A PD's Worst Nightmare

[CorporateSuit]

I heard about the news of Marty Reimer (sp) leaving KMTT. He announced it on his Facebook page, if I remember correctly, and then when I was driving at 3:15 PM yesterday in my car, I heard him announce it on the air. He thanked the radio station for letting him do this, he was going into "another direction" and/or "leaving radio" and that his last day is December 20th.

I don't know what the PD was thinking.

Maybe I'm just old school, but when a jock comes in to say he/she was leaving, I would always ask, please don't mention this today---just wait until your last break of your last hour to say good-bye, like "Hey this is my last day, want to thank all of you, blah blah blah." I'll give you that. Short. To the point. Next jock up with the next shift.

Why? Well, because in my experience when an air personality announces they are leaving--even at the BEGINNING of their final show, it all goes downhill. (I remember once specific episode on KOMO Radio in the 1990s) Instead of what they are supposed to do, it becomes a big cry-fest with callers complaining, asking why, I'll never listen to this station again, I'll boycott advertisers, I love you, say it isn't so, please don't leave....etc, etc etc for THREE or FOUR HOURS. It's a huge mess.

So why would the PD tell Marty, sure, go ahead and announce it....17 days in advance of his last show? So the station is going to get over two weeks of bitching, complaining, asking why, blah blah blah...and I certainly hope that Marty has the smarts to NOT start taking calls up to the last few days or it will be a complete disaster.

 

[Dick Skinner]

I heard about the news of Marty Reimer (sp) leaving KMTT. He announced it on his Facebook page, if I remember correctly, and then when I was driving at 3:15 PM yesterday in my car, I heard him announce it on the air. He thanked the radio station for letting him do this, he was going into "another direction" and/or "leaving radio" and that his last day is December 20th.

I don't know what the PD was thinking.

Maybe I'm just old school, but when a jock comes in to say he/she was leaving, I would always ask, please don't mention this today---just wait until your last break of your last hour to say good-bye, like "Hey this is my last day, want to thank all of you, blah blah blah." I'll give you that. Short. To the point. Next jock up with the next shift.

Why? Well, because in my experience when an air personality announces they are leaving--even at the BEGINNING of their final show, it all goes downhill. (I remember once specific episode on KOMO Radio in the 1990s) Instead of what they are supposed to do, it becomes a big cry-fest with callers complaining, asking why, I'll never listen to this station again, I'll boycott advertisers, I love you, say it isn't so, please don't leave....etc, etc etc for THREE or FOUR HOURS. It's a huge mess.

So why would the PD tell Marty, sure, go ahead and announce it....17 days in advance of his last show? So the station is going to get over two weeks of bitching, complaining, asking why, blah blah blah...and I certainly hope that Marty has the smarts to NOT start taking calls up to the last few days or it will be a complete disaster.

Spoken (written) like a true corporate suit. Don't present some compelling radio. Say nothing and pretend it never happened.

 

[Bongwater]

I heard about the news of Marty Reimer (sp) leaving KMTT. He announced it on his Facebook page, if I remember correctly, and then when I was driving at 3:15 PM yesterday in my car, I heard him announce it on the air. He thanked the radio station for letting him do this, he was going into "another direction" and/or "leaving radio" and that his last day is December 20th.

I don't know what the PD was thinking.

Maybe I'm just old school, but when a jock comes in to say he/she was leaving, I would always ask, please don't mention this today---just wait until your last break of your last hour to say good-bye, like "Hey this is my last day, want to thank all of you, blah blah blah." I'll give you that. Short. To the point. Next jock up with the next shift.

Why? Well, because in my experience when an air personality announces they are leaving--even at the BEGINNING of their final show, it all goes downhill. (I remember once specific episode on KOMO Radio in the 1990s) Instead of what they are supposed to do, it becomes a big cry-fest with callers complaining, asking why, I'll never listen to this station again, I'll boycott advertisers, I love you, say it isn't so, please don't leave....etc, etc etc for THREE or FOUR HOURS. It's a huge mess.

So why would the PD tell Marty, sure, go ahead and announce it....17 days in advance of his last show? So the station is going to get over two weeks of bitching, complaining, asking why, blah blah blah...and I certainly hope that Marty has the smarts to NOT start taking calls up to the last few days or it will be a complete disaster.

