Word is trickling out that earlier today, Entercom let several staffers go in a number of departments. If this is true, it follows a discouraging trend over the last few days.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Cuts at Entercom Buffalo
- Thread starter Radknowski
- Start date
O
observer11
Guest
heard the same thing...heard multiple casualties including entire Lake on-air staff and rumored others as well
As I posted a few days ago in the Regent thread, November seems to be the month when Entercom prunes the vines. Called a friend at Entercom Buffalo and she was "unavailable." It took a third party in Rochester to confirm that the Buffalo rumors were true, the entire Lake airstaff and Brian B. Wilde of Kiss were terminated earlier today (Friday, 11/9), however, Hank Dole remains as Lake PD. None of this bodes well.
-9-
-9-
Slicing and Dicing
If Entercom's cutting because profits fell, what the Hell is Citadel going to do? At least Entercom is still making a profit. According to R&R, Citadel's "acquisition" of ABC brought a loss of nearly half a BILLION dollars during the quarter. They would have made money, but the company wrote off $495-million, saying that the book value of some of the assets aren't worth what was paid for them.
The most chilling note is that Citadel "identified several ABC markets and legacy Citadel markets that are underperforming irrespective of market conditions." Since Citadel just reported these results today, some folks at James E. Casey Drive might be in for a less than joyous holiday season.
Once again, I agree with the view that cutting programming further is the most short-sighted of solutions to falling revenues. When will those high-paid "experts" figure out that poor programming yields poor ratings and revenue results?
If Entercom's cutting because profits fell, what the Hell is Citadel going to do? At least Entercom is still making a profit. According to R&R, Citadel's "acquisition" of ABC brought a loss of nearly half a BILLION dollars during the quarter. They would have made money, but the company wrote off $495-million, saying that the book value of some of the assets aren't worth what was paid for them.
The most chilling note is that Citadel "identified several ABC markets and legacy Citadel markets that are underperforming irrespective of market conditions." Since Citadel just reported these results today, some folks at James E. Casey Drive might be in for a less than joyous holiday season.
Once again, I agree with the view that cutting programming further is the most short-sighted of solutions to falling revenues. When will those high-paid "experts" figure out that poor programming yields poor ratings and revenue results?
brian b wilde, was cut/let go, from entercom buffalo ?!?!
-Seriously,!?, he was still with entercom-Buffalo!?
i must have turned off my "intercom"(sorry), because
i havent even heard his voice,name, or anything
(here on the boards, on-aire, in a promo, c/o B.B.Wilde, etc,etc)
*at all* in the calender year of 2007, sincerely, last
i heard, mid-2005 or so, he headed north(sorry,'nother bad pun)
or he was at erie's-star 104(again)! he still was in this market,
hmm...shows ya how much noise, entercom let him make...
Too bad , he was one of the good ones...
like that tom petty song,
"THE LAST DJ" b-b-wild, is the last dj,
from my fave. years of wkse-FM.*maybe, add
dj-anthony to the list; but he was on over nites
when (to me) kiss 98.5 had its best years!!
sure, the "newbies"(the 2000+)way of saying
the new-school 'kids' have come along, but
it's official: that station, is a new-generation chr...
for the next wave of college drop outs, and
your kid's -kids, station.. ( hear that morning show)!
-Seriously,!?, he was still with entercom-Buffalo!?
i must have turned off my "intercom"(sorry), because
i havent even heard his voice,name, or anything
(here on the boards, on-aire, in a promo, c/o B.B.Wilde, etc,etc)
*at all* in the calender year of 2007, sincerely, last
i heard, mid-2005 or so, he headed north(sorry,'nother bad pun)
or he was at erie's-star 104(again)! he still was in this market,
hmm...shows ya how much noise, entercom let him make...
Too bad , he was one of the good ones...
like that tom petty song,
"THE LAST DJ" b-b-wild, is the last dj,
from my fave. years of wkse-FM.*maybe, add
dj-anthony to the list; but he was on over nites
when (to me) kiss 98.5 had its best years!!
sure, the "newbies"(the 2000+)way of saying
the new-school 'kids' have come along, but
it's official: that station, is a new-generation chr...
for the next wave of college drop outs, and
your kid's -kids, station.. ( hear that morning show)!
