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By FRED ANDERSON
(Staff Writer)
One of South Florida's favoite night people—Alan Courtney —had his microphone cut off Friday night.
Courtney swears he'll be hack on the air with another station by the end of next week.
His boss at radio station WQAM, Miami, says he hopes Courtney does—so he can get an injunction against his former star and the new employer.
PAY CONTINUES
And while the verbal bombs are flying, Courtney's $22,500-a-year pay from WQAM goes merrily along until Sept. 30.
The proprietor of the three hour (11 p.m. to 2 a.m.) nightly gabfest had eight years with the station brought to a crashing finish Friday afternoon when he was told he was "going on vacation" as of that moment.
Two hours earlier, Dade Circuit Judge Harold Vann had ruled Courtney will be a free agent when his current WQAM contract expires Sept. 30.
ENFORCEMENT SOUGHT
The station had taken him to court to enforce a clause in his original contract, which was for two years, forbidding Courtney from going to work for another broadcasting outlet, radio or TV, within a 35-mile radius, for 18 months after leaving WQAM.
The announcer's second contract was for three years, and for the last three years, the deal has been on a 12 month basis with the station having an option.
Courtney said he told Jack Sandler, station manager and vice president in February he was quitting come September.
CONTRACT OFFERED
Sandler claims at that time he offered another one-year re newal at $23,000 a year.
But Courtney said Friday it wasn't the money—he just got tired of Sandlers "continual harassment." Sandler claims he wrote Courtney two memos in the past two years, while he counsels other announcers "almost every day."
The veteran night owl told The News he expects to meet with officials of both WINZ and WKAT, both Miami, early next week and to be back on the air over one or the other by week's end.
REPLACEMENT HIRED
Meanwhile, Sandler said he has hired a replacement who will be on the air in Courtney's well-worn time spot tonight.
The new man is Lee Vogel, who has been working for station KSTP, Minneapolis-St. Paul, where Sandler said he recently won "the highest prize in broadcasting," a Peabody Award, "for his fight against communism."
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