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From BRW: WRKO Dumps Its Entire News Team

R

rockcaptain

OUCH!

From www.bostonradiowatch.com

Entercom's WRKO AM 680 fired its entire 7-person news team earlier today BRW has learned. Let go were veteran news director Rod Fritz; news anchor and reporter Paul Tuthill, news anchors Listo Fisher, Mary Blake, Marga Bessette, Sharon Smith and weekend part-timer Deb Daigle.

The move is said to be a cost-cutting measure, however, BRW is also learning that there is possibility of a news arrangement with a local media outlet in the market to deliver some elements of local news programming on WRKO.
 
WRKO eliminates its news department

Reported as well by the Boston Herald.

National/world news will come from Fox News Channel :( while local news will be outsourced.

Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage might be the next to get eliminated from WRKO. The Herald reports they lost a lot of listeners in the last ratings book. Also, the station has to pay cash to carry Limbaugh and Savage. Entercom needs the money for the Red Sox.
 
[EDIT]

Getting the Red Sox on was a bad idea, look what you HAD to do to DePetro over a comment you wouldn't blink at Carr for saying! Core identity? Is it a Talk Station or is it a Sports / Talk Station? Is the Globe going to axe its news operation to become a commentary-only paper because the costs are too much?

Congratulations on destroying the Flagship Station of American Radio Systems, because with it you will destroy your career!

[EDIT--vulgarity.]
 
Smoke said:
------ YOU JASON YOU CHEAP BASTARD

Getting the Red Sox on was a bad idea, look what you HAD to do to DePetro over a comment you wouldn't blink at Carr for saying! Core identity? Is it a Talk Station or is it a Sports / Talk Station? Is the Globe going to axe its news operation to become a commentary-only paper because the costs are too much?

Congratulations on destroying the Flagship Station of American Radio Systems, because with it you will destroy your career!
Click to expand...

this is an effin' disaster. pathetic programming decisions driven by money.
they're gutting down wrko. it's all very nutty.
 
Smoke said:
------ YOU JASON YOU CHEAP BASTARD

Congratulations on destroying the Flagship Station of American Radio Systems, because with it you will destroy your career!
Click to expand...


How can Jason Wolfe destroy his career, he is in the midst of building the greatest sports radio empire in the history of Radio...they guy has had huge ratings success...everyone thought he was an idiot when he got rid of Imus and hired Dennis and Callahan..
Jason Wolfe is simply saying that WRKO does not need an entire news dept.
They are not competiting with WBZ, only WTKK, which by the way carries CNN and MSNBC and have like 1 on-air news anchor, or maybe two....
 
'rko is not a sports station, he doesn't have a clue.. the bad publicity is nonstop and he looks horrible..
 
Boston rose sounds like he has a job with wolf or wants one. He reminds me of the story of a cook from Lynn who was slippery and two-faced. What was the name of the song about "Man name Jim who got screwed by his friend"? So 7 people plus Depietro at the holidays, but in the name of a sports empire. Ego is a tough thing to control. But little birds(little men) of a feather....you know the rest.
 
Re: From BRW: WRKO Dumps Its Entire News Team/ could be worse

what is worse; getting fired , or having to work with Scotto? I wonder how much the news people will miss working with the worst morning show in the history of Boston. Scotto in the morning. Jason wolf has hit magic again! No phone calls. No news. Just Scotto! It is a mystery RKO has not been a rocket ship with such top morning talent. Anybody want to start a pool on how much longer he last. No news department in a major market station. Gerry Williams forgive them.
 
The same people who put the Celtics on rko, who put Taste of Boston on rko, who ran that idiotic bz rip off news wheel in the mornings are the same people who decided to fire their entire news staff today. Good luck to them creating a top notch radio product.
 
Re: WRKO eliminates its news department

chuckydoll said:
Reported as well by the Boston Herald.

National/world news will come from Fox News Channel :( while local news will be outsourced.

Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage might be the next to get eliminated from WRKO. The Herald reports they lost a lot of listeners in the last ratings book. Also, the station has to pay cash to carry Limbaugh and Savage. Entercom needs the money for the Red Sox.
Click to expand...

