Dobson Out at WBEN

[Steven21]

Just read this on "another" site:

Ron Dobson Exits WBEN
ENTERCOM Talk WBEN-A/BUFFALO evening host RON DOBSON has exited the station due to budget cuts. DOBSON joined WBEN in JANUARY 2006; his resume includes stops at several stations including WWDB/PHILADELPHIA, KCMO-A/KANSAS CITY, WABC-A/NEW YORK, KSTE-A/SACRAMENTO, as well as WBEN sister WGR-A in its Talk era.



Sorry to see that. He was one of my favs on air around these parts.

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

Just read this on "another" site:Ron Dobson Exits WBEN
ENTERCOM Talk WBEN-A/BUFFALO evening host RON DOBSON has exited the station due to budget cuts. DOBSON joined WBEN in JANUARY 2006; his resume includes stops at several stations including WWDB/PHILADELPHIA, KCMO-A/KANSAS CITY, WABC-A/NEW YORK, KSTE-A/SACRAMENTO, as well as WBEN sister WGR-A in its Talk era. Sorry to see that. He was one of my favs on air around these parts.

Ron was one of my hires at WGR, brought in from KSTE, Sacramento. I liked his tape the first time I heard it and only regret that I didn't hire him four weeks sooner. He's one of the most naturally gifted talk show personalities in America. I'd like to think Ron's dismissal was a corporate decision because Tim Wenger liked Ron enough to hire him at WBEN. Smart move, BTW. Dobson always defied labels, neither libnut or wingnut, which is what appealed to me and a quality that commercial talk radio needs more of. He's a major market (high cume) talk show host who deserves another gig.

 

[AndrewLawson]

Dobson was more than a good talk show host, he exercised a witty sense of humor and point of view that was refreshingly different than the other WBEN talk show hosts who can be tiresome and predictable. Not that Dobson was a liberal, but he seemed to take Republicans and Democrats, Conservatives and Liberals to task as warranted on an issue by issue basis. A particular show comes to mind after one of the vice presidential debates. He took a stand saying the Republican's only hope to win the election was to change the ticket and run Sarah Palin for president. It took a while to sink in, but it was a brilliant put-on. The callers were the best part of the show. Some callers swallowed it hook, line and sinker. Others thought Dobson had gone mad. A lot of people with whom I work, people with markedly different opinions, listened to Ron's show. I guess Amvets will be getting a fresh shipment of WBEN t-shirts and jackets.

 

[Bob1370]

Another stupid management trick.

Evening had been a real money-maker for WBEN all the way back to the Stan Barron days. It still should be, and if it wasn't, the problem was clearly in the sales office and that's where the changes would need to be made.

If they put one more syndicated ranter in the Savage mold on there, it'll be as hard a sell for WBEN as it has been for WHAM or WOR.

 

[ThePickleReport]

Mr. Dobson is still on the WBEN schedule. What did they decide to replace him with?

 

[Steven21]

Mr. Dobson is still on the WBEN schedule. What did they decide to replace him with?

I haven't heard, but I'll take a stab at it.

Someone who:
--talks about politics all the time
--has little, to no sense of humor
--thinks Obama is the antichrist
--is syndicated

Am I warm?

1/4?
2/4?
3/4?
4/4?

Bets?

 

[ThePickleReport]

I haven't heard, but I'll take a stab at it.

Someone who:
--talks about politics all the time
--has little, to no sense of humor
--thinks Obama is the antichrist
--is syndicated

Am I warm?

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Laura Ingraham it is. The website has been updated.

 

[Steven21]

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Laura Ingraham it is. The website has been updated.

I guess when you have a bunch of guys repeating the same talking points all day long, adding variety means having a female voice repeating those same talking points. Maybe they should add a show where someone is doing them in pig-latin. Mix it up a bit.

Blech.

 

[Element9]

You wanna hear right wing nut jobs? Around 11 o'clock my office radio left Virgin FM, went into scan mode and landed on two wingnuts who make Bauerle and Beach sound like liberals. It was so extreme as to be almost funny. "Almost" being the key word, because people listen to this stuff and take it seriously. Wonder if WDCX hires Jews, Muslims or even Catholics, and if they do, how can they stand to listen to some of the programming. Money changers in the Temple.

 

[Bob1370]

"Laura Ingraham it is. The website has been updated."

Well, I guess it's good news/bad news. The good news is, it's not the ultimate nut job, Michael 'Savage' (whose real name, Weiner, fits him SO much better).

The bad news is, Ingraham isn't going to draw the listeners Dobson did, hasn't set the world on fire in any market where she airs (she's enough of a dead weight that they recently cut her to one hour a night on WABC in NYC). So, she's not going to bring in the audience or the $$$ her predecessor did, and as a result will probably leave Entercom with a worse bottom line for that daypart than they had before.

Penny wise, dollar foolish...that's how the business goes these days, chasing false economies wherever they're to be found...

 

[ThePickleReport]

There's a story in the Snooze this AM. He's definitely been let go. Why won't WBEN comment?

http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/story/663738.html

 

[audioconnell Voice Talent]

The story reads a bit like something "more" happened in the dismissal. Not sure if Snooze is trying to convey something they know without saying it directly in the story or if they're just ticked no one got back to them from Entercom.

Understanding the standard 'can't comment on personnel issues", stations should just issue a standard "crappy economy-related staff reductions" that would head off bad publicity like this for both parties.

 

[Bob1370]

"stations should just issue a standard "crappy economy-related staff reductions" that would head off bad publicity like this for both parties."

