Re: Nothing to do with consolidation.
> >
> > Tell shulke and Bonneville
>
> OK- Shulke, Bonneville, in the markets I've visited, your
> formats stunk up the airwaves and were a waste of
> electricity
Beautiful Music may not have been your format of choice, but the fact remains that in nearly every market, from WLYF in Miami to KRFM in Phoenix to WIOO in Chicago to WRFM in New York to KJOI in La there was one in the top two to three staitons. And if the station was not #1, it was because there were one or more other staitons with the same format in the top 10.
> >the #1 and #2 and #3 stations well into
> > the 80's were automated and voice tracked. They are all
> live
> > now, by the way.
>
> name names, Mr. Gleason.
WQII, WZNT, WPRM. WQII, An AM, died. WZNT and WPRM are both in the top 3 in thier market, which is #13. All were automated from the late 70's to the late 80's.
> .
> >
> > The fact is that there is less of this, at Clear and
> > anywhere, than at the beginning of consolidation. In many
> > cases, voice tracking was used to remove horrible
> announcers
> > from new acquisitions and, over the years, go to more live
>
> > and local dayparts.
>
> Gee, I don't know about markets 150 through Bohmfolk, but
> the places I've been and the people I've spoken with have
> not seen this.
The markets I go to, as small as McAllen and El Paso, generally have live folks on the formatzs that need to be live, and have some dayparts voice tracked on fomats that are adult and music intensive. This is as it has always been... just the technology has changed.
>
>
> > I see our people getting automatic rases, bonuses and more
>
> > money all the time. I see no one paid less.
>
> Lets see- Tempie Lindsey, Chuck Brinkman, Larry Dixon and
> hundreds more... they weren't let go because they were bad.
Believe it or not, being bad is not the only reason someone is let go. I saw the #1 LA morning show fired because of attitude and inability to play with the team. I have seen ratings-getters let go due to drug and porn convictions.
Since I do not know the cases of any of these folks, I can only presume that there was a reason why management felt they were not of further value. Return on investment is a valid reason, by the way. this is a business, not the welfare office.
> They were let go because they made more than 15 dollars an
> hour.I've never met Dillon, but I'll bet he's not making
> what he was five or 10 years ago.
I know many who are making more. And some who are making less. the ones on the negative side tend to not be as good, relevant or appealing as they were once. Some are the jock equivalent of disco or the lambada. To everything there is a season.
> I see everyone outside of
> a handful of morning stars being paid less, if they can find
> work at all. I can make a list of dozens and dozens of
> talented people I know who are working for traffic services,
> or have left the industry because they can't make a living.
And I see mostly the oopposite. Perhaps the circle you have moved with is simply going th route of the dinosaur. Even Seinfeld only lasted about a decade.
Because we live in a fasster changing environment and society, the lifespan of "what's entertaining" is shortening, in case you have not noticed. that applies to radio, too.
>
> And once you learned your craft, you left the minor markets
> and moved up. Now there is no reason to move up. You can't
> afford the move, they won't pay for it. And the wages aren't
> better.
And it is easier to move up in the same market, by promotion. Something not possible in pre-consolidation radio. I see many people move up inside clusters, and I see many move to bigger markets and bigger dollars. I am always scouting, and what I have to offer is a better market and more money.
> So what was the point of consolidation?
To make radio and broad casting equally able to access capital markets as other industries that had consolidated and to not lock it into an increasing cycle of ongoing losing stations under one owner after another. From the 50's to 1996, half of US stations did not make money.
>
> Metro does breaking news? Cool. If true...
We get many bulletins in our markets every week if we work withthem. I can trace this back to the mid-90's when we had an alert system for KTNQ to get Metro breaking news reports in LA, and we have it in all other Metro markets.
> When I worked in S.A. in 1985, there were individual offices
> at city hall for each station. there was KTSA, KKYX, WOAI,
> KRNN, KSJL, and KSAQ. KCOR and KONO sent reporters too. Now
> there's just WOAI's Bud Little. If he is still there.
And I would guess that english speaking folks know to go to WOAI for news... This is the era of specialization, which has nothing to do with consolidation. over 40 years ago, I had news on only one station in a 9-station local market cluster. There was no reason to do otherwise.
> >
> > I do not see that anywhere I go.
>
> I see it. A lot. Talk to some of the people spit out by CBS.
> Clear Channel is notorious for it. Others I have heard about
> aren't much better.
I saw much more with the crazy small broadcasters of the 60's like Max richmond, Don Burden, richard Eaton, etc. No benefits, no security, bad pay and abuse. It is a dreamland today compared to most of the small broadcasters of 30 and 40 years ago.
>
> See above... what was the point of consolidation if not to
> drive down costs (wages) and firm up rates?
To be big enough to access the capital markets like most other businesses. This was considered the goal: to be able to finance expansion so the businesses could get to the size where equity capital was accessable.
> >
> for people who love radio, it has been a total
> > disaster.
>
> I stand by my comments.
>
> Great visiting with you, David. Have a good spring break.
Spring break? There is no break between the Winter and Spring books.
