Kevin & Sluggo Cut At KLOS

[Kent]

The drawback: While they can't raise her rent above the percentages K.M. outlined, they can't kick her out and they can't refuse to lawfully maintain a habitable apartment with functioning plumbing, heating and ventilation, they don't have to do upgrades. Most of the units there have had some significant remodeling and modernization.

A friend of mine from high school lives in the LA area and has a rent controlled apartment. He seems to have to fight an eviction every year. Granted, I only hear his side of the story that he posts on Facebook, but he said they'll scrounge for just about any legal reason to kick a rent controlled person out. Sounds like your wife's sorority sister has a better landlord than he does.

I realize living in a Midwestern college town can be boring and has its own stressors, but I love owning my own 2,000 square foot house with a reasonable mortgage for my roughly $80,000/yr salary. (Obviously, I got out of radio a long time ago!) Although any problem is now mine (and I had to write a $13,000 check last month after my A/C went out), I don't miss renting and never want to go back to that. And, no, I wouldn't give up my $80,000/yr job here for a $90,000/yr radio job in LA.

 

[K.M. Richards]

A friend of mine from high school lives in the LA area and has a rent controlled apartment. He seems to have to fight an eviction every year. Granted, I only hear his side of the story that he posts on Facebook, but he said they'll scrounge for just about any legal reason to kick a rent controlled person out. Sounds like your wife's sorority sister has a better landlord than he does.

There are good property managers (like mine) and there are those who look for any reason to be able to invoke the provision to raise the rent on a vacant unit to "market level".

The company that manages my building has been around since before I was born. The current owner inherited it from his late father and was (obviously) involved with the business for years before becoming the "top dog". His philosophy is to try to give his tenants the best possible experience and I have to say that in 30 years of living here, we have never had any disagreements that we couldn't settle in less than one minute of conversation. (Yes, he actually will get on the phone with a tenant when there's a problem.)

Not knowing your former high school classmate, I would take anything one posts on Facebook to be somewhat exaggerated in the poster's favor.

 

[davideduardo]

That's certainly the case more often now. When I first moved in, the air conditioner wall unit (remember, I live in a large studio apartment, so that is more than adequate) was aging; it died within five years and was replaced with a refurbished used one. That one lasted less than the original and the property management company decided it was more cost-effective to buy new units and have them last longer before needing replacement.

The new one (#3, if you're keeping track) lasted almost ten years and its replacement is only five years old now. And as a bonus, modern wall ACs come with remotes.

And, depending on whether you or the landlord pay the utilities, the newer the unit, the more efficient it is.

When we purchased our current home in 2016, it had SEER 9 AC units... the cheapest the builder could get in 2005. We thought that 11 years was close to the catastrophic failure point here in the desert so we got SEER 19 variable speed units. We compared the bills from the former owner who did not live here fulltime and ours for fulltime use and we were paying less than half of what the prior occupant paid just because of the better AC unit.

Oddly, none of the local AC companies (which, after car dealers, are the biggest users of local TV advertising) promotes "we can put in a unit that can save you thousands a year in electric bills... and we can finance it so that your savings pay for it!" It is amazing that no TV station or AC company has thought about this kind of sales approach.

As reference, a friend in a 2200 sq. ft. house in Palm Springs paid over $1300 each month in July and August even though they kept the thermostat at around 78° at all times (we had over 100 days over 100° and over 60 above 110° this year).

 

[ChannelFlipper]

And, depending on whether you or the landlord pay the utilities, the newer the unit, the more efficient it is.

When we purchased our current home in 2016, it had SEER 9 AC units... the cheapest the builder could get in 2005. We thought that 11 years was close to the catastrophic failure point here in the desert so we got SEER 19 variable speed units. We compared the bills from the former owner who did not live here fulltime and ours for fulltime use and we were paying less than half of what the prior occupant paid just because of the better AC unit.

Oddly, none of the local AC companies (which, after car dealers, are the biggest users of local TV advertising) promotes "we can put in a unit that can save you thousands a year in electric bills... and we can finance it so that your savings pay for it!" It is amazing that no TV station or AC company has thought about this kind of sales approach.

As reference, a friend in a 2200 sq. ft. house in Palm Springs paid over $1300 each month in July and August even though they kept the thermostat at around 78° at all times (we had over 100 days over 100° and over 60 above 110° this year).

At what point do we steer this conversation from government-imposed rent control back to LA radio?

Just asking for a friend. Sort of.

 

[davideduardo]

At what point do we steer this conversation from government-imposed rent control back to LA radio?

My point in my last post was that advertisers seem to frequently ignore major selling points. In my case, in perhaps the hottest metro area in the US,, the dozens and dozens of AC companies advertise service and response time, and not the sale of more efficient units that could save consumers 50% or more on their electric bill.

In this market, every TV commercial break has at least one AC service company ad. None promote savings from a new unit, while all talk about their friendly techs and $79 service calls.

 

[radiofan2023]

My point in my last post was that advertisers seem to frequently ignore major selling points. In my case, in perhaps the hottest metro area in the US,, the dozens and dozens of AC companies advertise service and response time, and not the sale of more efficient units that could save consumers 50% or more on their electric bill.

In this market, every TV commercial break has at least one AC service company ad. None promote savings from a new unit, while all talk about their friendly techs and $79 service calls.

There might be more money in fixing old AC units or doing service calls than installing new ones and customers financing them.

 

[K.M. Richards]

My point in my last post was that advertisers seem to frequently ignore major selling points. In my case, in perhaps the hottest metro area in the US,, the dozens and dozens of AC companies advertise service and response time, and not the sale of more efficient units that could save consumers 50% or more on their electric bill.

