Has 92.3 K-Rock fired Rover?

[kentuckymedia]

lol your a funny guy

 

[mikey102]

Rover signed on with WMMS this afternoon. Will start april 1. book it!

 

[Rusty Muck]

I seriously doubt he's headed to WKNR-AM 850

And what is this '96.5 THE HOG' you keep mentioning? Where do you pull this ish from! What gives you any reason to believe Good Karma would buy a CC FM, that CC would sell to them to begin with, and let alone that they would flip it to rock and name it after a pig? I know I know, Milwaukee has a station called The Hog. This ain't brew town!

Somebody send kentucky some bacon to go with his crispy strips! Send a biscuit too?

Here's why. One of Craig's station's in Madison, WI is nicknamed "The Hog." Craig is using the nickname (and logo) with permission from Saga - who operates another "Hog" station downstate. It's a reference to Harley-Davidsons, which hail from Wisconsin.

The Hog would NEVER fit as a nickname for 96.5... either "The River" or "The Lake" would be fitting of a rock or an AAA station. And Rover's act is tailor-made for MMS. Though I'd discount the April 1 post (ha ha)...

-nate81 aka Myron-

 

[74WIXYGrad]

Well, keeping up with WTAM tradition, maybe there will be an announcement that Rover will take over the 3-7pm slot after fat boy is fired, which will be April 1 ;D

 

[OhReally?]

Remember Clear Channel is on a hiring freeze. They cant just bring people in the building because they want to.

Perhaps CC had been in talks with Rover for awhile now -- albeit secretly -- before the hiring freeze was announced and isn't applicable to them. Just tossing that out.

ALSO you must remember that Clear Channel Cleveland has lost millions in revenue in the last couple of years. I dont mean a couple million...I mean MILLIONS! Why would San Antonio give the yuppies a gift like this?

Given Rover's success on 92.3 in their target demo, they might see this worth doing -- and a way to do SOMETHING with mornings at WMMS, therefore helping their billing.

 

[jessejames44]

From several of my ol' friends in the Oak Tree Bldg, Apr. 1st is Rover's first day. So much for the hiring freeze.

 

[Rusty Muck]

From several of my ol' friends in the Oak Tree Bldg, Apr. 1st is Rover's first day. So much for the hiring freeze.

Which would be a Tuesday morning. If this were to be true, then Methany finally is deserving of a little praise in my book. And usually his most creative ideas have been April Fools stunts on the stations anyway.

-nate81 aka Myron-

 

[VODood]

From several of my ol' friends in the Oak Tree Bldg, Apr. 1st is Rover's first day. So much for the hiring freeze.

well, if replacing B&T with Rover, your swapping the affiliate fee, which is most likely at least $125k (it was $85k in Raleigh on WRDU), and hiring Rover. I'm sure he's getting more than $125k.

Good move by Bo to get Rover. Bad move on CBS's part. How can you not have a non-compete in place for a morning talent in market #26???? Hell, here in Toledo we ALL have contracts, even production staff, WITH non-competes.

Granted, a non-compete in Ohio isn't worth the paper it's printed on (unless your being paid) since Ohio is a right to work state.

 

[Rusty Muck]

From several of my ol' friends in the Oak Tree Bldg, Apr. 1st is Rover's first day. So much for the hiring freeze.

well, if replacing B&T with Rover, your swapping the affiliate fee, which is most likely at least $125k (it was $85k in Raleigh on WRDU), and hiring Rover. I'm sure he's getting more than $125k.

Good move by Bo to get Rover. Bad move on CBS's part. How can you not have a non-compete in place for a morning talent in market #26???? Hell, here in Toledo we ALL have contracts, even production staff, WITH non-competes.

Granted, a non-compete in Ohio isn't worth the paper it's printed on (unless your being paid) since Ohio is a right to work state.

One would have thought that CBS would have done SOMETHING when the show moved to Chicago...

-nate81 aka Myron-

 

[kentuckymedia]

Something tells me that our boy from the Cheese state is about to make an FM purchase at some point in Cleveland. He isnt a fool!

As for Rover...he may go to MMS, for all i know. However things are going to have to change and change Fast on Oak Tree. I dont care how much you hail all who walks through Oak Tree...they have lost so much money in the last 3 years that San Antonio has their eyes on the market.

