CBS AX FALLS

[Horns]

This just in to our newsroom...

(You still have a news department?)

No, the morning sidekick just reads stuff out of the newspaper.

Well, you'd better come up with plan B because the newspaper may not be around long either~!

Just ask the folks at Media General how things are going these days...

 

[Wazzie]

Apparently, it was an ugly day too for the folks at Cox in Atlanta...

Sources tell me about 16 people were cut today from Cox Radio Atlanta, including WSB-AM repoter Jeff Dantre, WSB-AM's assistant news director Kerry Browning and Kiss news gal Marjorie Coley. Also heard The River's PD Chris Miller and night jock Stacy D at Kiss 104.1 are out. The announcements were made at 1:30 p.m. EST today.

Sooooo.... how about we just play music from one i-pod on ALL US stations and call it a day?

 

[MisterNews]

During the Depression ( the first one), there was no cable news nor had Al Gore invented the internet and John McCain was yet to invent the Blackberry. Although the competition is fierce, I blame deregulation for the mess . Just like deregulation started the ball rolling to destroy the airline industry, allowing a few companies to own so many stations in each market killed competition. Seems like less regulation is bad for business. Too bad nobody thought of that in 1980.

But the stage was set for the Internet during the Great Depression, when five-year-old Ted Stevens realized that the Parkways and other roads and infrastructure that FDR was building to create jobs and improve America were actually a series of tubes......

De-regulation became a buzzword of Reaganomics, the simple (and simplistic) idea that removal of most government regulations (and oversight) would enhance business and industry. I did not agree then, or now, and apparently it has not worked too well in most industries. I remember joining PATCO members on picket lines when Reagan destroyed their union. (And asking politicians Jerry Ford and Jack Kemp why almost $0 were being spent on the AIDS crisis in the 1980's [the victims probably weren't Republicans]).
Again, anyone who didn't see these industrial collapses and economic troubles coming from strict lassiez faire policies was very short-sighted, and probably focussed only on the money THEY might make. Again, we are back to Mammon.

However. the deterioration of radio as a creative and useful medium has not only been stimulated by de-regulation, but aided and abetted by the bean-counters and their minions, who are willing to do anything for a paycheck, even if it involves destroying the very business they are part of.

 

[Ferreri]

Man..Marvin Boone is one of the smartest music people in the industry. I would not have thought that the cuts would hit a guy like him, but there you go...this new economy is creating a new industry that used to be broadcasting..sad really. I guess the really sad part is that Marvin made a commitment to the market, and the market let him down..what's next for a guy like him? No way to predict. Hope he can land somewhere that will allow listeners who know him..enjoy him. He really is one of the best in the market.

On another note..is it my imagination but were there a lot of "producers" of morning shows in the market? Marc seemed like a nice guy, but what does a producer of a morning show really do? With the ease of getting show prep from the internet it almost seems like an outmoded position..that could (sorry Marc) be eliminated with out a lot of issue..

1010? What to do with that? Dr. Frank sure built a beautiful plant there..must be something that would fly on 1010. Simulcasting is so useless.

Jeff, as always, good reading. Regarding Marvin, the "Marvelous Marvin" brand is strong here and associated with oldies. He started up here in New Port Richey eons ago playing oldies. WJQB is doing the True Oldies Scott Shannon format and doing a one share or less 12+. They presently are local/live in the morning which is a good idea, however, wouldn't it be brilliant to offer Marvin some sort of package and bring him aboard? Two Tampa Bay household names on the same station. They are heavy into remotes and certainly if you made Marvin the "face" of the station, turn out at the events would drastically increase.

Agree, 1010, or for that matter ANY signal is worth doing SOMETHING. Good opportunity to experiment. Have nothing to lose!

 

[sbe1]

I used to love Marvelous Marvin on the old WHBO. It would be interesting to see him go to work for the same people his father used to work for. The problem with 1010 is it's lousy pattern. 50 KW east and west with almost nothing north and south misses a lot of the market. Here in Sarasota, 1010 is non existent. Goes to show you how tight a pattern it is.

 

[BobbyFenton]

Radio Geek Squad is right about not posting things unless you know them to be true, regarding 1010. I stop by these boards a little bit here and there, and I'd read them more frequently if more than half the people knew what the hell they were talking about. Whoever thought 1010 underwent any cuts obviously didn't.

I would never be so smug as to assume my job individually or any station's place in radio is ever secure. We all know better than that. Something could always happen at any time, and you're gone. But that report was wrong.

 

[OldSchoolWoman]

The trouble with Marvin on 106.3 is the signal. I would like to think if COX wanted a high profile guy like Bubba to fix WHPT, why couldn't Marvin help fix WPOI or WXGL? I'd really like to hear him on the DOVE, but I guess that won't happen ever. I've been listening to WSJT and it really doesn't sound that different except people lost their jobs. My daughter might lose hers today. I already got downsized from a non-profit social service agency in St.Pete in March. Please vote and think about 4 more years of the same thing. ( Does this post go "outside?")

 

[DToTheJ]

I've been listening to WSJT and it really doesn't sound that different except people lost their jobs.

Give it a few weeks. With a touch of Broadcast Dilapidation's magic wand, you'll start hearing more and more vocals and less and less instrumentals.

Visit the Philadelphia board and check out the threads about the former WJJZ in its second incarnation being criticized for playing songs from George Michael and Billy Ocean.

