Landscape changes EVERYWHERE!!!

[Fronk]

I'm a bit confused about all the negativity towards Nassau Broadcasting. The landscape of radio has changed dramatically across the entire country, not just in the Manchester to Lincoln corridor. Yes there have been a lot of cut backs in Nassau but they have all been neccesary to keep the doors open and to keep food on the table for the employees that are still here. On a personal level...yes I have seen good friends lose their jobs and that saddens me, but looking at the big picture it's happening across the board in ALL industries and difficult decisions were needed. True, we could have more employees working here if we could all take care of our families on minimum wage. I have worked for 3 different radio groups in NH and there are pros & cons with all of them. When I worked for GIR and The Fronknation afternoon drive, I made less than 20k with Clear Channel (sure that's enough to raise a family - sarcastic voice). In this economic age I believe Nassau is doing what they can do to keep as many people employeed as possible. Have mistakes been made...of course who hasn't made a mistake. Would corporate like to be able to hire back employees that were let go...absolutely. They hope as we all do that the economy turns around, who doesn't.

Everyone has an opinion, I will always welcome yours and I will not hide behind a username.

Jim Fronk
PD-The Hawk

 

[Jimc]

True the economy has hit everywhere hard, but Goldman Sachs hasn't climbed in behind the steering wheel of Lou's car because Nassau managed their business wisely.

It isn't just about good people losing their jobs. Maybe Nassau attempted to grow too much too soon and the economy bit them in the ass.

Ready,fire aim!

Other companies have been hit by the bad news.Saga employees across the board took a 5% pay cut to keep the good ship afloat.

I wouldn't say that the people behind Nassau Broadcasting aren't nice.Just not very good at what they do.

 

[OldPort]

Mr. Fronk,

Welcome to the Northern New England board!

All due respect, nobody forced you to work for 20K. You did it because you obviously love the profession and were willing to work for peanuts. It sounds like a criticism but don't take it that way, as that is not my intention. Hopefully you will be able to continue to do what you do and make a living wage. (You also probably made a few people squirm in the CC-Manchvegas offices by releasing that info!)

I think Nassau gets the bad rap because they came in with guns-a-blazin' promising a "new generation of broadcasting," overpaying for properties and throwing more money around than they should have. (case in point: wasn't Frank FM in Portland at one time staffed live 24/7, albeit breifly?) In the end all they really were was a small-time Clear Channel with a friendlier face. Same cross-market tracking, same barely-staffed studios, different people.

Nobody is taking joy in seeing these layoffs, but I think those who saw Nassau's big-bang-boom entry into the NNE marketplace and were jealous of the percieved "haves" to their own "have nots" are not feeling sorry for the bigwigs. Especially since they still have jobs at the end of the day. It's a shot of sympathy with a schadenfreude chaser!

Did that make any sense? AH, don't listen to me, I'm just drunk. And I know I wouldn't have it any other way!

Cheers and best of luck!

OldPort Wino

 

[adbuyer1]

Actually I think the biggest cut backs or layoffs in Portland this year occurred at Saga. I believe it was something along the line of a dozen full and/or part time employees.



By RAY ROUTHIER, Staff Writer

February 27, 2009

The economic crisis is affecting Portland's radio stations, with owners imposing salary reductions, layoffs and other cuts to reduce costs in the wake of declining advertising revenue.

The Portland Radio Group – an eight-station cluster including WGAN (560 AM), WMGX (93.1 FM) and WYNZ (100.9 FM) – has laid off workers and imposed pay cuts for employees.

[EDIT][/color]


[EDIT-quotation in excess of fair use standards.]

 

[splicer38]

Fronk,
I'm wondering how your perception would change if you were one that was downsized. I don't think you'd be singing the praises of Nassau as "Awe shucks, they're working hard to just keep the lights on". It's not the economy only to blame. These guys are poor operators. They have no idea how to run good strong local radio. They started cutting back long before the economy turned. Fronk, you're a quality guy and a great talent. PLEASE don't drink the corporate cool-aid! Also, drop to your knees everyday and THANK your higher power you work in a job that isn't a job to you... it's a passion. That's worth more than 20K and some benefits. Oh, if you're making less than 50K with Nassau they are stealing from YOU. Just my opinion.

 

[Fronk]

Splicer thanks for your opinion and of course I wouldn't be waiving the Nassau flag if I were downsized, but I also wouldn't waste my efforts bad mouthing and speculating. Because yes you are right....this is a passion not just a job. If you don't have that passion for this biz, then you don't belong in it. I guess what really gets to me is that there are a few talented and dedicated local people... AJ Dukette- PD JY, Andy Mack - PD Wolf, Sarah Sullivan - PD Frank, Molly King - PD LNH & Pat Kelly - PD EMJ and all around utility player (for lack of a better term) that along with myself work 10-12 hours a day, with limited staff, to put out the best "local" radio product as possible. When there are posts talking down about any of our stations, it's directly talking down about a product that we are proud of. And believe or not we have the support of programming from Princeton to be as local as we can be. Personally I am live on the air most of the afternoon, taking phone calls, running contests and trying to connect with the listener.

