When a dj gets let go.

[tall_guy1]

It got me thinking, in my town a perky midday personality recently got let go on a music heavy station. She was replaced temporarily by one of the morning hosts before they added a new one.
Is there a reason why they let go of djs? I always think most people go to a station for the music, unless the announcers are particularly annoying.

 

[seattlesarchiebunker]

Just like any other job, jocks can get fired for performance issues, downsizing, other HR stuff, etc. In addition, many jocks quit/resign as they’ve found better employment.

In addition, jocks can be fired for other reasons…change in format is a popular one. If a jock has comparatively low ratings on their shift to what the rest of the station has (or if management thinks another jock will drastically increase ratings in the shift), that could lead to a termination.

For the most part, there are no “goodbyes” allowed on-air. And there are few people (outside of large markets or popular hosts in other markets) who are working under an employment contract. Even if they do, they can usually be yanked off the air at management’s discretion—though they usually get paid (and can’t work for another company in the same market) until the contract has expired.

 

[tall_guy1]

Just like any other job, jocks can get fired for performance issues, downsizing, other HR stuff, etc. In addition, many jocks quit/resign as they’ve found better employment.

In addition, jocks can be fired for other reasons…change in format is a popular one. If a jock has comparatively low ratings on their shift to what the rest of the station has (or if management thinks another jock will drastically increase ratings in the shift), that could lead to a termination.

For the most part, there are no “goodbyes” allowed on-air. And there are few people (outside of large markets or popular hosts in other markets) who are working under an employment contract. Even if they do, they can usually be yanked off the air at management’s discretion—though they usually get paid (and can’t work for another company in the same market) until the contract has expired.

This particular dj alluded to being let go in a post she shared on Twitter. I've heard longtime djs who left on their own get a "goodbye", namely Kelly urich on mix 93.3 in 2008 alongside the rest of the on-air staff.

 

[ragazzo-pazzo]

This particular dj alluded to being let go in a post she shared on Twitter. I've heard longtime djs who left on their own get a "goodbye", namely Kelly urich on mix 93.3 in 2008 alongside the rest of the on-air staff.

Depends largely on management philosophy, and dynamics of the relationship between the talent and management.

 

[tall_guy1]

Depends largely on management philosophy, and dynamics of the relationship between the talent and management.

Kelly was with the station since the beginning. They advertised his last day for weeks before it happened.

 

[Deleted User]

"you are only as good as your last book"

"If you have not been fired at least 4 times you are not a true radio professional"

"never put in a pool"

and once you decide to let someone go, the last thing you want to do is give them access to your computer system, or risk a huge FCC fine or alienating your advertisers.

There are exceptions to that.... WODS let Paula Street, JJ Wright, Barry Scott and Jay Gordon send the station off in style.

WAAF let Carrie Schuster and Mike Hsu do the best sendoff in radio history.

Bradley Jay at WBCN.... ehhh but they tried.

 

[davideduardo]

Kelly was with the station since the beginning. They advertised his last day for weeks before it happened.

That sounds like the person was going to move on to another station, move out of market for family reasons, retirement, change of profession, etc. In other words, the person was on good terms with the station, but was going to do something else.

I've had talents move to TV for a bigger and better paid opportunity. In those cases, I let them talk about it and in later years, they would come back on the "new" morning show and related anecdotes to listeners about what it is like to be on TV . In one case, that developed into a full-fledged association with the TV channel to do joint promotions.

When a person is being fired, most of us do not let them even close to the studio afterwards. The dangers are multiple and ugly.

 

[tall_guy1]

That sounds like the person was going to move on to another station, move out of market for family reasons, retirement, change of profession, etc. In other words, the person was on good terms with the station, but was going to do something else.

I've had talents move to TV for a bigger and better paid opportunity. In those cases, I let them talk about it and in later years, they would come back on the "new" morning show and related anecdotes to listeners about what it is like to be on TV . In one case, that developed into a full-fledged association with the TV channel to do joint promotions.

When a person is being fired, most of us do not let them even close to the studio afterwards. The dangers are multiple and ugly.

He actually moved to online radio right after leaving, so he wasn't even competing with them. It wasn't until 2010 or so when he returned to the KC airwaves on a different station.

 

[TheBigA]

Is there a reason why they let go of djs?

Not just one reason. There can be any number of reasons. Just like in any other job.

Middays and evenings are particularly vulnerable.

 

[davideduardo]

This particular dj alluded to being let go in a post she shared on Twitter. I've heard longtime djs who left on their own get a "goodbye", namely Kelly urich on mix 93.3 in 2008 alongside the rest of the on-air staff.

Unless there is a great deal of trust, goodbyes are not usual. All kinds of liability issues, even FCC violations.

Usually, today, dismissed people are escorted out and their locker or office personal items are packed and sent/delivered.