Radknowski said:Word is trickling out that earlier today, Entercom let several staffers go in a number of departments. If this is true, it follows a discouraging trend over the last few days.
Sometimes cuts are a way of trimming fat.
Sometimes cuts are a way to mortgage your future.
Depends on the cut.
Ouch.
Does this mean a format change is coming to 107.7?
(one the current pd can also maintain, since he wasn't let go...)
Or does it just mean more of the same as an automated format?
Does this mean a format change is coming to 107.7?
(one the current pd can also maintain, since he wasn't let go...)
Or does it just mean more of the same as an automated format?
Yeziknoradio said:Ouch.
Does this mean a format change is coming to 107.7?
(one the current pd can also maintain, since he wasn't let go...)
Or does it just mean more of the same as an automated format?
It probably won't make a difference whether it's automated or not ratings-wise. The Lake had a 2.8 the last book, not too bad. I'm not sure if they can do much better than that with another format. Would oldies be easier to sell perhaps? It probably wouldn't be worth the hassle of another re-launch.
The Swamp
I doubt that The Lake will change formats. If Dank Hole is still there, they'll just go back to their automated beginnings. The severe restrictions and stilted delivery of their jocks didn't add much value to the presentation anyway. Remember, 107.7 was purchased as a flanker for Kiss and Star. If a 2.8, and minimal expenses, gets them to the break-even point, Entercom is happy.
Once again, we're seeing a failure of Entercom's local management to create and promote a viable product. Freshening The Lake's approach instead of letting Dole continue to run the same chirping crickets, lapping water, and other annoyances year after year might have yielded better results. They had some decent talent. Freeing them up and letting them do a better job of adding value to the content might also have helped.
I doubt that The Lake will change formats. If Dank Hole is still there, they'll just go back to their automated beginnings. The severe restrictions and stilted delivery of their jocks didn't add much value to the presentation anyway. Remember, 107.7 was purchased as a flanker for Kiss and Star. If a 2.8, and minimal expenses, gets them to the break-even point, Entercom is happy.
Once again, we're seeing a failure of Entercom's local management to create and promote a viable product. Freshening The Lake's approach instead of letting Dole continue to run the same chirping crickets, lapping water, and other annoyances year after year might have yielded better results. They had some decent talent. Freeing them up and letting them do a better job of adding value to the content might also have helped.
But even after all the cuts they still have two GM's. Plenty of money there to pay both of them.
Be Careful What You Wish For
You don't really want Greg Ried in charge of EVERYTHING, do you? We know what's happened to the quality of the programming on the AMs under his reign. The Lake was also part of his domain during its formative years.
TVJunkie12 said:But even after all the cuts they still have two GM's. Plenty of money there to pay both of them.
You don't really want Greg Ried in charge of EVERYTHING, do you? We know what's happened to the quality of the programming on the AMs under his reign. The Lake was also part of his domain during its formative years.
Might as well keep doing what they're doing with that wonderful $10 million signal. Country, oldies, classic hits, hip-hop, urban? A case could be made for country, but in the end it's the same potatoes, different bag.
You mentioned oldies. Even though we all feel David Field doesn't like oldies, I think it would still be a possibility. No oldies in Buffalo or Rochester. Oldies has a built in large and loyal audiance. Outdated format? I don't think so, look at CBS-FM. In Rochester
it would shave a few points off A. C. WRMM, which seems to be the oldies station in the market by defaualt. That would make Entercom owned WBEE look better. The downside: they would have to hire an air staff to actually be a force in the market. Now, I am talking a late 60's 70's early 80's oldies format. That would give them a strong 35-54 showing in both Buffalo & Rochester.
