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Market Manager Search Cumulus Savannah

Common knowledge that Savannah is a revolving door. Cumulus changes MM like most people change their underware. Triad has not clue what they want to do and Clear Channel is Clear Channel! Think Triad should have learned something when they jumped on the "jack" format and lost their butts. All the big guys have made some really dumb moves over the years so there is lots of blame to go around. Would you not think that Triad would learn something and take advantage of the turn over at the other players? Oh well, it takes some longer than others ...
 
Been a minute since I've wandered by the ol' R.I. fora. I don't really give a damn about management issues at Sav-area clusters anymore - but I can promise "knozall" (is that for "knows all" - or "nozzle?) that Robert Combs is one cool cat.

I was going to mention that I hear his pockets generally go unprotected, but that's waaaay too easy.
 
Cumulus is about the bottomline! I know the MM in their Grand Junction market has been there going on 4 years now, but he's friend of the RVP Spike Santee. The old MM in Montgomery,AL was there over 5 years before he left and let Bill Jones take control. For the record, I worked for Cumulus as one of their brand managers and had the pleasure of working with Robert Combs, he's a great guy, and one hell of a engineer.

Kris
 
Cumulus is not bad at all. Bottom line managers are the answer. See what happens next week in Savannah. Good luck to CC and Adventure and most of all to Mr Know it all, Mr Robbins, a great sucess story with Wgco. Jerry R is still the king. Long live Jerry, from Savannah and is the Savannah radio station.
 
What happens next week is not going to change the dynamics at all in Savannah. Triad will continue to flounder, Cumulus will probably have another MM in a year. All the while, CC will continue to grow their revenue market share. Why, because the advertisers in the market are probably tired of the turnover with the other two groups and the last Cumulus MM did not make many advertising friends in the market. Now, we can all prognosticate about these events and who has the best ratings, best promotions, etc. But in the end, who has the best bottom line is all that matters in today's radio world. All three companies live by the mantra: "what have you done for me lately with the bottom line?"
 
I think the key word here is "Manager." What is needed is a LEADER: someone who is willing to take a risk, break a few rules as it were, and stir things up a bit. I have aleways thought the role of a manager is to perpetuate the customary, the usual, the expected; e.g., the status quo.
 
tower guy said:
Jerry R is still the king. Long live Jerry, from Savannah and is the Savannah radio station.
Click to expand...

Yes! While egos and getting rich quick often get into the minds of radio management, Jerry has done it right...and it shows. Last year, the Q was one of three stations I saw doing any major TV advertising (others being the Point and KissFM).

Plus, Jerry signed that station on in what, 1990? 1991? If so, the only continously operating formats that are older in Savannah are WEAS, WIXV, and WJCL-FM (I think)...

I think that proves the value of a station owner (or GM/MM/Sales) who gets out into the community and doesn't burn his bridges. With the sort-of-niche format and the type of ratings they usually get, most large radio corporations would have blown them up 15 years ago. Yet they have outlasted a heritage country station, 3 or 4 different rock stations, a couple of oldies stations, and various urban formats.

I guess it shows if you treat your advertisers well and develop a rapport, they will ensure you do alright even if you're not in the top 5.

Radio-X
 
Excellent point, Look what has happen to Adventure since a new MM and OM with focus on Savannah. The HH studio is dead, no more local advertising relationships, not to mention, NO local broadcasting from HH studios. Check out the empty parking lot It all comes out of the Savannah studios , wow talk about leaving a goldmine. Thank God, Monty Jett and Mr Taylor is still there holding together all they have. They had it made in HH just like Jerry does in Savannah. It will be very interesting. Cumulus has a shot with the right hire. Good luck to all owners as the small market mentality of relationships, wins in the end. Can they establish relationships? That is the question?? Ranking, Jerry #1, CC #2, tie for dead last and a long way to go , your guess? Long live Jerry, The King. Tune it in, WHRQ.
 
Maybe I missed it in this thread but I'm told that this position has been filled. Who is the next Market manager in Savannah and what's their past?
 
Witchlover said:
I think the key word here is "Manager." What is needed is a LEADER: someone who is willing to take a risk, break a few rules as it were, and stir things up a bit.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Let the breaking begin!
 
Tower Guy... you must be living under a rock. WRHQ is barely in the top 10 in ratings and since it's a standalone single station, it hardly makes a dent in the revenue picture. In both ratings and revenue, either Nielsen or Arbitron, WRHQ's limited signal translates into it not being a top station. Sorry but thats just fact. CC leads the pack with its 4 FMs, Cumulus is 2nd with its 5 FM's and Triad brings up the rear. In HH CC's River brand has always been the top station...and still is. And are you guys serious that you think a new MM at Cumulus will have some bearing on this data.....not likely. CC leads in this market simply because they have strong brands and consistent leadership. Nothing more, nothing less
 
Say what you will, and Jerry does a yeoman's job, but 'RHQ is where old jocks go to die (or those who don't have the skills to move on to a larger market). Playing tourist-trap friendly music has made him some bank, for sure. I had no clue the pulse of Savannah was based on lethal doses of the Eagles, Billy Joel & Fleetwood Mac ad nauseum.

Also, and again, I see Triad in 3rd as they simply refuse to BE a player in Savannah. They seem content with whatever they can scrape up on that side of the river, which is insane! What's in the water over there?

G
 
upstate29651 said:
Say what you will, and Jerry does a yeoman's job, but 'RHQ is where old jocks go to die (or those who don't have the skills to move on to a larger market). Playing tourist-trap friendly music has made him some bank, for sure. I had no clue the pulse of Savannah was based on lethal doses of the Eagles, Billy Joel & Fleetwood Mac ad nauseum.

Also, and again, I see Triad in 3rd as they simply refuse to BE a player in Savannah. They seem content with whatever they can scrape up on that side of the river, which is insane! What's in the water over there?

G
Click to expand...

Triad, as noted, has little presence on Hilton Head these days either. Cumulus left Bluffton last year(I think), and I didn't see the 98.7 the River office sign by Harris Teeter on HHI last month.

In the past three years the SC side of things have been abandoned. I'd imagine there's something to be said about placing greater emphasis on a pretty fast growing ratings-separate market.

Radio-X
 
Those that looked at the 12+ numbers in the last Arbitron will notice that 98.7 did not get #1 in the HHI book. Can't say that the book was not a fluke, but they did drop down a couple of notches.
Cumulus did close our sales office in Bluffton as did CC I believe. With today's technology, it is just as simple to let a salesperson in that area just run out of a home office, especially with phones that are VOIP.

BTW, our new MM did arrive today. His name is Blake Mendenhall and he seems like a man who is ready to get the job done. Nice guy too. I am looking forward to working with him and seeing what we can get accomplished. I am sure that will stir up a bunch of posts reciting how horrible Cumulus is, but hey, every body has their haters.

Have a good day ya'll.
 
12 months tops...given the history of Cumulus and MM's in the market. That is, of course if he comes to his senses and gets out before they get him out. Wish him the best of luck in that situation.
 
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