CC Nashville Cutting Down again for the Holidays

[GETALIFELOSERS]

CC Nash has CUT these positions...

1. WNRQ/WLAC Promotions Director
2. Imaging/Creative Services Director

Rumor is these positions were "eliminated." And there word of a prime air-talent position in the building being cut out of the budget for next year too?!

Question? What is the station Morale like now inside the CC walls?

 

[scottwmro]

CC Nash has CUT these positions...

1. WNRQ/WLAC Promotions Director
2. Imaging/Creative Services Director

Rumor is these positions were "eliminated." And there word of a prime air-talent position in the building being cut out of the budget for next year too?!

Question? What is the station Morale like now inside the CC walls?

They also cut the WLAC "local sales manager" position.

As we get into 2008, we'll see more Clear Channel cuts, then after the deal closes when the new owner takes over.

The River and The Beat can be voiced tracked, and outside of AM drive, I'm sure it's happening or beginning to happen.

Where does House on WSIX stand with all these cuts? I wouldn't think they would cut his position, due to it's still a good money maker, and his contract. The Rock makes me want to GAG! Damn Red Neck Programming! Where's Judas Priest when you need them?

 

[Nashsound]

"They also cut the WLAC "local sales manager" position. "

Incorrect. Just hired a new one. New sales manager is Tom Tobia .

 

[firepoint525]

The Rock makes me want to GAG! Damn Red Neck Programming! Where's Judas Priest when you need them?

For as bad as the Rock is, at least they (apparently) hurt KDF enough to get KDF to finally quit pretending to be a "rock" station! Playing "power ballads" all day does NOT a "rock" station make! KDF was allowed to coast on their former glory for about 20 years before the Rock came in and finally forced them to give up their pretending to be a rocker. I don't know why Nashville tolerated them for so long. ??? : They may have been great back in the '70s, but their glory days were over long before I ever moved here. I don't know how well they are doing as a country station, but they sucked as a "rocker." I mean come on, "Velveeta Lounge"? Even the very name contains cheese! :-[

 

[SwissVol]

The Rock makes me want to GAG! Damn Red Neck Programming! Where's Judas Priest when you need them?

For as bad as the Rock is, at least they (apparently) hurt KDF enough to get KDF to finally quit pretending to be a "rock" station! Playing "power ballads" all day does NOT a "rock" station make! KDF was allowed to coast on their former glory for about 20 years before the Rock came in and finally forced them to give up their pretending to be a rocker. I don't know why Nashville tolerated them for so long. ??? : They may have been great back in the '70s, but their glory days were over long before I ever moved here. I don't know how well they are doing as a country station, but they sucked as a "rocker." I mean come on, "Velveeta Lounge"? Even the very name contains cheese! :-[

When Rock 105.9 burst on the Nashville radio scene, I thought they sounded better back then than they sound in the present day.

Since the early days of Rock 105.9, it seems to me the station has dropped many of the songs that debuted the station with and now seem to only play songs that test very very well. Oh well, what can we do???

As for WKDA FM or KDF as it would later be called. The best years of that station were the first 2 years. The station had an underground or progressive rock sound. This was about 5 years before the label "Album oriented rock" came into play. The legendary Nashville DJ, Bob Cole helped usher in the progressive rock into WKDA FM and into the Nashville scene. I think I read somewhere that Bob Cole modeled the station after the FM rock station in New York city, WNEW FM. As memory serves a typical play list around 1970 would have included Midnight Rambler by the Stones or Ball and Chain by Janis Joplin or John Mayall. Great stuff for a city that had only known top 40 radio.

I read another article about WKDA FM that stated that the station wanted to sell more advertising than be a true consistent progressive rocker. So changes were made that transfered the station from progressive rock station into a more mainstream, if not almost top 40 station. After this change, the station took off in ratings. I think WMAK was really hurt badly in these ratings aftered WKDA FM made those changes. The crowd from MAK liked the new WKDA FM sound which was not as cultishly hip as the underground sounding WKDA FM.This was around the fall of 1971 or so.To their credit, they did keep progressive rock around late nights by bringing in Clark Rodgers to spin the underground stuff.

As the seventies rolled on, the station became more typically AORish sounding. Only the big hits were played. The deeper cuts were thrown out almost totally.

As KDF moved into the eighties, that is when KDF played stuff such as Cindy Lauper and Bananna Rama.

You implied WKDF lived off it's reputation for many years and I find absolutely no problem with that statement at all. Some might argue against that, but I think you're spot the hell on. The early days were by far the best years. By far!! Bob Cole, Jay Franklin, Dan Dixon and then later Dave Walton spun the great rock. It was also freeform for awhile, which meant that the jocks were free to play whatever song from whatever rock album the station Had in their library.. Just my opinions here. I know we have talked about this before, but it is an interesting era in Nashville radio history.

