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Massive KDKA firings?

> According to a post on this board:
>
> http://www.voy.com/187343/
>
> KDKA has fired Pintek, Romigh, Alexander and Kyle Anthony.
>
> Anybody know if it's true?
>
I don't know about that....they're still on the KDKA website as of this afternoon. BUT....in Sunday's PG, there is an ad for a radio talk show host....page K-7 in the Professional section. Hmmmm.
 
.....and they're outta here!

> > According to a post on this board:
> >
> > http://www.voy.com/187343/
> >
> > KDKA has fired Pintek, Romigh, Alexander and Kyle Anthony.
>
> >
> > Anybody know if it's true?
> >
> I don't know about that....they're still on the KDKA website
> as of this afternoon. BUT....in Sunday's PG, there is an ad
> for a radio talk show host....page K-7 in the Professional
> section. Hmmmm.
>
just went back to the KD website....YEPPERS, they are OUTTA HERE! It'll be Pratte until we puke (if we haven't already!).
 
> According to a post on this board:
>
> http://www.voy.com/187343/
>
> KDKA has fired Pintek, Romigh, Alexander and Kyle Anthony.
>
> Anybody know if it's true?

If true, which has been confirmed by one person on the Voy page, "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year" must mean something different to CBS Radio.

Let's look at this in-depth and result-orientedly:

Pintek's been there for at least 20-25 years, first in news, then as host. He holds down the important mid-morning slot, and is live and local.

Romigh's been there for a long time too--at least 15 years, maybe 20. He was relegated to part-year, part-time due to Pirates baseball and the post-game show. Single liberal voice on the station.

Alexander used to split time with TV, but a couple years ago they made him F/T radio and a feature of the Nightly Sports Call and Steelers things on TV.

Anthony's a young, up-and-coming, and solid newscaster. His departure, if true, brings the KDKA radio news team to 6: Kopler, Boylan, Douglas, Pidgen, Whitely, Lisa Alexander. For a full-time, 50kw news/talk, that's sickening.

If true.
 
Re: .....and they're outta here!

> > > According to a post on this board:
> > >
> >
> just went back to the KD website....YEPPERS, they are OUTTA
> HERE! It'll be Pratte until we puke (if we haven't
> already!).
>

Article in the P-G today confirms it. Marty Griffin 9-noon, the rest TBA.

I thought at first maybe it was just budget cuts and we'd see them go syndicated, but it appears they are actually going to try and refocus a bit to be more competitive with WPGB. Frankly I think the morning show's still an impediment to that.
<P ID="signature">______________
"With God as my witness, I could have sworn turkeys could fly."</P>
 
Analysis

> Article in the P-G today confirms it. Marty Griffin 9-noon,
> the rest TBA.
>
> I thought at first maybe it was just budget cuts and we'd
> see them go syndicated, but it appears they are actually
> going to try and refocus a bit to be more competitive with
> WPGB. Frankly I think the morning show's still an impediment
> to that.

Griffin's show is a nuisance. I've heard the general kind of thing he does when he's filled in for Pintek, and while exposes and investigation may work on TV, I have a slight feeling we're going to get Griffin bogged down in callers with their problems. Plus, his voice is wretched (though not as bad as Chris Moore's, who's a very capable radio host but is saddled with radio's worst affliction--a high, muffled voice).

I think it's probably a no-brainer that McIntire goes to nights. Thing is--what change is made then? Romigh's a liberal; McIntire's a liberal, only younger. And he's friends with Jim Roddey. BFD.

What sports programming can they put on that's not "general sports talk," as Keith Clark called the other stations' programming? Pirates baseball is only 1/2 a year, and they have no other sports contracts. So, what's left...general talk about sports. Insane.

And I must correct something I said above--a man named Carl Becker did the 6pm news (the old Anthony slot) last night, so that brings the KDKA radio news contingent to 7.

Most interesting fact from the P-G story: KDKA 25-54, 9th place; K-Rock 25-54, 9th place.
 
