I'm not into Howard Stern but he gets big bucks from XM-AreYourSirius because he has many fans (or at least Uncle Mel signed him for big bucks in that hope). I don't necessarily agree with Keith Olbermann but he got a huge contract because lots of people watch him. Those on the left are probably upset that Sean Hannity
still has a job, but he's one of the highest rated talk hosts around and thus got a big salary from it. The
same applies to Glenn Ordway, who was dubbed "The Big Zero" by now retired (or perhaps working at a
smaller paper) Herald columnist Jim Baker.
Is O'Reilly a blowhard? Yes. Do people tune in (TV show; he's giving up radio show)? You bet they do. Yes
it's regrettable that some talent has lost their jobs and I hope they get re-hired somewhere else, or by 'BZ
again, but it's a sign of the times that the big corporations like CBS (and Sirius, Fox, MSNBC, ABC-Citadel)
etc. feel their biggest performers get huge salaries. Unfortunately, they also believe that (perhaps to make
up for these salaries) the "little guys" in the equation, on overnights and weekends, are expendable. It's
not fair and I wish it weren't that way but it's how THEY feel. Big bucks for the big performers, and
cuts elsewhere.
I wish the economy were in better shape and the "loss leaders" of nights and weekends could still be there (that is,
I'd hope that the people in the main time slots make enough money to help finance live and local hosts
at time slots when fewer people listen), but the way things are, they _feel they_ need to make cuts (see WRKO
sacking the news staff while Howie and Glenn get big salaries). Again, would hope they could find it
in their budgets to employ the likes of Steve, Lovell, Tom, and Pat and maybe they will turn up
elsewhere (just like the former WRKO people like Listo, Mary Blake, Rod Fritz, et all, who did get a job
elsewhere).
And now back to WBZ's pre-recorded overnight newscasts. Boy that's great radio! Wish life were more fair.
And I'm not saying I agree with these decisions, I'm just saying this is how radio is these days. Hope it
changes!