Monique and the Man Downsized

[Bob_Hudson]

That's the headline form the Union-Tribune story at http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/tvtracker/archives/radio_news/radio_news_monique_and_th.html which also notes that:

The "Monique and the Man" morning show on Jack 100.7 FM has gotten smaller. Much, much smaller. As of yesterday, the 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. music 'n' chat show featuring comedian Monique Marvez, Greg Simms and Sara Kiani has been cut back from four hours to 30 minutes.

"Management is making changes," Simms said yesterday. "We will be on the air from 5 a.m. to 5:30, and after that, it will be all music."

Ironically the Jack FM website still has the headline "Monique and the Man Are Now Officially Famous" which links to a Feb. 2009 U-T story about "After a rough start, FM's 'Monique and the Man' finds its happy place and a friendly audience " - that story is at http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/feb/27/lz1c27karla18494-finally-dialed/?uniontrib

You have to wonder if this is stunting or just another weird decision by KFMB management?

Or is it an April Fool's joke that started a little early?

 

[SDRadio]

Or is it an April Fool's joke that started a little early?

KFMB Manglement have not returned calls. Perhaps the monkey is in charge.

 

[pocketgopher]

That is too bad the show got reduced in hours. Perhaps it is an early April Fool's joke or worse, the monkey is in charge.

 

[Garrett]

C'mon people, it's obviously a joke.
If that was their whole show, you think they'd even bother to come in?


Wait... It IS a joke... right?
Isn't it?

Hello? Jack?

That's the headline form the Union-Tribune story at http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/tvtracker/archives/radio_news/radio_news_monique_and_th.html which also notes that:

The "Monique and the Man" morning show on Jack 100.7 FM has gotten smaller. Much, much smaller. As of yesterday, the 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. music 'n' chat show featuring comedian Monique Marvez, Greg Simms and Sara Kiani has been cut back from four hours to 30 minutes.

"Management is making changes," Simms said yesterday. "We will be on the air from 5 a.m. to 5:30, and after that, it will be all music."

Ironically the Jack FM website still has the headline "Monique and the Man Are Now Officially Famous" which links to a Feb. 2009 U-T story about "After a rough start, FM's 'Monique and the Man' finds its happy place and a friendly audience " - that story is at http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/feb/27/lz1c27karla18494-finally-dialed/?uniontrib

You have to wonder if this is stunting or just another weird decision by KFMB management?

Or is it an April Fool's joke that started a little early?

 

[bossforever]

yea another radio publicity stunt or april fools joke most of us are not that gullible its almost as bad as kgb's "ruth 66" capper

 

[SDRadio]

San Diego Jack FM PD Mike O'Reilly emailed me; and the Monique and the Man are on live from 5 to 5:30 a.m.

Their contract is up in about a year. The rest of the time, the trio (including the lovely and talented Sarah) are in studio.

~~

I love Ruthie on the KGB ... but if I were collecting nine months of salary, I'd be like a Corona commercial enjoying the beach and lookin' for work.

 

[Garrett]

Wow.
That's kinda like saying "We love having ya here. Oh, by the way, don't come in during regular work hours, don't use the copy machine and the phones and computers are off limits. Oh, and uh, you can't actually come into the building anymore or do anything for the company. But WE LOVE HAVING YOU HERE, keep up the good work...

Guess the jokes on Gregg and Monique... And that really kinda sux.

 

[Bob_Hudson]

San Diego Jack FM PD Mike O'Reilly emailed me; and the Monique and the Man are on live from 5 to 5:30 a.m.

Their contract is up in about a year. The rest of the time, the trio (including the lovely and talented Sarah) are in studio.

Sounds like the station wants to make it a miserable job so they will quit.

 

[philosofy]

If KFMB is treating the morning show like this could it mean that JM in the PM on the FM might be on the chopping block as well?

 

[Bob_Hudson]

If KFMB is treating the morning show like this could it mean that JM in the PM on the FM might be on the chopping block as well?

Jim does not work for them: Metro News/Traffic pays his salary - KFMB gets his talent and he gets a paltry Metro paycheck.

 

[SDRadio]

paltry Metro paycheck.

You are too generous Bob. I was thinking poultry checks.

 

[Bob_Hudson]

paltry Metro paycheck.

You are too generous Bob. I was thinking poultry checks.

Well it is chicken feed. It was that way when I did mornings with the Jonese on the Planet. I got my $3K monthly (pretax) check from Shadow and later Metro. But it was actually a much, much better job than anyone else at those new/traffic factories had since I was only on one station and worked just one four-hour airshift.

