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Kelly and Alpha say farewell

jal41

jal41

This is Kelly and Alpha's last week on B98.5, with Steve and Vikki taking over next Tuesday. They already gave out a forwarding e-mail address, and said that they will keep in touch with listeners.

I guess this means there are no ement plans for them on The River or another Cox property in Atlanta. I suspect there are restrictions about who they can talk to until their contracts expire at the end of the year, so we many not know where they are going until early next year. Still, I think they will land on their feet sometime soon.
 
Two things:

1.) How will this affect Steve & Vicki? Now this will make them look like they were fine with taking over a morning
show after the previous hosts were fired against their will. Will some listeners just say no to S & V for this?

2.) I give Cox credit for allowing them to leave and say goodbye with the typical adios a little before everyone
expected.

Any guesses on what music surprises, etc. will occur next week? Let the fireworks begin.
 
Although not a frequent listener to the station, B98.5 has done very well with Kelly & Alpha and has contributed to much of the station's success over the years. The station could possibly have used them in programming during the weekends if possible while they implement S & V. For Kelly & Alpha, best of luck wherever they go.
 
Tibbs2 said:
1.) How will this affect Steve & Vicki? Now this will make them look like they were fine with taking over a morning
show after the previous hosts were fired against their will. Will some listeners just say no to S & V for this?
Click to expand...

You give listeners WAY too much credit. Only a radio insider would think like this. K&A, though a decent morning show - did not have a great loyal following of passionate fans. If they did, they'd still be there.
 
Tibbs2 said:
Two things:

1.) How will this affect Steve & Vicki? Now this will make them look like they were fine with taking over a morning
show after the previous hosts were fired against their will. Will some listeners just say no to S & V for this?

2.) I give Cox credit for allowing them to leave and say goodbye with the typical adios a little before everyone
expected.

Any guesses on what music surprises, etc. will occur next week? Let the fireworks begin.
Click to expand...

How do you figure they were fired against their will. They will be compensated throught the end of their contract. That is not being fired that is fulfilling a contract.
 
Kelly & Alpha perfectly fit what was Bob Neil's vision of how a Cox AC should sound in the morning. Nobody accomplished that better than K&A. They were never meant to have a passionate following.

When Steve & Vikki became available, a lot of potential was unleashed, and Neil modified his vision accordingly.
 
RTibbs said:
Tibbs2 said:
Two things:

1.) How will this affect Steve & Vicki? Now this will make them look like they were fine with taking over a morning
show after the previous hosts were fired against their will. Will some listeners just say no to S & V for this?

2.) I give Cox credit for allowing them to leave and say goodbye with the typical adios a little before everyone
expected.

Any guesses on what music surprises, etc. will occur next week? Let the fireworks begin.
Click to expand...

How do you figure they were fired against their will. They will be compensated throught the end of their contract. That is not being fired that is fulfilling a contract.
Click to expand...
Well, they were let go from their on-air positions and weren't expecting it most likely, that's how it happens. Being compensated is Cox fulfilling their contract financially but with all due respect it's still being fired, terminated, let go, what ever makes you feel better.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
They were never meant to have a passionate following.
Click to expand...

That may be true, if you mean "by the design of the format".

Nonetheless, while passion can LEAD to loyalty--loyalty does not REQUIRE passion.

The truth would be: familiarity, tradition, consistency and--as we age--we simply do not like "change" are all things that produce loyalty.
 
I can't recall within the Atlanta market when a major mornimg radio show was given a four-month notice that they were being replaced.

Weren't the ratings good with K&A ? They are a Top 5 station.

Do you think Steve and Vicki are going to make much that much more of an impact ?

Mmmm. I don't think so.

I was not a K&A fan, but kudos to them to try and end their run with some dignity.
 
RTibbs quotes:
How do you figure they were fired against their will. They will be compensated throught the end of their contract. That is not being fired that is fulfilling a contract.
[/quote]

Was Steve McCoy fired or compensated through his contract??? FIRED, or PC --- dismissed with compensation. Either way, no one in this business wants off the air --- for any reason. Think K & A are just feelin' fine about being unable to turn on a mic? Money isn't everything. Mostly.
 
Midtownjohn--there's a simple reason why Steve & Vikki are replacing Kelly & Alpha: Cox Radio didn't want anybody else to pick up Steve & Vikki and start a rival soft rock station with that type of ammuniition. Right now, B98.5 has the field all to itself and Steve & Vikki will make it that much harder for a new station to gain traction. Poor Kelly & Alpha, albeit pulling in solid ratings over the years, were never cultivated as true personalities. The mornings were still packed with music and the pair seldom talked for more than 90 seconds at a time, maybe four times an hour. And they were done by 8:30 a.m. That hardly gave them a chance to build a real following or loyalty. They were popular among folks who didn't WANT a lot of talk so they fulfilled that mission quite well. And I'm sure the more music approach wasn't Kelly & Alpha's preferable choice, but it gave them a good living the past decade.

And this move doesn't necessarily stop a rival station to go against B98.5 and perhaps a rival might do so with Kelly & Alpha once their contracts are up at Cox. But it might give a Clear Channel, CBS or Citadel pause.
 
Good points Rodney.

Then Kelly and Alpha need to go where there is a niche in the Atlanta market for a soft music station like the old Peach 94.9 / Lite FM.
 
In addition to making it more difficult for a potential AC competitor to gain traction, Steve & Vikki probably will attract some new advertising dollars. They have a following, are perceived as family friendly. and probably have gotten some good response for advertisers in the past.

As far as ratings, they may go up in the summer book. But once things settle down, I doubt B98.5's ratings will be much different from what they've been.
 
I thought Kelly & Alpha gave a really classy good-bye.

They thanked staff members by name and also listeners. They said the last 9 and a half years were their best run ever.

What struck me most was their heartfelt thanks to management "for keeping us on for 3 months after we knew what was happening."

They did say they do not yet have a job. They said a new morning show was coming but of course did not identify it.
 
Wonder how long Will Gara will be on board with the new show? I give it 6 months to help with the transition and then he'll be replaced. No loyalty to staff at Cox, it's all about the money. People are being let go and positions terminated lately mostly likely to pick up the tab for S&V.
 
RAD1 said:
Wonder how long Will Gara will be on board with the new show? I give it 6 months to help with the transition and then he'll be replaced. No loyalty to staff at Cox, it's all about the money. People are being let go and positions terminated lately mostly likely to pick up the tab for S&V.
Click to expand...

No loyalty? How many people on their stations in Atlanta have been with Cox for 10 years or more?
 
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