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Beth Adams and other staff axed at WHAM

M

Mark Giardina

This story appeared in the October 26th edition of the Democrat & Chronicle newspaper

Radio personality Beth Adams is among three WHAM-AM (1180) employees let go by the station, according to the online media site, NorthEast Radio Watch.

Neither WHAM nor its corporate parent, Clear Channel Corp., confirmed the cuts Wednesday.

“As a policy, and out of respect, we don’t comment on internal staffing matters,” Clear Channel spokesperson Wendy Goldberg said.

Local Twitter traffic Tuesday also identified Adams and newsmen Brendan O’Riordan and Bill Flynn as the people cut.

Adams has been hosting the WHAM Morning News since 1989. Flynn has been with WHAM since 2001.

Personal note: I worked with Bill Flynn at WXXI for many years and this is the second time in this guy's career that he's been shown the door despite the fact he's a hard worker who has won numerous awards included several Edward R. Murrow awards for both WXXI and WHAM.

While I never personally met Beth, she is a Facebook friend and we have conversed from time to time. People I still know in Rochester radio have nothing but good things to say about Beth.

Brendon I met while as a beat reporter at WXXI. He is also a decent fellow.

So in the past few years WHAM's news department got rid of Bill Lowe, and now Brendon and Bill.
That leaves who: Sherri and Randy?

And is Chet Walker expected to host a morning show solo?

All I can say that it sickens me to see good people lose their jobs. Then on a personal note I am so glad I got out of the business when I did.
 
Mark_Giardina said:
“As a policy, and out of respect, we don’t comment on internal staffing matters,” Clear Channel spokesperson Wendy Goldberg said.
Click to expand...

That's because "comment(ing) on internal staffing matters" would now require a full-time person with all the CC cuts unfolding nationwide.

Profoundly sad...but it's only just begun. Cumulus is next...
 
I have worked with Beth and all the nice things being said about her are true. I can't believe they let her go. I really like the morning show on WHAM and always think when Beth or Chet are not there it's stale. They have great chemistry.
I vaguely know Bill but think he is a 100% give all person. They are going to be hurting without Brandon.

In the official C. C. note I read (courtesy of All Access.com) they said the changes were being made to help support their programing and help give their advertisers better value! ? Please answer this for me #1 how does laying off traffic people improve programing and #2 how does laying off air personal improve value for advertisers? When I was working part time in radio I used the extra $$ to buy cars and make improvements on my house. Once that came to an end so did the spending of my extra cash. I wonder if all the car dealerships, furniture stores, heating contractors, etc know this?
 
Makes you wonder how many good people have to lose their jobs so Brother Weeze can make a half million a year. Maybe Beth need her own occupy wall street type protests!
 
therealjm12 said:
In the official C. C. note I read (courtesy of All Access.com) they said the changes were being made to help support their programing and help give their advertisers better value! ? Please answer this for me #1 how does laying off traffic people improve programing and #2 how does laying off air personal improve value for advertisers?
Click to expand...

The simple answer is it doesn't! That statement is just more corporate bull****. Do the suits really think anybody buys that crap? Firing people doesn't improve programming. WHAM is a poorer radio station today than it was yesterday. Period! End of story! And it lessens the value for advertisers. It insults me that Clear Channel would even say that.

I was just reading about the Syracuse firings. Does CC really think firing a local afternoon drive host in Syracuse in favor of Sean Hannity is going to improve ratings? Here in Buffalo, I would tune in Ron Dobson on WBEN during the evening hours when he was on a few years ago. Now that Sean Hannity is on? Haven't listened -- and I mean this literally -- for more than five minutes since the change was made. Radio has to be LOCAL, LOCAL, LOCAL if it's going to survive. Of course, I'm preaching to the choir here. Most of us on this board know that.

Just when you think it can't get any worse, it does. These radio groups are killing our industry. And it's really, really sad. Fortunately, we don't have Clear Channel in Buffalo. But we're all bracing for what might happen with the Cumulus stations. My heart goes out to the talented radio professionals who find themselves on the street.
 
chas108 said:
Profoundly sad...but it's only just begun. Cumulus is next.
Click to expand...
Follow the leader. Just before the holidays. Helluva game these companies play. Really, who's surprised? Raise your hand. We've read the news, heard the stories. Why are you surprised? The economy is in the tank and these radio companies spent money they didn't have and couldn't afford, just so they could swing the deal buy these radio stations and play "mine's bigger than yours." Bain wanted to back out of the deal but the court ruled they had to honor their contract with Clear Channel. Cumulus has already sent their hit squads to NY, LA, Dallas, Atlanta and San Francisco. They're probably cleaning up the majors first and lining up targets in the medium markets next. Even when you understand what's going on, it still sucks to see good people thrown into the street. And no, Phil, they don't care what you or i think, they just have to make their mortgage payment every month. They're living in their reality, not the listeners' reality. Does anybody think this is unique to radio?
 
