Gary Spears Exits KBIG

[calguy]

So Gary Spears has left the building. So far, not a lot of noise about it. Hearing that Brent moves from weekends & fill to take the afternoon slot. That's a nice jump for him, but where will Spears end up? Not a lot of places to go in LA.

 

[snoman]

I guess I never heard that he went to KBIG?! How long was he there? I remember when I first got my XM, they had KIIS-FM on channel 21, and Spears was doing middays there. I didn't realize KIIS made that change, too. Was that before or after Dees got booted in favor of Seacrest?

 

[calguy]

I guess I never heard that he went to KBIG?! How long was he there? I remember when I first got my XM, they had KIIS-FM on channel 21, and Spears was doing middays there. I didn't realize KIIS made that change, too. Was that before or after Dees got booted in favor of Seacrest?

He moved over to KBIG in the summer of 2004 when Kari Steel moved to mornings with Charlie Tuna. I don't know how long he would've lasted at CC Burbank if he hadn't gone to KBIG. He lost his sidkick earlier in the year as they cut the budget and now they've cut it again...

 

[mostb1]

Of course he's still up on the website. I'm sure he will be on the rotator next week too knowing how slow the tech people at CCU Burbank.

With the 30 minute music sweeps at the top of the hour every hour from 9-5 PM plus the new mandates with segues and 7 seconds to talk, he's barely been on during his shift except going into a stop set.

Another great Los Angeles personaity gone with so few left on.

 

[calguy]

Of course he's still up on the website. I'm sure he will be on the rotator next week too knowing how slow the tech people at CCU Burbank.

With the 30 minute music sweeps at the top of the hour every hour from 9-5 PM plus the new mandates with segues and 7 seconds to talk, he's barely been on during his shift except going into a stop set.

Another great Los Angeles personaity gone with so few left on.

Gary always sounded "on". He was good, but KBIG is one of those stations that CC seems to have held strictly to it's new mandates. It seems that the ones with better ratings aren't "going all the way" with them. I honestly think it's cleaned some of the more cluttered stations up. Many sound cleaner, more like stations from years past when clean segues were the order of the day. I've heard some nice segues lately and when done correctly, or maybe I should say "creatively" a clean segue is much more pleasing to the ear than another over used sweeper. But there is less of the air talent. In the long run I'm hoping that many of the more severe changes will fade away and they'll strike a good balance between what was and what should be...

Hopefully Gary will land on his feet. He's been a jock in the biggest markets in his career like New York, Chicago and LA and while I've heard he can be difficult at times, he does sound good. Good enough to move on to another decent job. I just don't know where in LA he might land. Not much here anymore for the type of jock that he is especially since the only other format in town that he would sound good on is JACK and they'll probably never hire jocks...

 

[mostb1]

Of course he's still up on the website. I'm sure he will be on the rotator next week too knowing how slow the tech people at CCU Burbank.

With the 30 minute music sweeps at the top of the hour every hour from 9-5 PM plus the new mandates with segues and 7 seconds to talk, he's barely been on during his shift except going into a stop set.

Another great Los Angeles personaity gone with so few left on.

Gary always sounded "on". He was good, but KBIG is one of those stations that CC seems to have held strictly to it's new mandates. It seems that the ones with better ratings aren't "going all the way" with them. I honestly think it's cleaned some of the more cluttered stations up. Many sound cleaner, more like stations from years past when clean segues were the order of the day. I've heard some nice segues lately and when done correctly, or maybe I should say "creatively" a clean segue is much more pleasing to the ear than another over used sweeper. But there is less of the air talent. In the long run I'm hoping that many of the more severe changes will fade away and they'll strike a good balance between what was and what should be...

Hopefully Gary will land on his feet. He's been a jock in the biggest markets in his career like New York, Chicago and LA and while I've heard he can be difficult at times, he does sound good. Good enough to move on to another decent job. I just don't know where in LA he might land. Not much here anymore for the type of jock that he is especially since the only other format in town that he would sound good on is JACK and they'll probably never hire jocks...

The jocks haven't been exactly executing the seques correctly at 104.3. Songs must fade before you hit the next element under the mandate.

I am tired of all the positioning statments, sweepers, imaging overkill (Movin is the worst offender). So I agree it does make the station sound cleaner. But I don't like the 7 second max on talking over a song intro. Not necessary for a seasoned jock. But I'm afraid there are only more (unfavorable), not less changes to come.

