• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Brandon Leak is out at 790/The Zone

I think it's funny how this "biggest announcement ever" has elicited one gigantic yawn from this board in particular.

I listened a little yesterday and was relieved to find Pollack to be articulate and possessing a nice voice for radio, which is not a given for 790 "talent".
 
I have to admit I enjoyed the "Saloon" yesterday. Probably the best "Saloon" EVER.

The daily routine of Chuck & Mike one one side of an issue with Brandon on the other side got really, really old. Mike says it's this, Brandon says it's that...repeat...repeat...repeat. Granted Steak and Dimino do the same thing, but you feel real animosity between those guys. The prospect that punches might be thrown at any second makes the morning argument more entertaining.

I think Pollock will be an improvment. It's just not the "Biggest Announcement Ever".
 
Well, 790 yet again finds a way to say F you to Georgia Tech. Don't be surprised when GT pulls out of the 790 deal to find a real flagship... Their ratings suck and Brokeback boy Pollock aint gonna help the idiot Bell against Buck and Kincaid.

Ironic, because most Tech fans don't have a thing against Belue, but sure as hell could do without a guy that calls Tech "irrelevant" on the air. Classy move by the "flagship" station of GT athletics.
 
790? Are they still on the air?

Do they really think David Pollack is going to bring them ratings? Why not Sidney Pollack, or Jackson Pollack? What? You say they're both dead? So what. They'd still have more personality than Steak Shapiro.
 
Am I the only one in town who liked the Bell/Chuck/Hometeam combo? I enjoyed the show so much more because when Bell would get going, the other two could sort of drop back and let him do his thing. Something about the show was much more good natured with that grouping, and you could actually pay attention to the sports between all of Bell's dumb (but hilarious) stories. Pollack is just one more whining, cynical guy on the mic.

Still, nothing could make me switch to Kincaid/Belue. They are absolutely skill-free as personalities or journalists.
 
I don't think Bell will play as well off of Pollack as he did Chuck. I think that's what I'll miss most about the Saloon. I do think Pollack/Bell will still be better than Buck & Kincade.
 
Bell was pretty funny selling out Pollack on the air today regarding his being a virgin when he got married. That's kind of mind-boggling when you think about it.
 
temporary name said:
Bell was pretty funny selling out Pollack on the air today regarding his being a virgin when he got married. That's kind of mind-boggling when you think about it.
Click to expand...

Mind boggling that Pollack was a virgin, or mind-boggling that Bell is talking about another man's sex life?
 
Pollack and Bell is a forced creation. It won’t last. It’s the cheapest show with a big name the zone could afford.

Oliver is out because the zone could not match 680 the fans offer. Hometeam is out because Pollack was available. Golden is out because she’s run her course. The Saloon was an entertaining show, Pollack and Bell is not a long term winner.

Wouldn’t be surprised if Steak leaves the morning show to reinvent the bottom line so he can sit next to Pollack and help bring sports outside of football to the conversation.

680 the fan is about to wipe out the zone for good. The Dickeys have loaded up for the long term while 790 is trying to figure out how to decide if there will be a long term. Adding Oliver allow 680 to bill dollars, even if limited, while the stews are on nationally.

Buck and Kincade are boring but they have long term deals and a listener base not subject to constant alterations.
 
"Mind boggling that Pollack was a virgin, or mind-boggling that Bell is talking about another man's sex life?"

I was referring to Bell bring it up. In fairness, he may have cleared it with Pollack first, but I tend to doubt it. To each their own as far as their love lives go, that's nobody else's call to make.
 
680 the fan is about to wipe out the zone for good. The Dickeys have loaded up for the long term while 790 is trying to figure out how to decide if there will be a long term. Adding Oliver allow 680 to bill dollars, even if limited, while the stews are on nationally.
Click to expand...

As an advertiser on both stations, I can tell you both are wheeling and dealing right now. A 680 proposal is 70% of what it was in May. At 790, there are daytime 60s going as low as $150.

What I dont get is 790 was supposedly billing $10-15M in 2006 and 680 was doing half of that. The ratings books aren't that far apart. So, how is 790 on its last leg and 680 is swooping in like a vulture? B&K probably make more than Brandon&Woolvey, Saloon and Dennis Scott put together. Gotta figure 680 is losing too.

Even if 790 is billing 25% less, how is there no profit with only 10 on-air staff, no music licensing and a little bit of promotions and support staff? Maybe the star94 rent/lease is the killer.
 
"At 790, there are daytime 60s going as low as $150."

Damn! I may advertise to find a dependable lawn guy at that rate.
 
All stations are losing right now. Dickey Broadcasting has deeper pockets and more assets than Big League Broadcasting. There are a group of stations in St Louis that were bought by Big League about 5 years ago and they are all flopping.

The millions the Zone was billing has dwindled dramatically and thus the massive amounts of change at the station. I’ve read in St. Louis at KFNS, nearly two-dozen people have either been fired or quit in the past two years.

You are not going to make it to 10-15 million again at $150 per spot. The zone is in deep deep deep financial trouble.
 
Funny, I recall back in '01 one of the Zone's main guys told me personally that 680 was going to go belly up "any day now".
 
The lease payment to Star is the killer for the Zone. They have a huge nut to cover every month with that. And that is one expense they can not cut. By 680 owning their own signal and facilities, they are in a much better position to deal with the ups and downs of the market. They require less to break even or make a profit.

As for 2001, 680 was in trouble. The Zone actually gave 680 life by putting the Stews on in afternoon drive (one in a series of questionable moves). While the Stews were hot for a while, that move pretty much drove a huge chunk of the Zone's regular white guy audience over to 680 and solidified Buck and John as the top show in the market and helped them win some advertisers who were not on board with the Stews' presentation.
 
Stews = deal with the devil. Two guys who sound like they just built a studio in the basement and are broadcasting for the first time---every day. Hey, but that SI spread was worth it!
 
The lease arrangement with star 94 sounds interesting. I’ve heard the zone has been looking for additional investors for a while, to help with a bailout and no one looking at the books wants to touch it.

The zone hitched its wagon to the Stews…the wagon was full of gold…and now it’s headed for a cliff with no breaks.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom