Put it in the record books: WTKK/Boston talker Jay Severin is the luckiest man in talk radio.  Earlier today, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick ripped Severin for the anti-Mexican remarks that got the host suspended on April 30th.  Patrick, addressing the issue on his own monthlyWTKK talk show, said he was embarrassed to be associated with WTKK in the wake of its decision to reinstate Severin.  Pretty harsh words.  But they don’t really carry much weight now that Severin is back on the job.  The Governor’s ineffectual denunciation of Severin comes after Boston’s Hispanic activists failed to mobilize when Severin was first suspended.  Effective action by either Patrick or Hispanic groups would likely have doomed Severin.

While WTKK and owner Greater Media did a less-than-stellar job of managing the Severin controversy, there is one lesson here for talk radio managers:  Don’t reflexively give into critics when they huff and puff.   They may not be as powerful, passionate or organized as you fear.