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3WS PD

O

OldiesCat

Guest
anybody got any inside info on the sudden PD change at 3WS? Gillespe seemed to be doing a great job with the station.
 
> anybody got any inside info on the sudden PD change at 3WS?
> Gillespe seemed to be doing a great job with the station.
>

When was the change? Too lazy to scroll for it now, if it was mentioned previously here.

And who's the new PD?

UPDATE: Serves me right for not reading my email. All Access is reporting it's Sherri Van Dyke, middays at 3WS, as the new PD.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Johnny Morgan on 10/12/05 08:29 PM.</FONT></P>
 
> > anybody got any inside info on the sudden PD change at
> 3WS?
> > Gillespe seemed to be doing a great job with the station.
> >
>
> When was the change? Too lazy to scroll for it now, if it
> was mentioned previously here.
>
> And who's the new PD?
>
> UPDATE: Serves me right for not reading my email. All Access
> is reporting it's Sherri Van Dyke, middays at 3WS, as the
> new PD.
>

Interesting. Will she have any authority, or will she be one of those CC caretaker PDs who makes out the schedule and executes policies set by the higher ups?
 
> anybody got any inside info on the sudden PD change at 3WS?


The "sudden PD change" was because Gillispie was fired. My sales contacts over there told me that on Monday AFTERNOON. So, it really wasn't so sudden. (especially since a few of the salespeople knew Monday morning). Why has this news taken so long to hit this board?


> Gillespe seemed to be doing a great job with the station.


What drugs are you on? Haven't heard the station this past year? Or, the comments everyone wrote about how the music sucks, they sound like DVE Light, the repetitious Elton John and Billy Joel hours, the Rod Stewart Catalog, and the 80's songs that don't fit? Gillispie was doing anything but a fine job.

One of my sales clients over there is overjoyed that he's gone. She says he made sales meetings extremely long with diatribe and dribble that had nothing to do with the presentation of new business. He has even DETERRED new business. And, he has been able to sever ongoing business. Thanks to his arrogance has lost quite a few places of business that were always a staple on 3WS (one of which is one of my other clients, so I know firsthand) You call that doing a great job with the station?

I used to hear horror stories from both my reps. Sad part is, they weren't working with this guy on a regular, day to day basis. I feel bad for what the airstaff had to go through.

My best wishes to new program directress, Sheri Van Dyke. I hope a lot more of my clients will be on the air there (after being shot out of the water from her predecessor). I am a longtime fan of the station and if her leadership skills are anything like her airwork, she will be very good for 3WS. She has her work cut out for her digging the station out of the abyss that Gillispie sank them.

Mr. Music
 
Weed, mostly <LOL>.

Really, though- ratings performance wise, 3WS has been on fire for the past year or so. Everybody bitches about Elton/Joel/Rod on Oldies stations- that's just critical blather.

Did not know the deal w/clients, etc., and don't know anybody over there, so all most of us have to go on (as we see thru radio board whining) is Arbitron, where they're doing very, VERY well.

>
> What drugs are you on? Haven't heard the station this past
> year? Or, the comments everyone wrote about how the music
> sucks, they sound like DVE Light, the repetitious Elton John
> and Billy Joel hours, the Rod Stewart Catalog, and the 80's
> songs that don't fit? Gillispie was doing anything but a
> fine job.
>
> One of my sales clients over there is overjoyed that he's
> gone. She says he made sales meetings extremely long with
> diatribe and dribble that had nothing to do with the
> presentation of new business. He has even DETERRED new
> business. And, he has been able to sever ongoing business.
> Thanks to his arrogance has lost quite a few places of
> business that were always a staple on 3WS (one of which is
> one of my other clients, so I know firsthand) You call that
> doing a great job with the station?
>
> I used to hear horror stories from both my reps. Sad part
> is, they weren't working with this guy on a regular, day to
> day basis. I feel bad for what the airstaff had to go
> through.
>
> My best wishes to new program directress, Sheri Van Dyke. I
> hope a lot more of my clients will be on the air there
> (after being shot out of the water from her predecessor). I
> am a longtime fan of the station and if her leadership
> skills are anything like her airwork, she will be very good
> for 3WS. She has her work cut out for her digging the
> station out of the abyss that Gillispie sank them.
>
> Mr. Music
>
 
Oh, yes- that's right. Nobody at any of the major radio companies makes ANY decisions. Everything's dictated from "suits" and "consultants".

Bitter beer face.


>
> Interesting. Will she have any authority, or will she be one
> of those CC caretaker PDs who makes out the schedule and
> executes policies set by the higher ups?
>
 
Not what I was saying at all. There are PDs in this city whose responsbilities consist of scheduling board ops and sending form letters and e-mails to people who praise or criticize the station's programming. They're "program directors" in name only. They don't make any substantive decisions, all of which come from higher in the cluster corporate chain of command. KDKA has been operating like that for years...unless you think PJ Kumanchik was really steering a 50kw heritage station for several years.