Spoken (written) like a true corporate suit. Don't present some compelling radio. Say nothing and pretend it never happened.

Well first, Marty announced this on his own. He has mentioned no baggage with KMTT. So 98% of the listeners will understand. And I wish him all the best. Yes, there will be farewells, and "I'm sorry to see you go's. But EVERYBODY is going out in style here.

THAT'S the difference.

Second, there really should be no listeners bitching about anything. Marty announced this on his KMTT page and they gave him the freedom to do this. They didn't FIRE him. The only listeners who will cry "why, I'll never listen to this station again, I'll boycott advertisers, I love you, say it isn't so, please don't leave...." etc, etc etc, about it are people I don't think Marty would want within 1,500 feet of him.

And second, there are a LOT of EXCELLENT jocks out there to fill his old spot VERY well.

What's Norm Gregory doing these days?

 

[vector77]

So why would the PD tell Marty, sure, go ahead and announce it....17 days in advance of his last show? So the station is going to get over two weeks of bitching, complaining, asking why, blah blah blah...and I certainly hope that Marty has the smarts to NOT start taking calls up to the last few days or it will be a complete disaster.

Pretty sure that beats dealing with the the crap they must have taken when they fired him previously and never said a word about it on the air. At least listeners are in the loop this time. Good for KMTT for treating the guy like a grown up.

 

[IndigoCoyote]

Not to worry. Nobody was listening anyway. They had a choice of a) working hard to cultivate/ maintain a AAA format in the days of PPM (aka KINK PDX), b) retire "the Mountain" branding, blow it up, and go another direction, or c) change formats while pretending not to, hoping the public is fairly stupid. They chose "c" and now have a truly pathetic station with low ratings. Serves them right.

 

[Dick Skinner]

Not to worry. Nobody was listening anyway. They had a choice of a) working hard to cultivate/ maintain a AAA format in the days of PPM (aka KINK PDX), b) retire "the Mountain" branding, blow it up, and go another direction, or c) change formats while pretending not to, hoping the public is fairly stupid. They chose "c" and now have a truly pathetic station with low ratings. Serves them right.

What he said.

 

[AQH]

You need to have a large amount of trust in the air talent in order for them to do something like that, and Riemer is the kind of guy one can trust.

Let's face it, there are a lot of people out there you cannot trust. Whether it's for their own protection or for fear of jeopardizing the station license.

 

[Will Dixon]

My favorite example of the was Tommy Hough when everyone was let go from what was 965 The Point. He was moved from nights to mornings and proceeded to go on the air with real patriotic music in the background ranting about coprerate radio. I think he got 3 or 4 breaks done before he was pulled off the air.

 

[multiplex]

There's a big difference when the talent makes a decision to go, versus being terminated for no reason except the inhuman nature of the radio biz.
I'll admit it: when I knew I was on the chopping block, (in one case my replacement called the request line wanting info about preparation for taking his new position on Monday!), I was tempted to do something nasty like bulk all of the carts or some other action which would cause major inconvenience.
But that's just the mind exercising itself, because in the end, it's my core belief that classhy people should be hired, and they should leave the way they came in--with class.
If an employee is on his way out, doing something stupid or drastic only confirms that the boss was right. What kind of vengeance is that?
However, to those here who have never been in radio, anger is understandable if you're fired after giving 200 percent and being a loyal team player. You just have to be smart and realize that giving in to such impulses isn't right, and it certainly won't change anything except for the worse.
Best wishes to Marty. Wherever you land, I know you'll be an asset.
As for the Mountain, if Entercom isn't going to program the station like it matters, maybe they should sell it to someone who will.

 

[searadiofreak]

Yes, as others have said, it all depends on the personal situation of the personality leaving. If he was successful, can be trusted, and is liked by management, he can probably call his own shots on departure.

If he was borderline successful, had issues with management, can't be trusted, then give him his two weeks and get his keys.

Pretty simple.

 

[David1960]

If an employee is on his way out, doing something stupid or drastic only confirms that the boss was right. What kind of vengeance is that?

Truer words have never been spoken.