I totally agree, which is why I push my airshift so much. I know you guys (like me) like the LOCAL live on air talent.

This automated voice tracked garbage is why radio is so bad! (That and whoever programs WARM 101.3! STOP SAYING SOFT ROCK OR PLAY IT!
 
So then, invest now in Clear Channel.
Sell your investments (stock) before they realize they need to hire back some staff.
Let the new problem be someone else's problem.

Great profit strategy!
 
WHAM like many other CC stations is now a network repeater. The suits at CC don't care - they are looking to goose the numbers in the short run then cash out. Meanwhile stations with long proud historys that could remain successful in the long term are left to wither (like WHAM, WHAS, etc.).

This is similar to when Entercom got rid of Bill Lacy at WBEN. He held the mornings together and could do it in any format. The current show over there is sad to listen to. John Zack and Susan Rose are fine news anchors but sound like they are fumbling holding the entire show together.

WHAM barely had any localness to it at all before this move, this just takes it a step further.
 
What if even these cuts aren't enough to save Clean Channel? Start signing off at midnight to save on electricity? There is finally very little left to cut. I guess it had better work, because the only place left to go is default to the bankers.

Perhaps this will all hasten the final judgment day, when the bigs start defaulting and stations start going on the block at prices that make sense to principled, local owners again.

Wouldn't it be fun to be pitching against CC for a spot buy that's contingent on a remote broadcast? Will the contract engineers be doing them now?
 
With just Sherry Smith and Randy Gorbman left, I am willing to bet that the next move Clear Channel makes is to eliminate their entire radio news department, or what's left of it, and replace it with Channel 13 newscasts similar to WYSL does with Channel 10.
 
Think of the companies that pursued the slash and burn strategy,compared with those that have not.

Some went to Chapter XI (Citadel, Tribune).

Some had financial near-death experiences and had to sell out (Clear Channel a few years ago).

But some companies either stayed the course, or corrected early mistakes, and reinvested in programming talent (CBS).

Guess which one of the above mentioned firms is now swimming in money?

Hint; it ain't any of the ones that approached programming with a meat-axe.
 
Prophecy fulfilled Rox? :eek:

HDBG
 
Paul_Warren said:
What if even these cuts aren't enough to save Clean Channel? Start signing off at midnight to save on electricity? There is finally very little left to cut. I guess it had better work, because the only place left to go is default to the bankers.

Perhaps this will all hasten the final judgment day, when the bigs start defaulting and stations start going on the block at prices that make sense to principled, local owners again.

Wouldn't it be fun to be pitching against CC for a spot buy that's contingent on a remote broadcast? Will the contract engineers be doing them now?
Click to expand...

My vote is to turn the licenses back in for a tax credit (sorry but there has to be some incentive). Start thinning the herd in the hopes that what's left can be profitable.
 
Bob1370 said:
But some companies either stayed the course, or corrected early mistakes, and reinvested in programming talent (CBS).

Guess which one of the above mentioned firms is now swimming in money?
Click to expand...

Actually CBS didn't "reinvest in programming talent." They just didn't fire the ones they had. Although they've left a lot of smaller markets, like Buffalo, Denver, and Portland.

The place where they invested their real money was in the internet. That's been where the real action is there. CBS Interactive is a huge profit center for them. And CC is going in that same direction. The company that doesn't seem to believe in the net is Cumulus.

chas108 said:
My vote is to turn the licenses back in for a tax credit (sorry but there has to be some incentive). Start thinning the herd in the hopes that what's left can be profitable.
Click to expand...

That's a great idea, and I've been promoting it for years, specifically in answer to the FCC's call for more minority owners. I bet a lot of companies would gladly take a tax credit for their underperforming AMs. But I don't expect minority owners would be able to turn those stations around, even if they got the licenses for free.
 
TheBigA said:
Bob1370 said:
But some companies either stayed the course, or corrected early mistakes, and reinvested in programming talent (CBS).

Guess which one of the above mentioned firms is now swimming in money?
Click to expand...

Actually CBS didn't "reinvest in programming talent."
Click to expand...

Most accurately, many talent cutbacks made in 2008/2009 have been restored.
 
chas108 said:
Most accurately, many talent cutbacks made in 2008/2009 have been restored.
Click to expand...

The only thing they did was drop Jack at a few of their stations. Not all.

Compare that to the amount of money CBS Radio has spent on Radio.com, last.com, and CBS Interactive.

If you want a job in radio today, that's where you need to be.
 
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