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CC Tampa Relatively Unscathed

Z

zoneguy

Major upheaval in a lot of Clear Channel markets this week. Some formats flipped, a number of staffers let go. Outside of Sue Trecasse and Bob Panaku a few weeks back, Tampa has been pretty much left alone in the latest reorganization. Or at least that I am aware of.

Let's hope it stays that way.
 
Let's not forget about the complete destruction of The Beat's Olivia Fox morning show as well as other personalties fired from that station. There's also been a few others let go over the past 6 months. Nearby markets Orlando, Sarasota, and Ft. Myers have lost some big names as well. Orlando firing off the most in the last month.
 
"relative" is a relative term

Even so, apparently it's already having an impact on 970's news department. Overnight (Friday night/Saturday morning), their top-of-the-hour newscast was done by Fox, with a minimal local report (including traffic and weather) following at :03. And the bottom-of-the-hour newscast didn't even have local news at all -- just a one-minute update from Fox followed by traffic and weather.

Don't know how long they've been doing that, but I noticed it for the first time last night. It sure seems like it's a direct result of the cost-cutting at Clear Channel -- a lack of staffing to keep the news operation 24 hours. Very disappointing.
 
Outside of Sue Trecasse and Bob Panaku a few weeks back, Tampa has been pretty much left alone in the latest reorganization.
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My friend, the way things are going in this business I wouldn't yet consider anyone at CC "unscathed". Here's why:

1. Three more paychecks this year, three more chances to slash payroll.

2. The cleaning out of the Beat in September, the letting go of good people on and off the air from WDAE and WFLA in October and November. Hardly "unscathed", especially if you were one who was let go.There have also been a few people "retiring" or relocating to different markets because they knew what was coming.

3. Consider Kane's "promotion" to D.C. a gift to CC. Removing a highly-rated morning show in D.C. for a guy from Tampa, and having him voice-track afternoons on FLZ for a few thousand bucks more kills two birds with one stone. It also means FLZ cuts back less... maybe.

4. With CC spinning off hundreds of small-market radio stations, that means they still own roughly 750 stations in larger, more lucrative markets. To me that sounds like the company is getting slimmer. When companies get slimmer they keep cutting the excess even after the sale or the initial cuts made nationwide recently. The trend of replacing local talent with Whoopi or Steve Harvey, and the slimming down of the once-proud FLA news staff and their newscasts for Fox news should send up red flags everyehere.

5. And speaking of nationwide cuts, if CC can clean house in New York, San Francisco, Chicago a few years back, and D.C., what's stopping them from doing the same in Tampa?

I pray for those still working for CC... unscathed now but still very much not out of the woods.
 
Re: "relative" is a relative term

tampalistener said:
Even so, apparently it's already having an impact on 970's news department. Overnight (Friday night/Saturday morning), their top-of-the-hour newscast was done by Fox, with a minimal local report (including traffic and weather) following at :03. And the bottom-of-the-hour newscast didn't even have local news at all -- just a one-minute update from Fox followed by traffic and weather.

Don't know how long they've been doing that, but I noticed it for the first time last night. It sure seems like it's a direct result of the cost-cutting at Clear Channel -- a lack of staffing to keep the news operation 24 hours. Very disappointing.
Click to expand...

Speaking of lack of staffing, could someone tell me why I'm hearing Arch Deal overnights on weekends? I'm not questioning why he's on air, I'm just questioning why he's on air AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME given how long he's been doing radio news in this market ( I saw a publicity shot of the Q Zoo staff on Brian Holmes' Q105 site from '85, so I kinda have an idea on how long he's been around).
 
Long before Q105 Arch Deal was the news anchor on channel 8. Probably the best channel 8 ever had. He's a class a act. He's always been an active skydiver. He once survived a fall where neither his main or emergency parachute opened.
 
Arch is about 123 years old. I watched him on channel 8 when I was a kid and I am 55 now. I am sure he loves working on weekends.
 
I don't think Shayna Lance feels unscathed either.

A spy tells me she was frog-marched out of the Clear Channel Building Wednesday morning with an escort of the news director and a human resources person and someone else whilst carrying an armload of personal possessions.

How's that for a holiday surprise?
 
FiveStar said:
I don't think Shayna Lance feels unscathed either.

A spy tells me she was frog-marched out of the Clear Channel Building Wednesday morning with an escort of the news director and a human resources person and someone else whilst carrying an armload of personal possessions.

How's that for a holiday surprise?
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That is a suprise, and she's only been at the morning anchor position (with Martin Giles) for only a matter of months. She did fill in the latter part of Arch's overnight shift (I want to say both the 4 and 4:30AM reports), so I wonder if that had anything to do with the above statement.