Re: Analysis

this move is not surprising....

there has long been scrutiny on kdka.....CBS corp( infinity) hasn't been pleased for a long time and the addition of FM talk didn't help the scrutiny.
the fact is that the GM/PD had to do someting for the new year.

it will not surprise me to see pintak and romigh surface again in p burgh. maybe renda or maybe even the cc fm talk station..in this business ...YA NEVER KNOW....


> > Article in the P-G today confirms it. Marty Griffin
> 9-noon,
> > the rest TBA.
> >
> > I thought at first maybe it was just budget cuts and we'd
> > see them go syndicated, but it appears they are actually
> > going to try and refocus a bit to be more competitive with
>
> > WPGB. Frankly I think the morning show's still an
> impediment
> > to that.
>
> Griffin's show is a nuisance. I've heard the general kind
> of thing he does when he's filled in for Pintek, and while
> exposes and investigation may work on TV, I have a slight
> feeling we're going to get Griffin bogged down in callers
> with their problems. Plus, his voice is wretched (though
> not as bad as Chris Moore's, who's a very capable radio host
> but is saddled with radio's worst affliction--a high,
> muffled voice).
>
> I think it's probably a no-brainer that McIntire goes to
> nights. Thing is--what change is made then? Romigh's a
> liberal; McIntire's a liberal, only younger. And he's
> friends with Jim Roddey. BFD.
>
> What sports programming can they put on that's not "general
> sports talk," as Keith Clark called the other stations'
> programming? Pirates baseball is only 1/2 a year, and they
> have no other sports contracts. So, what's left...general
> talk about sports. Insane.
>
> And I must correct something I said above--a man named Carl
> Becker did the 6pm news (the old Anthony slot) last night,
> so that brings the KDKA radio news contingent to 7.
>
> Most interesting fact from the P-G story: KDKA 25-54, 9th
> place; K-Rock 25-54, 9th place.
>
 
What next for KDKA?

> According to a post on this board:
>
> http://www.voy.com/187343/
>
> KDKA has fired Pintek, Romigh, Alexander and Kyle Anthony.
>
> Anybody know if it's true?

Now that we know it's true, we get to have the fun of speculating on what comes next.

Here's what I don't expect to hear on KDKA:

I don't expect to hear anything remotely new, innovative or exciting.

I don't expect to hear some new and unexpected voice that will shake things up and create any sort of buzz.

I don't expect to tune in to KDKA during the times when Pintek or Romigh used to be on the air and hear anything different, other than a different host's voice.

I really hope that those three predictions turn out to be wrong.
 
Re: Analysis

McIntire v. Romigh goes way beyond they're both liberal. McIntire is a much more dynamic presence, much more creative. Romigh seems like a nice guy, but he had no presence on the air. I always had the feeling I was listening to a guy who was holding down the slot until they got the one they wanted. McIntire created something out of nothing on PCNC (and it's gone back to nothing with dull Ann Devlin in the chair). McIntire will create a buzz. Romigh never did.

I think the sports thing is just a smokescreen to get them through the end of Steelers season and this year's Pirates commitment. I've been hearing for a while that they want to get out of evening sports since three other stations are doing the same thing at the same time. It's a chance for them to get the non-sports crowd with the only show in town (excluding whatever syndicated stuff 1360 is pumping out).

I'm also hearing they have very little interest in keeping the Pirates (the contract is up after this season). The Pirates have always been scared to death of losing that 50kw signal, but may be willing to go elsewhere, particularly if the new place gives them surrounding programming.



> I think it's probably a no-brainer that McIntire goes to
> nights. Thing is--what change is made then? Romigh's a
> liberal; McIntire's a liberal, only younger. And he's
> friends with Jim Roddey. BFD.
>
> What sports programming can they put on that's not "general
> sports talk," as Keith Clark called the other stations'
> programming? Pirates baseball is only 1/2 a year, and they
> have no other sports contracts. So, what's left...general
> talk about sports. Insane.
 