We all have heard of bad experiences... or had them happen to us. A friend told me of one production person let go on a late Friday afternoon; he was told to "get your things out of the production room and give back the key". The guy went into production and bulk erased as many carts as he could (decades ago, of course) and the, in a coup de grace, he opened the board and peed in it. When the staff came in on Monday, the smell was awful and the urine had ruined much of the board, requiring thousands of dollars in replacements.

 

[tall_guy1]

Unless there is a great deal of trust, goodbyes are not usual. All kinds of liability issues, even FCC violations.

Usually, today, dismissed people are escorted out and their locker or office personal items are packed and sent/delivered.

We all have heard of bad experiences... or had them happen to us. A friend told me of one production person let go on a late Friday afternoon; he was told to "get your things out of the production room and give back the key". The guy went into production and bulk erased as many carts as he could (decades ago, of course) and the, in a coup de grace, he opened the board and peed in it. When the staff came in on Monday, the smell was awful and the urine had ruined much of the board, requiring thousands of dollars in replacements.

I'm guessing legacy hosts who leave on good terms might get to say something. Kelly urich is the only one I remember. Afentra, who had been on 96.5 the buzz in KC since 2003 was let go in 2018 and filed a discrimination lawsuit alleging sexism a year or two later.

That's a crazy story though! Lots of crazy people in this world.

 

[ScottBurns]

It got me thinking, in my town a perky midday personality recently got let go on a music heavy station. She was replaced temporarily by one of the morning hosts before they added a new one.
Is there a reason why they let go of djs? I always think most people go to a station for the music, unless the announcers are particularly annoying.

In this day, cost-cutting seems to be the number one reason.

 

[ScottBurns]

It got me thinking, in my town a perky midday personality recently got let go on a music heavy station. She was replaced temporarily by one of the morning hosts before they added a new one.
Is there a reason why they let go of djs? I always think most people go to a station for the music, unless the announcers are particularly annoying.

Another reason echoes the scenario you mentioned: It's cheaper to have someone from the morning show VT middays for free than it is to pay someone to do the shift.

 

[Deleted User]

not only is it cheaper, you get the sidekick morning person to do it for an extra C note a week, and it gives you some continuity and promotion for AM drive.

I am seeing more of this happening via posts on AllAccess or RAMP's social media pages

 

[TheBigA]

not only is it cheaper, you get the sidekick morning person to do it for an extra C note a week, and it gives you some continuity and promotion for AM drive.

It's great experience for the sidekick who hopes to get his/her own show someday. It gives them a chance to demonstrate their own individual talents, outside of the morning show.

BTW if the radio station is a union shop, AFTRA has rules about working for free or less than market rate. So it may not be as cheap as one might think.

 

[tall_guy1]

Another reason echoes the scenario you mentioned: It's cheaper to have someone from the morning show VT middays for free than it is to pay someone to do the shift.

They eventually hired someone new for the shift though. I wonder what made them decide to can the original host? I personally found her enjoyable. There was only one dj I ever actively avoided listening to. I think most just care about the music.

 

[TheBigA]

They eventually hired someone new for the shift though. I wonder what made them decide to can the original host?

Are you sure she was fired? Perhaps she quit? There are a lot of people making lifestyle decisions to focus on their families.

 

[ScottBurns]

They eventually hired someone new for the shift though. I wonder what made them decide to can the original host? I personally found her enjoyable. There was only one dj I ever actively avoided listening to. I think most just care about the music.

Sometimes hearing the same jock for 10 straight hours, however, is a little much. In one iHeart market, I know of a jock who hosts mornings on an AC station at the same time that she's the news reader/side kick for mornings on the Classic Rocker. Then she's the midday host on the same Classic Rocker. It seems like a little too much. On the Classic Rocker alone, she's on air from 5:30 AM to 3 PM.

 

[Don CT]

When WCCC was sold they let the Jocks do a final 5 hours of programming before pulling the plug. It's rare that stations that get sold or pulled get a proper send off.

 

[b-turner]

I relate this as told to me by our traffic person. It seems she had worked the AM/FM combo in Kerrville, Texas when Kerrville was likely only about 10,000 people. It seems just prior to 1980, the dominant AM (FM was automated) was a country station. It seems the night jock was being let go and working his final shift. She and I worked together in 1980 at KWGH 1290 (deleted long ago) in Big Lake, Texas.

She told me he had had a key made to the station and after the 10pm sign off, he came back to the station and recorded "F-U" on every cart which included every country current and recurrent. He did the same for every spot and promo. He managed to complete the work undetected by parking behind the building. He was gone about an hour when the morning jock (a new hire) arrived.

It didn't take long to figure out what was going on.

She related it took a good two days to get the AM back to normal. I recall asking er is the GM was a jerk and she said he wasn't too bad but I suspect the night jock thought differently.

And having "F-U" in every song and commercial was, at that time about like running up to the alter in a church and screaming out obscenities given how conservative the area was at that time.