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Cumulus just keeps on giving

A

atwater kent

Guest
ATLANTA -- April 29, 2009: Cumulus and Cumulus Media Partners are requiring all employees, including management, to take five days of unpaid furlough between May 1 and June 30. The news was given to employees in a company-wide conference call this morning.
 
It sure sounds like Cumulus is following Clear Channels lead, lock stock and barrel. I wonder who be the first one to file bankruptcy?
 
microbob said:
It sure sounds like Cumulus is following Clear Channels lead, lock stock and barrel. I wonder who be the first one to file bankruptcy?
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You couldn’t invent a more-interesting form of the lottery from that question, microbob – but I’ll bet a thousand bucks on “The Cloud” dissipating first. It’s little more than hot air destined to be replaced by a painfully-stalled cold front. CCU has spent an inordinate amount of time constructing a scenario that allows them to hang-around – at God-knows who’s expense.
 
I might add that CCU Cincy appears to have a few gold coins in their bag—WLW and WKRC. When is the last time you saw a couple AM stations with a #1/#2 punch in an ARB? ...20 years ago? 550 and 700 are LOADED with “quality” spot placements [discounting the humorous: “You don’t have to be a rock star to sleep with me” male enhancement commercials that constantly-populate WLW ;D ...Hey, they ARE the “male locker room station” [yea baby]... Nonetheless, they have to be attracting some serious cash... Deservingly so! For the most part, when in town, I’m “exclusive cume” for WLW from 9AM to 6PM – I prefer Brian Thomas on 55KRC mornings, though. I just bought a new car and haven’t yet bothered to set the FM radio presets – NOTHING in that “wasteland”, but I’m sure there are no shortage of yutes that cume 107.1, and WEBN is a given. In the interest of intellectual honesty, CCU appears to be doing a good job in the Cincinnati market.
 
hipporadio said:
I might add that CCU Cincy appears to have a few gold coins in their bag—WLW and WKRC. When is the last time you saw a couple AM stations with a #1/#2 punch in an ARB? ...20 years ago? 550 and 700 are LOADED with “quality” spot placements [discounting the humorous: “You don’t have to be a rock star to sleep with me” male enhancement commercials that constantly-populate WLW ;D ...Hey, they ARE the “male locker room station” [yea baby]... Nonetheless, they have to be attracting some serious cash... Deservingly so! For the most part, when in town, I’m “exclusive cume” for WLW from 9AM to 6PM – I prefer Brian Thomas on 55KRC mornings, though. I just bought a new car and haven’t yet bothered to set the FM radio presets – NOTHING in that “wasteland”, but I’m sure there are no shortage of yutes that cume 107.1, and WEBN is a given. In the interest of intellectual honesty, CCU appears to be doing a good job in the Cincinnati market.
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There is no doubt that WLW and WKRC, along with some of the other members of the Cincinnati cluster make serious revenue for the company. However, simple logic dictates that even that serious revenue is not enough to float the expenses of 900-some stations.

Add to it, reports from at least one financial group today the company is having "serious" cash flow issues.

I won't attempt to predict what will happen - but the next few months are gonna be very interesting to watch.
 
So I guess CCU needs to sell the Fargo and Somerset clusters [and a few more], and become stable from the superlative efforts of their stations in markets like Cincy! ...Sounds way to simple to me [but then I don’t have multiple MBAs] :D
 
‘Seems to this non-MBA, that CCU may need to shed some radio stations - rather than QUALITY EMPLOYEES. I once worked with a guy who was “side-by-side” with Senior Lowery in San Antonio, TX [KITY/KOMO] – his name was Ted Stecker – I met him while working at Notre Dame University... One night while enjoying a six-pack on his steps, he told me that HE LOVED CLEAR CHANNEL in his days with them... ‘Left only ‘cause he was a ND fan and decided to take-on a challenge there. GREAT RADIO GUY, and told me that [back in those days], Clear Channel was considered to be the finest radio group one could work for... Something went terribly wrong, folks :'(
 
hipporadio said:
[back in those days], Clear Channel was considered to be the finest radio group one could work for... Something went terribly wrong, folks :'(
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Wow, that's the first time I've ever heard THAT! :eek: In my long career in radio, CC has always had a reputation as being the worst company in the business to work for -- a company that literally hated its employees because they took money that the owners felt was rightfully theirs. And that goes back to the days when it was a small group in Texas.
 
" Ted Stecker " theres a name I have not heard in quite awhile ! I worked for him at the Old KIX 94
Country ( WSAI FM ) early 80's...He was married to Doris Stecker ( who was also on the air ). I can
remember the Friday air-check meetings in his office with the empty Diet Pepsi cans , and him wearing
jeans all the time . Like he was still in San Antonio. The guy was nervous all the time I worked for him;
I don't know why. He was the Consultant ( GOD ) ...... He is dead ------- I guess you know !
Never heard him mention CC ; in fact CC was not around at that time----maybe it was JACOR ! NO
CC in that time period. The San Antonio stations mentioned were owned by Jack Roth - not CC.
Fish
 
Clear Channel and Cumulus- Better living through greed.

(Powell Crosley and Ruth Lyons would have been extremely abhorred!)
 
kirkiefan said:
Clear Channel and Cumulus- Better living through greed.

(Powell Crosley and Ruth Lyons would have been extremely abhorred!)
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By now, Mr. Crosley would have been forced out in a management shuffle...and Ruth would have been replaced by reruns of "Deal Or No Deal" due to cost overruns with the 50/50 club...
 
Due to Clear Channel budget cuts the 50/50 Club would be renamed the 20/20 Club. Cliff Lash would lose the band and simply become a solo act with an accordian and a drum machine. Since Reds players would be too expensive to bring on as guests you'd see a steady stream of Dragons players. Bob Braun would be replaced by the fourth guy voted off the most recent season of American Idol. To increase money from product placement, Ruth would be forced to wear hats with the store tag still attached (similar to Minnie Pearl). The last half hour of the show would be a replay of the first half hour. And the entire show on radio would be a forced play in all markets through the Premium service. ;D
 
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