Re: Analysis

> McIntire v. Romigh goes way beyond they're both liberal.
> McIntire is a much more dynamic presence, much more
> creative. Romigh seems like a nice guy, but he had no
> presence on the air. I always had the feeling I was
> listening to a guy who was holding down the slot until they
> got the one they wanted. McIntire created something out of
> nothing on PCNC (and it's gone back to nothing with dull Ann
> Devlin in the chair). McIntire will create a buzz. Romigh
> never did.

I agree on the McIntire vs. Romigh issue. Nothing against Mike Romigh but he always sounded like a talk show host that was just "winging it"not doing serious show prep. Whenever I listen to McIntire or Cris Moore they always come to the dance prepared! Cris really sounded on his game Thursday night during the 9pm hour.(Maybe an audition)

What 'yenz guys think of this? Kill the 6-9pm sports talk, let 1047, 970 and 1250 take care of this. Put McIntire on at 6pm just after Fred, heck let them "duke it out " for a few minutes,after that let John be John, then at 9pm turn the microphone over to Cris Moore then chilling out with Gary Dickson at Midnight! With the other staffers in place KD would have a nice blend of all viewpoints. If the Buccos went elsewhere in '07 KD would have a solid talk line up. Now , how do you fix Saturday morning?
 
Perhaps a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing

Maybe they just made the lineup move to save money and nothing more. While it would be great if they were going to push some fresh voices on the air and we could all sit back and criticize their performance, this could still be nothing more than a cost cutting venture.

After all, Pittsburghers have proven to be little more than sheep when it comes to radio. Unless "their" show disappears, they pretty much don't seem to care one way or another ratings wise. When a Quinn leaves a RRK, it is noticed in the numbers because people identify him with the station, when a Bowyer leaves a PTT, it is just another person out of the lineup, with almost no effect on the numbers whatsoever. The people KD let go may be nice guys, run decent shows, but at the end of the day nobody says "KD, that's the Romigh station, right?" As a result, if I can get the same numbers with or without them, and I can save money without them, then why not be without them? At the end of the day, I still have the #1 station in the market and while I may be slipping in the 25-54s, a large segment of the buying populace in this area is over 54, and I deliver them in droves.

Just a dark twisted thought to ruminate on for a while.
 
Re: Perhaps a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing

> Maybe they just made the lineup move to save money and
> nothing more. While it would be great if they were going to
> push some fresh voices on the air and we could all sit back
> and criticize their performance, this could still be nothing
> more than a cost cutting venture.


Oh, I have no doubt this is all about money...as is just about everything in today's radio environment.

The overnight show would have gone to something satellite years ago, except that Bob Logue brought in enough business to make it viable to stay local. Then they started hassling him over nickel and dime stuff regarding the newsletter that he started and he finally got fed up and retired. His clients are still there. If they go, so does the local overnight show. That's why they made Dickson keep the Logue style. It's an unlistenable crapfest, but it makes money, so there it is.

>
> After all, Pittsburghers have proven to be little more than
> sheep when it comes to radio. Unless "their" show
> disappears, they pretty much don't seem to care one way or
> another ratings wise. When a Quinn leaves a RRK, it is
> noticed in the numbers because people identify him with the
> station, when a Bowyer leaves a PTT, it is just another
> person out of the lineup, with almost no effect on the
> numbers whatsoever.

That's because Bowyer had no numbers to begin with. Hey, radio listening is habit-driven in every market. Wally Phillips ruled AM drive in Chicago for years. He wanted to switch to PM drive on WGN and did. He flopped and was relegated to weekends in no time. Mornings stayed strong with his replacement. People weren't loyal to Wally, they were in the habit of flipping on WGN in the morning with the coffee maker.

> I still have the #1 station in the market
> and while I may be slipping in the 25-54s, a large segment
> of the buying populace in this area is over 54, and I
> deliver them in droves.

Slipping? They've fallen and they can't get up. Even in a market that has a lot of older demos, older demos are still a tough sell for agencies. That's why they have so many mom and pop spots and why they broker programming on weekends. It brings in the money conventional spot sales don't.
 
