Dee Alexander

[The Voice of Reason]

With all of the hoopla about the return of Brother Wease, I wonder when, or if, Rochester radio will see the return of Dee Alexander?
Lately Ms. Alexander has been doing TV commercials, but her radio career remains in limbo.
I've asked a couple of agency-types, along with broadcasting insiders, who believe that Alexander will eventually team up with Tony on an Entercom station. But then there are some in this group who believe there is the possibility that Entercom will let Dee's contract run out and just get rid of her; especially since Entercom's stock has taken such a beating. These same people think that Stephens Media might offer Tony a contract he can't refuse just to keep him from becoming a free agent.
Anyone want to offer their own opinions or observations?

 

[turmoil1000]

unless entercom is going to flip one of their urrent formats, they wouldn't have a spot for a possible tony and dee reunion. dee is doing morning traffic on sportsradio 950 right now i have absolutely no idea when her current contract expires. i know this isnt in the correct thread, but as a fan of radio and for someone not in the business i am ecstatic that wease is going to be back on the air on saturday. and i cant wait for the morning show to start, so i can hear some great old hippie bump music accompanied by some great story about plilly or woodstock or veitnam way back a generation or two ago.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

i am ecstatic that wease is going to be back on the air on saturday. and i cant wait for the morning show to start, so i can hear some great old hippie bump music accompanied by some great story about plilly or woodstock or veitnam way back a generation or two ago.

You think the suits at Clear Channel are going to let Wease play what ever music he wants? That program will be under the control of some lame-a$$ consultant from corporate. Wease may be coming back on the radio but it won't be the same Wease that started out at WCMF years ago.

 

[Bob1370]

"unless entercom is going to flip one of their current formats, they wouldn't have a spot for a possible tony and dee reunion"

Which leaves open the possibility of a retooling of Drive 100.5 into The New WVOR (a callsign Clear Channel has parked in a small upstate market for future use) and a reunion of Tony and Dee under the Clear Channel banner as soon as everyone's contracts have run out sometime in 2009. CC under its new corporate ownership has proved with the return of Wease that while it's not throwing money around uncontrollably, it's willing to spend selectively where it sees a chance to compete and win.

Drive is the biggest underperformer of all the full-market B's. It's hard to figure even what it's trying to be in its current incarnation--is it competing with Buzz? CMF? Zone? It's easy to imagine it retooled as the new WVOR, a gold-heavy upbeat personality AC station that stops somewhere short of being a hot AC, with Tony and Dee mornings, maybe Mike Vickers middays and Tom George in afternoons, a new-to-the-market voice 6-10 PM, syndicated or tracked late nights and overnights, and information elements (pulled from WHAM's newsroom) in both drivetimes to provide some full-service content for 35-54 listeners in the manner of the WVOR of the 80s. That would be a real challenger to Buzz, Warm 101 and even to some extent WBEE, but not overlap significantly with Fox or any other station in the CC stable.

 

[scooterodell]

I think Bob1370 is right the CC is the likeliest destination for both Tony and Dee, but a retooled 100.5 signal would not include so much local talent... probably just Tony and Dee and one other personality, who may or may not have any market history, with the rest VT or syndication. Or, as has been mentioned, Stephens may give Tony a contract he can't refuse, and Dee will be, well, left to scrape together whatever she can, much as she is now. If Entercom leaves her "on the shelf" long enough, and Tony's employer doesn't give her an offer, she may just become another forgotten part of Rochester's ever-growing out-of-radio talent pool.

 

[Mark Giardina]

While I never had the pleasure of meeting Dee, I know someone who did work with her and she had nothing but high praise.

Hopefully a scenario will work out so that Dee can return to radio and a job that she enjoys.

I wish her the best of luck.

 

[mimic001]

As an agency "type", I believe it will come down to how well Wease actually does in the rating book, and how Wease's show will adversely affect either/both WCMF and the Buzz.

Right now, there is a lot of overlap between the two stations (and the Arbitrons show the duplication). If Wease's show is successful AND can translate into total overall listener increases for Fox throughout the day, I see CMF flipping to a new format, possibly that middle of the road AC that is currently lacking in their station mix - the only problem, they may not want to cannibalize the BEE listenership.

At this point in time, CC has to prove itself with Wease, Entercom can sit back and wait for the time being. Part of Wease's mystique was his chemistry with Bill and Tommy. We'll see what happens with a new support team.

 

[bobn]

Have you seen the video on the fox website of Wease's new 'comic.' It's like old Crappy Dickie Goodman radio. Wease has a lot to prove, and CC is not going to staff new station fulltime. Hell, the fox afternoon women is from Miami or tampa or somewhere. Does anybody really think they have any money left in a recession to bring back vor?

 

[Mike_Saffran]

Stephens Media might offer Tony a contract he can't refuse just to keep him from becoming a free agent.
Anyone want to offer their own opinions or observations?

Revisiting this thread from last fall because I recently learned, on good authority, that discussions (possibly with a couple different groups) have taken place that ultimately could result in the reuniting of Tony and Dee.

I am generally not in the rumor-spreading business—and, in fact, previously dismissed original speculation about any reunion that might involve a jump because the statement quoted above by Voice of Reason seemed logical; however, according to a source, Tony (whose contract expires within the month, reportedly) and Dee have kept in close contact; and, the source adds, “A couple account execs believe they can do great combo buys.”

