Dirty_Harry said:
Where is that [EDIT] who insisted that WCOL was on an upward swing ratings wise a couple of months ago? !
[EDIT-inflammatory]
At least the goofball knows the call letters changed from WCOL to WTPG when it became a progressive talk station.
And after reading some of the postings over the last few weeks regarding what has happened not only at Clear Channel but at other Columbus radio stations, I have come to realize that it was good I never made it in radio.
When I read that a nighttime DJ on a top-rated FM station here in town has slightly less years in radio as I have in my state job, makes less than half the money I do and still finds himself going on the unemployment line, I consider myself blessed on where my career path has taken me.
The Sales Manager, Jeff Rehl, is aware I had plans to do more consistent advertising on the station for my sideline business. What happened with Ed Schultz, as I read from Big Eddie himself, indicated I should look into advertising outside of broadcast radio for the customers I am trying to reach here in Columbus. Outlook News is one of the outlets which has been seeking my ad dollars. And all of these media outlets, unlike Clear Channel, are non-profit entities.
If you get what you've been wishing for, Harry, I won't be buying advertising on Columbus radio anywhere. If I buy anything radio-related, it will be on the live broadcast stream on AM 1350 Radio Free Ohio, where Ed-heads both here and in Cincinnati will now be going to get their daily dose of Ed. The station is based in Akron, where I worked in radio under the legendary Jerry Healey and where I still have family and community ties. And just to let you know, Harry, 1350 was the home for nearly three decades for a country radio legend, Jaybird Drennan, who died this past week.
Jaybird retired after WQMX-FM went country under the programming leadership of Steve Cherry, and the locally owned station is still near the top of the Akron radio ratings. If the name sounds familiar, Harry, it's because he was Program Director and afternoon host at 93.3 FM until he and his wife were given the ax by Clear Channel two weeks ago--as his wife was having a baby.
Even if AM 1230 remains a progressive talk station, I have no clue who would produce my commercials since the ax also fell on Scott Kahler, whose voice has been heard on 610 WTVN and other Columbus radio stations for decades. As distinctive as Jaybird's voice was on Akron radio, Scott's was a distinctive voice on the Columbus radio landscape.
Feel free to poke fun as much as you like, Harry. At least I have a good-paying, steady job with good benefits serving the citizens of this state (a job you probably wish were privatized). I have no debt, I'm saving for retirement, and I have a sideline business which enables me to both diversify my income and share the profits with a community I enjoy calling home.
But before you respond with something you will regret saying later, keep in mind the hundreds of Clear Channel and CBS Radio employees given pink slips nationwide--many with the experience of Scott Kahler and Steve Cherry who now face financial challenges greater than I did when I lost my radio jobs.
And the reason this goofball hasn't been posting here for some time is because he is doing something
[EDIT].
I have a life, Harry.
[EDIT].
When I was in radio 20 years ago, both the seven-station rule and the Fairness Doctrine were still in place. Rest assured, Harry, it is guys like you that will motivate me to make my comments to the FCC about bringing those rules back.
[EDIT-inflammatory]