Kevin & Sluggo Cut At KLOS

[BLA]

And the legislative purpose of local radio as set up in the late 1920's and early 1930's in the U.S. was to prevent national radio in most forms by limiting station power and the number that could be owned. That was the goal of politicians who wanted radio to be limited in influence; they feared regional newspapers and did not want to see any radio owner have greater influence.

And to increase participation among broadcasters. That (whole) approach was certainly appropriate in that day and for a long time thereafter, I believe.

And what makes radio more profitable and better programmed in other nations is the ability of advertisers to make just a few buys and cover the whole country with a few different formats.

Advertisers can do the same thing here, maybe just need additional time buyers for the markets.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Townsquare is a small and medium market company. They’re not clearing their Grand Rapids show in major markets.

And I am pretty sure the program that A referred to only runs on Townsquare stations; since they are not a major market operator that puts the ring of truth to what you said, Mike.

 

[TheBigA]

And I am pretty sure the program that A referred to only runs on Townsquare stations; since they are not a major market operator that puts the ring of truth to what you said, Mike.

The show is syndicated by Compass Media. Here's their affiliate list:

https://www.freebeerandhotwings.com/radio-stations/

The show runs on other indie stations and small groups. You won't see it on iHeart, Audacy, Cumulus, or other majors because they have their own resources. But none of this is based on quality. It's all about business and ownership. I know several iHeart VTers who do shifts for stations much bigger than their home markets. Quality isn't based on where you live, but what you do.

I read this same quality comment about The TJ Show that's running on 98.7 in NY. The comments were the show isn't on any major market stations, so it can't be any good. The reason it's not on any major markets is because iHeart, Audacy, and Cumulus generally don't use outside syndication, and this show is syndicated by USRN. They own no stations, so they can't force anyone to carry it.

We all read the negative comments about big corporate radio and how they've ruined the business. Meruello is a small locally based company. They don't have the big corporate resources that iHeart and Audacy have. But they have to compete against them in LA. This is one reason why Emmis and Cumulus gave up and left LA.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

We all read the negative comments about big corporate radio and how they've ruined the business. Meruello is a small locally based company. They don't have the big corporate resources that iHeart and Audacy have. But they have to compete against them in LA. This is one reason why Emmis and Cumulus gave up and left LA.

Emmis and Cumulus were poorly run regardless of the competition.

 

[davideduardo]

Emmis and Cumulus were poorly run regardless of the competition.

Aw, come on. Emmis, a company I am proud to have worked for, was very well run. Because they were not afraid to take chances, they also had some notable failures. But they also had such incredible successes such as the first all sports station ever. And at one point, their station in Buenos Aires had the largest AQH audience of any single FM in the Western Hemisphere!

 

[K.M. Richards]

Emmis and Cumulus were poorly run regardless of the competition.

Aw, come on. Emmis, a company I am proud to have worked for, was very well run.

So can we agree with Flipper about Cumulus, then?

 

[TheBigA]

Emmis and Cumulus were poorly run regardless of the competition.

At least we're talking about LA radio again.

So can we agree with Flipper about Cumulus, then?

It depends. Lew Dickey is the one who created the $2 billion debt by buying Citadel. That ill-fated purchase is what got them into LA and other major markets with the former ABC Radio stations. But he was fired in a palace coup a few years later. The current CEO has done the best she could with what she had. People don't like what they've done with the ABC talk stations, but the problems at those stations began before Cumulus. They have some well run markets and stations. But they still have a lot of debt even after a bankruptcy.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Lew Dickey is the one who created the $2 billion debt by buying Citadel. That ill-fated purchase is what got them into LA and other major markets with the former ABC Radio stations. But he was fired in a palace coup a few years later. The current CEO has done the best she could with what she had. People don't like what they've done with the ABC talk stations, but the problems at those stations began before Cumulus. They have some well run markets and stations. But they still have a lot of debt even after a bankruptcy.

I'm sure I am not the only one who misses 7-7-7 at this point.

 

[TheBigA]

I'm sure I am not the only one who misses 7-7-7 at this point.

It was found to be impractical by 1988. It's one of the reasons why heritage companies such as NBC, GE and several others got out of radio in the 80s. There were too many stations in each market for the 7 AM & 7 FM rule to make enough money.

You can't put toothpaste back in the tube. Every time more stations get added, it drives down the percentage of the ad revenue each station can make. Now with an infinite dial, you see the result. Where are ownership limits for Apple, Amazon, Spotify, Sirius, and Google? There are none.

 

[TheBigA]

I'm really surprised no one has posted this yet. Our favorite print reporter, Richard Wagoner, has written a column complaining about the posted salary offering at KLOS:

KLOS is seeking Kevin & Sluggo’s replacement. You won’t believe the pay.

Richard Wagoner weighs in on news that station management is already on the lookout for the next afternoon host.

www.dailybreeze.com

He still thinks there's a limitless pot of money somewhere. KLOS pays about the same as the LA Times pays for an Assistant Editor.

According to Glassdoor:

The estimated total pay for a News Reporter is $79,441 per year in the Los Angeles, CA area, with an average salary of $66,752 per year.

This was posted in another thread:

Now, with Kevin & Sluggo from KLOS, that *is* a SAG-AFTRA station

So the posted salary range is given by the union. Not something Meruelo made up.

