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Back in the Bad Ole Days

1

12 In a Row

Since we've all been remembering the past and how we long for the Good Ole Days, lets have some fun.

Just a few years ago, Northern New England's small and most medium market stations were locally owned.
Before it all slips down the memory hole, here we go.


The owner in the building everyday, to annoy us all.
Or on the phone calling the request line telling you to:

Give a plug to the new business I just signed. He increased the rate from 1 dollar to 2.

Says, "If I hear you play that song one more time, you're fired!!!!!!!!!"

Tells you to turn the transmitter up so he can hear it....as he drives to his 2nd home on the lake.

He and his trophy wife live in 2 beautiful homes, YOU work in a s---hole.

Suspends programming so his Rotary buddies can read commercials "live" for the annual Radio Rotary Day.

Constantly reminds you, "Disc Jockeys are a dime a dozen."

Everyone is on a rotating cycle to pick up the trash and clean the building.

He can't wait until the day he can pull some money out of his mattress when that new "automation thingy" catches on.

Despite the fact you left for double the money, he still gives you a hard time and says, "You won't last a week there!!"

Everytime I see Mr. Burns on The Simpsons, it reminds me of him.


OK your turn to remember. Have fun!!!!
 
Rumor has it that Steven King has called his stations for a song he wanted to hear.

I remember working at a station that was so broke the phones were shut off at one point.

At another, the GM spent $1200 on flowers and had the promotions director deliver them to his "ski chalet" in Jackson, NH...less than a week after 4 people were laid off.

That same station owner made 3 of us shlep furniture and clean out a condo the owners' daughter was moving out of..with a station vehicle no less.

One GM came in the studio with a friend of his (in the middle of a talk show!) and made me interview him about his upcoming comedy gig....he comes in, told me go to a break, and promote this guy right after the stopset.
 
You Know I worked for an owner in PORTLAND MAINE
back ...well starting in 1975
in fact the PD was the same guy who now ownes WNSX/Ellsworth Mark Osbourne(Jeff Ryder)
where I did Mornings for 2 years
WJBQ.....JOHN BRIDE...THE JB... was a Great OWNER!!
The studios were above a hardware store in WESTBROOK MAINE
It Snowed in the Production STUDIO thru the busted window in the Winter!
I did MID-DAYS for JOHN BRIDE
I really liked him!
He Treated people with COMPASSION!!YOU could talk to him about anything!
He believe it or not Cared about his people! I'll Never Forget his Kindness!! ever!!
I then went on to WHDH/OLDIES 103/WROR/WVBF all in Boston
I WISH radio was like that Nowadays!!! A FAMILY!!!who worked and had FUN! AND CARED about each other!
Joe Mc Millan
 
Otoh, you have an owner (like I had in the late 80s in Ellsworth) who, after my car died, paid for a rental car for a week while I got back on my feet and bought a new car. Same owner also put on dynamite summer station parties sparing no expense when it came to lobster and beer.
 
Joe (aka Grover)...

I think radio compassion has become a lost art. Especially among the corporate commandos who want more work out of their smaller staffs! It goes without saying that even though the amount of work has increased...their rate of pay HASN'T! :p

argytunes
 
there are STILL stations that run like that 12.

I had a boss who once said and I quote "if I tell you to go up stairs and clean the bathroom with your tooth brush you'll do it cause that is part of your job"

Ohhhhhh so many storys...............
 
True Grit said:
Otoh, you have an owner (like I had in the late 80s in Ellsworth) who, after my car died, paid for a rental car for a week while I got back on my feet and bought a new car. Same owner also put on dynamite summer station parties sparing no expense when it came to lobster and beer.
Click to expand...

Doesn't sound like any owner I ever worked for. :'(
 
Argy, I agree, as I often do with your posts. Compassion begets art. Art begets passion. Passion begets fans. Fans beget profits.

What is it about this equation that corporate radio doesn't understand?
 
ray...

To try and put things as simple as possible...

Bottom line and making the quick buck took the place of creating a professional on-air presentation.

I guess any conglomerate has the right to lean as hard as they want to on any staff member? But they don't realize that the average broadcast employee can only handle a certain degree of pressure. [The temperature varies with each of us]. And once we've reached the boiling point
we start to ask ourselves if the job and the paycheck are IN SYNC WITH ONE ANOTHER!

This is the reason why many broadcasters...who genuinely LOVE what they do...are no longer working! :'(

argytunes
 
Though I don't work in your area, I've got a good one...

How 'bout the GM who had personal trade outs with virtually every business in the area. When the owner of the station (who was absentee and knew nothing about the trades) arrived in town for a visit, the secretary who did the program log would come running into the studio with a pen and bottle of white out to make those pesky trade-out spots "disappear"...

That GM wouldn't pay for your gas money to drive to a radio seminar...but would trade his and his family's every creature comfort. The rumor on the street was that he never paid for a meal out in 20 years. And, yes...before it was all over...he got caught.

But, it was always humorous around the station to see the look of sheer terror on the secretary's face because she got a call and discovered "the owner" was in town!
 