 

[courier37027]

Cliff Notes version of "KDF in the Eighties"... whiny Phil Collins, U2 "Joshua Tree" plays clean through to album flip side, light John Mellencamp and social conscience rock are playlist staples. Toss in some Bananarama, Prince, hair bands, power ballads and other KX-104 music. KX-104 changes to classic rock. KDF counters with 10 classics at 10. Introducing morning show character Bubba Skynyrd. All station and contest promos must have the Kidd Redd touch: lots of lazer sound effects. Drift more and more toward CHR. Carl P. takes over studio one Saturday night, circa 1986, in his Bubba Skynyrd persona for last gasp real classic rock.

 

[romer979fm]

Cliff Notes version of "KDF in the Eighties"... whiny Phil Collins, U2 "Joshua Tree" plays clean through to album flip side, light John Mellencamp and social conscience rock are playlist staples. Toss in some Bananarama, Prince, hair bands, power ballads and other KX-104 music. KX-104 changes to classic rock.

is this a reference to KX change to "Rockin' Hits" or to WGFX "The Fox"?
KDF counters with 10 classics at 10. Introducing morning show character Bubba Skynyrd.

Was there EVER a time that Mayfiled didn't do "Bubba"?
All station and contest promos must have the Kidd Redd touch: lots of lazer sound effects. Drift more and more toward CHR.

Carl P. takes over studio one Saturday night, circa 1986, in his Bubba Skynyrd persona for last gasp real classic rock.

I'm very confused...don't remember any of that...but didn't really pay attention to KDF, either...

 

[courier37027]

Chris, IIRC it was 104.5's change from Rockin' Hits/Kicks to Classic Hits. Michael St. John did some on air skit (readoor attempt at drama) with morning jock (Rob Johnson?) before the format change. I think Jackson Daniels was afternoon jock same era. Were you at Kicks/Fox that time or after?

Yes, there was a time long ago when Bubba Skynyrd did not exist. I am thinking Mayfield's character was created around 1985 or '86. Cleon and Brother Jonah were already established bit characters.

See pages 74 to 78 of Mayfield's book "The Life & Times of Bubba Skynyrd."The Skynyrd studio lockdown was on a football fall Saturday night. I drove back from a Tennessee football game, fall weekend 1986 (Tennessee won the Sugar Bowl earlier that year). Bubba was heavy on the phones, music was truly classic rock, listeners got into what they heard.

 

[romer979fm]

Chris, IIRC it was 104.5's change from Rockin' Hits/Kicks to Classic Hits. Michael St. John did some on air skit (readoor attempt at drama) with morning jock (Rob Johnson?) before the format change. I think Jackson Daniels was afternoon jock same era. Were you at Kicks/Fox that time or after?

I started weekends at KX-104 in Feb of 1987...MSJ had it back to a tight adult-CHR at this point...
MSJ was gone by summer of 87 to Y95 Phoenix...along with BJ Harris and Jackson Daniels. KX then went to
Classic Hits as WGFX in mid-August 87. Rob Johnson...the morning guy...always did "oldies" at 9a...and on this Friday
morning...he launched into Paul Revere and The Raiders "KICKS". From 6a-9a...there was an occasional ticking clock
SFX..."it's coming in XX hours and XX minutes"...usually around a stopset. At 1:04pm..."The Fox" replaced KX104.
I had no clue about the coming change until I heard it on the air. Began working classic hits the next day...
until I was canned in 1990 for taking an approved vacation. Really.
Worked out...I did a few weekends at WRLT...then was able to move to WSIX.

 

[Nock]

Rob Johnson...the morning guy...always did "oldies" at 9a...and on this Friday
morning...he launched into Paul Revere and The Raiders "KICKS".

I thought (the way I remembered it) they repeated Fox On The Run by I believe Sweet?

Nock

 

[firepoint525]

Cliff Notes version of "KDF in the Eighties"... whiny Phil Collins, U2 "Joshua Tree" plays clean through to album flip side, light John Mellencamp and social conscience rock are playlist staples. Toss in some Bananarama, Prince, hair bands, power ballads and other KX-104 music. KX-104 changes to classic rock. KDF counters with 10 classics at 10. Introducing morning show character Bubba Skynyrd. All station and contest promos must have the Kidd Redd touch: lots of lazer sound effects. Drift more and more toward CHR. Carl P. takes over studio one Saturday night, circa 1986, in his Bubba Skynyrd persona for last gasp real classic rock.

I take it they weren't jointly owned at that time, like they are now.

 

[junebaby62]

Chris, i was a huge fan of 104.5 The Fox back then, and you were one of the best Jocks on that station, in my opinion. I often wondered what happen to you. It's sad that they fired you for taking an approved vacation, it seems to me you could of done something about that. I guess that was 104's lose and 98's gain, huh. Are you still behind the mic at SIX? I tune in sometimes during the weekend, but i havent heard you. I read somewhere on the Net, that you do the "Best of Gerry House Show" when he is on vacation.

 

[olebud]

Chris is much too modest to tell you he is the 'best of house' Monday - Friday 5a - 6a and on Saturday's from 6a - 10a. Also got VERY good ratings during his time period and received a big raise.
Okay, I was joshing about the raise part but he does draw good numbers.

