HEADLINE---185 People Did Not Return To Work Today At CBS

[Pennyaword]

Headline 2/8 From All About Country dot com:

"185 People Did Not Return To Work Today At CBS"

The media always reports layoffs in other idustries (Boeing, IBM, Sears, GM, American Airlines, etc.)

Why is it that with all the Clear Channel, Emmis, Infinity, Citadel/ABC, etc. lay offs, the media is silent about the thousands of Radio families who have been negatively affected over the past several years?

 

[Pennyaword]

I guess what I would like to see is some wide scale attention to the causes of the decline of our industry. I'm hoping that somehow things could be improved if there was enough public outcry.

 

[davideduardo]

Why is it that with all the Clear Channel, Emmis, Infinity, Citadel/ABC, etc. lay offs, the media is silent about the thousands of Radio families who have been negatively affected over the past several years?

A single layoff of less than 200 persons may be tragic for those people, as any layoff is. But in the overall ñpicture of industry and commerce, it's the 12,000 layoffs at Citibank or 6,000 at WaMu that make the news. It's Hershey closing plants in Hershey, PA and moving much production to Mexico that makes news.

It's the same thing as TV news... an auto accident does not make the news, but a multicar pileup does.

 

[Pennyaword]

David,
My point was that over the last several years THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of people have been devastated by dereg, consolidation and the suits growing fatter and fatter. It's like heart disease being

 

[Pennyaword]

opps...hit the post key by mistake. I'll wrap up my thought.

David,
My point was that over the last several years THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of people have been devastated by dereg, consolidation and the suits growing fatter and fatter. It's like heart disease being

It's like heart disease being a silent killer. These changes are happening in smaller increments over the past several years and appear to be only getting worse....and fast. They may not make big headlines one station or group at a time, but the end result is the same and needs to be publicized.

The presidential candidates are talking about what ails our country and how they supposedly can fix things (yeah, right). Our industry deserves to be included in those discussions.... after all, we represent the public trust.

I don't want to simply sit by with the suits saying, "LET THEM EAT CAKE!" It's wrong.

 

[bk77]

Headline 2/8 From All About Country dot com:

"185 People Did Not Return To Work Today At CBS"

The media always reports layoffs in other idustries (Boeing, IBM, Sears, GM, American Airlines, etc.)

Why is it that with all the Clear Channel, Emmis, Infinity, Citadel/ABC, etc. lay offs, the media is silent about the thousands of Radio families who have been negatively affected over the past several years?

Actually there have been a few times over the years the mainstream media has reported the layoffs and such in broadcasting but usually its a "local" news story because a lot of times..it is, but there are some exceptions. For example back in the 1990-1991 recession the USA Today did a rather large article on the massive layoffs that were taking place at local stations. Boston's WBZ-TV and WCVB as well as Nashville's WSMV were featured in that.

The Buffalo media I believe has done a number of stories within the last few years about the layoffs and other cutbacks at the once mighty WKBW-TV and the woes at Norfolk's WTKR-TV have been reported quite often in the local Virginian-Pilot newspaper.

The Denver Post just last week did a story about those who were fired and the bankruptcy of local KSYY-FM. A radio station who only a few weeks ago had an ad on their own website LOOKING for announcers !!!

Broadcasting IMO is a lot like that amusement park industry. Companies like Six Flags and Cedar Fair have been having money issues for years and they had their share of mass layoffs plus within the last five years or so many once popular Amusement Parks have gone totally defunct. They don't receive national news coverage because, well its a "local" thing. Do people say in Pennsylvania really care that some amusement park in Kansas closed? Same with broadcasting, why should the average Joe in small town West Virginia for example care about layoffs at Infinity or CBS? Most average listeners can't tell you who owns the radio stations they actually listen too nor do they care. I believe the mainstream national media knows this and its one big reason why these stories don't make it nationally.

Also another factor, radio is a business that somewhat prides itself as being a business one isn't really in unless they have been fired a few times. Every time a station is sold, changes formats or whatever, the first thing people start thinking is "who will end up getting fired". Not hard to know that, looks at the many postings on this site and the mailbag on www.dcrtv.com . I recently saw on another site that working in radio is now considered a "credit risk". I can see why.

While it is sad to see anyone, anyone laid off from any job, however layoffs in broadcasting are hardly "news". It happens all the time. Even in the best of times. Even in the boom of the late 90's when it seems just about every company was expanding and hiring, companies like Clear Channel were already cutting staff at many of their radio stations.

Sad for the families affected? Yes !!! Surprised? Sadly NO. Do most people who work outside of broadcasting care? Ah..sadly NO !!