Anyone know why he's gone? I assume poor ratings, but this is KABC, and I'm not sure what qualifies as 'poor ratings'. Perhaps he and Drew were fired as a 'package deal'......
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Leo Terrell
- Thread starter rosariorose9
- Start date
No one??
Today was the last day for Leon Kaplan, the Motorman.
i cant sort through it, cuse he retweets everything every god darn minute, by Leo mentioned this on his twitter back in early June
His show was pretty good (I've listened to it off and on for years)...did you know why it would be the last one?
He's in his early 80s. First KABC cut the show down to 2 hours, then quit paying him. He was doing the show for free for the past 3 or 4 years. His son Lance, who sat in within him over the past 2 years, had no interest in doing the show. 43 years is a good run for a weekend show.
I believe it's Lance who runs the family's auto service near downtown LA, and I think they still operate Leon's Transmission in Reseda.
Out of ignorance: How do they get away with not paying him? From the discussion, it doesn't sound like a pay-to-play show, so wouldn't the Cumulus AFTRA contract call for scale for anyone who appears on their air, and that all talent be AFTRA members?
Not aware that unions do national deals. When I was in AFTRA, it was all about local.
Cumulus owns one station in LA. My take is they're going to run this station like WFAS.
How many shows on these low rated am stations are time-buys? I can’t imagine kabc having the money to afford anything
This why I said a while back Cumulus should enter into an LMA with Lotus and just simulcast KIRN (Radio Iran). That way their target audience all over the Basin can get a solid signal for their Persian and Armenian language programming.
Where would the money come from? Would Iranians pay for it?
Leo is a great example of someone whose views have rapidly shifted over the past 10-15 years to the point where they're unrecognizable. Gotta respect the hustle though. Well, not really.
When AFTRA struck in '67 ('68?), it was against all 3 networks and *all* of their O&O's. So why should KABC have its own separate contract with them? Cumulus would have inherited the agreements for all legacy ABC stations.
Even if they're going the WFAS route - and what you write there makes sense - it doesn't erase the past. Mr. Terrell worked for/at KABC from some time past up until recently. KABC was/is an AFTRA station. An AFTRA agreement had/has some kind of "scale" provision. Therefore, unless Mr. Terrell was paying for his time and selling his own advertising, his appearances should have been covered by scale whenever he was on their air.
Where does my logic break down?
That was over 50 years ago! Things have changed. Cumulus bought ABC stations out of bankruptcy court from Citadel. Agreements have time limits on them, and they don't go back 20 years.
Why is a black man who changes his views from liberal to conservative essentially referred to as a "hustler"? Is he not allowed to think for himself, to evolve his thoughts and ideas without being denigrated? There are millions of Americans who not only recognize those same views but strongly agree with them.
Sounds like straight-up racism to me.
I really miss his show. To quote Reagan as so many former Dems have said including me "I didn't leave the democrat party they left me" That is so true today for Leo 2.0 and many of us. Leo had a really fun show and he tells it how it is. But I just think he wants to work on getting trump a second term. Time will tell.
I liked his KABC show when I listened to it about 10 years ago
My experience also.
And the union "deals" in LA tend to make sure minimums were paid, but did not regulate things like doing voice work for another company station and the like.
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