> Oh, yes- that's right. Nobody at any of the major radio
> companies makes ANY decisions. Everything's dictated from
> "suits" and "consultants".
>
> Bitter beer face.
>
>
> >
> > Interesting. Will she have any authority, or will she be
> one
> > of those CC caretaker PDs who makes out the schedule and
> > executes policies set by the higher ups?
> >
>
 
> Not what I was saying at all. There are PDs in this city
> whose responsbilities consist of scheduling board ops and
> sending form letters and e-mails to people who praise or
> criticize the station's programming. They're "program
> directors" in name only. They don't make any substantive
> decisions, all of which come from higher in the cluster
> corporate chain of command. KDKA has been operating like
> that for years...unless you think PJ Kumanchik was really
> steering a 50kw heritage station for several years.

Cat--

I think Rancher has a point, especially in regards to Clear Channel. Each cluster has a VP-Programming, with essentially unlimited authority over staffing, format, music selection, placement, etc. In Cleveland it's the infamous Kevin Metheny; in Pittsburgh, it's rock aficionado Gene Romano. In those cities we can see where the priority lies in terms of programming--DVE is the primary; in Cleveland it's WTAM.

WMJI and 3WS bill well (excellent?), and perform well in the demo, but the clusters' energies are focused on the two stations listed above. As a result, WMJI and 3WS are good oldies stations, but are by no means great oldies stations (as they were not even 4-5 years ago).
 
It sure sounded like that's what you were implying (and that gets echoed ad nauseum on this board). Do you think Gillespe was taking orders from headquarters? Most CC PDs in the larger markets I've talked to have a lot of resources at their disposal but are really in-charge and thus responsible for their station's performance. Not everything is a shove-down.


> Not what I was saying at all. There are PDs in this city
> whose responsbilities consist of scheduling board ops and
> sending form letters and e-mails to people who praise or
> criticize the station's programming. They're "program
> directors" in name only. They don't make any substantive
> decisions, all of which come from higher in the cluster
> corporate chain of command. KDKA has been operating like
> that for years...unless you think PJ Kumanchik was really
> steering a 50kw heritage station for several years.
>
>
> >
> > Oh, yes- that's right. Nobody at any of the major radio
> > companies makes ANY decisions. Everything's dictated from
> > "suits" and "consultants".
> >
 
> Weed, mostly .
>
> Really, though- ratings performance wise, 3WS has been on
> fire for the past year or so. Everybody bitches about
> Elton/Joel/Rod on Oldies stations- that's just critical
> blather.
>
> Did not know the deal w/clients, etc., and don't know
> anybody over there, so all most of us have to go on (as we
> see thru radio board whining) is Arbitron, where they're
> doing very, VERY well.


Oldiescat-

3WS has NOT been on fire for the past year. PRIOR to Gillispie, it was thriving. Once he started, it has been less than consistant, boring, and extremely bland.

They were at I believe a 4th ranking last September. Fast foward a year and they're somewhere around 6th? 3WS would've been dropping even more if Gillispie were not fired.

He tanked that radio station. He should've been shown the door a long time ago.


Mr. Music
 
> It sure sounded like that's what you were implying (and that
> gets echoed ad nauseum on this board). Do you think
> Gillespe was taking orders from headquarters? Most CC PDs
> in the larger markets I've talked to have a lot of resources
> at their disposal but are really in-charge and thus
> responsible for their station's performance. Not everything
> is a shove-down.


Oldiescat-

Gillispie IS responsible for the lowest ratings in 3WS'history. That is why he was FIRED!


Mr. Music
 
It's even worse than that!

> Oldiescat-
>
> Gillispie IS responsible for the lowest ratings in
> 3WS'history. That is why he was FIRED!

Not only is what you say correct, it's even worse than it might appear to someone from another city who doesn't know diddly-squat about Pittsburgh. Unlike some other cities, such as Detroit, there is only one strong signal FM station in all of Pittsburgh playing oldies -- 3WS. When a station is the only game in town for oldies fans, it has to be pretty bad to drop that far in the ratings. It's not like in Detroit, where if WOMC at 104.3 FM does a bad job of programming, oldies fans can switch to WQKL at 107.1 FM (or vice-versa). Having two choices for one format in the same town pushes both stations to do their best.

But when a station has a total monopoly on a specific format in its market, and still gets beaten to a bloody pulp, then that station is REALLY being badly managed.
 
Lowest ratings in 3WS history? For goodness sake, they're #3 ranked 25-54!
One of the top 2 or 3 ranked Oldies stations in America. Most Oldies (much less other formated) stations would gladly change places with 3WS.

You should do your homework.
>
>
> Oldiescat-
>
> Gillispie IS responsible for the lowest ratings in 3WS'history. That is why he > was FIRED!
>
>
> Mr. Music
>
 
PD autonomy

Name me any successful major company that's not structured similarly But for the artistic radio community, it's like oversight and accountability are a bad thing. Imagine if every McDonald's franchise had total freedom- one Big Mac could be great and the next in another city or state could suck. Think of GM or Toyota building cars with plant managers having the "creative freedom" to make cars their way- we'd all be wrecking into trees.

Your characterization of guys like Romano and Metheny is exagerated, trust me.
It's a popular myth that gets pounded over and over on this board (because that gives a lot of wannabees an easy out because they haven't made it or got fired or budgeted out of a gig) but it is just that- a myth.

