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Is howie carr counting the days until his exit from wrko ?

O

Omnibus

Guest
Sounds like Howie Carr is far past his sell by date and counting the days until he exits from WRKO.

Guess as he is entering his senior citizen phase he has lost his mojo and it sounds it...whenever he decides to show up.
 
He was counting down the days in '07 and '12 (WBZ-TV even did a piece in Sept of '07 with him looking forward to his
10/1/07 debut at WTKK 96.9) and now this time they can't force to bring him back. If he's far by his sell date you'd think RKO
would have bought out the rest of his contract and put someone else in the slot by now.Their ratings overall have suffered but they
wanted him back and are keeping him on till the contract finally expires. What happens in about a year...Kuhner In the Afternoon?
Or does Howie agree to another contract with what he calls Zombie Radio, for lack of another alternative? (...Boston Herald Radio...?)
 
Omnibus said:
Guess as he is entering his senior citizen phase he has lost his mojo and it sounds it...whenever he decides to show up.
Click to expand...

But to where?

The whole talkradio landscape has changed since his last deal became effective.

The economy has changed and the PPM had reset the media ecology.

Who would pay for Howie Carr? The company with the most to gain by having him on the air is Entercom...and knowing there are no/few competitors, they are likely to offer him a pay cut. (and he'll take it...with some other stipulations to hopefully make up for it...vacation, show from home, owning the network, etc.)
 
With PPMs etc the talk landscape has indeed changed. For now he's at RKO with affiliates all around New England (apparently has good friends who put him on in Holyoke, Portland, Burlington etc) And yes he could well re-up but at lower pay (what about Dennis and
Callahan while we're at it...same, I'd think, unless they want some new blood in there at EEI)
 
raccoonradio said:
With PPMs etc the talk landscape has indeed changed. For now he's at RKO with affiliates all around New England (apparently has good friends who put him on in Holyoke, Portland, Burlington etc) And yes he could well re-up but at lower pay (what about Dennis and
Callahan while we're at it...same, I'd think, unless they want some new blood in there at EEI)
Click to expand...

Raccoon...as nice a guy as you are, is it imperative you answer every post?
 
Omnibus said:
Sounds like Howie Carr is far past his sell by date and counting the days until he exits from WRKO.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure his current contract gives Entercom the same right of first offer/matching offer that he had to live with the last time he tried to duck out on them. And, as JaneChristo pointed out, unless he leaves the market he has nowhere to peddle his wares. Realistically, his only alternative is to retire.
 
dumber than a box of hair said:
I'm pretty sure his current contract gives Entercom the same right of first offer/matching offer that he had to live with the last time he tried to duck out on them.
Click to expand...

Howie has since renegotiated a contract from the one that kept him at WRKO, and stopped him from going to WTKK.

His current contract had an "option" on it....and Entercom exercised their option.

Now the contract is coming to a complete finale'. (September 2014)

The option to match that got him in trouble was because Howie announced his intentions while still under contract.

Smart minds believe if he waited until the contract had lapsed, he could have gone anywhere he wanted. And the Boston broadcast landscape might look very different now.
 
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He has left than a year left, and there is no way Entercom can keep him there against his will this time

But hey he agreed to that contract, and will have been there 7 years longer than he wanted to be because he had a lousy agent, be it himself or someone else.

Where is he going to go and make the money he is making now? NOWHERE!

Yes the radio landscape has changed, no local or regional host is making that kind of money anymore

the kicker is that the contract language that allowed Entercom to extend him 2 more years, in additionn to the 5 years he already served, required they pay him some HUGE money, like in they had to lay other people off in the cluster to free up the cash to pay him.

He has nowhere to go except Herald Radio, and it isn't going to be at 800 grand a year, or whatever it is he gets paid.

Kuhner is an idiot, he can't carry PM drive, never going to happen.

Who does Entercom have in the wings to take over?

McPhee, Howies designated fill in has vanished, there is no weekend part timer to bring up from the farm team.

Let's look at the parade of failed hosts that went thru there during the Rush Radio tears... Charley Manning, Jen Brien, etc etc etc.

Doug VB Goudie? I doubt he would willingly leave Fox25, and he can't be doing the radio and TV gig, when would he sleep?

I hear Tubby Tom Leykis is looking for a gig, Leslie Gold, she is looking for something .. Felon Finneran !

