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CBS dumps 115: Sac station manager Hernandez and KCBS/KIFR's (ex-KFBK) Ken Kohl

T

TedL

KHTK-A-KYMX-KZZO/SACRAMENTO Station Manager MICHAEL HERNANDEZ is one of the 115 CBS employees dumped in a "reshaping" of CBS Radio properties.

Former Clear Channel KFBK, Sacramento/KSTE, Rancho Cordova/KNEW Oakland programmer Ken Kohl is also "on the beach" after a relatively short stint as the VP and GM of All News icon, KCBS, 740, San Francisco.

While with KFBK, Kohl helped program the Sacramento news-talk powerhouse through years of "top of the book" ratings.

He left to take the top job with CBS's FM talker "Free FM," KIFR, 106.9, San Francisco, and was handed the VP-GM spot for KCBS.

Now he's been handed a pink slip.

Did Kohl earn a frown from CBS Radio's Joel Hollander for supporting former KIFR host John London made some very cutting remarks on the air about another CBS personality who'd said some bad things about Mother Theresa.

Hollander demanded that London be fired.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Ben Fong-Torres outlined the flap in April.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/04/23/PKGU9GIRMT1.DTL

London was top rated with men at the time.

Have ratings for the two stations, and perhaps more importantly, BILLINGS played a big role in the pink slipping? The National Sales Manager for KCBS and KIFR was also fired.

So where will Kohl wind up next?

And what lead to Hernandez' rousting in Sacramento? No growth in ratings or billings?

In a memo obtained by Reuters
http://today.reuters.com/investing/...01_N12345406_RTRIDST_0_MEDIA-CBS-UPDATE-1.XML

Hollander said: "There is increased competition for our listener's attention, and we must deploy our resources wisely and aggressively if we are to succeed and grow."

One could infer that CBS felt the fired executives couldn't do that.

http://www.allaccess.com reported yesterday (7/12/06) that a number of highly placed executives lost their jobs:

"Confirmed departures include:

-- CBS RADIO President/Programming ROB BARNETT
-- Adult Hits WCBS-F/NEW YORK CITY GM CHAD BROWN
-- Alternative KROQ/L.A. GM TRIP REEB
-- News-Talk KRLD-A/DALLAS Pres.-GMJERRY BOBO
-- Talk WJFK/WASHINGTON DC PD GREG GILLISPIE ([email protected])
-- WOGL/PHILADELPHIA GSM ED DELLER
-- Oldies WJMK-HD2/CHICAGO personalities DICK BIONDI, FRED WINSTON, and GREG BROWN
-- KHTK-A-KYMX-KZZO/SACRAMENTO Station Manager MICHAEL HERNANDEZ
-- Hot AC WBMX (MIX 98-5)/BOSTON Dir./Marketing ANNE-MARIE KENNEDY ([email protected])
-- News/Talk WBZ-A/BOSTON LSM MIKE MARCELLO
-- Classic Rock WZLX/BOSTON RSM ALISON SAWHILL
-- Oldies WODS/BOSTON RSM JORDI CHAPDELAINE

At CBS/SAN FRANCISCO, the following staffers are departing:

-- Talk KIFRKCBS-AVP/GM KEN KOHL
-- News KCBS-A & KIFR NSM VICKY BIGGS
-- Dir./NTR KARI FULTON
-- Manager/NTR CARI LEVINE
-- Alternative KITS Chief Engineer KENT YEGLIN
-- Classic Hits KFRC & KIFR Controller HERB ANDERSON
-- A's Sales Manager MARK SILVERSTEIN
-- KCBS-A Promotions Asst. ANGELINA FONG
-- Business Dept. staffers JAY VONG and JASON LEE"

With Hernandez out at the Sacramento cluster... what will change, if anything?

Ted
 
Hernandez was the only Station Manager left in the cluster. KNCI and Jack and KSFM don't have one. That is why he is gone. It's cutting budget and thats it, from what I heard, he had no say in programming of any station
 
Re: CBS dumps 115: Sac station manager Hernandez and KCBS/KIFR's (ex-KFBK) Ken K

>>While with KFBK, Kohl helped program the Sacramento news-talk powerhouse through years of "top of the book" ratings.

Not even close to the truth but it's a popular myth Kohl, himself, has spun.

The fact is, KFBK's ratings decline began shortly before his arrival c. 1995 and plummeted thereafter, slowing only a bit since his departure. During his reign Ken Kohl ran off most of the talent responsible for KFBK's ascendency to "powerhouse" status between 1986 and his arrival. He bullied the younger, less experienced staffers and micromanaged the station's ratings freefall to its lowest point in more than a decade.

If you look far and wide over the course of his entire career you will find three or four people who feel they owe Ken some debt of gratitude or a measure of respect. Fully 95% of those who ever worked with or for him consider him to be a pompous bully who has learned well the fine arts of self-promotion and leaping from the deck of ships he has personally sunk.

