100.3 The Sound PD: Ladd would be a good fit

[FightingIrish]

So what about "The Sound"? It's home to Rita Wilde, ex-KLOS, and the Sound would rock if Wilde and Ladd were back to back on the air. The Sound did offer Ladd an opportunity to say a musical farewell to his audience, but he declined.

Well, I get that. Based on online comments and e-mails, fans clearly want Ladd to say "hello" with a new show of his own on 100.3. This should be a no-brainer and I hope if talks are scheduled, they will produce a quick result. Even Dave Beasing, The Sound program director, acknowledges it would be a good fit. He e-mailed, "Jim Ladd pioneered the kind of FM radio that everyone at The Sound believes in and loves. To say that he'd fit here is a little like saying that Babe Ruth would make a good New York Yankee. Fingers crossed!" More info: www.thesoundla.com.

http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/kfwb-325144-radio-ladd.html

Both The Sound's website and Facebook page are even acknowledging fan interest in seeing Ladd getting hired:

https://www.facebook.com/100.3TheSound/posts/181915165227330

Stay tuned!

 

[calguy]

Lots of obstacles for Ladd here. First off, the Sound is tightly budgeted, so for Ladd to get hired they will most likely have to fire someone else. They will most likely not pay as well as even KLOS did. Then there's the fact that Ladd likes to pick his own music. Again, not likely as the Sound is a tightly formatted corporate station. No one there has the power to play their own. He also like to espouse his views, be they political or otherwise. Again, not likely as Bonneville doesn't usually hand that power to air talent either.

On the surface, Ladd would be a good fit and the program director at the Sound would be crazy to make a negative statement, but for all that he's said about how great it would be, it's merely to placate those who fervently want Jim back on the air. Look at how his words are written. He's not saying anything about Jim coming on board, he's just agreeing with fans to appease them. "Jim Ladd pioneered the kind of FM radio that everyone at The Sound believes in and loves. To say that he'd fit here is a little like saying that Babe Ruth would make a good New York Yankee. Fingers crossed!" Yeah, the fingers crossed line at the end gives hope, but I just don't see Jim getting a full time job there. I don't mean to be negative, perhaps a weekend shift, it remains to be seen.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

Lots of obstacles for Ladd here. First off, the Sound is tightly budgeted, so for Ladd to get hired they will most likely have to fire someone else. They will most likely not pay as well as even KLOS did. Then there's the fact that Ladd likes to pick his own music. Again, not likely as the Sound is a tightly formatted corporate station. No one there has the power to play their own. He also like to espouse his views, be they political or otherwise. Again, not likely as Bonneville doesn't usually hand that power to air talent either.

On the surface, Ladd would be a good fit and the program director at the Sound would be crazy to make a negative statement, but for all that he's said about how great it would be, it's merely to placate those who fervently want Jim back on the air. Look at how his words are written. He's not saying anything about Jim coming on board, he's just agreeing with fans to appease them. "Jim Ladd pioneered the kind of FM radio that everyone at The Sound believes in and loves. To say that he'd fit here is a little like saying that Babe Ruth would make a good New York Yankee. Fingers crossed!" Yeah, the fingers crossed line at the end gives hope, but I just don't see Jim getting a full time job there. I don't mean to be negative, perhaps a weekend shift, it remains to be seen.

I agree with all of what Calguy said. Ladd fans need to know that Bonneville is a pretty conservative outfit and I can think of several Ladd rants over the years that would get him fired there. Also there is a line musically they don't cross. I am not sure where exactly it is, but they are not big on drug promotion or references, so "Girl on LSD" by Tom Petty, a Ladd favorite, would probably not be on his censored playlist (and before somebody posts back, yes I know the song doesn't "promote" drug use)

I heard a form of this corporate censorship in action last week, when it was clear during Rita Wilde's little tribute to Jim, she was not allowed to reference KLOS by name. She stumbled all over herself trying to avoid naming them, using phrases like "our friends on La Cienega" and during her little soliloquy she only screwed up by inadvertently naming them...once. Ooops. Hope she didn't get into too much trouble.

 

[SimiRadioListener26]

Are the posters in this thread who speak of The Sound being a "corporate station" not aware that KLOS is also corporately-owned? It seemed to work out fine there for 14 years.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

Are the posters in this thread who speak of The Sound being a "corporate station" not aware that KLOS is also corporately-owned? It seemed to work out fine there for 14 years.