Boyer

Actually, Boyer moved to a station that was getting better ratings than WPTT was.

Say what you will about KDKA but I don't think they have half the problems WPTT does.

From having a lineup that is identified with a station that went off the air 10 years ago (and not even picking up that station's best talent in Phil Musick), to running the same exact shows 104.7 does at times to the signal to the Neil Bortz debacle to a talk show on tape delay that does not fit their format as their morning show . . . Boyer had the right idea.

Not that Boyer is the sort of dynamic personality you can build a station around.
 
Re: What next for KDKA?

> > According to a post on this board:
> >
> > http://www.voy.com/187343/
> >
> > KDKA has fired Pintek, Romigh, Alexander and Kyle Anthony.
>
> >
> > Anybody know if it's true?
>
> Now that we know it's true, we get to have the fun of
> speculating on what comes next.
>
> Here's what I don't expect to hear on KDKA:
>
> I don't expect to hear anything remotely new, innovative or
> exciting.
>
> I don't expect to hear some new and unexpected voice that
> will shake things up and create any sort of buzz.
>
> I don't expect to tune in to KDKA during the times when

I'm not real sure if you would know the answer to this but with Alexander being fired from KDKA radio, Will he still be doing the sports on KDKA TV or was he fired from KDKA period?
> Pintek or Romigh used to be on the air and hear anything
> different, other than a different host's voice.
>
> I really hope that those three predictions turn out to be
> wrong.
>
 
Reminds me of the Ralph Kiner story

Back in the early 1950's, the Pirates, known as the "Ricky Dinks", stunk. But Ralph Kiner hit lots of home runs for them anyway. So when he asked for a raise, Branch Rickey said "We finished last with you, we can finish last without you." Kiner didn't get the raise.

Your observation about saving money could be dead on correct.

> Maybe they just made the lineup move to save money and
> nothing more. While it would be great if they were going to
> push some fresh voices on the air and we could all sit back
> and criticize their performance, this could still be nothing
> more than a cost cutting venture.
>
> After all, Pittsburghers have proven to be little more than
> sheep when it comes to radio. Unless "their" show
> disappears, they pretty much don't seem to care one way or
> another ratings wise. When a Quinn leaves a RRK, it is
> noticed in the numbers because people identify him with the
> station, when a Bowyer leaves a PTT, it is just another
> person out of the lineup, with almost no effect on the
> numbers whatsoever. The people KD let go may be nice guys,
> run decent shows, but at the end of the day nobody says "KD,
> that's the Romigh station, right?" As a result, if I can
> get the same numbers with or without them, and I can save
> money without them, then why not be without them? At the
> end of the day, I still have the #1 station in the market
> and while I may be slipping in the 25-54s, a large segment
> of the buying populace in this area is over 54, and I
> deliver them in droves.
>
> Just a dark twisted thought to ruminate on for a while.
>
 
Re: What next for KDKA?

> I'm not real sure if you would know the answer to this but
> with Alexander being fired from KDKA radio, Will he still be
> doing the sports on KDKA TV or was he fired from KDKA
> period?

He will continue to do TV according to the P-G article.<P ID="signature">______________
"With God as my witness, I could have sworn turkeys could fly."</P>
 
Re: Boyer

That would depend on the particular book which station is ahead, though I would argue that the move didn't really affect the overalls for either station.

The main thrust of the argument was that like Bowyer, Romigh and the others KD let go are merely players that in the long run won't be missed by the radio listenership. There won't be any huge groundswell to bring them back, and the people that notice may actually complain for a day or two, but when it comes time to listen to the radio, they will still be tuned to KD regardless.
 
Re: Boyer

> Say what you will about KDKA but I don't think they have
> half the problems WPTT does.


And WPTT doesn't have 1 percent of the potential KDKA does.

WPTT is a typical Renda operation -- find a niche that's not being served, then fill that void as cost-effectively as possible. Because of the signal, the programming is designed on a daytimer's schedule. They know they can pay the bills with the money it brings in and, besides, what else are you going to do with a weak AM signal at the wrong end of the dial?
 
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