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Hey! WJR Staff and Listeners!

W

WKomm

Kevin Metheny is headed your way. I truly feel for all of you. He has a long history of running good signals into the ground, lawsuits and questionable behavior. If you work at WJR - get your resume current. Even if you survive the inevitable purge, a dose of Metheny may force you into considering your options. If you're a WJR listener - start thinking what you'll listen to as he begins to monkey with the product. He likes lowbrow, vulgar, controversial radio and has no issues with long stopsets filled with crummy ads and trade. Just look at his record. Why the mgt would think this is a great move is beyond me, but .... who knows? Maybe he'll light up - but I doubt it.

I wish this legendary set of calls the very best.
 
correction: he has a long history of guiding good signals into great ratings.

WTAM/Cleveland was reborn.
WGN/Chicago took on a new life and get this...Ratings went up!

WJR's ratings are not what they once were.
 
John Baylor said:
correction: he has a long history of guiding good signals into great ratings.

WTAM/Cleveland was reborn.
WGN/Chicago took on a new life and get this...Ratings went up!
Click to expand...

You have heard that the Cubs and the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup may've had something to do with that? And even then, he didn't get the younger demos that he and Michaels thought they were going to get.
 
John Baylor said:
correction: he has a long history of guiding good signals into great ratings.

WTAM/Cleveland was reborn.
WGN/Chicago took on a new life and get this...Ratings went up!
Click to expand...
As much as listeners hated the changes at WGN over the past few years, it is in my opinion (like yours) that they have turned things around, especially in the afternoons, overnight, and mornings. Late mornings and middays may not be the best, but it is still a great station otherwise!

Metheny was also an early partner in VH1, as well as MTV (back when it still had music videos). Imagine what would've happened had VH1 and MTV not started!

As for Paul W. Smith, Frank Beckmann, and Mitch Albom, I do not known whether or not they will stay. Smith most likely will still be there, but the other two I do not know about.
 
The book on this guy is that he leaves nothing in his wake but carnage. He's toxic, tactless and divisive. Maybe he's learned something after the WGN debacle. I'd not bet on it.
 
Truth is WJR has only three on-air personalities Smith, Albom and Beckman. Smith is attached to business and the community and is the only guy around to sit in the morning seat. Before format changes Paul was never a political talker. Albom has so many other things going that he’ll keep busy. Beckman has no place to go in Detroit radio other than sports. He could go to work for UofM in p.r. All others are news, sales, traffic, and weather. More than 65% of the programming is syndicated and that only takes flipping a switch. Kevin has had his hits and misses and WGN is a hit where WLS conservative talk is dropping. WGN's talk format is not political, it's middle of the road, news with help of the TV station and the Tribune plus the agricultural voice of the Midwest and that is where AM talk is going. Talker’s magazine continually reports lower ratings for conservative talk. If you follow ratings in other markets most don’t have a talker in top 5 or 10. Rush called a woman law student a slut because she wanted birth control pills as a benefit and had all national and many regional advertisers heading for the hills. Now you hear a lot of per sale spots for gold coins and bullion.
 
WJR could be facing wrenching changes if Cumulus corporate decides to drop the Priemere talkers.

It could be this guy is being brought in to manage that transition.
 
No big changes, as of yet. They're still messing up stop sets and cutting off the syndicated shows that they air.
 
While I am a fan of Metheny (worked with him at three different projects over 30 years) and take issue with the hack that started this thread, I must point out that the groundwork for WTAM's success was laid down before he arrived by the fellow he replaced, the very capable Bobby Hatfield, a former Detroit PD at WDTX and now owner of one of the country's best-run small market stations, WHLM in Bloomsburg, PA.
 
While I visit this board rarely, I'll take issue with the issue taken by Troublemaan who had an issue with my issue. I am many things but certainly not a "hack". I'd be happy to resort to the juvenile "let's compare resumes" retort. Metheny is an ass, the object of many lawsuits and remains employed in thanks to WHO he knows as opposed to WHAT he knows. I've worked with this pud and know wherefor I speak. I dislike name-calling/negativity but there are exceptions to every rule.
 
WKomm said:
While I visit this board rarely, I'll take issue with the issue taken by Troublemaan who had an issue with my issue. I am many things but certainly not a "hack". I'd be happy to resort to the juvenile "let's compare resumes" retort. Metheny is an ass, the object of many lawsuits and remains employed in thanks to WHO he knows as opposed to WHAT he knows. I've worked with this pud and know wherefor I speak. I dislike name-calling/negativity but there are exceptions to every rule.
Click to expand...
Has Radio Info ever thought of having a like button? Just like Facebook this post would be very "liked" ;D
 
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