 

[FiveStar]

Radio Geek Squad is right about not posting things unless you know them to be true, regarding 1010. I stop by these boards a little bit here and there, and I'd read them more frequently if more than half the people knew what the hell they were talking about. Whoever thought 1010 underwent any cuts obviously didn't.

I would never be so smug as to assume my job individually or any station's place in radio is ever secure. We all know better than that. Something could always happen at any time, and you're gone. But that report was wrong.

I am delighted to hear that reports of your (individual and collective) demise were greatly exaggerated. However, if were still in radio I wouldn't sign more than a year's lease. That said, just keeping doing the best job you can, and keep working to improve and hope for the best. We can hope somewhere along the line the bean counters and the greedy **$#* that are doing their best to kill radio get run out and replaced by people who know how to make it work.

 

[RADIO geek squad]

This just in to our newsroom...

(You still have a news department?)

No, the morning sidekick just reads stuff out of the newspaper.

Anyway, as noted in the rotating beacon-o-topics above the fold
on the R-I Boards page, the Dan Mason Circus Of Doom--with its
featured act "The Bean Counters Who Wrecked Radio"--apparently
rolled through Charlotte on Tuesday, on its way to Tampa Bay.

EXCUSE ME... but every radio station gets their news from internet or newspaper. Even the ones who call themselves NEWS TALK RADIO. It's not like they "make" the news right their in the studios.

 

[RADIO geek squad]

I used to love Marvelous Marvin on the old WHBO. It would be interesting to see him go to work for the same people his father used to work for. The problem with 1010 is it's lousy pattern. 50 KW east and west with almost nothing north and south misses a lot of the market. Here in Sarasota, 1010 is non existent. Goes to show you how tight a pattern it is.

Yes, it's true that 1010's signal goes East/West and not North/South, but what's the solution?

 

[OldSchoolWoman]

If WSJT goes all vocals, I'd think it would be an improvement for me. I like soft or classic Urban AC. That could take all the audience from WTMP. It could also draw from WDUV. But back to WRBQ, wouldn't Bobby Rich be a good replacement? Or how about breaking the glass ceiling and get a female personality. I know they have some on week-ends and you can always pay us less than a man. :'(

 

[OldSchoolWoman]

Or this-------COX hires Marvin for PM drive on Magic, moves Ann Kelly to middays, and sends "Connor" to WPOI as PM drive. just a thought. I already called CBS to complain.

 

[OldSchoolWoman]

COX has enough places to hire all these people, although I doubt they would. What about hiring the 3 people let go by WSJT and putting them on WDUV making it live and local 18 hours a day and revive it from the dead. You could make the music a little newer, just not enough to duplicate Magic. More like gold based AC WTVR in Richmond VA ( part of the real Virginia )

 

[RoneRigger]

Heres the story from R&R.
15th headline down.

http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRWebSite/

 

[Parttimer]

"Take it back to its roots"? I didn't realize smooth jazz's roots were satellite-delivered.... although that robot in Herbie Hancock's "Rockit" video WAS probably an alien....

 

[Kabrich]

The powers that be @ CBS decided to spend an INCREDIBLE amount of money for promotion for the CBS Stations with Point to Point Marketing. The phone calls started about 6 weeks ago - you might have gotten one. They ask you what stations you listen to at various times, what your favorite station is. They then go through 5 music types with a slogan and artists from the 5 CBS Stations in Tampa. They use this to build their database to try and switch pitch you to another station.

This, combined with the drop of revenue of about 11% in the Tampa Radio Market, forced CBS to demand that $400k in cuts be made in Tampa.

As I hear it, Charlie refused to do it - as he had already slashed most things to the bone in previous cuts. He opted to quit instead. He was asked specificially about that when he left by one of the trades and denied it. After this turn of events, in the words of the press "he lied to my face".

It was the first job of the new GM. As soon as the Q105 35th Birthday was out of the way, along with Jazzfest, the axe fell (wasn't hard to figure out really).

As PPM comes to Tampa next year, Cume is King - and that is why CBS Execs decided to spend the money with Point to Point Marketing instead of keeping all the personnel.

With all the money going into promotion with Point to Point, WSJT's audience could possibly rise before PPM rolls out in Tampa. Of course, CBS didn't bother to tell the St. Pete Times they were going to get the shaft in their promotional efforts either, as they shifted the WSJT and other Stations to PTP, instead of the St. Pete Times which used to be highly involved with the WSJT mailer.

BTW, as you might have noticed, WSJT been really down for the last 12-24 months compared to what it used to do - so it clearly could tick up with the added money thrown at it.

But when PPM rolls round, look out below!

 

[MsMusicRadio]

Then who has the most popular stations for women 25-54 or 35-64? I really want to be "in" and listen to the "winners" Q was my favorite but it is being dismantled. Mix has too much Tesh. Magic has too much Delilah. Guess I'm just going to have to go online-----oops-----same programming everywhere. Could I find a classic hits or AC station live and local without Tesh and Delilah anywhere? could the Point be the best at this time?

 

[meanspirit]

I know a bunch of people that still work at CBS. They tell me that the staff at every station except QYK is nervous for their job. Apparently the new GM is making things really uncomfortable for all the employees over there. I know for a fact that Orlando at WLLD and all of his staff is afraid that their station is going to be sold. They are also afraid that the new OM will try and change up everything they have been doing. It is a tough time in that building. I'm glad I'm not in the middle of it.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Note to CBS: Sell your stations to someone who wants to do RADIO. Go play with C-Net.

Takes a lot of nerve to spend 1.8 Billion on a bunch of servers then decimate your radio stations.