You mentioned oldies. Even though we all feel David Field doesn't like oldies, I think it would still be a possibility. No oldies in Buffalo or Rochester. Oldies has a built in large and loyal audiance. Outdated format? I don't think so, look at CBS-FM. In Rochester
it would shave a few points off A. C. WRMM, which seems to be the oldies station in the market by defaualt. That would make Entercom owned WBEE look better. The downside: they would have to hire an air staff to actually be a force in the market. Now, I am talking a late 60's 70's early 80's oldies format. That would give them a strong 35-54 showing in both Buffalo & Rochester.
I've been thinking about this a lot since I was informed of this mass firing on Friday afternoon. I have some reflections I'd like to share. First, radio has always been a harsh business. My first memory of just how harsh was when Fred Klestine was let go so KB could hire WYSL's morning man, Jack Sheridan. But back then, it appears personnel changes were made for competitive reasons. KB was able to hire a key person from its main competitor. And as we all know, Fred immediately bounced back and had a stellar career at WADV before enjoying more success at WBUF.
But today, people aren't fired to make a station better. They're let go to save money. And as other people have noted in this thread, the short-term savings will eventually give way to audience loss and even more of a profit loss. Granted, the Lake announcers didn't set the world on fire. But I often learned something from them about the music they were playing. And I suppose there is no good time to be fired. But just two weeks before Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season seems especially heartless.
A pox on Entercom. A pox on Regent. A pox on Citadel. (I know I'm starting to sound like Mary Kunz Goodman!) I know I'm stating the obvious. But these companies are killing our industry. I don't want to hear from the couple of apologists out there who occasionally defend these companies. They're killing radio. I count my blessings every day that I don't work for one of these companies. I can't imagine the stress those of you who are are under. Many of you are already underpaid for the most part. And I can't imagine going to work every day wondering if you'll be leaving at day's end on the unemployment rolls.
What galls me even more is that these decisions are coming from suits in corporate headquarters in other cities. I read in another post that Citadel is bleeding money because of its ABC Radio acquistion. Well, my question is why did Citadel make this acquisition if it didn't have the financial means to see it through?
Where have you gone Larry Levitte? The only solution I see for our industry to survive is a return to local ownership. And that's easier said than done given the inflated prices these corporate owners would be selling their stations for.
I'm just so disgusted by what I'm seeing.
But today, people aren't fired to make a station better. They're let go to save money. And as other people have noted in this thread, the short-term savings will eventually give way to audience loss and even more of a profit loss. Granted, the Lake announcers didn't set the world on fire. But I often learned something from them about the music they were playing. And I suppose there is no good time to be fired. But just two weeks before Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season seems especially heartless.
A pox on Entercom. A pox on Regent. A pox on Citadel. (I know I'm starting to sound like Mary Kunz Goodman!) I know I'm stating the obvious. But these companies are killing our industry. I don't want to hear from the couple of apologists out there who occasionally defend these companies. They're killing radio. I count my blessings every day that I don't work for one of these companies. I can't imagine the stress those of you who are are under. Many of you are already underpaid for the most part. And I can't imagine going to work every day wondering if you'll be leaving at day's end on the unemployment rolls.
What galls me even more is that these decisions are coming from suits in corporate headquarters in other cities. I read in another post that Citadel is bleeding money because of its ABC Radio acquistion. Well, my question is why did Citadel make this acquisition if it didn't have the financial means to see it through?
Where have you gone Larry Levitte? The only solution I see for our industry to survive is a return to local ownership. And that's easier said than done given the inflated prices these corporate owners would be selling their stations for.
I'm just so disgusted by what I'm seeing.
O
observer11
Guest
Radio_bored-Op said:brian b wilde, was cut/let go, from entercom buffalo ?!?!
-Seriously,!?, he was still with entercom-Buffalo!?
i must have turned off my "intercom"(sorry), because
i havent even heard his voice,name, or anything
(here on the boards, on-aire, in a promo, c/o B.B.Wilde, etc,etc)
*at all* in the calender year of 2007, sincerely, last
i heard, mid-2005 or so, he headed north(sorry,'nother bad pun)
or he was at erie's-star 104(again)! he still was in this market,
hmm...shows ya how much noise, entercom let him make...
