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970 WFLA - Sharon Taylor?

T

tampalistener

Please correct me if I'm wrong, or fill me in if I'm late to the party, but it appears Sharon Taylor is no longer part of the AM Tampa Bay morning show on 970 WFLA. The station's website no longer lists her as part of the team, and the front page "on air now" icon says "AM Tampa Bay with Jack Harris and Tedd Webb" and shows only a picture of the guys. There's no longer a link to her personality page, and typing the address manually gives you a "404 Not Found" error.

So ... anyone know what happened?
 
That is a shame, that Sharon Taylor's contract wasn't renewed. I had wondered if she was still on WFLA, as a post from several weeks ago mentioned Tedd and Jack, but not Sharon, so I listened last week and was pleased to hear all three, including Sharon.

Losing any of the three prime players from WFLA - 970's long standing morning drive show; takes away a little bit of the heart and soul of the program.

Best of luck to Sharon, what a classy lady.

drt
 
Yeah, the "classy lady" that said that she understood why a scumbag would rape and rob a H.C.C.student.
 
Had the pleasure of working with her, as well as Tedd and Jack. True professionals and good people.
 
Most of 970's listener's don't have a clue about Sharon's history here, it's no surprise that she was fired. She was far too talented and respected by her colleagues to escape CC's "death panel". I'm somewhat offended by muttley's post, I don't see how it's relevant to the thread... whereas my previous post expressing sadness over Sharon's removal was banished. It's truly sad so see such an inactive thread when we lose one of our own to the new radio model. Keep your head up Sharon.

Cedric
 
I can't say I've ever had the pleasure of meeting her, but I'm sure she'll land on her feet very very soon. Jack, Tedd, and Sharon were part of my morning for more years than I'd care to admit. A true talent...
 
Ask Jack, he too was as offended as I am sure the victims family was.
 
muttly said:
Ask Jack, he too was as offended as I am sure the victims family was.
Click to expand...
Even if these alleged utterances were not made on the air; now that the comments attributed to Sharon Taylor have been posted, it is part of the public domain and I would think that Mr. Harris has probably been advised not to comment on this; as there could be some type of civil action by the family of the victim or an advocacy group ( i.e. N.O.W. or a victims' advocacy group) could certainly file some type of protest or engage in some demonstrations.

WFLA AM being the highest rated AM station in the market (and always one of the top 3 or 4); I'm very surprised that if this comment went out over the air; that there have not already been some very negative public reaction; so I'm assuming this did not go out over the air. ( I could also imagine 820 WWBA making this one of their news lead stories as well).

drt
 
Clearly, there's something more to the story than what's being said. Here's a report in today's St. Petersburg Times.

The departure last week of Sharon Taylor, longtime co-host of the AM Tampa Bay morning show on WFLA-AM (970) was not the result of cost-cutting moves, according to an executive at Clear Channel Radio. Taylor [said] she did not know why her contract wasn't renewed; her last day on the show was Sept. 10. ... "It was not a cost-cutting issue," said Dan DiLoreto, Tampa market manager for Clear Channel Radio, declining to offer more details on the decision. "The format's doing quite well." DiLoreto said they have not decided if they will replace Taylor on the show.

More: http://blogs.tampabay.com/media/200...ron-taylor-layoff-not-a-costcutting-move.html
 
I read Eric Deegans' posting in the St. Petersburg Times this morning. I replied there that there were a couple of things that caused me to guess that Sharon's seperation from WFLA was apparantly not on good terms:

1) Just the fact that CC Market Manager Dan DiLoreto took the time and effort to stress that the move was not cost-cutting in nature says a lot, especially when he declined to say any more.

2) It was also clear that something was going on by the fact that DiLoreto failed to acknowledge Sharon's tenure and contribution to the programme. One would have expected him --- especially publicly --- to at least acknowledge those facts by saying something to the effect that "...it was a business decision that we sincerely hated to make..." or "Sharon contributed a lot to the show, and she will be missed greatly..." or at least "We wish her well...". None of that was included in the Times posting.

