Eskola Returns to 'CCO

As promised, veteran ‘CCO-AM government and political reporter/enabler of Sid, Eric Eskola, returned to Dave Lee’s show this morning. Anyone anticipating a long, teary reentry speech was probably disappointed. Eskola confined himself to saying, “I just ran out of gas” last spring and thanking his ‘CCO colleagues and everyone who sent him notes of support.

The “issue” attached to Eskola’s abrupt departure became what some regarded as a “double standard”, where the Eskolas of the world routinely “out” politicians and other public figures yet insist upon privacy when they have their own difficulties. I took shots for on the one hand reporting that he had taken a leave for personal reasons while refusing to disclose what those reasons were. (My dodge was that I merely swatting down the rumor that he had been yanked for disciplinary reasons by either ‘CCO or CBS Radio.)

That debate kind of lives and dies on the notion of an obligation to public accountability. As in, elected officials are held to a different standard than people who are merely known well by the public. Moreover, get any reporter aside and they’ll tell you they know hundreds of juicy private details about public figures that they don’t put into stories simply because such private matters aren’t germane to the job the person is doing. That said, there is a short list of allegedly randy politicians in these parts whose private lives will become very germane the second they are stupid enough to paint themselves into a hypocrisy corner.

According to Eskola’s ‘CCO boss, Wendy Paulson, Eskola is still making the decisions on what and how much to say. In the context of “running out of gas” Paulson said she is encouraging Eskola to dial back on the 12-hour days he had been putting in.

Meanwhile his “Almanac” boss, Brendan Henehan, over at TPT channel 2 says Eskola will be back on the set this Friday with co-host/wife Kathy Wurzer just like old times. Henehan says he told Eskola he’d like him to say something about his absence, but, “That is entirely up to Eric.”