Just some mid-week board fodder...but it would be nice to hear them back together on Rochester airwaves.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

Revisiting this thread from last fall because I recently learned, on good authority, that discussions (possibly with a couple different groups) have taken place that ultimately could result in the reuniting of Tony and Dee.
I am generally not in the rumor-spreading business—and, in fact, previously dismissed original speculation about any reunion that might involve a jump because the statement quoted above by Voice of Reason seemed logical; however, according to a source, Tony (whose contract expires within the month, reportedly) and Dee have kept in close contact; and, the source adds, “A couple account execs believe they can do great combo buys.”
Just some mid-week board fodder...but it would be nice to hear them back together on Rochester airwaves.

Since first posting this item last November I've been constantly hearing from, possibly the same people as yourself, about reuniting Tony and Dee.
Some reason people I've spoken too believe that Clear Channel may play a key role in this. I know that Dee is contracted with Entercom, but since the no-compete clause decision, who knows what legal redress Alexander has?
Anyways look at it from this angle. Currently Clear Channel has Beth & Chet on WHAM, Wease on the FOX, so why not go for broke and bring Tony & Dee together on one of their fledgling FM stations?
I don't see Tony's current employer, Stephens Media, attempting to spend more money to keep Tony. From what I know Stephens has actually cut staff since taking over WRMM and the other two FM stations.
The only stumbling block in this equation of mine is the contract Dee has with Entercom.
She can't be happy just doing traffic for them. And since only she, and a few others, know when her contract expires with Entercom, her options could be either break the contract or wait until it expires.
One more thing to consider is that perhaps Entercom might desire having Tony and Dee together to host a morning show on one of their FM stations. With Dee already under contract with Entercom, and Tony's contract with Stephens about to expire, I wouldn't put it past Mike Doyle to come up with a plan of his own.

 

[heydaybegone]

Here's another "opinion" - hey, everyone's got em.
I did have the opportunity to work with the aforementioned team in the 80's. Here's some bullet points to consider. And I am NOT a legal beagle by any means. I'm also humble enough to realize there may be more "experience" out there.
* The present situation requires a "whatever it takes" move to improve
* The existance of a Non-Compete will require at least 6 - 8 months to even come to fruition. (so how soon can a cease & desist come into play?) Dang courts have zillions of them now.
* In the interim, wouldn't it make sense to "make hay while the sun shines"?
* Is either party (employer) ready to throw bucks they don't have at litigation? (That sounds like a principal, not financial move)
* Go for it!
*** Oh, and a twist from Entercom is interesting
Have at it-- legal feedback is assumed - since this seems to rides on Dee's dilema.

 

[qman]

Taking a look at the Entercom portfolio, i'm not sure Tony and Dee would fit anywhere. WBEE? Tony and Dee wouldn't fit with a country format. They would make a crowded studio @ CMF more crowded. Spezzano and Sandy are pulling good numbers at PXY as are Kimberly and Beck at The Buzz. What other options are there?

 

[Mark Giardina]

While the idea of reuniting Tony and Dee is a smart business move, one has to take into account a number of variables.

First, as suggested by one poster, is whether Entercom would have room for the pair on one of their stations?

Another point is Dee Alexander’s contract with Entercom. When does it expire and would she try to break that contract if say Clear Channel wanted to hire her?

As for Tony, since his contract (reportedly) expires in the near future, I also agree that his current employer is not about to get into a bidding war against CC or Entercom in order to keep his services on WRMM.

If Clear Channel wants Tony and Dee they might have to wait until Dee’s contract with Entercom ends, and then reunite the team. But that may take a year, perhaps longer.

Rochester radio is unlike other markets when it comes to talent. Wease was off the air for a period of time but apparently is popular enough to generate an audience on FOX. Lonsberry was gone from WHAM for over a year, but came back and so did the ratings.

 

[John C]

"Hearing more rumblings: Is a Tony and Dee reunion imminent? And it might come as a big surprise where it happens." :-X

 

[yugoidar]

What are hinting at, John C?  WBEE?  WDKX?  WCMF? WHAM? The Drive?

 

[Mark Giardina]

What are hinting at, John C? WBEE? WDKX? WCMF? WHAM? The Drive?

Of the stations you mentioned I would say The Drive would be the one I would pick. I just can't see getting rid of the morning personalities on the other stations, unless of course some of them left on their own accord.

However, for some reason, my intuition tells me that Fickle would be the perfect station for the re-teaming of Tony and Dee.

If I'm right this would mean that Marti would either be moved out of morning drive to another air shift or let go altogether.

 

[scooterodell]

If Stephens is gonna shell out the cash for both Tony AND Dee, they would be crazy to put them on Fickle, with its smaller signal. Put them on Warm - that's the station that would make sense.

Word on the street is that Tony wants out of Stephens... but is anyone else in a position to hire him?

 

[Mark Giardina]

If Stephens is gonna shell out the cash for both Tony AND Dee, they would be crazy to put them on Fickle, with its smaller signal. Put them on Warm - that's the station that would make sense.
Word on the street is that Tony wants out of Stephens... but is anyone else in a position to hire him?

When putting it the way you did, you are right that WARM would make a better fit for Tony and Dee. However let's not forget that Dee was let go at WARM during the transition period from one owner to another. She is still under contract to Entercom, even though her talents are being (in my opinion) under used.

I know people who work for Stephens and they say while the owners and management are nice people, the company has a small-market mentality when it comes to spending money and that Tony does want to leave that operation.

You also raised a very good question when it comes to anyone else in a position to hire him?
I'm sure that Clear Channel or Entercom could find room for Tony if they feel he can bring in revenue.

It all comes down to the bottom line.

As I've stated before it's my honest opinion that Clear Channel would be smart to bring Tony & Dee together again. That would give CC Brother Wease, Beth & Chet and adding Tony & Dee would enhance their stable of personalities.

 

[outch]

PLEASE !!!!