I am sure that if RKO dropped either of these two, that they would easily be found on another station in the market.

Its sad about them dumping the news team, I feel bad for those affected.
 
I have always said the news team was the best part of WRKO.

For those who say I never compliment stations I criticize you are wrong. Listo and Rod are professional
voices. They will bounce back.

But there you go - now there is NOTHING left on WRKO. Now there's NOTHING good to say about the station.

Absolute insanity.

Bad move: Firing newstaff

Good move: Firing DePetro

what involvement does Boston sports have to do with this? Might be a lot more than meets the eye here.

And why hasn't Clea Simon or The Boston Herald jumped on this? No one has leaks at these organizations anymore?
 
Django said:
The same people who ran that idiotic bz rip off news wheel in the mornings are the same people who decided to fire their entire news staff today.
Click to expand...

i think brian whittemore, the former bz news director, was the consultant who came up with that clock. he's long since gone back to minnesota.
 
WBZ RADIO: HIRE ROD FRITZ

More utter stupidity from a time sales woman kicked up into a job beyond her limited intelligence- namely Julie Kahn and his vertically challenged coffee boy Jason Wolfe.

Only hope that the very, very, very talented Rod Fritz ends up at WBZ Radio as Gary LaPierre's replacement.

Rod has a wealth of knowledge that should not be lost in this community.

I am sure the others in the news staff are equally as talented but have worked with Rod and can speak from experience.

WBZ RADIO !!! HIRE ROD FRITZ !!!

And yes, that is Jerry Williams spinning as he watches from that great talk station in the sky and see the SS Entercom Titanic sinking below the water line.
 
Oh the implosion that is becoming WRKO!!!!!!
The real problem is that in a world of WTKKs and Newsradio1030s, WRKO has become a dinasour. If this were 1983, things might be different. Remember when WRKO was the only station to be completely talk? Sure, WBZ and WHDH had "call-in shows" but they really were just evolving from AC formats, WRKO was the only staiton with "Talk-Only," and they coined the phrase "Talk Radio."
If only they had Trademarked and patented the format. Alas, they didn't, and now, they are just a cog in a very big wheel. And what's worse, what's left for them to do? They could take on BZ and go all news, but that's not going to happen. They can't go all-sports, because that's their sister station. Perhaps they could simulcast with a sister FM, and then be WRKO FM talk and AM talk? But then they are just copying WTKK...

Why do I have the feeling RKO will end up being sold to some non-english or religous broadcaster, and we'll all be there saying "remember the old WRKO?"

Oh, wait we're already doing that! :eek:
 
All you conspiracy theorists concerning Depetro's firing was over money not about a comment he made has been validated by letting go entire news staff and relying on Fox and AP and probably Metro for local .Jason Wolfe brain boy of the mighty EEI has probably tarnished his image beyond repair. All because of switching Sox from EEI to RKO. Makes all sports EEI have to compete with Sox in their own cluster. Maybe Wolfe could hire someone from Beasley to contact every pill pusher,psychic healer,auto broker and every other sleazy huckster and convince them to buy time in 30 minute blocks any time of day or night except when sox are on. If they cannot afford Rush and Savage why not also complete the trifecta by dropping Carr. Makes you long for the great 68 and Dale Dorman,JJ Jeffrey,Joel Cash,Frank Kingston Smith, Shadoe Stevens etc. and 20 20 news.
 
I noticed this tonight--during the Feinburg show (Greg Jackson filling in) there was Fox News Alert at the top of the hour, and then someone (forget who) did local traffic, sports, and weather with a music bed backup.
At :20 and :40 there WERE local news updates--guy with a raspy voice, not sure who.

yikes...
Dropping ABC news? Just Fox?
Sad to hear people like Listo, marga, etc are gone
How much did they pay to retain Sox rights?...cutbacks elsewhere. Howie should be safe. maybe syndie
shows...poss. tape delayed Beck at noon?
 
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