Everyone making a living in radio, Nassau or not, I guarentee counts their blessings everyday, I know I do.

 

[Jimc]

Jim, I don't believe anyone on this board is trying to say anything negative about what's left of the Nassau Team.You named some very hard working and capable people.

It's tradition in this business (as in other industries) to bitch about ownership. They're cheap, they don't care, they screw their employees,etc. Radio has had its fair share of rotten ownersand corporate bad guys.

Or a General Manager who is a jerk.Or a PROGRAM DIRECTOR WHO IS A BASTARD.

Nassau is well recognied as piss poor planners,smug elitists who were rolling in here from New Jersey to show those New Hampshire and Maine Hillbillies how to run radio stations.They came in guns a blazin'!

That Ready Fire Aim is really quite funny and sadly accurate.

 

[splicer38]

Well said JimC. However, bitching for the sake of bitching is unwarranted. Too much of that in years past... However, Bitching because your station has 2 full time employees and they are working 12 hours a day 6-7 days a week IS warranted. Nassau has cut the fat, muscle and BONE in some circumstances. More local ownership INVESTING in people...Quality people. On air, in Sales, Management...we need better stewards of licenses in our communities. Mr. Fronk, Mack, Dukette and Kelly as well as Ms. Sullivan and King will have positions in the new world order coming in broadcasting. Others will likely find their way back when it comes back around.

 

[ebol]

Well put.

And wasn't Clear Channel the Evil Empire not too long ago?

 

[splicer38]

EBOL: They are. CC is a major reason broadcasting is where it is today. Emmis, Citadel, Cumulus and other corporate monters who tried to turn the industry into their revenue generating amusement park have found out the hard way that local operators may have had the recipe for success all along and were not as dumb as they were perceived to be.

 

[necrat123]

However with all that said, we still shouldn't just put a blanket statement that "local operators" are better than the big guys either. It really needs to be done on a case by case basis, on both sides. In my travels of listening to radio, I could give a laundry list of local operators who basically ran a station off of a satellite dish. Nothing more than a satellite dish hooked to a transmitter. Which I still contend is WORSE even than voice tracking. I would rather have a "big company" station with mostly live/local talent over a "local ownership" station that only has a live morning show and is bird-fed all day and weekend.

Now some local operators DO get it and do run a really good operations, but there are locals who don't as well.

 

[True Grit]

However with all that said, we still shouldn't just put a blanket statement that "local operators" are better than the big guys either. It really needs to be done on a case by case basis, on both sides. In my travels of listening to radio, I could give a laundry list of local operators who basically ran a station off of a satellite dish. Nothing more than a satellite dish hooked to a transmitter. Which I still contend is WORSE even than voice tracking. I would rather have a "big company" station with mostly live/local talent over a "local ownership" station that only has a live morning show and is bird-fed all day and weekend.

Now some local operators DO get it and do run a really good operations, but there are locals who don't as well.

Basically, 'locally-owned' does not always equal 'local radio'. Or good radio, for that matter.

 

[Oldbones]

CC is a major reason broadcasting is where it is today. Emmis, Citadel, Cumulus and other corporate monters who tried to turn the industry into their revenue generating amusement park have found out the hard way that local operators may have had the recipe for success all along and were not as dumb as they were perceived to be.

Bull. A lot of those "locally owned" stations were pretty much shoestring operations that were one broken transmitter away from going dark. When Clear Channel, Cumulus, etc. came knocking it didn't take much persuasion to get the owners to cash out. The small owners who were good businessmen didn't need to. At least the big groups were able to keep some of the marginal operations on the air with revenue from the more successful sister stations.
Keep in mind also that automation, satellite formats, voicetracking and all were pretty established at the small, local stations by 1996.

There seems to be a double standard on these boards for what is acceptable for small-time owners but not corporate ones.

 

[adbuyer1]

Absolutely correct. Let's return to 1992 or so right here in New England where "locally owned" radio MANY times meant that paychecks weren't necessarily "cashable" on the day they were issued and a number of employees were taken aside and asked to hold on to them for a couple of days....when "locally owned" radio meant health insurance was beyond a joke...when "locally owned" radio meant there was NO retirement plan option at all, no 401k, nada.
Splicer - if you want to have a radio group in your cross hairs, go right ahead...but let's not have any revisionist history that is absolutely untrue.

