Where's Ian?
Heard that Ian had a family matter and would be away for a week or longer.
Heard that Ian had a family matter and would be away for a week or longer.
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Ashlee DeMartino out at KTVK/KPHO
- Thread starter ihEARDtHAT
- Start date
"Are there any worse management people in any industry than in radio? So many times I have been so grateful I turned it down when I had the chance. And I was a radio industry lover until well into my adulthood and had heard enough of these stories."
Except that we're on the TV board, talking about TV stations...
Except that we're on the TV board, talking about TV stations...
Ah, that's understandable. Sorry to hear!
I was actually talking about both radio and TV management but forgot to mention the TV portion (and I was never offered a position in TV). Both broadcasters work hard and spend much money to endear their on-air talent to the listeners and viewers but then tend to dump them without so much as a by your leave. I don't know about others but I get pissed off when someone I like on-air just disappears without a word.
Do these so-called managers think the talent is going to go off on-air? Then tape the final good-bye. Is there no out of the box thinking by the big cigars?
I'm not in tv or radio. If an unexpected layoff occurs in corporate America, very rarely do you get to say "goodbye" to your co-workers. I had one where the guard personally checked everyone's name. If you were laid off, they sent your to a conference room (with city police presence -- not just building security). For those who were laid off, they told them their desks had been cleaned out and here's the box and leave. All the rest of us were looking out the window to see who was leaving with a box. Not pleasant and no goodbyes.
There are several reasons not to have a "goodbye".
1) In music format, there is no place to do that. 2)Stations want listeners to look forward, not backwards 3) There is no entertainment value in a firing. 4) Too many of use have had a "goodbye" turn into a rant.
It is best to have the people out of the building fast.
In one case, at a competitor they fired a jock who did part-time production. He was let go Friday afternoon, and he asked to get a bunch of things he had in the production room. He went in alone. He peed in the board. When folks came back Monday, the damage was so bad that just cleaning would not repair it. New boards, about $15 k at that time.
So for a whole lot of reasons, goodbyes are not generally allowed. Even when a person moves on to a different market with a very positive feeling, it's just not good programming.
I've been part of one of those and you are right. It isn't pleasant at all. But there is a big difference between an invisible slave in the trenches of a big corporation and one of the most visible on-air people in radio or TV. Apples and oranges.
And then you have good management such as the big hats at KEWB in Oakland, CA the summer of 1966 when they flipped from Top-40 to News.
All day Sunday, the last broadcast day of Top-40 they had every DJ deliver the news that the station was changing formats and deliver a final goodbye. Some, or all, of it could have been recorded, I don't know but nobody was left out. I was at the beach that day or I would have recorded it because I think it may have been the only time I knew of when that happened.
That was both classy on the part of station management and respect for its listeners. All too rare these days.
I agree to the extent that it is a major personality with tenure in the market. Honestly, I don't care whether someone who has been around for, say, two or three years gets to say "goodbye". If one of the longtime anchors/DJ's is laid off, it would be nice to let them say "goodbye", even if it's a taped message.
Update for October 3 and 4th: Kim Quintero on GMAZ. Monica Garcia in the evenings, doing a good job. She reminds me of April when she first started at 3.
I disagree. Garcia looks like she'd rather be doing anything else except weather. Perhaps it's just perception?
I don't know about wishing she was elsewhere, but her inexperience and lack of technical knowledge of weather definitely showed. She should get better with experience.
Monica is looking more comfortable doing weather, but I still don't understand the rationale for firing Ashlee, an experienced and competent weather-person, only to replace her with someone with far less experience. Contract issue? She didn't want to return to the studio (I believe everyone is back)? Makes no sense.
It is $$$$
I don't think Ashlee was fired. It is more likely contracts not being renewed and/or renegotiated. Meredith wants out of TV. They are going through cost cutting procedures. All their stations are feeling the pinch. At KPHO 5 Sean is no longer the prime anchor. Kris isn't either. Heidi was not renewed. There is undoubtedly more of this stuff going on behind the scenes and more to come.
My individual viewing frustration is that those individuals I personally don't care to watch have not been touched as of yet.
I feel for the Meredith Employees. No one likes the situation/atmosphere they are probably experiencing now. I experienced this type of stuff earlier in my own (non-broadcasting) career. It is not fun. This will undoubtedly go on until a new owner is found that has stable financial footing.
I don't think Ashlee was fired. It is more likely contracts not being renewed and/or renegotiated. Meredith wants out of TV. They are going through cost cutting procedures. All their stations are feeling the pinch. At KPHO 5 Sean is no longer the prime anchor. Kris isn't either. Heidi was not renewed. There is undoubtedly more of this stuff going on behind the scenes and more to come.
My individual viewing frustration is that those individuals I personally don't care to watch have not been touched as of yet.
I feel for the Meredith Employees. No one likes the situation/atmosphere they are probably experiencing now. I experienced this type of stuff earlier in my own (non-broadcasting) career. It is not fun. This will undoubtedly go on until a new owner is found that has stable financial footing.
It was primarily a corporate decision. Meredith mandated cutbacks. It appears that each Meredith station cut at least two on-air personalities. In Phoenix, it was Ashlee and Heidi.
It's not great, but this happens with big corporate owners.
Monica started out better than most and will get better over time. If she follows in the footsteps of April and Brittney, she may study for her met certification. My only comment is that I don't mind having an inexperienced person on Saturday evenings. However, it bugs me that one of the THREE evening mets can't do a Sunday through Thursday shift.
Then why the merger of 3 and 5?
Again It is $$$$ and sequence of events
This one is complicated. Pay attention. 3's former owner Belo was sold to Gannett before Gannett separated into two companies. In order to satisfy regulatory authorities (Gannett at the time had Chan 12 and the only Phx. newspaper) 3 had to be sold to someone else. In walks Meredith. A few years later Meredith expanded its Magazine business by purchasing Time magazine and all its publications. (Time's owner wanted out of magazine's). Meredith then realized they needed to watch the bottom line and are trying to only keep the profitable entities. They sold Time (kept the other publications) and determined getting out of the TV business was the next move. They are still trying to sell the broadcast entities and in the meantime they are cutting costs wherever possible.
So the combination of 3 and 5 happened several transactions back. Far enough back that the combination of 3 and 5 is almost not applicable to what is going on now. Many cities have broadcast companies owning more than one station. Phx has several (10 and 45) (15&61) (3&5).
This kind of stuff will continue and as always it is the employees who it effects not the owners who make the decisions.
This one is complicated. Pay attention. 3's former owner Belo was sold to Gannett before Gannett separated into two companies. In order to satisfy regulatory authorities (Gannett at the time had Chan 12 and the only Phx. newspaper) 3 had to be sold to someone else. In walks Meredith. A few years later Meredith expanded its Magazine business by purchasing Time magazine and all its publications. (Time's owner wanted out of magazine's). Meredith then realized they needed to watch the bottom line and are trying to only keep the profitable entities. They sold Time (kept the other publications) and determined getting out of the TV business was the next move. They are still trying to sell the broadcast entities and in the meantime they are cutting costs wherever possible.
So the combination of 3 and 5 happened several transactions back. Far enough back that the combination of 3 and 5 is almost not applicable to what is going on now. Many cities have broadcast companies owning more than one station. Phx has several (10 and 45) (15&61) (3&5).
This kind of stuff will continue and as always it is the employees who it effects not the owners who make the decisions.
Shorter answer, Landtuna: The merger was consummated almost six and a half years ago. The decision to buy KTVK was almost seven years ago. That's an eternity in broadcasting and a lot has changed.
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