In this market, every TV commercial break has at least one AC service company ad. None promote savings from a new unit, while all talk about their friendly techs and $79 service calls.

You need to hear the commercials KRKE runs for Brothers Electromechanical. The spots are voiced by the owner and he loves talking about new AC units being more cost-efficient and saving you money.

And then he ends with "let Brothers treat you like family."

 

[davideduardo]

There might be more money in fixing old AC units or doing service calls than installing new ones and customers financing them.

All the major AC manufacturers require regular service or the warranty is voided. Companies like Trane give up to a 10 year "descending percentage" guarantee so losing the benefits is avoided. And, like car dealer third party financing, the dealer often gets a percentage of the financing costs.

The advantage of selling new units is that the installing dealer is often the only dealer who can honor the guarantee so in those cases the buyer is locked in to using them.

 

[yeoldeschool]

As reference, a friend in a 2200 sq. ft. house in Palm Springs paid over $1300 each month in July and August even though they kept the thermostat at around 78° at all times (we had over 100 days over 100° and over 60 above 110° this year).

Edison has the perfect racket. They can charge their customers enough to provoke an armed rebellion, knowing that every time they do it, those customers would all die of heat strokes if they tried.

 

[davideduardo]

Edison has the perfect racket. They can charge their customers enough to provoke an armed rebellion, knowing that every time they do it, those customers would all die of heat strokes if they tried.

And yet they don't have enough funding to improve power lines in fire-sensitive zones or even to replace deteriorating wood power posts in urban areas with underground or metal or concrete poles.

Where I live we have a rural electric cooperative, and our rates are about 50% to 60% lower than those of people just a few miles from where I live.

 

[michael hagerty]

And yet they don't have enough funding to improve power lines in fire-sensitive zones or even to replace deteriorating wood power posts in urban areas with underground or metal or concrete poles.

Where I live we have a rural electric cooperative, and our rates are about 50% to 60% lower than those of people just a few miles from where I live.

We're fortunate enough to be just this side of the Sacramento/El Dorado County line. We get the Sacramento Metropolitan Utility District (SMUD), one of the ten largest public-owned utilities in the country. Our rates are significantly lower than PG&E, and outages are far less frequent.

 

[K.M. Richards]

And yet they don't have enough funding to improve power lines in fire-sensitive zones or even to replace deteriorating wood power posts in urban areas with underground or metal or concrete poles.

Where I live we have a rural electric cooperative, and our rates are about 50% to 60% lower than those of people just a few miles from where I live.

We're fortunate enough to be just this side of the Sacramento/El Dorado County line. We get the Sacramento Metropolitan Utility District (SMUD), one of the ten largest public-owned utilities in the country. Our rates are significantly lower than PG&E, and outages are far less frequent.

Add me to the list. The San Fernando Valley is almost entirely within the city limits of Los Angeles and the electric utility is the L.A. Department of Water & Power (LADWP). Rates are reasonable, outages are few and short.

 

[davideduardo]

We're fortunate enough to be just this side of the Sacramento/El Dorado County line. We get the Sacramento Metropolitan Utility District (SMUD), one of the ten largest public-owned utilities in the country. Our rates are significantly lower than PG&E, and outages are far less frequent.

The ´private utility companies in CA have certainly made a case for that service, like water and sewers, to be publicly held and administered. If you look a the private utility companies in Texas, the case is rather conclusive.

I'm a Libertarian, at least in some senses, with a distaste for extensive government bureaucracies... but this is a case where the public interest is best served by public administration of basic services.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

The ´private utility companies in CA have certainly made a case for that service, like water and sewers, to be publicly held and administered. If you look a the private utility companies in Texas, the case is rather conclusive.

I'm a Libertarian, at least in some senses, with a distaste for extensive government bureaucracies... but this is a case where the public interest is best served by public administration of basic services.

Yeah, I get so tired of paying such low prices for electricity use in Texas. Just filled up on some $2.47 gas too.

With that said, I am still trying to figure out how we can nudge this thread back to the topic of LA Radio.

 

[K.M. Richards]

With that said, I am still trying to figure out how we can nudge this thread back to the topic of LA Radio.

Here's a nudge: How much does everyone think Meruelo pays for the electricity at Mount Wilson?

 

[Kramer]

At what point do we steer this conversation from government-imposed rent control back to LA radio?

Just asking for a friend. Sort of.

Thank you. Jesus.

 

[Kramer]

What's the average salary of a radio person in Los Angeles.

I just Googled that. I suggest you don't do the same. Pretty sad.

 

[TheBigA]

What's the average salary of a radio person in Los Angeles.

I just Googled that. I suggest you don't do the same. Pretty sad.

Someone posted the job listing earlier in this thread.

Hiring On-Air Personality, 1-Other - KLOS Radio, LLC

View job details and apply now

phe.tbe.taleo.net

There are many opportunities for extra money in LA.

 

[radiofan2023]

Someone posted the job listing earlier in this thread.

Hiring On-Air Personality, 1-Other - KLOS Radio, LLC

View job details and apply now

phe.tbe.taleo.net

There are many opportunities for extra money in LA.

I posted that job listing.

When I went to LA for Christmas with my brother a few years ago, I went window shopping on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Standing amongst the Lamborghinis and windows full of Breitlings and Birkin bags was someone dressed as a clown for tourists to take pictures with for $10. I asked if I could just take a picture of them for free and the clown said no. I doubt Kevin would do that, though.

 

[TheBigA]

Ryan Seacrest isn't making union scale. And even he has a side hustle. As I said, lots of opportunities.

If you're on the air in LA making union scale, you need a new agent.

Being on the radio isn't the end of the line. It's just the beginning. It gives you a chance to make real money.