PM #

    I think this email more points out the problems with NC State’s PR and alumni and illustrates how effective UNC’s are. This is a petty complaint that a board member with a media background is trying to help craft a media message to divert attention. Wow, to think NC State would ever try and put a positive spin on a bad situation.

    If this was NC State we would have all the emails from poweful alumni demanding this or that person be fired. The Wolfpack is great at eating it’s own.

  12. hickoryhound 07/01/2011 at 2:06 PM #

    There have been a multitude of laws broken here. Many of these improprieties rank as felonies under both State and Federal statutes. I know that this all revolves around a spherical ball, but it also revolves around lots and lots of money and it also revolves around the integrity of a diploma from the oldest institution in our University system and that University system means something to those of us who properly worked towards a degree within that system.

    The entire nation can see what has been taking place in Chapel Hill. If Dr. Friday truly wants to put this all behind us, then he should help to route out the corruption at his dear ole Carolina. I have my doubts that anyone will voluntarily do this. So we will continue to drag this out until the very bitter end, because that is where this story is headed and that is how it will end.

    Where are the UNC Board of Governors? – (Part 2) – Everybody knows “The Carolina Way”

  13. RememberV 07/01/2011 at 2:44 PM #

    “After passing an oral examination, Curtis earned his bachelor’s degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.”

    Hey Don, you still have a little bit of Butch dripping down your chin.

    Wow I had to go to class to get my degree. I didn’t know that there was a fast-track to a BS.

  14. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 07/02/2011 at 7:39 AM #

    “There have been a multitude of laws broken here. Many of these improprieties rank as felonies under both State and Federal statutes.”

    NCAA violations are now federal felonies? I would love for someone to point out where the US Constitution provides for the NCAA to pass out federal felony charges for member institution rules violations.

    My question is why is there an NCAA? Who gives them the power and pays their salaries? Who regulates the NCAA? The NCAA is much like the United Nations. A handful of people living off the US taxpayers making arbitrary rules that apply to everyone but them. The NCAA sells NC State basketball games to networks? Should not NC State basketball belong to the taxpayers and donors not the NCAA?

    The NCAA enslaves people for life. In the real business world, people like Lorenzo Charles would have a job for life after “the dunk.” But the NCAA says that no player can ever collect money from boosters or the school, unless a player becomes a coach or professor. If anyone can explain to me how the NCAA can tell a person who they can or can not work for is beyond me.

    Why would anyone want to interview Debbie Yow for anything? Would you want her to be your boss? What has she done other than collect and spend money? She blucked up the basketball search and had to take a friend of 25 years that had been out of coaching for two years and fired by his previous school and rejected by Utah.

    Gott’fried may turn out to be a great coach but by no means a great hire. If Gott was “the one” why didn’t Yow hire him the day after she fired Lowe? He was available at the time. Yow took Gott after she got rejected by VCU’s S. Smart. Smart was offered after no current NCAA coach would take 3 million to work for her.

    I haven’t seen any improvement in the athletics program since her arrival.

  15. runwiththepack 07/02/2011 at 9:27 AM #

    Read the whole thing, SFN. Good stuff.

    I finally got around to reading this entire article. It’s a long one, so I didn’t have time to read the whole thing the first sitting.

    WATCHING CURTIS COMMENCEMENT SPEECH WAS WORTH IT.

    I find that his anti-NCSU disdain to be fairly common. At least I can appreciate that he’s honest about it. local media seem to more often mask bias, getting it in there anonymously via the writers/casters beneath them.

    I don’t think for a minute that Cauldon Tudor, for example, doesn’t feel at least a little pressure to slant his articles to please his boss. Any boss I ever had was someone I was careful not to disagree with too much. How could media be any different?

    Also, even if media higher-ups didn’t go to UNC, it seems that a majority of liberal arts grads don’t like what they refer to as “cow colleges” of any sort. So often I’ve read/heard “I didn’t go to UNC or Duke, so why would I be biased against NCSU?”, when in fact they have been biased against land grant schools since at least their freshman year of college.

    The point is not for me or anyone to get on these pages and bitch-and-moan, but to acknowledge that guys like Curtis must be dealt with as best as one can. And this article shows that it isn’t just in our imaginations, like has been said to me (usually by lib art grad).

    Hmm… maybe a State grad stole his girlfriend when he was a prep.

  16. camel77 07/02/2011 at 12:48 PM #

    tcthi-tgsf-twhwtnc

    NCAA violations are not felonies but changing tags on cars and using a diferent VIN number is. NCAA was formed to create a fair and competitive organization of members. They do not use any of your tax dollars. They get their money from TV rights, marketing the NCAA, and member institution.
    If they are a news agency,they should report the facts and not their twist on the facts. If not a news agency, they should says that this is their opinion and not put it off as fact.
    Why do want to ditch on Debbie Yow? She has done everything the majority of Wolfpack fans wanted. She didn’t “blucked up” the coaching search. She went after all the big name the fans would have liked to see as coach of NC State basketball. It is not her fault that circumstances where they were, where better than being with us. In hiring Gottfried, he satisfied every requirement she stated in press conference in the beginning of the coaching search.
    I disagree in that has been no improvement. I see an excitement in NC State athletic for the coming yearn all sports that I haven’t seen in a long time. So Wolfpack fans, let’s get behind all ours coaches and support them and not have division among ourself.

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