And I noticed that Steve Hall is doing the morning reports today, I wonder if he'll return to his old spot if Lance has been let go, if this story above is actually true...
 
CTyner said:
FiveStar said:
I don't think Shayna Lance feels unscathed either.

A spy tells me she was frog-marched out of the Clear Channel Building Wednesday morning with an escort of the news director and a human resources person and someone else whilst carrying an armload of personal possessions.

How's that for a holiday surprise?
Click to expand...

That is a suprise, and she's only been at the morning anchor position (with Martin Giles) for only a matter of months. She did fill in the latter part of Arch's overnight shift (I want to say both the 4 and 4:30AM reports), so I wonder if that had anything to do with the above statement.

And I noticed that Steve Hall is doing the morning reports today, I wonder if he'll return to his old spot if Lance has been let go, if this story above is actually true...
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Well, I wouldn't deliberately post anything that isn't true, but since I am reporting something second-hand (albeit from a very trusted source) I have to say that your caution is understandable.

Certainly cutting Shayna is not a case of cutting "fat", it's a case of cutting "lean" and cutting into the basic operations of the news room.

Of course, in times of change, some people will adapt well and others won't adapt as well, and some people simply will be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
 
FiveStar said:
I don't think Shayna Lance feels unscathed either.

A spy tells me she was frog-marched out of the Clear Channel Building Wednesday morning with an escort of the news director and a human resources person and someone else whilst carrying an armload of personal possessions.

How's that for a holiday surprise?
Click to expand...

Yes, this has already been debunked, but it amazes me how someone's "spy, good friend, reliable source", etc. can so often be wrong, yet the info shows up here...and then the rumor takes off...despite how hurtful the pseudo-info is to the person named. I'm proud to be great friends with great people (Shayna especially), and it's sad to see any of them upset by false "news". Frog-marched with an armload of personal possessions?

Truth: Politely walked to the door, with her purse and jacket...after a friendly meeting and good-bye hugs.

She's a multi-talented, beautiful, faithful friend who does far more for others than for herself. She doesn't deserve to be "tainted" by untruths.

{{stepping off my soapbox now}} ;-) Happy Holidays to all!

Gary McHenry
 
Add two more... Gene Lindsey, PD of WHNZ and Sideshow Dan, morning man at The Buzz in Sarasota.
 
Too bad Lindsey got done in. Regardless of Clear Channel's plan to keep WHNZ as a dumping ground for everything they didn't want on WFLA or WDAE, Gene tried to make something of the station. Truth is though, a PD really isn't needed. Just have the sales guys tell Gordon Byrd the satellite coordinates of who ever is buying the hour and let it run itself.
 
sideshow dan did afternoons at the buzz, ron miller does mornings......he worked previously at she 100.3 in orlando, sideshow that is.
 
zoneguy said:
Too bad Lindsey got done in. Regardless of Clear Channel's plan to keep WHNZ as a dumping ground for everything they didn't want on WFLA or WDAE, Gene tried to make something of the station. Truth is though,a PD really isn't needed...
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...Apparently not. But thanks for the nice comment. I also served as Director of Operations for ClearChannel Traffic since 2003.
BTW, also fired last week was long-time Traffic (logs) Manager for WMTX/WHNZ: Diana Cunningham (Roessel). She had been at Mix since the Gannett days.

-- Gene (formerly "Lindsey") Lisansky
 
zoneguy said:
Regardless of Clear Channel's plan to keep WHNZ as a dumping ground for everything they didn't want on WFLA or WDAE...Just have the sales guys tell Gordon Byrd the satellite coordinates of who ever is buying the hour and let it run itself.
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When I worked at WHNZ it was more than a dumping ground, the station actually did a lot of local news in the morning, middays and afternoons (under the watchful eye of Rich Carey and Ken Stevens). Problem is, despite winning many awards for news coverage, the station could never rate against WFLA. And Clear Channel could see about the only time the station made money was when they had the brokered financial stuff on weekends. Running a news operation costs money and so WHNZ became the so-called dumping ground...and is probably making a few bucks for the big bosses. With that in mind, it wouldn't surprise me if in the future, some of the new digital radio channels become brokered outlets.
 
There was a period under Paxson where both the WHNZ and WZTM staffs actually had people out on the street reporting and people in the back rooms cutting tape and producing packages. A lot of people worked very hard to battle the Jacor beast in those days and did pretty well.

But that now seems like generations ago. Entire clusters have smaller staffs than those stations had.
 
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