 

[Tibbs4]

For the life of me, I cannot remember there being any Cyndi Lauper played on
103 KDF. Maybe you're remembering the New Wave version of WKDA-AM. As
for Bananarama, that is slightly possible, but I think it was a few plays of the
lovely Belinda Carlisle, the mutiny, and that was it. Was this all during the
Police every thirty seven minutes era? Hmmm! I do seem to remember never
listening to the music until I had to. Thank God for East TN Rock N Roll. If
you're thinking it waz during the New Rock 103 fiasco up until Closing Time
on April Fools day, in a flashback/oldies situation then yeah, Lauper and all
that crap could have been played as last gasps of air. Nothing is short of
possible then, from what I was told/remember...and nothing could come close
to sounding as boring and lame as WKDF has sounded since. I'd almost
rather listen to Bananarama then the waste of electricity WKDF is today.

Slightly off the subject, yet the Pebble at 1059 is weak, but what about the
Buzz? How to alienate an audience 101 happening lately or what? Where have
all the Cowboys gone?

 

[courier37027]

How the the Michael St. John saga play out? I remember he was at Kicks during its glory days, then to Y-107, and back to Kicks/The Fox. I think Tom Peace followed St. John to The Fox for a while and was PD. Kicks lost plenty of air talent during those years. Harris and Daniels to Phoenix, Barry Fox went to FM100 Memphis, Bobby Cook and Coyote left too. I enjoyed Kicks.

I do remember Bananarama's "Cruel Summer" and Prince's "Let's Get Crazy" on KDF during the 80's. That raised some eyebrows and eardrums. "A Groovy Kind of Love", "Another Day in Paradise" and "You're Taking It All Too Hard" were the softer, lighter side of Phil Collins on a supposedly rock station. The rumblings started around this time.

Although it will not rival "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" on 92.9, I do recall The Police "Every Breath You Take" getting plenty of airplay on Romer's former station The New 106FM.

 

[SwissVol]

Oh Yeah Cindy Lauper's "Time after Time" was played on WKDF FM for awhile. In fact, do you remember a female weekend DJ named Jessie Lang. Not Jessica Lang, but Jessee? She even joked about the song once after she played "Time after Time". She said All of the Ted Nugent fans are now slashing their wrists or something such as that.

The Pebble @ 105.9 LOL That's good. ROTLMAO!!!!

When the song "Every breath you take was being played here in Nashville, I was out in LA for awhile and that song was buring up the KLOS and KMET FM rock ststion there as well.

 

[jwk1979]

See pages 74 to 78 of Mayfield's book "The Life & Times of Bubba Skynyrd."The Skynyrd studio lockdown was on a football fall Saturday night. I drove back from a Tennessee football game, fall weekend 1986 (Tennessee won the Sugar Bowl earlier that year). Bubba was heavy on the phones, music was truly classic rock, listeners got into what they heard.

I remember when Bubba took over the 103 KDF studios one Saturday night. I had just moved to Nashville from Knoxville a month or so earlier when that occured. Iirc, the reasoning behind it all was that "Bubba" was speaking for the listening and they all were tired of the amount of Phil Collins being played on KDF at the time. Bubba locked himself in the KDF studios and played only what he and the listeners wanted to hear. After Bubba left the studios on Saturday night, KDF spent the rest of the weekend playing only Classic Rock until 7 or 8 on Sunday night. Iirc, the first song played on KDF after the Classic Rock Marathon all weekend was a song by Genesis.

 

[Evangelist]

I'm not surprised that CC is making more cuts. One year, they gave all the staff very nice gift cards to various eateries/stores at Christmas time, signed "from your Clear Channel family." Within two weeks, several of those people were out of a job.

I hope the people canned will land elsewhere soon. God bless 'em.

 

[SwissVol]

Early albums by Genesis was played on "Underground" rock radio. I think you all are talking about the popish mainstream sounding works by Genesis such as "Moma" and that sort. Their Nursery Crymes album and their Selling England by the pound albums were just 2 albums featured on Underground FM rock. I never was a Phil Colins fan anyway. I though his singing voice grated on me.

The WKDF FM we are talking about in the eighties would have never played the early stuff by Genesis since it was considered to be to psychedelic or trippy sounding.

 

[SwissVol]

I wonder what the reasoning was behind the Carl P's takeover of the studio was? Promotional stunt? Or was it genuine frustration at that format which had so so departed from the earliest glory days. Carl P came in at WKDA FM in the last few months when it was still free form underground. I remember Mayfield having a strong liking for music like Jerry Jeff Walker, Barefoot Jerry music. That was hip progressive country sounding material but underground radio played progressive country and folkish material. AOR radio threw that stuff out along with blues, psychedelic music and any other music that was creative. Even the ultra hip KSAN FM in San Fransisco played Barefoot Jerry and Doug Kershaw music. I guess this would have been what is now called "Americana " music or format.

I seem to remember when that happened. People were calling going: "Wow, you guys are rocking"!!! "You all should do this all the time man"!!!!