Changes at PLR

[RTibbs]

I left CT for Atlanta 14 years ago and PLR was the station I grew up. Every time I am back I immediately find 99.1 n the dial. It's a shame what Cox has done to a once fine station.

Video seems like has a major axe to grind. If he is oh so mighty why does he waste his time coming on the board to put down the people who ove radio. My guess is he was a failure in radio and no matter what he does now he wishes he could have had a 10th of a career as people like Lappy and Pam.

Cox is pretty horrible in their hometown also. Their classic hits station their has one live jock from 5:30 - 8:30 then she VT's until noon. someone else VT's the afternoon and then their midday host from their AC station VT's the drive home. All on a Top 10 station in Market #7.

 

[videokilledtheradiostar]

Cox is pretty horrible in their hometown also. Their classic hits station their has one live jock from 5:30 - 8:30 then she VT's until noon. someone else VT's the afternoon and then their midday host from their AC station VT's the drive home. All on a Top 10 station in Market #7.

Voice tracking does not serve the public interest? The only interest it's serving is saving the corporation payroll dollars.

 

[DToTheJ]

Video seems like has a major axe to grind. If he is oh so mighty why does he waste his time coming on the board to put down the people who love radio.

Has anyone been able to figure out which radio station he works for/used to work for yet?

 

[alt_rock]

Video is exactly who a lot of people think he is. Long time RTP'er. Be happy you've got a gig, and bring something more than "pot-stirring." There are two things that give you away....You write like you talk so everyone that has worked with you knows it's you and laughs pretty hard and the other dead giveaway...you left the PC logged in one time. The aweful truth...he's a good guy that people like. He comes here and acts like a rotten fool. ;D

 

[nutmegger]

Video does not work at RTP. He worked for WAVZ and KC101 in North Haven, his position was eliminated when the station moved in with WELI in 1993. He has stated this before.

 

[videokilledtheradiostar]

Video does not work at RTP. He worked for WAVZ and KC101 in North Haven, his position was eliminated when the station moved in with WELI in 1993. He has stated this before.

I have worked at half a dozen stations in CT. A couple in NYC and one in Rhode Island. I have a good idea what radio is all about. ;D

 

[videokilledtheradiostar]

SoNo I was not referring to the sales STAFF...referring to the sales MANAGERS who make a lot of money and clearly aren't getting the job done.

Plus there are too many of them to begin with.

To many Chiefs and not enough Indians. Sales and programming don't mix. That's an ongoing battle.

 

[mickeymantle]

It does indeed cost money to keep a sales person on staff.
The station pays for a portion of his health insurance,
unemployment insurance (to the state). Plus his business cards,
and gas allowance (although not many stations still do this),
membership in RAB, training, cell phone, etc.

The old way of doing business in radio was hire as many AEs
as you could. The cluster bomb approach. The new way,
however is a streamlined sales pit. Keep the ones that move
the needle; fire those who do not.

For a long time the job of a radio sales person changed very little.
-call on your list, write a crappy script, bill the client-
The difference these days is: the AE has to be able to sell on-air
spots, web banners, and text. There are separate budgets for
air and "new media." So now, every AE has to work a lot harder.

This might make you feel better on the programming side (that
the sales team is working hard), but it might also mean that a
sales guy who always came up with a Motorcycle or Tool-shed on
trade for a book promotion, may not have the time to dedicate
to promotion "side projects."

It's the new normal, friends. But watch...in a few years you'll
marvel at how resilient we can be.

Mm

 

[Pam Landry]

MM:

When the very product the sales staff is expected to sell continues to be destroyed (laying off the heritage jock with #1 ratings) the sales staff is faced with an even more daunting task.

THAT is my point.

Just because the outside of the soda can says "Pepsi" doesn't mean what's inside is any good and when this is realized there is nothing to sell and no one to buy it.

Radio's ONLY strong point is to BE LOCAL. The competition is satellite and Ipods and internet and on and on....a radio station like WPLR can only attract advertising dollars by BEING LOCAL. Firing a 19 year on-air vet who is known in the LOCAL community and who provides top ratings to boot is senseless. It is cutting your nose off to spite your face.

 

[rockmyhighsocks]

this is what happens when sales is running the ship. they have no idea how programming works.

 

[videokilledtheradiostar]

this is what happens when sales is running the ship. they have no idea how programming works.

When there are too many cooks in the kitchen someone is gonna get burned. Former Account Executives make very bad General Managers. Don't have a clue about the programming side.

 

[CTNYRADIO]

Sad to see Pam go...I had pretty much stopped listening to the station due the constant repeats of the same 250 burned out classic rock songs with the occasional "new stuff" from 3 doors down or Daughtry tossed in...way too predictable and due to the advent of Satellite radio and webstreams with no commercials...Which is why I do Sirius XM now...back when I did listen, I always liked Pam's presentation and she's right...it was comforting to hear that live and local "old friend" from the neighborhood.  Radio execs wonder why the medium is dying when they do stuff like this (Canning PAM) and playing a too tight, too predictable playlist....