> >
> > Tell shulke and Bonneville
>
> OK- Shulke, Bonneville, in the markets I've visited, your
> formats stunk up the airwaves and were a waste of
> electricity
Beautiful Music may not have been your format of choice, but the fact remains that in nearly every market, from WLYF in Miami to KRFM in Phoenix to WIOO in Chicago to WRFM in New York to KJOI in La there was one in the top two to three staitons. And if the station was not #1, it was because there were one or more other staitons with the same format in the top 10.
> >the #1 and #2 and #3 stations well into
> > the 80's were automated and voice tracked. They are all
> live
> > now, by the way.
>
> name names, Mr. Gleason.
WQII, WZNT, WPRM. WQII, An AM, died. WZNT and WPRM are both in the top 3 in thier market, which is #13. All were automated from the late 70's to the late 80's.
> .
> >
> > The fact is that there is less of this, at Clear and
> > anywhere, than at the beginning of consolidation. In many
> > cases, voice tracking was used to remove horrible
> announcers
> > from new acquisitions and, over the years, go to more live
>
> > and local dayparts.
>
> Gee, I don't know about markets 150 through Bohmfolk, but
> the places I've been and the people I've spoken with have
> not seen this.
The markets I go to, as small as McAllen and El Paso, generally have live folks on the formatzs that need to be live, and have some dayparts voice tracked on fomats that are adult and music intensive. This is as it has always been... just the technology has changed.
>
>
> > I see our people getting automatic rases, bonuses and more
>
> > money all the time. I see no one paid less.
>
> Lets see- Tempie Lindsey, Chuck Brinkman, Larry Dixon and
> hundreds more... they weren't let go because they were bad.
Believe it or not, being bad is not the only reason someone is let go. I saw the #1 LA morning show fired because of attitude and inability to play with the team. I have seen ratings-getters let go due to drug and porn convictions.
Since I do not know the cases of any of these folks, I can only presume that there was a reason why management felt they were not of further value. Return on investment is a valid reason, by the way. this is a business, not the welfare office.
> They were let go because they made more than 15 dollars an
> hour.I've never met Dillon, but I'll bet he's not making
> what he was five or 10 years ago.
I know many who are making more. And some who are making less. the ones on the negative side tend to not be as good, relevant or appealing as they were once. Some are the jock equivalent of disco or the lambada. To everything there is a season.
> I see everyone outside of
> a handful of morning stars being paid less, if they can find
> work at all. I can make a list of dozens and dozens of
> talented people I know who are working for traffic services,
> or have left the industry because they can't make a living.
And I see mostly the oopposite. Perhaps the circle you have moved with is simply going th route of the dinosaur. Even Seinfeld only lasted about a decade.
Because we live in a fasster changing environment and society, the lifespan of "what's entertaining" is shortening, in case you have not noticed. that applies to radio, too.
>
> And once you learned your craft, you left the minor markets
> and moved up. Now there is no reason to move up. You can't
> afford the move, they won't pay for it. And the wages aren't
> better.
And it is easier to move up in the same market, by promotion. Something not possible in pre-consolidation radio. I see many people move up inside clusters, and I see many move to bigger markets and bigger dollars. I am always scouting, and what I have to offer is a better market and more money.
> So what was the point of consolidation?
To make radio and broad casting equally able to access capital markets as other industries that had consolidated and to not lock it into an increasing cycle of ongoing losing stations under one owner after another. From the 50's to 1996, half of US stations did not make money.
>
> Metro does breaking news? Cool. If true...
We get many bulletins in our markets every week if we work withthem. I can trace this back to the mid-90's when we had an alert system for KTNQ to get Metro breaking news reports in LA, and we have it in all other Metro markets.
> When I worked in S.A. in 1985, there were individual offices
> at city hall for each station. there was KTSA, KKYX, WOAI,
> KRNN, KSJL, and KSAQ. KCOR and KONO sent reporters too. Now
> there's just WOAI's Bud Little. If he is still there.
And I would guess that english speaking folks know to go to WOAI for news... This is the era of specialization, which has nothing to do with consolidation. over 40 years ago, I had news on only one station in a 9-station local market cluster. There was no reason to do otherwise.
> >
> > I do not see that anywhere I go.
>
> I see it. A lot. Talk to some of the people spit out by CBS.
> Clear Channel is notorious for it. Others I have heard about
> aren't much better.
I saw much more with the crazy small broadcasters of the 60's like Max richmond, Don Burden, richard Eaton, etc. No benefits, no security, bad pay and abuse. It is a dreamland today compared to most of the small broadcasters of 30 and 40 years ago.
>
> See above... what was the point of consolidation if not to
> drive down costs (wages) and firm up rates?
To be big enough to access the capital markets like most other businesses. This was considered the goal: to be able to finance expansion so the businesses could get to the size where equity capital was accessable.
> >
> for people who love radio, it has been a total
> > disaster.
>
> I stand by my comments.
>
> Great visiting with you, David. Have a good spring break.
Spring break? There is no break between the Winter and Spring books.