As I’m certain you do, I have friends in every field - even a friend that’s a doctor who complains that “it’s not what it used to be”. I’m by no means defending the current state of the industry. But for me in thirty years, I never had management as described here. To be certain there were shady characters and jerks along the way but every business has ‘em. The good news is that there are still great local owners and managers that treat their people with respect and generosity (even though the employees work load may have increased) Jeff Fisher at WFTN and Mark Osborne and Nat Knox with WNSX are two that come to mind immediately. Not only do these people treat their employees well - but they have good products that are successful... and that may well prove Ray Tings point.
 
I work for Mark and Nat, and they prove that local owners are not bad guys. Mark and Nat are prime examples. They care for their staff, and treat us like family. WNSX is a great place to work. It's nice to have the people who own the station that actually know the call letters, and not refer to them as "those stations in Maine."
 
Hey Bill
Family/LOCAL radio does work BEST!
WATD/Ma is like that...Owner Ed Perry
my friend of 37 years is a radio legend!!
in LOCAL/FAMILY radio
www.959Watd.com
Cold here in Bucksport this morning
Tell everybody I said HI
Can't wait for Spring
Joe Mc Millan
 
Jason Roberts said:
Though I don't work in your area, I've got a good one...

How 'bout the GM who had personal trade outs with virtually every business in the area. When the owner of the station (who was absentee and knew nothing about the trades) arrived in town for a visit, the secretary who did the program log would come running into the studio with a pen and bottle of white out to make those pesky trade-out spots "disappear"...

That GM wouldn't pay for your gas money to drive to a radio seminar...but would trade his and his family's every creature comfort. The rumor on the street was that he never paid for a meal out in 20 years. And, yes...before it was all over...he got caught.

But, it was always humorous around the station to see the look of sheer terror on the secretary's face because she got a call and discovered "the owner" was in town!
Click to expand...


This is NOT back in the ole days. It happens now In the UPPER VALLEY RADIO area... I hear it is happening up and down the WALL cause WELL...it can. If you catch my drift.
 
probuttonpusher said:
there are STILL stations that run like that 12.

I had a boss who once said and I quote "if I tell you to go up stairs and clean the bathroom with your tooth brush you'll do it cause that is part of your job"

Ohhhhhh so many storys...............
Click to expand...
I once applied for a job at a station and was informed that one of the duties of the job was to assist with cleaning the office and the bathrooms; including the toilet. Once I got wind of that, I immediately withdrew my name from consideration for the job. Later learned the station was operating under a TBA. About 18 months later, the parent company of the station terminated the TBA and flipped the station to Spanish. Had I taken the job with the janitorial duties, I would have been shown the door along with the rest of the TBA. Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make. ;)
 
When I was working at WNTK, I always thought I had a nice in-road to dealers which was partly true. The first time I had no credit and was given a deal with a Chevy Spectrum... or so I thought. The clutch went out on it a month or so after I got it. Now, it WAS replaced free of charge, by the dealership, and I'm not sure if it was because I had purchased one of those WYNN warranties or what, but it seems like it wasn't covered by that warranty. So I did ok with them, but that car I had horrible luck with, as later on the radiator leaked into the engine, and the heater core blew. Couldn't have been more than a year older than my purchase. Well, the hood flew up one time because of breaking down due to the radiator leakage, and later on I missed seeing a tree backing out of a driveway and clipped my mirror which bent the door out of shape. Finally, it died and I left it in a parking lot to sit until I could do something with it, but it got vandalized and so I had it hauled off for nothing. Then I defaulted on the loan for it. Paid it eventually.

Then later on, I did business with another garage which extended me credit personally. Got a pretty decent car out of that deal, was late on some payments, but he worked with me because he liked me (although stern nonetheless). I did pay that off, but since left the station.

I went to work at WPNH and needed to trade in because that car was starting to get a lot of miles and such, so I went with a dealership that wasn't really one of our clients, and I really got screwed.

So I suppose even though it wasn't money-out-of-pocket for the owner, doing business under the station's umbrella has it's advantages.
 
I have heard many stories about TOS before the Clear Channel takeover. This was back when I 1st stared college in 2004 from the upperclassmen some who I miss... Do you guys have any Dirt/Stories about TOS in the 1990's? This is before WKOL 105 or the Jazz station in portland was on the air where TOS would scream in Vermont and the liners for TOS Said serving VT,NH,ME,CA and points unknown. another liner said Serving Bangor Portland ETC .. . I hear TOS used to come in some parts of Burlington VT as well. figure I throw this post out at ya ;) let me know. back in the 1990's I grew up on Z100 NYC. I was only a kid at the time and would always get in trouble for listening to my walkman & radio too much.

Any airchecks?
 
Jamie said:
I have heard many stories about TOS before the Clear Channel takeover. This was back when I 1st stared college in 2004 from the upperclassmen some who I miss... Do you guys have any Dirt/Stories about TOS in the 1990's? This is before WKOL 105 or the Jazz station in portland was on the air where TOS would scream in Vermont and the liners for TOS Said serving VT,NH,ME,CA and points unknown. another liner said Serving Bangor Portland ETC .. . I hear TOS used to come in some parts of Burlington VT as well. figure I throw this post out at ya ;) let me know. back in the 1990's I grew up on Z100 NYC. I was only a kid at the time and would always get in trouble for listening to my walkman & radio too much.

Any airchecks?
Click to expand...

Thank you for hijacking yet another thread, Jamie.
 
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