Too bad , he was one of the good ones...
like that tom petty song,
"THE LAST DJ" b-b-wild, is the last dj,
from my fave. years of wkse-FM.*maybe, add
dj-anthony to the list; but he was on over nites
when (to me) kiss 98.5 had its best years!!
sure, the "newbies"(the 2000+)way of saying
the new-school 'kids' have come along, but
it's official: that station, is a new-generation chr...
for the next wave of college drop outs, and
your kid's -kids, station.. ( hear that morning show)!
surprising, knew he was still around under sue o'neil but a very talented programmer who survived universal/inverstigations/jimmy steele. so disappointing for radio and you wonder why you have untalented people who are on the air and programming stations. force out veteran talented jocks/programmers for rookies anxious to make their 20 grand a year. good luck brian, lake staff.
(Dim) Ray of Hope
The only, albeit dim, light on the horizon is that Clear Channel is again leading the way to divestiture of "underperforming" radio properties. Their vision of "regional synergies" turned out to be flawed, and they've sold off hundreds of stations in smaller markets. The CC cluster in Utica went for less money than Lowry Mays spends on suits in a year. In many cases, stations were sold off for considerably less than CC paid for them in the first place.
The days of constantly inflating radio station prices may be over. The threat of new technologies - from MP3 to Internet radio to satellite to cell phone audio to who-knows-what's-next - has spooked the get-rich-quick types who treat radio like late-night infomercial purveyors treat low-budget real estate. If we're lucky, they'll move on to pork-belly futures, wind power, or ethanol as the next big money-maker.
We're likely to see a lot more local group owners. They may not be more enlightened, but they at least may be close enough to feel the pressure from local advertisers and listeners to present LOCAL product tailored for a LOCAL audience. Otherwise, what's the point of tuning in a local AM/FM/HD station when you can get syndicated content directly from the source?
Philip_Airtime said:The only solution I see for our industry to survive is a return to local ownership. And that's easier said than done given the inflated prices these corporate owners would be selling their stations for.
The only, albeit dim, light on the horizon is that Clear Channel is again leading the way to divestiture of "underperforming" radio properties. Their vision of "regional synergies" turned out to be flawed, and they've sold off hundreds of stations in smaller markets. The CC cluster in Utica went for less money than Lowry Mays spends on suits in a year. In many cases, stations were sold off for considerably less than CC paid for them in the first place.
The days of constantly inflating radio station prices may be over. The threat of new technologies - from MP3 to Internet radio to satellite to cell phone audio to who-knows-what's-next - has spooked the get-rich-quick types who treat radio like late-night infomercial purveyors treat low-budget real estate. If we're lucky, they'll move on to pork-belly futures, wind power, or ethanol as the next big money-maker.
We're likely to see a lot more local group owners. They may not be more enlightened, but they at least may be close enough to feel the pressure from local advertisers and listeners to present LOCAL product tailored for a LOCAL audience. Otherwise, what's the point of tuning in a local AM/FM/HD station when you can get syndicated content directly from the source?
Y'know, it occurs that The Lake has taken a page from the Jack playbook, so I onder if Entercom will rename the station?
Jake 107 point 7 ?
;D
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming, already in progress. Resume seriousness.
Jake 107 point 7 ?
;D
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming, already in progress. Resume seriousness.
Re: (Dim) Ray of Hope
Seems whenever a company is striving towards a buzzword or phrase, they eventually fall flat.
Old school all the way, baby. Old school.
SirRoxalot said:"regional synergies"
Seems whenever a company is striving towards a buzzword or phrase, they eventually fall flat.
Old school all the way, baby. Old school.
Well now, it sounds to me like it's a bottom line issue.
Would Fickle work in Buffalo?
All they would need to do is to borrow the Rochester Fickle playlist.
No MD in Buffalo needed...perhaps even no PD needed...(?)
Would Fickle work in Buffalo?
All they would need to do is to borrow the Rochester Fickle playlist.
No MD in Buffalo needed...perhaps even no PD needed...(?)
- Status
- This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.