Webio goes on the air, but for how long?

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: Webio goes on the air, but for how long? : Posted by Ed Sherman : at 6/15/2009 9:08 AM CDT on Chicago Business : The clock struck 9 a.m. Monday morning and lo and behold, Chicagosportswebio.com went on the air. : Matt Weber and Fred Huebner enthusiastically greeted listeners. : "I'm just glad to see familiar faces after a weekend of not seeing familiar faces," Mr. Weber said. : "I'll be here no matter what," said Mr. Huebner. : In this case, no matter what likely means not getting paid. : All the personnel of the Internet sports talk station spent an uncertain weekend after it was disclosed that numerous pay checks have bounced from President David Hernandez's Spectrum Entertainment, the parent company of Webio. Meanwhile, the FBI is apparently investigating the business dealings of Mr. Hernandez's other companies, NextStep Financial Services and NextStep Medical Staffing. : Mr. Hernandez also fired co-founder Mike North, his wife BeBe and Jeff Schwartz Friday. Mr. North said it was because he questioned Mr. Hernandez about the bad checks. : Monday, Mr. North's "Monsters in the Morning" show on Comcast SportsNet was not simulcast on Webio, as had been the case since the station's launch. Interestingly, there's still a Sun-Times ad on the site's home page featuring Mr. North and partner Dan Jiggett's picture. They write a column for the paper. : All the on-air and production staff came to Webio because of Mr. North. When the station launched in the beginning of April, many were thrilled to have the security of two-year contracts and an owner who seemed committed to spend the big money to make the station work. : Most of them left jobs at WSCR-AM 670 and WMVP-AM 1000 for this opportunity. With the situation now looking grim, they feel betrayed and anxious, knowing the doors likely are closed at their former employers. : "This feels like a punch in the stomach," said an on-air personality. : "A lot of people left good jobs," said another staffer. "We all had great hopes. To have it last a little over two months is extremely disheartening. Now what do we do?" : Mr. North put the blame squarely on Mr. Hernandez. However, he also feels responsible for the fate of the staffers he recruited. So much so that he wrote them personal checks Friday during a meeting at his house to help cover the checks that bounced from Webio. : "To see people I love, to see people I discovered..." Mr. North said. "BeBe and I don't operate in a dishonest manner. We never wanted to hurt anybody. I can sleep a little better at night. It doesn't solve the problem." : Indeed, it doesn't. Mr. North said he is "praying for a miracle" that Mr. Hernandez will be able to find a way to continue the station and pay his former associates. : But with checks bouncing and the FBI knocking on Mr. Hernandez's door, don't expect any miracles here.

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