 

[SoNo]

We'll see if there is any reflection on the ratings. My guess... probably not.

 

[DToTheJ]

Sad to see Pam go...I had pretty much stopped listening to the station due the constant repeats of the same 250 burned out classic rock songs with the occasional "new stuff" from 3 doors down or Daughtry tossed in...way too predictable and due to the advent of Satellite radio and webstreams with no commercials...

I swear, if you put PLR's playlist side-by-side with Long Island's WBAB, there probably wouldn't be that much of a difference.

 

[videokilledtheradiostar]

We'll see if there is any reflection on the ratings. My guess... probably not.

There will most definitely be a decrease in ratings 10a-2p (or 3p) After a jock who held down a shift for close to twenty years gets terminated there is bound to carry fallout.

 

[CTNYRADIO]

Sad to see Pam go...I had pretty much stopped listening to the station due the constant repeats of the same 250 burned out classic rock songs with the occasional "new stuff" from 3 doors down or Daughtry tossed in...way too predictable and due to the advent of Satellite radio and webstreams with no commercials...

I swear, if you put PLR's playlist side-by-side with Long Island's WBAB, there probably wouldn't be that much of a difference.

Yep, the ol cookie cutter classic rock station..both signals come in where I am...combine that with the FOX 95.9 and 104.3 out of NYC and it's pretty much the same ol burned out songs...christ, dont they guys know Dire Straits had more than 2 songs! LOL. At least WRXP 101.9 out of NYC has some variety...

 

[DToTheJ]

At least WRXP101.9 out of NYC has some variety...

And even that doesn't keep New Yorkers happy!

 

[triple threat]

Sad to see Pam go...I had pretty much stopped listening to the station due the constant repeats of the same 250 burned out classic rock songs with the occasional "new stuff" from 3 doors down or Daughtry tossed in...way too predictable and due to the advent of Satellite radio and webstreams with no commercials...

I swear, if you put PLR's playlist side-by-side with Long Island's WBAB, there probably wouldn't be that much of a difference.

Yep, the ol cookie cutter classic rock station..both signals come in where I am...combine that with the FOX 95.9 and 104.3 out of NYC and it's pretty much the same ol burned out songs...christ, dont they guys know Dire Straits had more than 2 songs! LOL. At least WRXP 101.9 out of NYC has some variety...

Don't blame the PD's for the song selection. The playlist at these local rock station consists of about 300 songs and the PD's can only choose from that list, they can't just add a song at will.

A great new album can come out and PLR or The Fox can't just start playing the songs. They have to be tested with focus groups and that can take months. So if there is a Dire Straits or Skynard song that doesn't get played it is because it didn't test well and therefore will not be played. You can thank the COX Radio's Napoleonic little dictator Bob Neil for that. He truly believes that a group of people listening to a 7 second sample of a song can determine that the true listeners will like the song or not.

 

[mdiglia]

Don't blame the PD's for the song selection. The playlist at these local rock station consists of about 300 songs and the PD's can only choose from that list, they can't just add a song at will.

A great new album can come out and PLR or The Fox can't just start playing the songs. They have to be tested with focus groups and that can take months. So if there is a Dire Straits or Skynard song that doesn't get played it is because it didn't test well and therefore will not be played. You can thank the COX Radio's Napoleonic little dictator Bob Neil for that. He truly believes that a group of people listening to a 7 second sample of a song can determine that the true listeners will like the song or not.

While it seems to be a favorite past time to blame the jocks for the presentation on your local station, we all know better. I'll give everyone here the benefit of the doubt to know that todays radio is programmed by businessmen and not radio people. The quoted post above nails it. Congrats Triple threat, you have pulled back the curtain to expose the wizard to anyone that doubted just how non local radio has become

 

[videokilledtheradiostar]

Don't blame the PD's for the song selection. The playlist at these local rock station consists of about 300 songs and the PD's can only choose from that list, they can't just add a song at will.

A great new album can come out and PLR or The Fox can't just start playing the songs. They have to be tested with focus groups and that can take months. So if there is a Dire Straits or Skynard song that doesn't get played it is because it didn't test well and therefore will not be played. You can thank the COX Radio's Napoleonic little dictator Bob Neil for that. He truly believes that a group of people listening to a 7 second sample of a song can determine that the true listeners will like the song or not.

While it seems to be a favorite past time to blame the jocks for the presentation on your local station, we all know better. I'll give everyone here the benefit of the doubt to know that todays radio is programmed by businessmen and not radio people. The quoted post above nails it. Congrats Triple threat, you have pulled back the curtain to expose the wizard to anyone that doubted just how non local radio has become

I agree. Now what? Accept it and move on?