 

[12 In a Row]

Agree in so many ways. The Landscape has changed forever in just about any industry.
The Mom and Pop stores that once advertised are gone. Those stores employed a handful of people replaced by big box stores that employ many more people. More selection, lower prices but less or no local advertising.

You are correct, the bulk of the Mom and Pop radio stations could care less about quality, working conditions and employee benefits. I believe if they were still around today the landscape would be far worse.
You were looked at as "a dime a dozen". If you didn't like the crappy wages and lousy equipment, leave.

Only when you went to work for a large group, then owned by insurance, tire and rubber or appliance companies the benefits and wages improved.

Looking back on the past wasn't so great.

 

[splicer38]

Go further back than the early 2000's... the 1990's... BEFORE the FCC made available the little class A station reserved for minority applications with no radio experience. yes, let's look back FURTHER than the several rounds of deregulation. Back to the days when radio was MORE than relavant in the daily lives of the the local community. Agreed that those operators that got those newly created class A's had no idea how to run them in the late 80's, 90's and early 2000's(some did a good job but most did not). However, the owners before them did take care of their people and provided a training ground for newly initiated radio careers. I agree that the ones that were easily persuaded to sell were the ones that got in, found out they had no clue and wanted out quickly. It took a lot more persuation and cash to get those out that did it right. Most that are still in as independent are doing a great job of good local radio.

Old Bones you have to admit the bigger corporate groups are the major root of current broadcast problems. I put a lot of blame on the FCC for rapid deregulation too. They allowed and encouraged these groups to do what they did and operate the way they are currently operating. If you could put me back in the middle 80's at a small market AM/FM combo I would do that in a heartbeat. I actually would love to go back to the 50's when radio was KING.

 

[12 In a Row]

Certainly not here to defend corporate,they can't be blamed for all the troubles this and any business is facing. Times, tastes, technology and the economic tsunami changed everything.
A reminder, Clear Channel and the rest were broadcast companies before 96. You can argue that radio know it all's screwed up.

Words from someone lots smarter than me-"Those who yearn for the past won't enjoy today and the brightness of tomorrow." Would you prefer a world without cell phones, blackberrys, I-tunes, I-pods and the internet?

 

[True Grit]

Certainly not here to defend corporate,they can't be blamed for all the troubles this and any business is facing. Times, tastes, technology and the economic tsunami changed everything.
A reminder, Clear Channel and the rest were broadcast companies before 96. You can argue that radio know it all's screwed up.

Words from someone lots smarter than me-"Those who yearn for the past won't enjoy today and the brightness of tomorrow." Would you prefer a world without cell phones, blackberrys, I-tunes, I-pods and the internet?

Cell phones--Yes!
blackberrys--don't care
I-tunes--don't care
I-pods--don't care
Internet--no

But I don't know what these things have to do with quality radio.

 

[splicer38]

12 in a Row: Clear channel had an ownership change 2-3 years ago. Remember they had to sue to get the banks to consumate the deal to take it private? The company has been around a while but ownership (no longer public company) has not.
Technology sunami? yearning for the past? Yes when things were more simple and slower, I liked it better. Maybe I'm too Old now! So, yes life without a lot of the technology you mentioned (internet included) I can live without. I do have everything on your list though! With that said, I find it troubling that owners and operators are so slow to embrace technology and exploit it for their purposes. Either another marketing tool or revenue generator. I can remember the push back I got when I suggeted that the internet would be something to embrace and utilize for our station. It was dismissed as a chat forum that was a passing fad. The problem is the failing stations didn't ride the sunami... they were (and are continuing to get) crushed by it. I guess you could say the perfect storm of poor ownership with no vision of the future, the FCC's deregulation, the failing economy and the increased competition from emerging media are all to blame. Broadcasting is due for a comeback... in a BIG way I predict! Stay positive!
True Grit: If you don't know what technology has to do with local radio... Look to the future and try to figure out the next "Thing" that will compete and/or enhance broadcasting. Cells, computers, internet, blackberries and other technologies are only a couple of years old and have a major impact on how we operate stations. Ride it or be crushed by it!
On a good note, why do you think Apple and Microsoft have included a radio receiver in their new Ipod and Zune players? It's the demand for local radio. It still exists!!!

 

[12 In a Row]

I like your positive points of view. The "but" is how to stay relevent in a changing world?

Back in the good ole days it was Top/Down.
Listeners were forced to sit and wait for news/weather/sports/no school announcements/and 12 in a row.

In my opinion, just being local isn't the magic bullet. When I was growing up our community had a local station. The vast majority listened to the big city stations.

I hope like you, formats will be allowed to fail to find success.