CBS Radio Revenues Fall--Again

[BBontheRadio]

Well, to be fair,

Let's not start getting fair. That would be totally out of character for the board.

 

[Talktalk]

Programming note: Ben, we get it, we ALL GET IT. You work for CBS and have Company spirit. YEAH. Now the facts, uninteresting and not in any way compelling programming have led to some serious ratings declines, not just in Dallas but most of the major markets. Revenue is off BIG TIME, with no obvious plan to fix it, unless running 30 units an hour is an option, then you have the PR nightmare with federal indictments as well as the complete mishandling of the Stern situation. And in most cases, the management responsible is still in place. It doesn't sound like unfair bashing to me, I can't wait to hear your spin.

 

[Robert Bass]

Programming note: Ben, we get it, we ALL GET IT. You work for CBS and have Company spirit. YEAH. Now the facts, uninteresting and not in any way compelling programming have led to some serious ratings declines, not just in Dallas but most of the major markets. Revenue is off BIG TIME, with no obvious plan to fix it, unless running 30 units an hour is an option, then you have the PR nightmare with federal indictments as well as the complete mishandling of the Stern situation. And in most cases, the management responsible is still in place. It doesn't sound like unfair bashing to me, I can't wait to hear your spin.

"To be fair", let's also remember Clear Channel has its own black eye as well.

R

 

[SmokeRing]

"To be fair", let's also remember Clear Channel has its own black eye as well.

I hear happier stories out of CC Dallas than CBS Dallas.

 

[Robert Bass]

"To be fair", let's also remember Clear Channel has its own black eye as well.

I hear happier stories out of CC Dallas than CBS Dallas.

Perhaps times have changed with them. If so, that's encouraging.

R

 

[BBontheRadio]

I can't wait to hear your spin.

I'll leave the spinning up to you guys! I only spin (songs) on Saturday mornings, 6am - 10am (and sometimes on holidays) on the New 103-7 lite fm, today's refreshing lite rock. And, technically, they're just spinning from the hard drives down in the computer room.

 

[KPLEXCOMPLEX]

Pretty tough job ;D as KVIL useD to say: 'IT'S A SHAME WHATS HAPPEN TO RADIO"

 

[davideduardo]

Now the facts, uninteresting and not in any way compelling programming have led to some serious ratings declines, not just in Dallas but most of the major markets.

Every big company has some stations off, some up, some down. I do not see any exception with CBS, nor do I see huge disasters beyond the high profile Free and the Jack debacle in NY. Most of their revenue decline was due to having sold a lot of stations that no longer produce revenue.

Revenue is off BIG TIME,

.
It is at nearly all broadcast companies. This is not just a CBS issue.

with no obvious plan to fix it, unless running 30 units an hour is an option,

Dan Mason has already handled the major fixes, and quite well, too.

then you have the PR nightmare with federal indictments as well as the complete mishandling of the Stern situation.

Stern was not mis-handled. He was simply not easily replacable. There is no PR nightmare.

And in most cases, the management responsible is still in place.

Not true. The problems came from Hollender and he is gone. The buck stops at Mason's desk now.

It doesn't sound like unfair bashing to me, I can't wait to hear your spin.

This is not unfair bashing... it is bashing for things that have no basis in fact.

 

[Bob E. Nelson]

Now the facts, uninteresting and not in any way compelling programming have led to some serious ratings declines, not just in Dallas but most of the major markets.

Every big company has some stations off, some up, some down. I do not see any exception with CBS, nor do I see huge disasters beyond the high profile Free and the Jack debacle in NY. Most of their revenue decline was due to having sold a lot of stations that no longer produce revenue.

Free FM, yes...but by what criteria does Jack in New York City get characterized as a ``debacle''? Was the format change back in 2005 done with improper research techniques?

The 25-54 numbers were better than they were with the prior oldies format. And wasn't the revenue tracking upward as well? It had to be less costly to operate. While we have yet to see how the recent change at CBS-FM will fare, wasn't the switch to Jack the right thing to do for a station in danger due to its aging demographics?

 

[SmokeRing]

Not true. The problems came from Hollender and he is gone. The buck stops at Mason's desk now.

Hahahahah. As if you wouldn't have written the same post when Hollander was in charge.

But I'll agree with you that this isn't just a CBS issue. A lot of radio companies have similar problems. But CBS Radio's Q2 results were worse than most.

 

[Talktalk]

All, when the title of the string is CBS RADIO REVENUES FALL, that is a good indication that the conversation is going to revolve around CBS. Nobody here compared CBS to any other group, did they? So why is anyone here even making the comparison to CC or another group, except for Ben, because he is spinning.

and David, you are DEAD wrong, Stern doing daily commercials for 14 months for Sirius then leaving with global fanfare, I think is fair to call a debacle. One of your highest ranking officers being brought in on a fedearl indictment is a debacle, and the reason you spin off non-cash flowing stations is because they are, well, not cash flowing. Changing a legendary oldies station, failing, and changing back to oldies is a debacle.

And no, it is not an isolated incident, look at Fall numbers as Stern left and Jack stations were flipped around the country...the loss of male audience in ALL markets is HUGE. That is all I am saying.

I am not bashing, I love radio. But you can't fix it if you won't even admit it's broken.

 

[BBontheRadio]

All, when the title of the string is CBS RADIO REVENUES FALL, that is a good indication that the conversation is going to revolve around CBS. Nobody here compared CBS to any other group, did they? So why is anyone here even making the comparison to CC or another group, except for Ben, because he is spinning.

Just spinnin' the lite rock hits, baby, spinnin' the hits! I never claimed anything was fact--just my opinion. Many threads every day wander away from their titles. I was just pointing out that it sure seems to be fun to pile on to CBS. They seem to take the brunt of the criticisms, much more than other groups do. Just my observation. Carries absolutely no weight at all.

Take care and see ya around!

 

[Robert Bass]

All, when the title of the string is CBS RADIO REVENUES FALL, that is a good indication that the conversation is going to revolve around CBS. Nobody here compared CBS to any other group, did they? So why is anyone here even making the comparison to CC or another group, except for Ben, because he is spinning.

Just spinnin' the lite rock hits, baby, spinnin' the hits! I never claimed anything was fact--just my opinion. Many threads every day wander away from their titles. I was just pointing out that it sure seems to be fun to pile on to CBS. They seem to take the brunt of the criticisms, much more than other groups do. Just my observation. Carries absolutely no weight at all.

Take care and see ya around!

Ben,

Clear Channel underwent a basically similar fiasco, about 8 - 10 years ago, or so. A colleague of mine actually worked for CC at the time, and he sent a co-worker a four or five page summary of how bad things were. He eventually left the job a few years later, when some firings were occuring. He felt like he was next on the list. I don't blame him for that.

R

 

[BBontheRadio]

Clear Channel underwent a basically similar fiasco, about 8 - 10 years ago, or so. A colleague of mine actually worked for CC at the time, and he sent a co-worker a four or five page summary of how bad things were. He eventually left the job a few years later, when some firings were occuring. He felt like he was next on the list. I don't blame him for that.

Yeah, when I was at ABC we used to joke that it stood for "Always Been Cheap," but, looking back, it was a pretty cool place to work, and I still miss KSCS sometimes. Thankfully I still get to play some of the artists where I am now, so I haven't completely neglected my country roots.