Complainers: Ever Change Formats in 4 Days?

[NamJock]

I did. As PD, I’d been begging the GM and owner for months to let me make the swap. Good-sized medium market. Big signal FM. From CHR to AOR. Huge hole. Two other CHRs. One AM AOR. No brainer.

Got word early Thursday. “Have it on the air Monday morning.”

“What!?”

“Sure, big guy, you can do it.”

We got started. Me and the other Jox started bringing in LPs (yes, LPs) from home. Had to label every one so we could get them back to the original owner as we replaced them. Started making a playlist, rotations, promos, new sound. Couldn’t call the labels, because we’d tip off the competition.

Only one jock had to be let go (he was just too hi-energy). He was a good guy and I had to try to find him a job during all this, without letting the cat out. Had to run the old format right up to 5:59AM Monday. Everybody worked their butts off all weekend. I was so proud of my guys – and myself. We pulled it off.

Was it perfect? Far from it. Did I have all the airstaff in place sounding like I wanted? No way. Did it take a while to get it where I wanted it? You bet. (I’m starting to sound like Dick Cheney-can’t have that.)

But we did it and gradually the station came together and sounded pretty darn good. So, is there a point to this self-indulgence? Yup.

Give WCBS and the guys who are working their butts off right now, as you spend your weekend on a message board criticizing, a break. On top of everything else, they’ve got to do it at a union shop. ‘Course they’ve got a big city budget and CBS behind them. Still, it’s hard work – hard, hard work. (Now I sound like Cheney’s assistant, George - definitely can’t have that.)

As I write this, most of you will have to be back at work in about 12 hours. The guys at CBS have been plodding along all weekend – and will continue to plod for a while ‘til it’s all tuned up. It will never be complete, a radio station is always a work in progress. Some of them may have come on over to the board to see how people were reacting. Hope not, as they’d have been discouraged with all the whining.

BTW, a month later, after we’d killed ourselves and got it going, did the GM fire me, promote my Ass’t. PD (with no pay increase) and bring in a consultant with the money difference? It’s radio, of course he did!

So, how ‘bout it all you complainers: ever put a station on the air, especially under those circumstances? No? Then you have not earned the right to complain on this, or any other, message board about WCBS. Shut up, learn your craft and maybe one day you’ll have that privilege. Just keep your eyes peeled around day 30.

So, how 'bout it. Any of you done something similar? Share.

(...and if you should, by chance, recognize this story, just grin and keep it to yourself. It will be our secret - and I'd appreciate it. As you know, there were some fairly big names involved. Well, wait. Big names now, 'cause they've learned their craft in the mean time.)

 

[Shoot From Hip]

Please don't excuse corporate stupidity. Radio stations in major markets are multi-million dollar operations, and should be run as such. If an owner or company President suggests changing formats in a week's period of time, you get what you deserve (especially when you do it in the middle of a ratings period); I don't care how hard the team works to hit the deadline. And to suggest that an audience "bear with us" while we get the kinks out is just plain naive. The real world doesn't work that way. If you tell people you're ready for prime time, you ought to be ready for prime time. Sorry for the rant.

 

[NamJock]

You make an excellent and generally accurate point. Marketers constantly have to remind clients (under ordinary circumstances) not to present the product until it's ready. However in the case study I related, we had just finished and wouldn't again be rated for several weeks; and in the CBS switch, there are almost certainly reasons we'll never know about that may have had to do with competitive situations, contract renewals and a host of other things that made it acceptable to proceed with the station 99% ready to go.

I think many of the posters are picking nits and that 101 will get the few minor details ironed out pretty quickly. Remember, it wasn't current management (i.e. Dan Mason) who initiated Jack in the first place. As to "the middle of a ratings period," these days, with the exception of a few weeks Dec-Jan, we're always in the middle of a ratings period.

Having always believed and chanted a mantra that "...you don't get hurt by what you don't play." I think it's smart of them to be playing safe records right now and adding others as they test them - and that's what much of the posting was about over the weekend, nit-picking.

Thanks for your comment. You'll note that out of over 200 views, so far only you have had anything to say on the matter. Which tells me it's either a lousy post, or many of the complainers indeed "haven't been there."