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Chuck Collier on Majic mid-days

  • Thread starter JohnnyMorganWXJX
  • Start date

J

JohnnyMorganWXJX

Guest
Replaces Mike Ivers, who once again, has been shown poor and shabby treatment by Clear Channel--especially after serving the area so long, and as a capable MD for many many years.

This follows CC's deplorable treatment of Ivers a few years back when they took him off salary and made him an hourly employee, so as to relieve themselves of the health insurance costs (which insurance he needed--I won't say any more, out of privacy).

But, congrats to Chuck Collier, another warrior in town. He's on Majic mid-days, and still has his PMD gig on WGAR. Are both live? Or does he VT Majic? (He's live this afternoon on WGAR).

And it's ironic that Chuck's back playing some of the hits he played when he was on The Big 1220--WGAR, when those songs were new!
 
> Replaces Mike Ivers, who once again, has been shown poor and
> shabby treatment by Clear Channel--especially after serving
> the area so long, and as a capable MD for many many years.

This is shameful. According to insiders at Oak Tree, Ivers, who has some medical challenges, was told in no uncertain terms a couple of years ago, that he was being switched to a "part-time hourly wage" so that Clear Channel could legally cancel his health benefits. Ivers, a fine, workmanlike jock and very knowledgeable music director, was always a bit testy with co-workers and listeners. After the "part-time" switch, he sounded like a beaten man. His work on air got even more mechanical and his attempts at sounding happy and bright sounded even less sincere than before. Now this. It is sickening.
All of you young people reading this: Prepare another career to ease into around the age of 45, because regardless of years of service, track record, or work ethic, you will be tossed out like yesterday's garbage.

>
> This follows CC's deplorable treatment of Ivers a few years
> back when they took him off salary and made him an hourly
> employee, so as to relieve themselves of the health
> insurance costs (which insurance he needed--I won't say any
> more, out of privacy).

That's right.

>
> But, congrats to Chuck Collier, another warrior in town.
> He's on Majic mid-days, and still has his PMD gig on WGAR.
> Are both live? Or does he VT Majic? (He's live this
> afternoon on WGAR).
>
> And it's ironic that Chuck's back playing some of the hits
> he played when he was on The Big 1220--WGAR, when those
> songs were new!
>

Look, Chuck is a good guy and a good fit for MJI. But to have a jock on one station in midday, and then the same jock on another station in afternoon drive further blurs the lines between the brands and allows Clear Channel to de-emphasise the contributions of the air personality to the specific appeal of the radio station. It also muddys up any ratings incentive package for the jock, since many listeners will confuse the stations. Naturally, this does not matter to ownership who wins regardless, bit I know for a fact that it has completely demoralized the programmers and talent who no longer have a clear way to measure individual performance and justify their jobs.

It is truly sad when two of the top-rated, most profitable stations in the city are reduced to having the same person doing two different, prime shifts like mid day and afternoon drive. This is pure small-minded, small-market crap.
Maybe they should just follow through completely, and reduce the entire building to 4 on-air hosts, and have each one voice-track for 4 or 5 shows for four or five of their Cleveland stations. If these giant, massivly profitable stations need to squeeze nickles that badly, something is seriously wrong with either their business model, their morality or both.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by HHH on 09/03/05 08:53 AM.</FONT></P>
 
The type of move that makes me go for a different career (as if I didn't need any prodding!)

> This is shameful. According to insiders at Oak Tree, Ivers,
> who has some medical challenges, was told in no uncertain
> terms a couple of years ago, that he was being switched to a
> "part-time hourly wage" so that Clear Channel could legally
> cancel his health benefits. Ivers, a fine, workmanlike jock
> and very knowledgeable music director, was always a bit
> testy with co-workers and listeners. After the "part-time"
> switch, he sounded like a beaten man. His work on air got
> even more mechanical and his attempts at sounding happy and
> bright sounded even less sincere than before. Now this. It
> is sickening.
> All of you young people reading this: Prepare another
> career to ease into around the age of 45, because regardless
> of years of service, track record, or work ethic, you will
> be tossed out like yesterday's garbage.

Hey, CC's KIIS-FM in LA-LA-land dumped Rick Dees for Ryan Seacrest last year. And this was DESPITE 1) Rick being at KIIS for 22 years, and 2) Rick getting solid ratings in AMD. He was just too old. And it's set a very DISTURBING tone.

I've known about Mike being shafted into part-time status for some time. If people ask my why I'm gearing for a career in library sciences now, here's the answer. The world of radio (and posting on this site) is nothing more than a hobby now. Working for CC would anhiliate any sense of enthuasium for me.

