Probably in larger cities/areas this would not be big news at all but in Michigan there tends to be a premium placed on politeness, even if you don't mean a word of what you're saying. lol So to have Albom and Beckmann lose it (by MICHIGAN standards) did make the news..

Mitch Albom cites 'regret' over WJR spat with Frank Beckmann
Susan Whitall / / The Detroit News

Two titans of the WJR-AM (760) airwaves, Frank Beckmann and Mitch Albom, went at each other on Beckmann's show this morning over what Albom felt was unfair commentary by Beckmann over his advocacy for the state tax credit for the film industry.

There were some preliminary gentlemanly murmurings about respect, but then things got heated very quickly.

"I know I'll never convince you of the benefit of the tax credit Frank, but to spend eight minutes of your show talking about me, and my (lack of) transparency ... I thought if I could spend just three minutes answering that, that's all I need," said Albom, a Detroit Free Press columnist and author.

Beckmann complained on the air and in a MichiganView.com column that Albom didn't disclose that with a film project about to start based upon his book "Have a Little Faith," he had a financial interest in having Michigan retain its generous tax credit for the film industry, something Gov. Rick Snyder has said is not sustainable.

Albom insisted that he's neither an investor nor a producer of the film. The Hallmark production just received approval for a Michigan tax credit, something Beckmann felt was no coincidence.

"I am not involved in negotiations," Albom kept insisting, as Beckmann hammered away at him.

"But you benefit from this, Mitch, as a screenwriter," Beckmann said. "Won't Hollywood look kindly upon you because they know you're advocating for the industry?"

"No!" Albom retorted. "They can get that tax credit anywhere."

The writer insisted that he was thinking of the 225 Michiganians who would get jobs as a result of "Have a Little Faith" filming here. "Or, 225 Pennsylvanians can get those jobs."

Beckmann countered that Michigan lost money on the tax credit, and if the state subsidizes the film industry, why not subsidize horse racing or countless other industries.

Albom's tenor went airborne a few times, and when he commented that Beckmann "wasn't knowledgeable" about the issue, Beckmann's baritone boomed out, "Oh, so I'm stupid?"

Then: "Of course, you're knowledgeable, Mitch. It must be a burden to carry that around."

But in the end, nobody budged from their position, and even the thin veneer of collegiality seemed to be in doubt...

Albom-Beckmann Spat

"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives."
Winter is Coming

Now this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky; And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk, the Law runneth forward and back; For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.