Well, I actually heard of GOOD radio news Friday morning, but then the news of this had to come later in the day and ruin it. For the first time ever, I’ve been left completely and utterly speechless. Or maybe it was what I really wanted to say, that made me wait. I can't tell you how furious, fed-up, you-name-it, I was and still am.
I was just listening Friday afternoon, and he supposedly was going on vacation after Friday. Or he was told he was being fired in advance?
Not too long ago, I thought how having Camelback Jack on in the afternoons was the ONLY thing about KOOL that has stayed the same since its glory days. I absolutely love Camelback Jack. He’s not just an on-air personality; he’s a true showman who brought the perfect personality, entertainment, and newsworthy content to our “stress-free ride home” every weekday afternoon, like only he could do it. I can’t tell you how much afternoons will be lacking, and I don’t care WHO permanently takes the shift. Camelback Jack is the kind that’s irreplaceable.
I’ll always miss heading home, and hearing him sign-on, ending it with “let’s roll.” I was also really looking forward to coming to the next event at 83rd Ave. & Union Hills, donate money and a few products to Packages From Home, and meet him for the first time.
As silly as I must be for being such an optimistic person, always finding some bright news out of the bad, I honestly believed there was no more that CBS Radio could possibly dare to do to KOOL. No doubt, their troubles as a corporation are not through, but how much can you possibly gut one station? But not just any station—remember the good ol’ days not too many years ago when the station reached spectacular numbers? And not too far off in the distance, I still recall KOOL in first place on a couple of occasions since I’ve been on this board. CBS Radio has gutted one of their top stations, time and time again this year.
Let’s try some metaphors and similes on for size… CBS Radio is a headless chicken running amuck (and I honestly don’t mean to imply that they are brainless). CBS Radio is like the person frantically throwing water on an electrical fire and wondering why it’s getting worse.
Forget about the other stations and markets for a second. Examining KOOL itself; the changes and layoffs throughout the year, and comparing January ’08 KOOL to December ’08 KOOL alone, shows just how extremely horrible the state of the industry is in. In case there’s possibly a doubter out there. It can’t be said enough, how absolutely terrible it is to see some of the best and most talented personalities lose their jobs, but it also doesn’t do any justice.
The instant Les Moonves or Dan Mason discover to themselves that this is not working, can’t come soon enough. Use all that knowledge and think of a real way to fix this dire emergency. How about starting with unconsolidating? I have a ton of ideas, but something
different must be done!
Camelback Jack is one of my want-to-meet people, and hopefully I’ll get the honor someday. Thank you for all of the best afternoons that could be spent on radio! I wish the best for Camelback Jack.
Maybe it’s time to be a professional Christmas duet singer?