(BTW, Mike, if you can read this, if I were able to program a station, I'd get you on-board. And you would be treated properly... ;)

> Look, Chuck is a good guy and a good fit for MJI. But to
> have a jock on one station in midday, and then the same jock
> on another station in afternoon drive further blurs the
> lines between the brands and allows Clear Channel to
> de-emphasise the contributions of the air personality to the
> specific appeal of the radio station. It also muddys up any
> ratings incentive package for the jock, since many listeners
> will confuse the stations. Naturally, this does not matter
> to ownership who wins regardless, bit I know for a fact that
> it has completely demoralized the programmers and talent who
> no longer have a clear way to measure individual performance
> and justify their jobs.
>
> It is truly sad when two of the top-rated, most profitable
> stations in the city are reduced to having the same person
> doing two different, prime shifts like mid day and afternoon
> drive. This is pure small-minded, small-market crap.
> Maybe they should just follow through completely, and reduce
> the entire building to 4 on-air hosts, and have each one
> voice-track for 4 or 5 shows for four or five of their
> Cleveland stations.

It's done with traffic reporting operations. Just think: at Metro, there's a "Elizabeth Rhodes," a "Libby Roads," and a "Linda Dawson." All are the same person; I don't know who she really is.

Likewise, there's a "Mike Gallagher" who, last I checked, was a weekender at WMVX/106.5. But at Metro, he's "Mike Stephens," "Mike Bailey," "Mike Kessler," (no relation to Karen, I hope!) and "Don Vernom."

I'm pretty confident that "Meltzer, Metheny, Dewey, Cheatem & Howe" at 6200 Oaktree are thinking along these lines. Bank on it.

> If these giant, massivly profitable
> stations need to squeeze nickles that badly, something is
> seriously wrong with either their business model, their
> morality or both.

I keep thinking that there's some even darker reason, but I'll concur with you on the existing two points. Something's rotten in the state of Denmark.

- nate81<P ID="signature">______________
Nathan Obral
University Partnership Representative: LCCC Student Senate, Elyria, Ohio

The Morning Love with Mark and Sarah - Fridays 9AM EDT on Duck Radio!</P>
 
Re: The type of move that makes me go for a different career (as if I didn't need any prodding!)

IIRC (from "RadioDaze"), wasn't Mike Ivers the morning man during the very, very early days of WMMS? Somewhere around '68 perhaps?


> > This is shameful. According to insiders at Oak Tree,
> Ivers,
> > who has some medical challenges, was told in no uncertain
> > terms a couple of years ago, that he was being switched to
> a
> > "part-time hourly wage" so that Clear Channel could
> legally
> > cancel his health benefits. Ivers, a fine, workmanlike
> jock
> > and very knowledgeable music director, was always a bit
> > testy with co-workers and listeners. After the
> "part-time"
> > switch, he sounded like a beaten man. His work on air got
>
> > even more mechanical and his attempts at sounding happy
> and
> > bright sounded even less sincere than before. Now this.
> It
> > is sickening.
> > All of you young people reading this: Prepare another
> > career to ease into around the age of 45, because
> regardless
> > of years of service, track record, or work ethic, you will
>
> > be tossed out like yesterday's garbage.
>
> Hey, CC's KIIS-FM in LA-LA-land dumped Rick Dees for Ryan
> Seacrest last year. And this was DESPITE 1) Rick being at
> KIIS for 22 years, and 2) Rick getting solid ratings in AMD.
> He was just too old. And it's set a very DISTURBING tone.
>
> I've known about Mike being shafted into part-time status
> for some time. If people ask my why I'm gearing for a career
> in library sciences now, here's the answer. The world of
> radio (and posting on this site) is nothing more than a
> hobby now. Working for CC would anhiliate any sense of
> enthuasium for me.
>
> (BTW, Mike, if you can read this, if I were able to program
> a station, I'd get you on-board. And you would be treated
> properly... ;)
>
> > Look, Chuck is a good guy and a good fit for MJI. But to
> > have a jock on one station in midday, and then the same
> jock
> > on another station in afternoon drive further blurs the
> > lines between the brands and allows Clear Channel to
> > de-emphasise the contributions of the air personality to
> the
> > specific appeal of the radio station. It also muddys up
> any
> > ratings incentive package for the jock, since many
> listeners
> > will confuse the stations. Naturally, this does not
> matter
> > to ownership who wins regardless, bit I know for a fact
> that
> > it has completely demoralized the programmers and talent
> who
> > no longer have a clear way to measure individual
> performance
> > and justify their jobs.
> >
> > It is truly sad when two of the top-rated, most profitable
>
> > stations in the city are reduced to having the same person
>
> > doing two different, prime shifts like mid day and
> afternoon
> > drive. This is pure small-minded, small-market crap.
> > Maybe they should just follow through completely, and
> reduce
> > the entire building to 4 on-air hosts, and have each one
> > voice-track for 4 or 5 shows for four or five of their
> > Cleveland stations.
>
> It's done with traffic reporting operations. Just think: at
> Metro, there's a "Elizabeth Rhodes," a "Libby Roads," and a
> "Linda Dawson." All are the same person; I don't know who
> she really is.
>
> Likewise, there's a "Mike Gallagher" who, last I checked,
> was a weekender at WMVX/106.5. But at Metro, he's "Mike
> Stephens," "Mike Bailey," "Mike Kessler," (no relation to
> Karen, I hope!) and "Don Vernom."
>
> I'm pretty confident that "Meltzer, Metheny, Dewey, Cheatem
> & Howe" at 6200 Oaktree are thinking along these lines. Bank
> on it.
>
> > If these giant, massivly profitable
> > stations need to squeeze nickles that badly, something is
> > seriously wrong with either their business model, their
> > morality or both.
>
> I keep thinking that there's some even darker reason, but
> I'll concur with you on the existing two points. Something's
> rotten in the state of Denmark.
>
> - nate81
>
 
