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CC cuts

tone-def said:
WKomm said:
tone-def - I'm with ya but what can any of us do? What can former co-workers do? There's a few e-mails, even fewer calls - and their lives go on.

As do ours ,,,

Be a part of their "network". Make them a friend on My Book or Face Space. Keep in contact. Be a reference. Send a joke. They may not keep in constant contact. They may move on. But having way to keep in touch may one day come in very handy.

Been there, been chopped. Having my friends and "network" has paid in spades.

TD

Good points.. I'm on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. MANY radio personalities, consultants and players are on FB.

MySpace is for 12 year olds.

All about Facebook and Linkedin for today's professionals.
 
So, the original post asks if anyone cares. In reading the posts here, looks like the answer is no.

I mean this in no offensive way so don't trip off line.

I have observed themes that are repeated over and over when any topic is brought up on this board . Reoccurring themes are... Corporate ownership: uncaring, out to get you, don't care about listeners, non-knowledgeable not as good as private ownership of yesteryear. Music: uncreative, droning not as good as the artists of yesteryear. Talent:amateurish, uncreative, unable to connect with an audience, not as good as those of yesteryear. Stations: not as good as they were in the old days...see the pattern? Topics are quickly derailed with the themes above. So instead of topical debate and discussion we end up commiserating about "the good ol' days" and provide links to historic air checks that have no relevance to the topic. This is what is known as "OT" or Off Topic.

So how about we attempt to keep things somewhat on topic and everyone reply to the original posts.

Does anyone care?
 
"Talent:amateurish, uncreative, unable to connect with an audience, not as good as those of yesteryear. Stations: not as good as they were in the old days...see the pattern? Topics are quickly derailed with the themes above. So instead of topical debate and discussion we end up commiserating about "the good ol' days" and provide links to historic air checks that have no relevance to the topic."

No relevance to the topic? What? I think linking to a classic aircheck is the ultimate comparison, isn't it?

Then everyone can hear for themselves and make their own judgments.
 
That's fine; I love classic airchecks. By the same tgoken, that same 1970s talent do the exact same act (music interspersed with personality bits) may or may not work with today's audience.
 
Well, we'll never know if they'd work with today's audience since any live people left are only allowed to read liner cards and give 10 second weather reports.
 
How can there be creativity when half the time I turn on a CC Station in Cleveland, it is voiced tracked, no time, no current temps, jocks voiced tracked on two different stations, news girl on two different stations at the same time, trying to call a station and the phone rings forever and ever, contest prize winner's name is never mentioned except for "we have a winner-thanks for your calls", alot of the songs titles are never mentioned especially when the song ends because they don't have the time to do so, where I use to notice the traffic reporter talking with the jocks-that too has vanished and sounds like a quick traffic message, and wasn't there a message posted awhile back telling all jocks to talk no more then 9 seconds then cut the mic off... this is what we are suppose to like today about radio---like the posts all say in a way that the "jock" almost has no say so and surely not enough time for creativity in radio today unless you are a morning synicated talk show with a ton of talkers in your studio that can keep the mic on...
 
Jocks complained about "not being allowed to be a personality" in the good old days too. The good ones figured out how to be a personality in 10 seconds before they figured out how to do it with longer bits.
 
JNight said:
How can there be creativity when half the time I turn on a CC Station in Cleveland, it is voiced tracked, no time, no current temps, jocks voiced tracked on two different stations, etcetcetc

And yet somehow, even with everything you say, CC has the Top 3 stations in town.

Either people in Cleveland have terrible taste in radio, or the issues you list don't matter.

JNight said:
Hence why the same big name groups don't put much effort into making their stations sound good anymore...Just as long as their 5 stations combined beat the rival's 5 stations combined in total ratings!

Not exactly that simple. It's not easy to have the Top 3 stations in town. I can understand one or two, but not all three. And collectively CC (the one that people here say has no creativity) is kicking everyone's butts. Creativity just ain't the draw it used to be. I might also ask what's CBS Radio's excuse for allowing CC to kick their ass?
 