 

[DToTheJ]

From several of my ol' friends in the Oak Tree Bldg, Apr. 1st is Rover's first day. So much for the hiring freeze.

Currently, Rochester radio legend Brother Wease, a longtime morning fixture at WCMF, is hinted to be joining a Clear Channel station in that market. This after contract talks between Wease and his employer, Entercom, broke down. (WCMF was sold by CBS to Entercom last year.)

 

[SonoSational18]

ALSO you must remember that Clear Channel Cleveland has lost millions in revenue in the last couple of years. I dont mean a couple million...I mean MILLIONS!

Where did you come up with this information? CC is a publicly traded company and earnings figures are readily available (and there are huge criminal and civil penalties if they falsify them). Their 2007 net income was $938.5 Million... just a few mil short of a BILLION dollars. Not bad for a company you think is circling the drain!

If you don't beleive me, go here for their complete financials http://www.clearchannel.com/Corporate/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=2133

 

[rapmaster]

Rover Schmover. If you heard one show ..you have heard them all. Nothing original. Cleveland must be a radio dry socket. His syndicated show has been dropped everywhere. Why does Cleveland love him so much?
Brother Wease....is he 70 yet. tp out

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

One note, as we have also confirmed that WMMS is touting Rover as starting 4/1...

There may be the reported "hiring freeze" in wait for the new private equity owners - a deal, by the way, they're aiming to complete by a day before Rover's alleged start date.

But I also seem to recall that the news of the "freeze" included news that regional VPs could sign off on new hires.

If you're in that slot in Clear Channel, and someone like Rover just became available to your rock station, do you not approve that?

I'm no Rover fan, but he's very, very successful in his demos. It would seem to be a no-brainer decision.

One question: wither Bob and Tom? We hear they are "locked in" at 100.7, for long-term...and we hear advertisers are still being told they'll be on 'MMS...

-OA/OMW

 

[Speaker of Truth]

''One question: wither Bob and Tom? We hear they are "locked in" at 100.7, for long-term...and we hear advertisers are still being told they'll be on 'MMS...''

Could they be slotted, as Opie and Anthony were, in another time slot in tape delay?

Would WMMS simply move Bob and Tom to Middays, then have Maxwell in PM Drive?

Is there a provision in the Bob and Tom contract that would allow it?

What would WMMS do at night, after doing talk from 6am to 6pm?

Could this be the FM talk station in Cleveland that has been speculated for so long now?

As Spock would say, ''Fascinating''.

 

[Rusty Muck]

''One question: wither Bob and Tom?  We hear they are "locked in" at 100.7, for long-term...and we hear advertisers are still being told they'll be on 'MMS...''

Could they be slotted, as Opie and Anthony were, in another time slot in tape delay?

Would WMMS simply move Bob and Tom to Middays, then have Maxwell in PM Drive?

Is there a provision in the Bob and Tom contract that would allow it?

What would WMMS do at night, after doing talk from 6am to 6pm?

Could this be the FM talk station in Cleveland that has been speculated for so long now?

As Spock would say, ''Fascinating''.

Well that makes too much sense. And B&T might just go for it as syndicated shows are cheaper to run anyway, as 'MMS (err... "100.7") will have one less jock to pay for VT'ing.

If 100.7 were to go all talk during the day, this wouldn't be a bad inital lineup:

6-11 RMG
11-2 B&T
2-7 Maxwell

I wouldn't know if they'd even want to broach the subject of talk in the evenings... after all, the pickings are kinda slim save for Phil Hendrie, Tom Leykis and John and Jeff (all three are based in LA, BTW).

Fox Sports Radio would be a bit obvious, although I'd hate seeing that godawful JT The Brick come back here again (he of the "LeBron will be wearing a Knicks jersey in two years" crap) - and yet, CC poaching it from WWGK is too easy to do here.

-nate81 aka Myron-

 

[docoguy1]

Maybe its just me but the potential idea of WMMS being all talk would be sad in my eyes. I understand its a business and if whats on now isn't working they need a reboot, but think about it this is supposed to be "The Rock Capitol of the World", and 'MMS was a huge part of making it that way..