Ladd's politics were very much the same as the heads of Citadel, particularly Farid Suleman, who kicked Rush off some of their stations back east (and watched those stations' ratings plummet). Disney was a bit more conservative, but not too much when you consider that Michael Eisner is a pretty staunch liberal as well, and most of the west coast crew based in Hollywood/Burbank are quite liberal. Bonneville is a staunchly conservative outlet, not anywhere close to the two previous owners.

 

[SimiRadioListener26]

Are the posters in this thread who speak of The Sound being a "corporate station" not aware that KLOS is also corporately-owned? It seemed to work out fine there for 14 years.

Ladd's politics were very much the same as the heads of Citadel, particularly Farid Suleman, who kicked Rush off some of their stations back east (and watched those stations' ratings plummet). Disney was a bit more conservative, but not too much when you consider that Michael Eisner is a pretty staunch liberal as well, and most of the west coast crew based in Hollywood/Burbank are quite liberal. Bonneville is a staunchly conservative outlet, not anywhere close to the two previous owners.

Except that KLOS did not come into the ownership of Citadel until 2006, nearly ten years after Ladd returned. Besides, if politics would get in the way of a stupid record-spinning job then the company must not want to make money that badly.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

Are the posters in this thread who speak of The Sound being a "corporate station" not aware that KLOS is also corporately-owned? It seemed to work out fine there for 14 years.

Ladd's politics were very much the same as the heads of Citadel, particularly Farid Suleman, who kicked Rush off some of their stations back east (and watched those stations' ratings plummet). Disney was a bit more conservative, but not too much when you consider that Michael Eisner is a pretty staunch liberal as well, and most of the west coast crew based in Hollywood/Burbank are quite liberal. Bonneville is a staunchly conservative outlet, not anywhere close to the two previous owners.

Except that KLOS did not come into the ownership of Citadel until 2006, nearly ten years after Ladd returned. Besides, if politics would get in the way of a stupid record-spinning job then the company must not want to make money that badly.

I would invite you to check out the performance of Citadel's stock and ultimate bankruptcy under Suleman's leadership. He is overtly political and let politics dictate many decisions, as I alluded to above. This had no real effect on Suleman as he made millions in salary and bonuses during his tenure, even as he drove the company straight off a cliff. The wealth he was able to destroy while pocketing millions is truly something to behold. He never paid for his poor performance; his shareholders did.

 

[SimiRadioListener26]

Are the posters in this thread who speak of The Sound being a "corporate station" not aware that KLOS is also corporately-owned? It seemed to work out fine there for 14 years.

Ladd's politics were very much the same as the heads of Citadel, particularly Farid Suleman, who kicked Rush off some of their stations back east (and watched those stations' ratings plummet). Disney was a bit more conservative, but not too much when you consider that Michael Eisner is a pretty staunch liberal as well, and most of the west coast crew based in Hollywood/Burbank are quite liberal. Bonneville is a staunchly conservative outlet, not anywhere close to the two previous owners.

Except that KLOS did not come into the ownership of Citadel until 2006, nearly ten years after Ladd returned. Besides, if politics would get in the way of a stupid record-spinning job then the company must not want to make money that badly.

I would invite you to check out the performance of Citadel's stock and ultimate bankruptcy under Suleman's leadership. He is overtly political and let politics dictate many decisions, as I alluded to above. This had no real effect on Suleman as he made millions in salary and bonuses during his tenure, even as he drove the company straight off a cliff. The wealth he was able to destroy while pocketing millions is truly something to behold. He never paid for his poor performance; his shareholders did.

I'm not arguing that, I'm saying Bonneville and/or Ladd must not want money that badly if they would let politics get in the way of a good broadcasting relationship.

 

[calguy]

Are the posters in this thread who speak of The Sound being a "corporate station" not aware that KLOS is also corporately-owned? It seemed to work out fine there for 14 years.

Ladd's politics were very much the same as the heads of Citadel, particularly Farid Suleman, who kicked Rush off some of their stations back east (and watched those stations' ratings plummet). Disney was a bit more conservative, but not too much when you consider that Michael Eisner is a pretty staunch liberal as well, and most of the west coast crew based in Hollywood/Burbank are quite liberal. Bonneville is a staunchly conservative outlet, not anywhere close to the two previous owners.