Yeah.....Mike got the shaft.....

But you CANNOT continually treat listeners like crap....

I actually heard him tell a listener who asked if they "Had any Elvis?"

"OF COURSE WE DO...jack**s...you think we threw out his records?!?!?"

I don't have any sympathy for someone who treats listeners this way.








> > Replaces Mike Ivers, who once again, has been shown poor
> and
> > shabby treatment by Clear Channel--especially after
> serving
> > the area so long, and as a capable MD for many many years.
>
>
> This is shameful. According to insiders at Oak Tree, Ivers,
> who has some medical challenges, was told in no uncertain
> terms a couple of years ago, that he was being switched to a
> "part-time hourly wage" so that Clear Channel could legally
> cancel his health benefits. Ivers, a fine, workmanlike jock
> and very knowledgeable music director, was always a bit
> testy with co-workers and listeners. After the "part-time"
> switch, he sounded like a beaten man. His work on air got
> even more mechanical and his attempts at sounding happy and
> bright sounded even less sincere than before. Now this. It
> is sickening.
> All of you young people reading this: Prepare another
> career to ease into around the age of 45, because regardless
> of years of service, track record, or work ethic, you will
> be tossed out like yesterday's garbage.
>
> >
> > This follows CC's deplorable treatment of Ivers a few
> years
> > back when they took him off salary and made him an hourly
> > employee, so as to relieve themselves of the health
> > insurance costs (which insurance he needed--I won't say
> any
> > more, out of privacy).
>
> That's right.
>
> >
> > But, congrats to Chuck Collier, another warrior in town.
> > He's on Majic mid-days, and still has his PMD gig on WGAR.
>
> > Are both live? Or does he VT Majic? (He's live this
> > afternoon on WGAR).
> >
> > And it's ironic that Chuck's back playing some of the hits
>
> > he played when he was on The Big 1220--WGAR, when those
> > songs were new!
> >
>
> Look, Chuck is a good guy and a good fit for MJI. But to
> have a jock on one station in midday, and then the same jock
> on another station in afternoon drive further blurs the
> lines between the brands and allows Clear Channel to
> de-emphasise the contributions of the air personality to the
> specific appeal of the radio station. It also muddys up any
> ratings incentive package for the jock, since many listeners
> will confuse the stations. Naturally, this does not matter
> to ownership who wins regardless, bit I know for a fact that
> it has completely demoralized the programmers and talent who
> no longer have a clear way to measure individual performance
> and justify their jobs.
>
> It is truly sad when two of the top-rated, most profitable
> stations in the city are reduced to having the same person
> doing two different, prime shifts like mid day and afternoon
> drive. This is pure small-minded, small-market crap.
> Maybe they should just follow through completely, and reduce
> the entire building to 4 on-air hosts, and have each one
> voice-track for 4 or 5 shows for four or five of their
> Cleveland stations. If these giant, massivly profitable
> stations need to squeeze nickles that badly, something is
> seriously wrong with either their business model, their
> morality or both.
>
 
Re: The type of move that makes me go for a different career (as if I didn't need any prodding!)

> IIRC (from "RadioDaze"), wasn't Mike Ivers the morning man
> during the very, very early days of WMMS? Somewhere around
> '68 perhaps?

No, that would have been Rick D'Amico.

Ivers was at WMJI in their Gold/AC days of the early 1980s. He was there from about 1982 to 1988, when he moved to WGAR.

He moved BACK to Majic when Skippy (Ivers' old PD originally at Majic in the 80s) took over at WMJI in 2001.
 
Re: The type of move that makes me go for a different career (as if I didn't need any prodding!)