So have we decided that the jacking around of M and the M was not a stunt?

 

[SDRadio]

So have we decided that the jacking around of M and the M was not a stunt?

Not a stunt ... a weekday 30-minute show followed by Monopoly or other bored board games.

Considering KFM-BFM .... (thanks John Fox); KFMB-FM is up there with Star 94.1 in ratings, that is one cheap cheep station to run at 100.7 FM.

 

[Garrett]

So have we decided that the jacking around of M and the M was not a stunt?

Not a stunt ... a weekday 30-minute show followed by Monopoly or other bored board games.

Considering KFM-BFM .... (thanks John Fox); KFMB-FM is up there with Star 94.1 in ratings, that is one cheap cheep station to run at 100.7 FM.

I soooo want to say something nasty about KFMB's ownership, but I don't know if I should ???

 

[Bob_Hudson]

San Diego Jack FM PD Mike O'Reilly emailed me; and the Monique and the Man are on live from 5 to 5:30 a.m.

MAN NO. 1, "I must say this totally shocked me!"

MAN NO. 2, "What, that they cut the Jack morning team to a half-hour?"

MAN NO. 1, "No...that Jack FM has a program director."

 

[hipman2]

Great way to program a morning show, eh?

 

[philosofy]

So is KFMB really blaming this move on the PPM's rolling out? Are they afraid that the ratings will take such a big hit that they might as well dump the morning show now rather than waiting until later?

 

[DoctorWu]

My opinion (not that anyone asked for it : ) is that this shows the management of Midwest's San Diego cluster for just what they really are.

Midwest Television (note the name) has never really been invested in radio. The KFMB properties came to them as a bloc, and they've stayed that way because, despite numerous rounds of incredibly feckless management, they've continued to make bank. Once upon a time, major signal ownership in a major market came with some responsibility. And in those days, the KFMB radio properties were definitely taken seriously. But over time, management support for the radio portion of a television company eroded, and with Bob Bollinger's exit, the last nail went in the coffin.

Of course, it all began with Black Friday and the canning of the AM News department, arguably one of the best news staffs in San Diego at the time. Then came the syndicated programming, which short-sighted execs seem to think is all AM's good for these days, followed by the dismantling of the FM through the elimination of its promotional budget and staff, and finally the airstaff as well.

Luckily (for Midwest), they fell into a format just different enough that it draws listeners without much effort because, as random as Jack is, it at least offers some surprises and unpredictability (something that's been meticulously pruned out of modern radio programming in all markets above #100). The flaw, of course, was Tracy Johnson's weakness for morning talent - that and the fact that he began believing his own BS. So, from management's perspective, the only thing that's keeping KFMB-FM from being a "pure" printing press for no-effort cash is that pesky human element in the AM. What to do?

Well, they took the best option possible for a group of spineless corner-office skinflints. Unwilling to honorably terminate the contract of the talent they had, they decided to make life so miserable for them that they would quit, relieving management both of their salaries and of the obligation to pay severance. Oh, bravo... masterfully done

Now if I were in Monique and Greg's position, I would come in, do my half-hour every morning for the remainder of that contract, collect my pay and use the other 23.5 hours in my day to network, brainstorm, write material, and line up my next killer gig somewhere that doesn't have hallways infested with giant slugs in Men's Wearhouse suits.

What Midwest did here was unbelievably slimy, and I'm calling BS on 'em. I detest duplicity and greed, and the halls on Engineer Road reek of both these days.

-- Doc

 

[TinaDelgado]

Does this supposed "downsizing" relate in any form or fashion to the fact that San Diego is now a PPM market and that music-in-the-morning will become standard operating procedure for many stations that did not play music (or that much music) in the morning? According to everything I've read about PPM, unless you're a full-blown news talker you need to throw music into your morning mix--it's been shown to be an important component. So....M & T M will flap their jaws and yuck it up unmercifully in the 5 - 530 1/2 hour and then revert to a more-music-morning show from 6 to 10? Which means more from the corporate monkey and less from the "now famous" monkeys...which suits me fine. So I'm calling "programming change" labeled as a "stunt."

 

[johnnyguapo]

I still think this is a stunt.
Chris @ SDRadio ran a picture of a busboard "promoting" the new all music aproach. If Midwest were trying to dump the morning show, why would they do anything to promote it?
This is an "thinking outside-of-the-box" stunt.