I'd stack "modern day" air talent (90's to present) against past air talent any day. Old airchecks are entertaining for radio folk...but if you put any of those "shows" on the air today, the station would be the laughing stock of the city. Boring, boring, boring. The comment above about "no time checks and no weather" speaks volumes. Is that entertaining to you? Do you need that?!?! I look around me and see 6 timepieces...I move my mouse to the side of my screen and get a 5-day forecast PLUS, ANOTHER CLOCK! The most antiquated sounding station I know is here in NYC...1010 WINS. That stupid "at the tone the time will be exactly 10:30...1k tone..." Ugh...please. The problem is no chance for interactivity, no time to shine, and no "stable," not time checks. There are a boatload of talented people out there with no outlet on radio nor any hope of ever being on radio. Real entertainers...not a guy that has a pukey deep voice to read PSA's and give the most accurate time checks in the biz...I mean bona-fide comedians, actors, etc with a WEALTH of knowledge at their fingertips (read "the internet") that gives them a whole world of power that yester-year's pukers didn't have.


As far as the CC cuts...I don't like it. It sucks. A lot of good people lost jobs...BUT...

In what other division of this business would a company hire 10 fresh-out-of-college shmoes with ZERO radio experience and give them the chance to prove themselves? CC did this all the time. Hire a bunch of inexperienced salespeople, give them a phone book, tell them to go sell, and at the end of the year, keep the ones that could and fire the others. They paid them benefits, a starting salary, and let them screw up and ruin the lives of production folk. What would you say to CC hiring 5 inexperienced air staffers, giving them air shifts, letting their performance either negatively or positively affect YOUR work and the station as a whole, then keeping the 2 that had the best ratings after a year? That would be absurd. And so is keeping an enormous sales staff laden with inexperienced salespeople that nobody has time to train. Some of those cuts, IMO, were just. Those good sellers that were axed...I know several...that really makes me sad (and its just one MORE way they've screwed production staffs everywhere).

There's another place where you hear a lot of talk about "the good old days." Nursing homes. Radio...I shall visit you every other Sunday, listen to you prattle, feed you creamed corn, and throw a rose on your grave in a few years. When you die, can I have your Neumann?
 
I agree with some of you, including my former colleague Mr. James, however I do not agree that today's radio, on the whole, is better than "yesteryear's".

Radio today is horribly homogenized. I'll stack the "Real Bob James" against Ryan Seacrest any day and I guarantee you that Bob James would win out. Why? Because he's more entertaining. Seacreast, and many morning shows these days, are 4 hours of vacuous interviews and poorly produced "bits".

Lanigan is still King of Cleveland (P25-54) radio b/c his show is real - and it's entertaining. It speaks to it's core.

WMMS, under Gorman (both times) was relevant, entertaining, a risk taker, had the pulse of the city, talked TO it's core, was ahead of the curve musically and even broke acts to the rest of the country (Rush, Springsteen, REO Speedwagon, Meatloaf, Bowie, etc etc).

What station breaks acts that today save for NYC or L.A. And even they don't do much anymore.


Gorman's WMMS was interactive, not reactive. It set a tone for the city. It reflected the city and it's core demos. The Buzzard was created as Cleveland's Phoenix.


WMJI's Scott Howitt, 10 years ago, is better than any one on the air in Cleveland in 2009. I can hear Cleveland radio. I hear nothing. Howitt? No bits. Just him and the music. He entertained and informed. A joy to listen too, schtick banter and all.

Weather and Traffic? Not entertainment, but very important service elements.


Radio today....it's not very good. Not due to the talent or lack thereof... but rather it's the companies fault for not nurturing talent. Today's PD's aren't really Program Directors, but rather glorified music schedulers. Most PD's under 35 actually believe that 10sec or less is real radio. They think that no jocks (Jack, Ipod programming) will gain listeners. Fools all.

Radio is a one to one, intimate medium. Always has been always will be.

Satellite radio is of no consequence to terrestrial radio (sorry Jesse). It's jumped the shark. Internet radio... that's another story altogether. It's here and gaining strength.

Internet radio is not linear like FM radio. FM cannot be like net radio. It shouldn't try to be. But FM can assimilate SOME (not all) of what 'net radio does, especially with websites.


Give me Bob James, Jack Armstrong, Tim Virgin, Slats, TR, Matt the Cat, Denny Sanders, Kid Leo or Scott Howitt anyday over what is being offered up as radio today.


And no, you cannot have my Neumann. Or my Sennheiser 416 :)
 
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