That's exactly what Entercom DID do in confirming Dobson's departure to the national broadcast trades including AllAccess.com and R&R, so it's odd that they wouldn't have said the same thing to the News. Maybe there's a contract issue--the departure was at the three year mark plus 90 days, a time when a lot of contracts run out, so could the door be open at least a crack for a Dobson return if he's willing to take a financial haircut?

 

[AndrewLawson]

"stations should just issue a standard "crappy economy-related staff reductions" that would head off bad publicity like this for both parties." That's exactly what Entercom DID do in confirming Dobson's departure to the national broadcast trades including AllAccess.com and R&R, so it's odd that they wouldn't have said the same thing to the News. Maybe there's a contract issue--the departure was at the three year mark plus 90 days, a time when a lot of contracts run out, so could the door be open at least a crack for a Dobson return if he's willing to take a financial haircut?

That's funny, considering Dobson's picture in The News story.

The story reads a bit like something "more" happened in the dismissal. Not sure if Snooze is trying to convey something they know without saying it directly in the story or if they're just ticked no one got back to them from Entercom.

I didn't get that subtext, but Wenger's comment in the last line of the News story when they hired Dobson hit a nerve. “I’m not bad mouthing Dr. Laura, but we want to focus on local issues and Ron will do that,” Wenger said at the time. WBEN seems to have no interest in focusing on local issues at night.

 

[Element9]

Dobson may have been shown the door because Entercom had a rough first quarter. Radio & Records reports Entercom experienced a revenue decline of 21%. Even though Entercom reduced expenses, (company wide) station operating income fell 47% to $16.9 million. Despite Entercom's problems, the Buffalo cluster appears to be one of Entercom's bright spots, which makes it appear that Dobson's termination was a corporate decision.

 

[AndrewLawson]

If the Entercom Buffalo radio stations were one of the bright spots for Entercom, would the Citadel and Regent Buffalo radio stations also be the bright spots within their companies?

 

[Element9]

If the Entercom Buffalo radio stations were one of the bright spots for Entercom, would the Citadel and Regent Buffalo radio stations also be the bright spots within their companies?

Here's the answer to part of your question, AL.

Regent beats industry: All the public companies have yet to report, but Regent's 12% drop in first quarter revenues is a smaller decline than any other company that's released earnings. A focus outside the major markets helps, and CEO Bill Stakelin also credits an "aggressive" focus on interactive revenues.

I'm not sure if Citadel issues quarterly reports any longer, given their stock is traded over the counter rather than the NYSE. We may know more about that situation next week. It appears Regent, while up to its neck in debt, has done some things right. Medium to small markets like Buffalo and Utica appear to be safer (albeit hedged) bets than markets like NY and LA, which have sucked capital from Citadel's coffers. It helps that Regent has a strong cluster of highly rated stations in Buffalo. According to insiders, WYRK, WJYE and WBLK perform consistently top 3 in the target demo, Women 25-64. Regent's Jack has adequate ratings to bolster combo sales, runs on a shoestring and is a thorn in the side of 97 Rock and WHTT.

Speaking of 97 Rock, an agency friend (who still has a job) says Entercom is crowing to anybody who will listen (and even those who won't) that WGR tied the once invincible 97 Rock for first place in Men 25-54 in morning drive. If (and I use that word because I've not seen the ratings) this is true, Entercom may have scored a major upset in the combo selling war. WGR + WBEN + The Lake may deliver more Men for Entercom, while WKSE + WTSS + WWWS deliver a boatload of Women. Because of this, Entercom Buffalo may be looking at a much stronger second quarter.

For the longest time Citadel Buffalo has had an impenetrable lock on Men 18-64, given the performance of 97 Rock + Buffalo Bills Football + The Edge + Oldies/Classic Hits WHTT. Monday through Sunday, it's likely Citadel, thanks to 97 Rock and the Edge, still wins the battle for Men 25-54, both in and out of Bills season. But if WGR tied 97 Rock in Men, especially in morning drive, that helps Entercom make a game of selling Men, adding to its impressive ratings in Women.

Anybody for chess?

 

[Steven21]

But if WGR tied 97 Rock in Men, especially in morning drive, that helps Entercom make a game of selling Men, adding to its impressive ratings in Women.

Listening in mid-April and hearing them already, endlessly, day after day, discussing scenarios for the next FOOTBALL season...and BASEBALL, does not bode well for a continued stranglehold on that demo.

Coulda been a fluke. And whatever they have now, will in all likelihood be decimated throughout the next 2 books. They simply live and die with the Sabres. The FM male dominated stations don't have that degree of instability.

 

[Element9]

To answer your original question, AL, here's the third piece of the puzzle:

Citadel revenues fall 23%. Local advertising fell -21%, down more than twice the drop in national (-10%) as advertisers continued to cut spending. Network revenues declined 38%. Part of it is being blamed on the recession. The company also lost Sean Hannity ad revenues.

Still no indication about Citadel's Buffalo cluster, which is said to be performing better than most other Citadel markets, especially the major market properties.

 

[Bob1370]

I said earlier, "The bad news is, Ingraham isn't going to draw the listeners Dobson did, hasn't set the world on fire in any market where she airs (she's enough of a dead weight that they recently cut her to one hour a night on WABC in NYC)."

I now stand corrected. WABC has now dumped Ingraham completely from their weeknight schedule, giving over her one remaining hour to its own self-syndicated Curtis Sliwa show.

So WBEN has now hitched its nighttime fortunes to someone who completely failed in market #1. Wonder if they're having deeper regrets about kicking Dobson to the curb? They probably should...