The only place he could go to in L.A. is K-Earth. He'd be great at Movin but so would anyone compared to what they have on (except Rick Dees).

 

[calguy]

Of course he's still up on the website. I'm sure he will be on the rotator next week too knowing how slow the tech people at CCU Burbank.

With the 30 minute music sweeps at the top of the hour every hour from 9-5 PM plus the new mandates with segues and 7 seconds to talk, he's barely been on during his shift except going into a stop set.

Another great Los Angeles personaity gone with so few left on.

Gary always sounded "on". He was good, but KBIG is one of those stations that CC seems to have held strictly to it's new mandates. It seems that the ones with better ratings aren't "going all the way" with them. I honestly think it's cleaned some of the more cluttered stations up. Many sound cleaner, more like stations from years past when clean segues were the order of the day. I've heard some nice segues lately and when done correctly, or maybe I should say "creatively" a clean segue is much more pleasing to the ear than another over used sweeper. But there is less of the air talent. In the long run I'm hoping that many of the more severe changes will fade away and they'll strike a good balance between what was and what should be...

Hopefully Gary will land on his feet. He's been a jock in the biggest markets in his career like New York, Chicago and LA and while I've heard he can be difficult at times, he does sound good. Good enough to move on to another decent job. I just don't know where in LA he might land. Not much here anymore for the type of jock that he is especially since the only other format in town that he would sound good on is JACK and they'll probably never hire jocks...

The jocks haven't been exactly executing the seques correctly at 104.3. Songs must fade before you hit the next element under the mandate.

I am tired of all the positioning statments, sweepers, imaging overkill (Movin is the worst offender). So I agree it does make the station sound cleaner. But I don't like the 7 second max on talking over a song intro. Not necessary for a seasoned jock. But I'm afraid there are only more (unfavorable), not less changes to come.

The only place he could go to in L.A. is K-Earth. He'd be great at Movin but so would anyone compared to what they have on (except Rick Dees).

Yeah I agree, it all depends on who is doing the segue. I've heard some beautiful transitions on KOST this week, and some just average ones. Some songs just don't come together that well and others do, depends on the songs. There doesn't seem to be a 7 second rule in effect at KOST on their back-sells into spots, but they have cut back in other areas. Hearing shorter sweepers all over the CC stations in LA.

Gary would sound good at Movin' and at KRTH, but he'll want full-time and I don't think they'll offer that or the pay that he's used to. He may have to go to another market to get what he wants. Hope you're wrong about even more changes coming, I'm not so sure that it'll make for dynamic sounding radio.

 

[Marv-L.A.]

I always considered him a solid air presonality; having lived in LA for all of my 50+ years, I've been REALLY lucky to have listened to TONS of nationally-prominent legends from Robert W. Morgan to Don Cox ('Cox On The Radio') to Jack Armstrong and his gorilla and all the rest, and Dees in his prime at KIIS-FM during the eighties.

After Paul Freeman was fired from KIIS in 1992 or thereabouts and replaced with the late Bruce Vidal, I stopped listening to KIIS, as had millions of baby-boomers (and especially the 'soccer moms' out there) who had essentially bailed out of the format by then in favor of 'safer' music (Country/AC/Hot AC).

Does anyone know if he's related to Michael Spears, ex-PD at KFRC in San Francisco?

KBIG's music and day-to-day lineup is as schizophrenic as ever, but as a station which serves its mission fairly well as being punchier than KOST while not as overbearing as Movin', its doing OK, at least as far as the beancounters at CC are concerned.

He'd be great at KRTH either in middays or at night.

 

[calguy]

I always considered him a solid air presonality; having lived in LA for all of my 50+ years, I've been REALLY lucky to have listened to TONS of nationally-prominent legends from Robert W. Morgan to Don Cox ('Cox On The Radio') to Jack Armstrong and his gorilla and all the rest, and Dees in his prime at KIIS-FM during the eighties.

After Paul Freeman was fired from KIIS in 1992 or thereabouts and replaced with the late Bruce Vidal, I stopped listening to KIIS, as had millions of baby-boomers (and especially the 'soccer moms' out there) who had essentially bailed out of the format by then in favor of 'safer' music (Country/AC/Hot AC).