>
> I think Rancher has a point, especially in regards to Clear
> Channel. Each cluster has a VP-Programming, with
> essentially unlimited authority over staffing, format, music
> selection, placement, etc. In Cleveland it's the infamous
> Kevin Metheny; in Pittsburgh, it's rock aficionado Gene
> Romano. In those cities we can see where the priority lies
> in terms of programming--DVE is the primary; in Cleveland
> it's WTAM.
>
> WMJI and 3WS bill well (excellent?), and perform well in the
> demo, but the clusters' energies are focused on the two
> stations listed above. As a result, WMJI and 3WS are good
> oldies stations, but are by no means great oldies stations
> (as they were not even 4-5 years ago).
>
 
sorry,

No, you're incorrect. They're 3rd ranked 25-54. For an oldies station in 2005, that is phenomenal.

(DISCLAIMER: I'm not talking about the artistic merits of the station, ONLY their ratings performance, the measuring stick we're all heald up to in radio these days).

>
> They were at I believe a 4th ranking last September. Fast
> foward a year and they're somewhere around 6th? 3WS would've
> been dropping even more if Gillispie were not fired.
>
> He tanked that radio station. He should've been shown the
> door a long time ago.
>
>
> Mr. Music
>
 
Again, not the point. The point was whether the NEW PD would have any kind of authority. Given that she already holds down a 5-hour air shift five days a week, that wouldn't leave a lot of time for full-time PD duties and suggests that the job will involve supervising minor details more than making major decisions.




> It sure sounded like that's what you were implying (and that
> gets echoed ad nauseum on this board). Do you think
> Gillespe was taking orders from headquarters? Most CC PDs
> in the larger markets I've talked to have a lot of resources
> at their disposal but are really in-charge and thus
> responsible for their station's performance. Not everything
> is a shove-down.
>
>
> > Not what I was saying at all. There are PDs in this city
> > whose responsbilities consist of scheduling board ops and
> > sending form letters and e-mails to people who praise or
> > criticize the station's programming. They're "program
> > directors" in name only. They don't make any substantive
> > decisions, all of which come from higher in the cluster
> > corporate chain of command. KDKA has been operating like
> > that for years...unless you think PJ Kumanchik was really
> > steering a 50kw heritage station for several years.
> >
> >
> > >
> > > Oh, yes- that's right. Nobody at any of the major radio
>
> > > companies makes ANY decisions. Everything's dictated
> from
> > > "suits" and "consultants".
> > >
>
 
My guess would be she'd have her shift eventually reduced to 4 hours (if she's still on-the-air at all) and most/all of that could be voicetracked effectively.

> Again, not the point. The point was whether the NEW PD would
> have any kind of authority. Given that she already holds
> down a 5-hour air shift five days a week, that wouldn't
> leave a lot of time for full-time PD duties and suggests
> that the job will involve supervising minor details more
> than making major decisions.
 
> My guess would be she'd have her shift eventually reduced to
> 4 hours (if she's still on-the-air at all) and most/all of
> that could be voicetracked effectively.
>
> > Again, not the point. The point was whether the NEW PD
> would
> > have any kind of authority. Given that she already holds
> > down a 5-hour air shift five days a week, that wouldn't
> > leave a lot of time for full-time PD duties and suggests
> > that the job will involve supervising minor details more
> > than making major decisions.
>

If her title is PD the union contract will require that she give up her airshift, unless her duties do not include scheduling and managing the airstaff.<P ID="signature">______________
"With God as my witness, I could have sworn turkeys could fly."</P>
 
> Lowest ratings in 3WS history? For goodness sake, they're
> #3 ranked 25-54!
> One of the top 2 or 3 ranked Oldies stations in America.
> Most Oldies (much less other formated) stations would gladly
> change places with 3WS.
>
> You should do your homework.

No, OldiesCat, YOU should do the homework!

IF 3WS was ranked #3 overall (while Gillispie was there) it was a fluke, or right after the Christmas format. 3WS was #3 when Dave Labrozzi was at the helm.

Once again, he sunk the radio station to its lowest levels, both musically, and ratings-wise. That is the truth. You can look at ANY Arbitron book and see the numbers for yourself, so stop sugar-coating it here on this board.

If you continue to contradict me and the others on this thread, and as I see from all your other posts you are supporing Gillispie, I would have to conclude that you ARE Gillispie.

Mr. Music
 
> It sure sounded like that's what you were implying (and that
> gets echoed ad nauseum on this board). Do you think
> Gillespe was taking orders from headquarters? Most CC PDs
> in the larger markets I've talked to have a lot of resources
> at their disposal but are really in-charge and thus
> responsible for their station's performance. Not everything
> is a shove-down.
>
>
Perhaps Gillispie should've listened to headquarters, or at least his internal bosses.

He had NO clue about programming, let alone leading one of the city's finest radio stations. If he were a smart programmer, he would've used his resources. And, he would've programmed 3WS much better than taking it to the lowest levels it has been ever.

Yes, Gillispie was responsible for 3WS performance. HE is accountable for its lowest ratings in years.

Mr. Music
 
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