> > IIRC (from "RadioDaze"), wasn't Mike Ivers the morning man
>
> > during the very, very early days of WMMS? Somewhere
> around
> > '68 perhaps?
>
> No, that would have been Rick D'Amico.
>
> Ivers was at WMJI in their Gold/AC days of the early 1980s.
> He was there from about 1982 to 1988, when he moved to WGAR.
>
>
> He moved BACK to Majic when Skippy (Ivers' old PD originally
> at Majic in the 80s) took over at WMJI in 2001.
>

I believe, and it's been some years...I get years screwed up...I believe 1989/90 WMJI PD Joel Lind, now head of CC's research arm Critical Mass Media, was released in favor of John Gorman. Gorman eventually brought future wife Ravenna Miceli up from WRQK/Canton to do overnights at WMJI. Didn't last long, a month or so I think. Ravenna soon replaced Mike Ivers in middays where she would rule until Summer of 97 when she left to for Detroit. I believe after his first stint at WMJI Ivers went to WQMX for a number of years before getting on WGAR in the mid 90's.<P ID="signature">______________
Everyone is entitled to my opinion.</P>
 
Re: The type of move that makes me go for a different career (as if I didn't need any prodding!)

> I believe, and it's been some years...I get years screwed
> up...I believe 1989/90 WMJI PD Joel Lind, now head of CC's
> research arm Critical Mass Media, was released in favor of
> John Gorman. Gorman eventually brought future wife Ravenna
> Miceli up from WRQK/Canton to do overnights at WMJI. Didn't
> last long, a month or so I think. Ravenna soon replaced Mike
> Ivers in middays where she would rule until Summer of 97
> when she left to for Detroit. I believe after his first
> stint at WMJI Ivers went to WQMX for a number of years
> before getting on WGAR in the mid 90's.
>

Do you mean Danny Wright, who worked for WQMX in Akron, before moving to WGAR?

He worked for GM Thom Mandel at WQMX. Oddly, Thom is also a WGAR alum. He was the AM "program director" in the mid-80's. Actually, he was the guy they hired after it became clear that FM airstaff could not run their own shows, and keep clearing constant alarms from the two BE carousel machines. The station was attempting to economize by running a full day's spot load into just two carousels, and had to be re-loaded several times a day. Mandel told then-GM Harold Hinson that wouldn't take the job unless the station agreed to purchase two more carousels. He then proceeded to write his own software to assign carts to the four carousels, so that no one machine was called program to play back-to-back spots in one break.

And now Thom is a GM, Danny's got his own network show, and Ivers is on the beach.

Hey Johnny...you know about these things. Should Ivers see a lawyer about trying to get CC to compensate him for lost benefits, after turning him into an hourly wage slave but keeping his duties essentially the same? Does the term "bad faith" have any usefullness here?
 
Poison Ivers...by the Kevin Metheny Trio

> Hey Johnny...you know about these things. Should Ivers see a
> lawyer about trying to get CC to compensate him for lost
> benefits, after turning him into an hourly wage slave but
> keeping his duties essentially the same? Does the term "bad
> faith" have any usefullness here?
>

I'm not qualified to give legal advice in the state of Ohio.

However, I'm as qualified as many law professors, who have the same degree I do, to teach the law...so here goes. But I won't kid you--I know almost nothing about employment discrimination and ERISA-benefits systems. Never the less...

An avenue I thought of was Ivers having a claim for age discrimination--but then, he was replaced by Chuck Collier, who is about the same age. So that doesn't work at all.

Ohio is an at-will employment state, as we probably all know (any of us ever been fired?) Therefore, an employee can be terminated without cause, at the whim of the employer.

Without cause is a misnomer--it's not as clear-cut and definitive as the words make it out to mean. Without cause means only that you need not state a reason for firing a person, so long as the termination is not for bad faith.

Bad faith is hard to define--but as my contracts professor said, we don't know what it is, but we know it isn't good faith. Essentially, a bad faith termination would be one where the firing was under the banner of without cause--but in fact the employer had a bad or nefarious purpose in doing so (perhaps discrimination or a racist motive).

I'm not sure we have that here. It sucks what CC has done, jerking Ivers around like this. But they are allowed, under law, to change and revise the pay system for its employees (like taking someone off salary and making them hourly without benefits, unless a contract said otherwise). He wasn't fired; he kept the same basic position on-air; and was given more responsibilities. In fact, CC could make the argument that they were being kind and considerate of his situation.
 
Re: The type of move that makes me go for a different career (as if I didn't need any prodding!)

> No, that would have been Rick D'Amico.

The same guy who is currently co-host
of the 5-9am morning news 'n' fluff
show on KSAZ-TV Phoenix (Fox O&O)?
 
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