 

[lingerlinger]

Regardless of how bad I thought Rover's show was, I emailed him to express how his ego had gotten him removed from Cleveland radio. What I got back was a non answer. He basically said "maybe CBS did not want him there and to stay tuned". The truth of the matter is Cleveland radio is just a joke. After the CBS/Clear Channel takeover, they have basically destroyed the rock and roll capitol of the world as far as free radio goes. Howard Stern also helped Cleveland's radio demise by dumping on CBS after 10 years of faithful service. Last I checked no one was committing Federal crimes to keep Rover from broadcasting on air (hello Stern's WMMS funeral?) Howard should have just thrown a funeral for Cleveland when he quit CBS two years ago. I mean Rover wrote a lot of checks that his rear end couldn't cash. The guy claimed to have a 31 share when he emailed me back. Now there are people who listen to radio and there are people like me who LISTEN TO RADIO. I spend 10-16 hours a day listening to nothing but talk radio. I have been doing it for over twenty years. I remember Jeff and Flash, back in the day when being called a "morning zoo" wasn't an insult, and WMMS just dominated the Cleveland market. Rush Limbaugh probably does not have a 31 share. I love how this guy is so full of himself. He didn't quit Chicago (look last I checked he worked for CBS for over a year after that). He was let go for lack of ratings. The guy bragged about all the morning shows he "ran out of town" (yet he forgot to mention his own). I am glad to see Opie and Anthony back in Cleveland AM drive. It is about time someone brought the funny back to Cleveland radio. They are at least honest about what they do, how they lose affiliates, and Jimmy Norton is just creepy. Unfortunately I already bought an XM subscription back in 2007 so I could hear thier show live. See I am willing to pay money to hear good radio. The truth of the matter is lawyers and two corporations have destroyed Cleveland radio. The question here should not be if Rover was fired, but better yet did Cleveland radio fire it's listeners?

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

We've gotten a copy of the pitch being sent to WMMS clients for Rover, and all three are clearly mentioned (Rover, Maxwell and Bob and Tom, in that order) as being a "great lineup".

It doesn't say what exact time slots, though I'd assume Rover will be in his morning drive perch.

The note is effusive about Rover. It cites his numbers in demo, and make him sound like Superman. For a station that's been through roughly 300 morning drive shows since "Brian and Joe" scooted over to 106.5, that's probably not hard to do.

If that nudges B&T to middays, yes, we do basically have our "FM talk" station so long discussed...with very little music, if any, in daytime hours. I make that qualifier because I haven't listened to Maxwell in ages, and I have no idea if he even plays music these days, even a song or two.

AA reported that the fine folks in the basement of Reserve Square, the one and only 19 Action News, did a story on this today...like your Mighty Blog(tm), they're reporting an April start date for Rover on 'MMS. I'm making the broad assumption that their "sources" don't amount them just reading OMW. (You may laugh, but it's been done before by newspaper writers...)

One question, for anyone keeping track...I tuned into WMMS tonight, and it seems the "no WMMS call letter" edict is gone. Have they started using the calls again?

-OA/OMW

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

He didn't quit Chicago (look last I checked he worked for CBS for over a year after that). He was let go for lack of ratings. The guy bragged about all the morning shows he "ran out of town" (yet he forgot to mention his own).

As mentioned, I'm no Rover fan. He's playing way below my demo, for one.

But his success in Cleveland is undeniable. He's a solid top-5 or greater show in his key demos. I don't think he's doing a "31 share", as it were, but the numbers are solid. Very solid. It's a smart move for 'MMS.

He got his doggie tail handed to him in Chicago. That was an ill-fated venture from day one - replacing Howard Stern, on a station that wasn't one of Stern's more successful affiliates to begin with, in a market that demands "Chicago cred" for its local hosts.

And no, being born in Chicagoland and having your parents move out at the age of 2, and wearing a Cubs cap in your publicity pictures, doesn't make you a true native.

For that matter, you really don't have to be a "native" to win in Chicago radio. Kevin Matthews moved in from Grand Rapids. Mancow Muller came in from SF. But Rover's act wasn't working there.

It DOES work here...for whatever reason.

-OA/OMW