Read his resume: KFI, KOMO, KFBK -- all respected calls with major blemishes during his stewardships. He simply has no ratings successes among any medium or large market stations in his entire career.

That's show biz and nothing to be ashamed of, but the way he treats people is.
 
Well you're a bit off base there. While KFBK did lose ratings when Kohl was there, they were already starting to drop a bit before he arrived.

Reasons for that include more competition in the Sacramento market, where KFBK went unchallenged for years. Also, Rush Limbaughs star was fading a bit by the late 90s. Not a lot...but he wasn't posting the booming numbers he had in the early 90s.

Also...you can credit KSTE with stealing some of that audience - something Kohl definitely had a big hand in creating and nurturing to health. So, whatever audience KFBK lost went to KSTE...part of the same cluster.

Did Kohl make mistakes? I'm sure he did. (Kelly Brothers, anyone?) But, the Sacramento cluster's revenue was never stronger than when Kohl was there...

--DM
 
Re: CBS dumps 115: Sac station manager Hernandez and KCBS/KIFR's (ex-KFBK) Ken K

DM,

My original post did say: "KFBK's ratings decline began shortly before his arrival..."

I don't know what you mean by more competition. Since KGNR gave up the newstalk biz in 1986 KFBK has been the only station in town doing the format. Ironically, KSTE only began to chip away at KFBK's ratings when Ken Kohl was running both stations, as you pointed out. That's hardly an endorsement of his programming prowess. Before he was given KFBK he was programming KSTE exclusively and consistently getting his head handed to him.

I have no knowledge of KFBK's revenue track record but that's irrelevant. Ken was the Program Manager. He had nothing to do with sales and you can't give him any credit for increasing revenues. I would also point out that there isn't a Clear Channel station in America in which management hasn't cut overhead to the bare bones and found creative ways to report significantly increased revenues. Failure to do so results in immediate termination.

Let me put it this way: Ken Kohl's legacy at KFBK is one of micro-mismanagement, failure to recognize and nurture young talent and a complete disregard of the creative, experienced people he had when he arrived. He blew it all off for the sake of feeding his insatiable ego. He not only let some very good people get away, he chased them out and mocked them when they were gone. Others withered under his gaze. Some promising reporters and editors left the business altogether. He never listened to any ideas for fear they might be valid. Eventually none were offered. He didn't coach people, he issued raving, insensitive mandates. Sometimes he literally yelled at people in public.

But don't take my word for it. Find some former KFBK/KSTE staffers who worked for him. Or almost anybody who worked for him anywhere.
 
Morning Man, while I never worked with or for him, I have met Kohl.
He spoke at an R&R Talkers convention, I found him to be a pompous,
inarticulate, jerk. He basicly stood up and said nothing for 45 minutes.
I was suprised at his lack of any vision, creativity or passion.
 
Re: CBS dumps 115: Sac station manager Hernandez and KCBS/KIFR's (ex-KFBK) Ken K

Double,

Based on your description I can verify that you did, in fact, meet the real deal.

Here's what has amazed legions of his anti-fans for years: the guy seems to always talk his way into bigger and better gigs! I mean, you have to give him credit for that.
 
MorningMan-

How can you not give him credit for increasing revenue? Ratings and demos go hand in hand with with creating revenue. Try adding up the combined ratings between KSTE and KFBK...That's a big increase in audience.

And KSTE certainly grew while he was the guy in charge...Certainly more so when combined with KFBK...He had nothing to do with that growth? Sure he did. A lot of the programming on KFBK didn't change when Kohl took over and a lot of it remains the same today...Reasons for KFBK's decrease in ratings can include - along with bad programming decisions - increased competition in the market, an overall decrease in radio listnership, and lack of support by Clear Channel.

I worked for Kohl for 2 years. Never saw the side you speak of. Pompous? Sure, at times he was...But, he was also passionate about radio. Mostly, I found him to be a guy you could debate issues with and who would respected his staff. Never heard or saw him yell at anyone.

You're actually saying people left the business just because of Kohl? That's a lot to put on one guy. It couldnt've been the outlandishly awful salary budgets put into place by the parent company, could it?

That newsroom has been the scene of chaos and dissension long before Kohl arrived...And it still is today. The lack of professionalism by both staff and management there has been stunning. I'd like to know when you thought things were that much better in the KFBK newsroom. My guess it that you would have to go back to the late 80s...

It sounds like you have a personal axe to grind. Which is fine...your experience is your experience. Can't fault you for that.

However...I, probably like you, have worked for a lot of PDs/GMs and found Kohl to be far from the worst....
 
Re: CBS dumps 115: Sac station manager Hernandez and KCBS/KIFR's (ex-KFBK) Ken K

Okay, once again -- Kohl did nothing to improve ratings at KFBK. The company bought KSTE and the sales department suddenly had two radio stations to sell. That will certainly increase revenue but Ken had nothing to do with it. And while you can argue that KSTE's ratings improved under Ken's management you have to look at the entire history of the station and how many of the shows he tried that failed before Joe and Jack fell into his lap.