Except that KLOS did not come into the ownership of Citadel until 2006, nearly ten years after Ladd returned. Besides, if politics would get in the way of a stupid record-spinning job then the company must not want to make money that badly.

I would invite you to check out the performance of Citadel's stock and ultimate bankruptcy under Suleman's leadership. He is overtly political and let politics dictate many decisions, as I alluded to above. This had no real effect on Suleman as he made millions in salary and bonuses during his tenure, even as he drove the company straight off a cliff. The wealth he was able to destroy while pocketing millions is truly something to behold. He never paid for his poor performance; his shareholders did.

I'm not arguing that, I'm saying Bonneville and/or Ladd must not want money that badly if they would let politics get in the way of a good broadcasting relationship.

Bonneville is a Mormon company, that should explain it all to you. They are somewhat strict about content because of their beliefs.

 

[emailfailed]

I agree with everything in this thread why Ladd will probably not end up at 100.3, but Jim Ladd is a very famous name in L.A. AOR/classic rock that could bring not only an audience, but many of his famous friends over to the The Sound, as evident by his show on KFI on Saturday.

So it's possible the powers that be understand who they're hiring and what they'll get, and with that consider putting Ladd on in the late evening/overnight hours, or give him a weekend slot.

 

[calguy]

I agree with everything in this thread why Ladd will probably not end up at 100.3, but Jim Ladd is a very famous name in L.A. AOR/classic rock that could bring not only an audience, but many of his famous friends over to the The Sound, as evident by his show on KFI on Saturday.

So it's possible the powers that be understand who they're hiring and what they'll get, and with that consider putting Ladd on in the late evening/overnight hours, or give him a weekend slot.

Overnights is probably the only place they could put him besides weekends. They just have to fire the poor boards-ops who do it now.

 

[Skyboyrox]

I hope The sound hires Jim. I pleaded with Dave Beasing on Jim's behalf. I have offered Jim a post here at KCSN, but, obviously it would be a volunteer position (for now).

I hope they come to terms quickly--if not, it makes me wonder if there are larger issues afoot there.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

I hope The sound hires Jim. I pleaded with Dave Beasing on Jim's behalf. I have offered Jim a post here at KCSN, but, obviously it would be a volunteer position (for now).

I hope they come to terms quickly--if not, it makes me wonder if there are larger issues afoot there.

Sky, your wording is possibly more revealing than you intended, or alternatively, I am reading too much into it. You say you "pleaded" with Beasing. That implies that either a decision of "No" has already been reached, or at least there is strong pushback from corporate to the idea, most likely for the reasons that have already been discussed in this thread.

I predicted not too long ago that Jim would be working for you soon. It wasn't an idle prediction and it is on course to be coming true even sooner than I may have imagined. When it happens, remember that your station's finances are very much tied to the sensitivities of your listeners, and contrary to popular belief, not all Angelinos, even in the Valley and on the Westside where you serve, are rabid liberals, nor are all donors to your station, and Jim's rants could easily draw negative attention to the station and close some conservatives' donations. That is a risk your station simply cannot afford to take. You would be wise to keep that in mind and put him on somewhat of a leash. Jim can be a great addition, if even only on a temporary basis, but he has the power to do unwitting damage as well. I know he is your friend, but you will also be the boss, and you have a station, constituents, and yourself to look after.

 

[TALENTfilter]

Hey DavidEduardo - can you pull any of Jim Ladd's recent ratings numbers?

Part of me thinks nobody was listening to the guy anymore anyway...

 

[raylee]

I hope The sound hires Jim. I pleaded with Dave Beasing on Jim's behalf. I have offered Jim a post here at KCSN, but, obviously it would be a volunteer position (for now).

I hope they come to terms quickly--if not, it makes me wonder if there are larger issues afoot there.

Sky, your wording is possibly more revealing than you intended, or alternatively, I am reading too much into it. You say you "pleaded" with Beasing. That implies that either a decision of "No" has already been reached, or at least there is strong pushback from corporate to the idea, most likely for the reasons that have already been discussed in this thread.