 

[yeoldeschool]

Because they were not afraid to take chances

I remember all the chances KPWR took under Emmis during their peak hip-hop period with The Baka Boyz doing "Friday Nite Flavaz." There was some sort of "look the other way" policy for that show on playing uncensored cuts after around 9 PM. It wasn't constant, but they did it enough that I was always amazed the FCC wasn't fining the station to death. Somewhere in my box of cassettes I still have a 1995 aircheck where https://lyrics.lol/artist/5448-mic-geronimo/lyrics/1871763-shit-s-real was played without any censorship from the beginning all the way into the middle of the first hook. Right at that precise moment among all the machine-gunned s-words, they cross-faded into a different song with the segue covered by a station ID. I was 17 and thought it was hilarious.

I have a feeling the engineering staff was having to change the air circulation system's HEPA filters for their DJ booth on a weekly basis back in those days.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

Aw, come on. Emmis, a company I am proud to have worked for, was very well run. Because they were not afraid to take chances, they also had some notable failures. But they also had such incredible successes such as the first all sports station ever. And at one point, their station in Buenos Aires had the largest AQH audience of any single FM in the Western Hemisphere!

I have not followed the company closely over the years, but they have a long history of losses and/or market under performance and were de-listed from NASDAQ in 2020. I am unaware of any significant positive developments since that time. They are a shell of a company they once were.

While there may have been good parts to the company (you radio insiders would know much more than I in this area), overall, they simply were not well run and belong in the same category as Cumulus. Sorry.

 

[K.M. Richards]

I'm really surprised no one has posted this yet. Our favorite print reporter, Richard Wagoner, has written a column complaining about the posted salary offering at KLOS:

As I refuse to read his column (and chuckle at the sarcastic use of "favorite") it wouldn't have come from me. Maybe everyone is starting to wise up and ignore him ... I can only hope.

He still thinks there's a limitless pot of money somewhere.

He. Is. An. Idiot.

So the posted salary range is given by the union. Not something Meruelo made up.

Again, recalling that it has been a long time since I last had to deal with AFTRA contracts (so long ago that it was pre-merger with SAG), is a station mandated to post the union's salary range? Could Meruelo post a higher amount, not that I expect him to?

 

[TheBigA]

Again, recalling that it has been a long time since I last had to deal with AFTRA contracts (so long ago that it was pre-merger with SAG), is a station mandated to post the union's salary range? Could Meruelo post a higher amount, not that I expect him to?

Do you ever go into any negotiation with your top offer?

Why would he post a blind ad to anyone, including beginners, with a higher amount?

 

[K.M. Richards]

I remember all the chances KPWR took under Emmis during their peak hip-hop period with The Baka Boyz doing "Friday Nite Flavaz." There was some sort of "look the other way" policy for that show on playing uncensored cuts after around 9 PM. It wasn't constant, but they did it enough that I was always amazed the FCC wasn't fining the station to death.

There is a provision called "safe harbor" wherein such language is allowed to be broadcast during hours where it can be safely assumed that no significant underage listening is taking place.

I can't find the original FCC documentation, but it was discussed on one of the DC law firms' blog back in 2006:

The New Era of Indecency Enforcement by the FCC | Insights | Holland & Knight

www.hklaw.com

 

[K.M. Richards]

Do you ever go into any negotiation with your top offer?

Why would he post a blind ad to anyone, including beginners, with a higher amount?

Point taken, and thankfully I never have to be involved in such negotiations these days.

 

[TheBigA]

They are a shell of a company they once were.

Because the founder is 77 and is looking to retire. He's selling all their stations and is in the process of cashing out.

 

[radiofan2023]

Richard Wagoner also seems to think Frazer Smith or Poorman are possible choices to fill the empty KLOS slot:

There’s a radio station bringing back ‘50s through ‘70s to Southern California

Plus, who will replace Kevin & Sluggo on KLOS? Here are two possibilities…

www.dailybreeze.com

Poorman is also doing middays on KQLL/Kool 102 in Vegas.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Richard Wagoner also seems to think Frazer Smith or Poorman are possible choices to fill the empty KLOS slot

Wagoner has a fixation on what worked in the past. I find him mostly unqualified to write about radio in today's environment.

Nothing would make me happier than him simply acknowledging that, rather than putting forward these ideas of his as if they were somehow viable as current solutions.

(And the last time I talked with Jim "Poorman" Trenton he said he had zero interest in doing a "classic" anything format. I'm amazed that he's doing the Vegas gig, unless it's just to pay the bills and is largely generic voicetracking. Is he still doing mornings at that LPFM in Laguna Niguel?)

 

[radiofan2023]

Wagoner has a fixation on what worked in the past. I find him mostly unqualified to write about radio in today's environment.

Nothing would make me happier than him simply acknowledging that, rather than putting forward these ideas of his as if they were somehow viable as current solutions.

(And the last time I talked with Jim "Poorman" Trenton he said he had zero interest in doing a "classic" anything format. I'm amazed that he's doing the Vegas gig, unless it's just to pay the bills and is largely generic voicetracking. Is he still doing mornings at that LPFM in Laguna Niguel?)

Yeah, Poorman has always said he'd rather focus on the now, which is why I was surprised when I found out he was on the Vegas station from this Youtube video, though he isn't listed on the schedule page.

Yeah, he's still doing mornings on KOCI.