One has to remember that what you don't say in reality says much more. Clearly there was something interesting behind the scenes. But, it's only Clear Channel. In the meantime, I won't cry for Sharon, as I am sure that should she choose to remain in the business, we'll hear her on the air again very soon.
 
Anybody who wants to make a case that Sharon is a first class person as well as a terrific radio talent will have to meet a much higher burden of proof than unverified allegations of what might be a misinterpreted remark that may or may not have made it on the air. The fact that she was not given a gold watch or pat on the back from CC means nothing to me. Radio in general and CC in particular have a long history of kicking people to the curb in a most ungrateful and unpleasant manner.

Oh and for you hotshots that are making those allegations anonymously, I"m making comments under my own name. I've known Sharon for many years and my personal experience is very much at odds with your vague smears. If you think you've got the goods let's see you say it under your own name or at least come up with something other than smarmy allegations.

Sharon's perfectly capable of looking after herself, so I'm not going to presume to speak for her, but I will say that you have offended me by insulting the integrity and character of someone I consider a friend and respected colleague.
 
Clear Channel may have shot themselves in the foot on this one.

Sharon Taylor was eliminated due to cutbacks, fact. It is not easy deciding who will be at the other end of a swinging axe. I have been on both ends - neither end is pleasant.

An established and financially successful morning show should be off limits. I was surprised at CC's move. Chemistry is hard to achieve when assembling a morning show. The right people can make it work. Sharon, Jack and Tedd have that chemistry......"had".

From the standpoint of pure "listenability" and flow, the show has lost something vital - the other viewpoint, the female perspective. Jack and Tedd are great talents, however without Sharon, the show has a definite male slant now. Think of Howard Stern without Robin!

Women bring a certain magic to a morning show dominated by men - and Sharon's interaction kept the male stodginess in control.

You need the "Ying AND Yang" for a complete "whole".

"AM Tampa Bay" I believe will begin a slow but definite demise is listenership without the "Yang" (or was she the "Ying"?)

Jack and Tedd? Two of the most professional talents in broadcasting - I've programmed and consulted in many medium and large markets and these guys are top of the line, but
Sharon Taylor's loss isn't only the loss of another body in a studio - it is the loss of the entire sound and "feel" of the show.

Good Luck Sharon!
 
aconsultant said:
Sharon Taylor was eliminated due to cutbacks, fact. It is not easy deciding who will be at the other end of a swinging axe.
Click to expand...

Clear Channel is currently advertising for this job on AllAccess.com, so unless it's a salary issue, it doesn't seem like cutbacks the likely reason. I do not know what the reason is, and I won't speculate, either, but unless you're replacing a six-figure paycheck with a five-figure one, there probably aren't many savings to be had with such a move.

But I will agree with you on everything else ... Sharon's presence offered a nice counterbalance.
 
tampalistener said:
aconsultant said:
Sharon Taylor was eliminated due to cutbacks, fact. It is not easy deciding who will be at the other end of a swinging axe.
Click to expand...

Clear Channel is currently advertising for this job on AllAccess.com, so unless it's a salary issue, it doesn't seem like cutbacks the likely reason. I do not know what the reason is, and I won't speculate, either, but unless you're replacing a six-figure paycheck with a five-figure one, there probably aren't many savings to be had with such a move.

But I will agree with you on everything else ... Sharon's presence offered a nice counterbalance.
Click to expand...

I suppose it is possible that CC might do something that's penny-wise and pound foolish. You wouldn't think so, but if a bean counter sees a chance to cut a salary in half they might do it if no one told them that it would be a net loss (or if they ignored someone who tried to tell them that)
 
Alison Turner from WQAM, Miami and SoFloRadio.com has been hired to replace Sharon Taylor.
 
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