Does anyone know if he's related to Michael Spears, ex-PD at KFRC in San Francisco?

KBIG's music and day-to-day lineup is as schizophrenic as ever, but as a station which serves its mission fairly well as being punchier than KOST while not as overbearing as Movin', its doing OK, at least as far as the beancounters at CC are concerned.

He'd be great at KRTH either in middays or at night.

Did some checking and they're not related. Michael Spears was a great programmer. I think KHJ was one of his few if only failures, and since RKO was really freaked out about Ten-Q he got the hook quickly. The only thing about KRTH is that I don't think there are any full-time openings, and I don't think there are any part-time either. He would sound really good between Carson and Kelly and would be a great improvement there. Hopefully he won't be on the beach too long.

 

[leonardo10]

Gary was great! I'd love to see him hook up with Movin 93.9. I'm sure Mr. Dees would welcome him aboard Would anyone object to bringing back the old jocks from the former KIIS when they were the "most listened to station in the world"? or would that be doomed for failure? :'(

 

[mostb1]

Gary was great! I'd love to see him hook up with Movin 93.9. I'm sure Mr. Dees would welcome him aboard Would anyone object to bringing back the old jocks from the former KIIS when they were the "most listened to station in the world"? or would that be doomed for failure? :'(

Yes, Emmis. That would mean they would have to "pay" above union minimum and hire jocks who don't sound like they were just plucked off the streets of East L.A.. KMVN's (KZLA) minimum and call are among the best in Los Angeles. At almost $50 per hour, Hot can get a jock for almost 5 hours at what they pay ($10 per hour)..

 

[calguy]

Gary was great! I'd love to see him hook up with Movin 93.9. I'm sure Mr. Dees would welcome him aboard Would anyone object to bringing back the old jocks from the former KIIS when they were the "most listened to station in the world"? or would that be doomed for failure? :'(

Yes, Emmis. That would mean they would have to "pay" above union minimum and hire jocks who don't sound like they were just plucked off the streets of East L.A.. KMVN's (KZLA) minimum and call are among the best in Los Angeles. At almost $50 per hour, Hot can get a jock for almost 5 hours at what they pay ($10 per hour)..

That can't be what they pay their jocks can it? I can't believe that Diana Steele, Sean Andre or Renee Taylor are working for 10 bucks an hour.
You must mean what they pay board-ops.

 

[mostb1]

Gary was great! I'd love to see him hook up with Movin 93.9. I'm sure Mr. Dees would welcome him aboard Would anyone object to bringing back the old jocks from the former KIIS when they were the "most listened to station in the world"? or would that be doomed for failure? :'(

Yes, Emmis. That would mean they would have to "pay" above union minimum and hire jocks who don't sound like they were just plucked off the streets of East L.A.. KMVN's (KZLA) minimum and call are among the best in Los Angeles. At almost $50 per hour, Hot can get a jock for almost 5 hours at what they pay ($10 per hour)..

That can't be what they pay their jocks can it? I can't believe that Diana Steele, Sean Andre or Renee Taylor are working for 10 bucks an hour.
You must mean what they pay board-ops.

The non full-time air talent at Hot are paid $10 per hour. Sometimes a little more but not much more. Board-ops start at about $8 per hour.

Hot is not a union shop and does not pay well. That's why so many turned down the p.d. gig and why an out-of-work former Clear Channel Tucson p.d., who has no major market experience, was hired.

 

[Big E]

3 years ago when i was at CC, part time jocks made around $25/hr and i as a board op made $12/hr. It would'nt surprise me if CC does pay what Most says. This is what radio has come to lately.

 

[calguy]

3 years ago when i was at CC, part time jocks made around $25/hr and i as a board op made $12/hr. It would'nt surprise me if CC does pay what Most says. This is what radio has come to lately.

I have a friend who has a buddy who is a CPA. He thinks that there won't be a Clear Channel in another 3 to 6 years...

 

[radio124]

Sorry to see Gary go. He was one of the best afternoon talents we had. There's been a lot of talk on this board about the new CC mandates regarding segues, sweepers and talk ups. For those of us outside the company, exactly what specifically do the mandates say?

 

[ddb4chess]

I just talked to "Gary Spears" (not the real name, of course) about 2 1/2 weeks ago. He and I lived in the same neighborhood in Indiana in the 1970s.