I predicted not too long ago that Jim would be working for you soon. It wasn't an idle prediction and it is on course to be coming true even sooner than I may have imagined. When it happens, remember that your station's finances are very much tied to the sensitivities of your listeners, and contrary to popular belief, not all Angelinos, even in the Valley and on the Westside where you serve, are rabid liberals, nor are all donors to your station, and Jim's rants could easily draw negative attention to the station and close some conservatives' donations. That is a risk your station simply cannot afford to take. You would be wise to keep that in mind and put him on somewhat of a leash. Jim can be a great addition, if even only on a temporary basis, but he has the power to do unwitting damage as well. I know he is your friend, but you will also be the boss, and you have a station, constituents, and yourself to look after.

If their listening to the left end of the dial they are going to expect some left leaning slant to programmming, but KCSN is a music station, not talk and listeners are there for the music and also probably should be given the credit that they are open to different views/music etc, else they would be listening to Rush Limbaugh and the talk stations

 

[ChannelFlipper]

I hope The sound hires Jim. I pleaded with Dave Beasing on Jim's behalf. I have offered Jim a post here at KCSN, but, obviously it would be a volunteer position (for now).

I hope they come to terms quickly--if not, it makes me wonder if there are larger issues afoot there.

Sky, your wording is possibly more revealing than you intended, or alternatively, I am reading too much into it. You say you "pleaded" with Beasing. That implies that either a decision of "No" has already been reached, or at least there is strong pushback from corporate to the idea, most likely for the reasons that have already been discussed in this thread.

I predicted not too long ago that Jim would be working for you soon. It wasn't an idle prediction and it is on course to be coming true even sooner than I may have imagined. When it happens, remember that your station's finances are very much tied to the sensitivities of your listeners, and contrary to popular belief, not all Angelinos, even in the Valley and on the Westside where you serve, are rabid liberals, nor are all donors to your station, and Jim's rants could easily draw negative attention to the station and close some conservatives' donations. That is a risk your station simply cannot afford to take. You would be wise to keep that in mind and put him on somewhat of a leash. Jim can be a great addition, if even only on a temporary basis, but he has the power to do unwitting damage as well. I know he is your friend, but you will also be the boss, and you have a station, constituents, and yourself to look after.

If their listening to the left end of the dial they are going to expect some left leaning slant to programmming, but KCSN is a music station, not talk and listeners are there for the music and also probably should be given the credit that they are open to different views/music etc, else they would be listening to Rush Limbaugh and the talk stations

I actually agree with much of this sentiment and I am not at all advocating putting a muzzle on him so he can't be himself. But there have been a number of rants he has had over the years that are simply not appropriate for the station BECAUSE it is a music station. He did get away with them at KLOS, however in my opinion and based on anecdotal evidence, they have contributed to his poor ratings. So perhaps in the end he may not have got away with it as much as one would think.

 

[LAROX]

Jim did just OK with the ratings.

In the just-released Los Angeles People Meter ratings, Jim ranked 14th 25-54 Adults behind stations like KFI, KPWR, KAMP, KKGO, KOST, but he did out-rank "The Sound" which came in 18th during Jim's hours. Jim had an average of 4900 persons 25-54 listening to him with a weekly audience of 73,300.

In total audience, Jim ranked 20th with a little over 106,000 listeners for the week. KLOS wasn't making any profit from Jim's show, but they knew what it mean to their brand to have him associated with the station.

 

[TALENTfilter]

Right. So L.A. radio listeners didn't give a shit about him anymore anyway.

No one's gonna pay him the salary he'll look for knowing that he gets lousy ratings, no matter what 'name recognition' he brings to the table.

Next.

 

[Dick Skinner]

Right. So L.A. radio listeners didn't give a shit about him anymore anyway.

No one's gonna pay him the salary he'll look for knowing that he gets lousy ratings, no matter what 'name recognition' he brings to the table.

Next.

What he said.

 

[SwissVol2]

Right. So L.A. radio listeners didn't give a shit about him anymore anyway.

No one's gonna pay him the salary he'll look for knowing that he gets lousy ratings, no matter what 'name recognition' he brings to the table.

Next.

Jim is much too talented to kowtow to all the corporate number crunching bigwigs and their lackeys. Is it wonder why terrestrial radio has been steamrolling straight to the crapper for some time now. Then I hear comments like Yours and I say You get what You deserve!