Sure I have a personal axe to grind. I assumed that was obvious. But it was nothing Ken ever did or said to me, personally. It was the way he treated so many decent, hardworking, eager people very badly. Even cruelly. I can't argue with your experience but mine is far from unique.

I don't hate the guy, I just have zero respect for him. I don't wish him harm, I just hope he stays away from my friends, colleagues and me.
 
We can go round and round with each other...But the one point that I have to make is that Kohl IS responsible for helpting to create and grow KSTE...Ratings do translate to revenue...and the combined ratings of KFBK/KSTE were almost a 20 when Kohl was there...

As far as the rest...i have heard similar things about Kohl, but find it hard to reconcile that with my experience. But, guess some people have many different sides.

BTW...Were you ever the MorningMan on KFBK? :)
 
:) Best I can guess who you are...and I'll bet we have worked together...but I won't out you...

Best of luck...
 
Re: CBS dumps 115: Sac station manager Hernandez and KCBS/KIFR's (ex-KFBK) Ken K

Well that's not good. You know who I am but I don't know who you are. ;D
 
Well, it was early on in my so-called career...I was just a pup in the biz.

Morningman said:
Well that's not good. You know who I am but I don't know who you are. ;D
Click to expand...
 
I did work under Kohl for a short time, which felt like an eternity. This man was the worst human being for whom I have ever had to work with or for. After promising his staff of reporters a much-needed pay hike (we were barely making ends meet) if we raised our ratings to a specified number, he reneged. And it's worse than that. We hit the higher number, and several of us overheard him telling a fellow manager 'Well, looks like that new book just paid for my new swimming pool.' Not only did the promised pay hike never arrive, he actually 'wrote up' two reporters who asked him about it.


[EDIT]

[EDIT-inflammatory content]
 
Re: CBS dumps 115: Sac station manager Hernandez and KCBS/KIFR's (ex-KFBK) Ken K

I read the post by KidParrot before it was edited for "inflammatory content." It was a strong personal opinion and nothing more. There was nothing legally actionable, nothing threatening, nothing profane and nothing you couldn't hear from Katie Couric's mouth tonight or read in your daily paper tomorrow.

Now that I understand the degree of control this site's managers are exercising, I won't be posting here anymore.

It's nothing short of arbitrary, subjective censorship.
 
I worked for Ken in the 90's when they were first getting KSTE off the ground, and I worked for him again at the end of his tenure at Bk, and I agree with some of what has been said and disagree with some as well. Ken is a nice guy when you're one of his stars, but if you're low on the totempole he did treat those folks with a little less respect. He was even cruel at times to his board ops. He once told a friend of mine when he saw this person in the hall "You still work here?" That person quit shortly after that. Now they're at a better place here in town, so there is life after getting "raked over the Ken Kohls (coals). He extend some great opportunities to me on my 2nd trip back through, and I have him to thank for that. But, I wholly agree that the newsroom is full of unprofessional, young, inexperienced people. One of the star reporters on the Bk now used to have to get help writing her stories, and after having the producer and 2 or 3 other reporters hands in her story, it would get on the air. But usually not without a lot of swearing and keyboard banging. That said, I bailed from there too, and even though I was glad to go, I still miss a lot of the FM and support staff at CC, because they were nice. I think there will always be descension in that newsroom for one reason or another. .
 
Re: CBS dumps 115: Sac station manager Hernandez and KCBS/KIFR's (ex-KFBK) Ken K

KidParrot's story is 100% accurate. And the saddest part of that tale is that that incident doesn't even crack the Top 10 list of the most dispicable things Ken Kohl did during his reign at KFBK and KSTE.

I personally saw that man lie right to his employees' faces over and over. I heard him talk openly about staffers he wanted to fire. I heard him regale people with personal details about coworkers' lives, including medical and other personal issues that they definitely wouldn't want their boss retelling. There was no end to the string of inappropriate and borderline actionable comments that came out of Kohl's mouth.

I saw his horrendous people skills chase away experienced vets who couldn't take it anymore and talented youngsters who deserved better. Rather than nurturing or instructing young reporters and editors, they were routinely subjected to withering rants about adhering to his personal "news philosophy" (triangle of killer content, anyone?) and nasty threats he'd "send you back" to your small-market past if you didn't do it his way IMMEDIATELY.

I know for a fact that he would call other news directors in an effort to torpedo a reporter's escape. He treated his staff with zero respect and took every opportunity to suck up every ounce of credit for the station's successes, while pinning all of its problems on any number of convenient scapegoats.

Corporate cost-cutting did considerable damage to KFBK, but nothing like the damage done by that man. Thankfully, I never ended up in Kohl's personal crosshairs, but for someone who's seen their far share of the sometimes ugly side of this business, even I was shocked by the self-satisfaction and glee Kohl took in berating and demoralizing the people under him.

To everybody who doesn't have a Ken Kohl horror story, trust me...it's just because you didn't know him well enough.
 
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