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Are the CC cuts finally beginning?

Charlie Pallilo won't be happy about being cut to three hours, especially when Astros/Rockets coverage frequently means an early off time for the show. Wouldn't surprise me if he goes elsewhere when the current contract is up. For instance Charlie would be a huge upgrade for 97.5's afternoon show.

Like them or not, 610 has been the 800 pound gorilla that the competitors have been unable to take down. Five stations may be too many for English language SportsTalk in Houston.
 
If CP leaves CC say goodbye to Sports 790. Lance is strong in the AM, but not strong enough to save the thing. Too many sports stations in the market. Too bad for Wexler. He knows what he's doing and he might land somewhere else, maybe on a graveyard shift. As for Jackson, maybe a sales career would work for him. Broadcasting is not his forte and I have believed for years that he has been a drag on their am drive. Feel for him though and wish him luck. Feel for all those CC folks facing layoffs. This isn't the business to be in going forward. Unless you in the core mgt loop, your job is in jeopardy. Even the top sales people are in danger of losing jobs. With company benefit costs skyrocketing (thank you Obamacare) older, seasoned sales and technical people are a drag on the company's bottom line. One critical care illness on a 52 year old top sales pro can send the group health insurance up 60% in the next renewal year. If that sales pro is working for a company self insuring, it could cost that company hundreds of thousand of dollars in a single year. That is viewed as a company expense and negatively by stockholders. Not that CC is evil (I don't think they have any compassion toward their loyal employess), they are just operating in this current business climate, currently burdened by harsh federal regulations.
 
With company benefit costs skyrocketing (thank you Obamacare)

UP less than 7% on average.

http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/benefits/articles/pages/health-premiums-2013.aspx

Has CC increased billings at all this year to off set this expense? Good question, I don't know they are not publicly traded.

adguy said:
One critical care illness on a 52 year old top sales pro can send the group health insurance up 60% in the next renewal year.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if CC has one group policy for all employees, or each cluster has a plan but I am sure CC will figure out which is cheaper.

The Affordable Care Act will allow large employers to pay a "penalty" and dump their employees into the state insurance pools. Which might be cheaper for the company:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41159.pdf

Why would anyone blame Obamacare for CC being over leveraged years before Obama took office?

http://www.thedeal.com/content/tmt/clear-channel-to-attack-2014-debt-first.php

BTW:

The US is getting ripped off in heath care. We spend the most (percentage wise):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:International_Comparison_-_Healthcare_spending_as_%_GDP.png

yet come in 33rd in life expectancy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy
 
Obamacare was the gasoline thrown on the the fire that was already raging (e.g. quickly rising health insurance costs). Provisions in the bill are forcing insurance companies to raise rates to compensate. Depending on how CC deals out their health insurance will determine if they can force employees to the state insurance exchanges, which Texas will not have, but the major companies will mimic them. From what I know they cannot separate their employees into separately counted entities so they will be forced to continue to insure. Older and sicker employees filing claims will make their renewals skyrocket. This has been going on for years, but now it is escalating and that's why you'll see CC and others shed those employees. Sad, but true.
 
This thread is totally demonstrative of how the provisions of the Affordable Care Act are totally misunderstood by the public...yes renewal rates for many group plans are artificially priced higher by some insurers but the rates coming in on the exchanges are surprisingly loweer than projected by 25-30% below current market rates...and, yes, Texas will have an exchange though not state-run. Regardless, Clear Channel has the clout and size to command significantly lower rates than typical small business plus I expect they self-insure for a large deductible plus they probably contribute only a small portion of employee's insurance premiums...
 
Guys, guys guys....this station gets a .7 share in the Houston ratings. A .7 share. That is less than a 1 share for a live and local talk station in a Top 10 market. That is embarrassing. The people who work at this station SHOULD be getting replaced, because the audience isn't listening to them. This has nothing to do with Clear Channel, corporate debt, Obamacare, or anything else. This is a low-rated radio station that isn't going to get better with live & local staff. The only station in worse shape is KPRC.
 
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TheBigA said:
Guys, guys guys....this station gets a .7 share in the Dallas ratings. A .7 share.
Click to expand...

BigA, BigA, BigA...you are aware that this is the Houston board, right?
 
jldard said:
BigA, BigA, BigA...you are aware that this is the Houston board, right?
Click to expand...

Yep...please excuse my typo. I meant Houston.

I looked up the Houston ratings, and sure enough, it's a .7. Point 7. That means 7/10ths of a share. If I was running that station, I'd be firing people too. Regardless of debt, ownership, or Obamacare.

I just fixed my post...thanks for pointing it out.
 
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