The PDs in Corporate Radio are limited in what they can do. It's not their vision. They implement the selected product, but will still be responsible when it fails. It wasn't always that way. There was a time when quality mattered at some stations...
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More changes at TSM Buffalo?
- Thread starter DN14224
- Start date
Thought Yasmin Young was Brand Manager of WBLK, no? Chille is certainly qualified, a natural choice for OM, but he may not be interested at this point in his career, content witrh doing mornings and being BM of the Breeze. Time will tell. The WYRK-Val Townsend issue is dust. As to Ops Manager, it would be no surprise if TSQ brings in a young gun from one of its other markets.
Actually, WRFX and WEND are not in Charleston, but Charlotte, Rusty.
PDs have always been responsible for implementing an approach and taken the bullet if it fails unless the could deflect that bullet by throwing somebody else under the bus. These days, some group PDs (brand managers) have a lot more leeway on music lists, selecting talent, and "tuning" the approach than others. If you're a brand manager for a jukebox in a closet running syndication and voice-tracks, you have very limited control. If you're a brand manager for a heritage station with a lot of local talent or a station that's increased ratings significantly by incorporating local talent you have a lot more control.
Good catch, thanks. Every writer needs a good editor... and a map also helps.
The "heritage" stations you refer to are still mostly corporate owned. When the ratings dip even a bit, the PD can expect a phone call and inquiry. Corporate is watching. You may never know when or where, but they are...
News flash ⚡
Corporate is always watching. It's business. Accountability is coin of the realm. Not to say that upper management doesn't make some hideous mistakes and decisions. Anybody who's been in the business more than six months knows how the game is played.
That was my point. Another poster implied that Brand Managers at "Heritage" stations somehow have more control. That's not really true. The game is "don't rock the boat". As for upper management, they make lots of poor decisions. Crowley left for a better gig. He's bright enough to know that the current format on WBUF has no chance...
It could very well be true that Brand Managers at heritage stations, whatever format, have more latitude based on their track record and longevity. And when they're brought in to turn a format around or flip it, Market Managers, corporate PDs and even CEOs have been known to tell their (new) PDs, "It's your bat, your ball... and your ass if it doesn't work out in four books." That noted, group PDs and consultants have been known to turn on their PDs even in good times. Hey, it happens in every business. A manager, programmer or jock can go from star to goat in a New York minute.
As has been noted, some PDs know when to pull the rip cord and bail out before the situation turns bad... or goes from bad to worse. This isn't to imply this is the case at TSQ Buffalo, but after a year in the format, WBUF appears to be not living up to expectations. Haven't seen the Women 25-54, but it could be the Breeze isn't performing as expected either in that demo. Both of these stations flipped formats "to improve their performance."
Was a time when the four stations in the TSQ cluster were killing it in their demo. A legacy PD (Paul Drew, Rick Sklar, John Rook, Jeff Kaye, whoever) once wrote, "It takes at least two years to build a good format, but it can be destroyed in two months." Then again, you can put a new format on a frequency and, like a lame horse in a race, it can fall over in the first quarter mile of the track.
Since I was that "other poster", let me suggest that you read the entire post. It really is true that some Brand Managers have significantly more control than others. The "taking a bullet" portion of the post indicates that every PD/BM is responsible to upper management, be it local or farther up the food chain. If you really knew about current conditions in radio you'd be aware that there are stations where the PD/BM has no choice in what music gets scheduled and what talent is on the air since it's all VT/syndication. There are other stations where the PD/BM has considerable leeway on music scheduling, can tweak the underlying music inventory for regional differences, and generally does the hiring/firing of local talent. Yes, corporate is watching. In some cases, they're looking for successful programmers who may be offered greater opportunities to play a bigger role in middle management. No matter what organization you work for, as a PD/BM you'd better be able to justify your choices and show results.
Most PDs these days are responsible for multiple stations. The music is not programmed locally (except in rare cases). It also depends on the format. If you're referring to Classic Rock, mixing in an occasional "Deep Track" from Zeppelin is not exactly risky programming. Robert Plant has made better records in the last 15 years(and received virtually no Radio airplay). That's just one example. Corporate could care less about playlists. Many "well researched" formats have failed badly.
When a format is failing, the PD/BM can say "I'm just following orders". That may or not save his/her job if they can't find someone else to throw under the bus...
If the station reports to a chart publication, the music HAS to be programmed locally, or the station will be dropped.
So WYRK and WBLK are programmed locally. There is a local person who is assigned to take local music programming calls from record labels. The radio stations have promotion departments that engage their audience in local promotions around charted recording artists.
If a radio station doesn't play currents, and is primarily a gold station, it doesn't matter where the music is programmed.
His solo music has been mostly acoustic Americana music, some in collaboration with bluegrasser Allison Krauss. The music has received airplay on Americana stations, but Robert has been very careful to avoid anything that sounds like Zeppelin.
Robert Plant has a current hit on AAA stations with Alison Krauss called "Can't Let Go."
And the number of AAA stations in the country is miniscule. It's unfortunate because a lot of great music in the last 25 years has been ignored by Radio. I'm talking about music that has mass appeal to people who don't waste time with Radio anymore. They find it elsewhere...
Statistically you're talking about a small group of people. Plant is not making "mass appeal" music. That's obvious. If it was, he'd be selling out stadiums by himself instead of playing small theaters.
When you say "programmed locally", you are talking about clerical duties. Don't be ridiculous. They are just plugging in the songs approved by the corporate PD/Consultant...
Plant has no desire to relive the past. He's comfortable with what he's doing. That has nothing to do with Radio not playing his newer music. Mass Appeal? He won a Grammy for "Raising Sand" for whatever that's worth. The Grammys are a "Sh** Show these days anyway...
Not much. The voters are in the industry, not the masses. The masses keep hoping for a Zeppelin reunion.
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