Peter Blute?
 
Good opinions all and interesting that the contract that kept him against his will, so he said, got him a huge deal and no way those types of contracts will happen again money-wise; didn't Ent. also give such big money to D&C?
As for employees being cut to make room for the contract, remember the scene in Broadcast News where the big money anchor (Jack Nicholson) pays a visit and says he feels bad several employees are being laid off?
One emp. when asked by Jack's char is there anything I can do?

The man says matter of factly, well I hope you'll die soon. OUCH.
 
MRBIboredop said:
He has left than a year left, and there is no way Entercom can keep him there against his will this time

But hey he agreed to that contract, and will have been there 7 years longer than he wanted to be because he had a lousy agent, be it himself or someone else.

Where is he going to go and make the money he is making now? NOWHERE!

Yes the radio landscape has changed, no local or regional host is making that kind of money anymore
Click to expand...


Agreed, with no 'TKK, Howie has nowhere else around these parts to go. He'll be 62 next year and could retire, unless - WARNING: pipe dream! - he decides to buy an FM station from one of the big clusters. Barring that, Kuhner can do well in the afternoon, Michael Graham in the morning; or vice versa, if Kuhner really catches fire in AMD.
 
He would do well to call Christopher Lydon - another one who thought he was all that.
The world kept spinning quite nicely, without him...
 
.......As for employees being cut to make room for the contract, .......

Just wondering, but do you really think that this (talent contracts) is what drives major radio station staffing levels?

For once, a simple YES or NO will suffice.

Regards,
TSB
 
What would happen to Nancy Shack, Howie's producer and Jerry Williams last producer? Also, how did Nancy Shack get the on-air name "Sandy" ? What's the big secret as to her identity?
 
Nancy Shack (now married, don't know her married name) is mentioned in pp. 299-301 (hardcover) of the Jerry Williams bio by Tolz and
Ellman, Burning Up The Air": "Jerry's last WRKO producer...She was impressed by the people who'd respond to a request for an interview without hesitation". It mentions Jerry's induction into the Radio Hall of Fame and the montage ( I have it saved somewhere plus I think it's online) of show bits; I think Nancy put together. I believe Howie has said the Sandy nickname comes from someone in Jerry's life, a kind of private joke. Will have to re-read the book maybe. (There is a picture of a "Sandy Nagro" on page 236)
update-
I guess Sandy Nagro was at a Dick Syatt "mixer"; "about 30, newly divorced". They started to see each
other (Nancy Shack btw worked on Dick's show). "Sandy's hooked by then, charmed by his jokes..."
She found out he was married but they started to see each other even if, as the book implies,
the life Jerry had wasn't as glamourous as she would have thought. Still they went out to dinner,
ballgames, etc.

Sandy.
 
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Talk radio in general has several major problems: PPM has shown the format appeals heavily to men, and men over age 50....not great demos for the biggest advertising buys.

And, the public has grown weary of heavily politically-oriented talk....regardless of political affilliation. And, since talk radio has relied primarily on partisan political topics for 30 years....that's a huge concern for the industry.

The talk radio industry is frantic to find hot topics other than politics that will attract at least some women, a bit younger listeners....and do so while still attracting a large audience. They need all the help they can get.

Any suggestions?
 
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It's true, M and over 50 (like me) and people tired of heavy political talk (note however that Howie will sometimes break it up if
he has on Max Robins, or the guy from Trans Siberian Orchestra, etc). For spoken word sports is hot, wide demos, desirable ones.
Ad money out there. More people want to hear talk about the Sox or Pats, not nec. the mayoral election or next year's governor's
race etc. Brady and Kuji, more of interest than Baker or Coakley etc.

Maybe lifestyle "light" talk or celeb gossip or "hot talk"?
 
When I've heard Howie Carr's pop culture-type topics (i.e.: dumbing down of America, Max Robins, etc.) I've enjoyed it.

But, Howie over the years IMHO leaned too heavily on politics....just about everybody in talk did too.

The conservative -vs- liberal thing got really boring for me. Many people in the past few years have figured out that type of talk is really just sensationalism show-biz....not reality.

But....now what do talk stations discuss that will attract a large and younger and a bit more female audience? I say it's a very big challenge for those in talk radio. Won't be easy.

Sports can make money without big ratings. But, sports is sports. Talk needs to find hot-button topics other than politics.
 
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