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More Cuts at Clear Channel?

R

RoddyFreeman

Tom Taylor's Radio-Info column this morning mentions a rumor of more cuts at Clear Channel, this time focused on the programming side. CC cut 20 jobs in Atlanta last week, most on the sales side.

Is there anybody more to cut?
 
When the NY Post broke the CC layoffs story a few days before Inauguration Day, the article stated that CC was moving to a "national programming model," with fewer local employees. It is just a matter of time before all that is left at CC stations are gatekeepers.
 
fussbudget said:
When the NY Post broke the CC layoffs story a few days before Inauguration Day, the article stated that CC was moving to a "national programming model," with fewer local employees. It is just a matter of time before all that is left at CC stations are gatekeepers.
Click to expand...

Wow... National Programming? Awesome for the listener huh? Hear the same songs from Florida to NYC on the East Coast.
 
There is little doubt more cuts are just around the corner, especially at WGST. As soon as they secure a morning show, Randy and his producer will exit. They'll keep one morning news anchor and a couple of people to operate the state network. More changes once Braves season is over; this is the final year of the contract. Look for some changes at the Spanish stations. The ratings aren't horrible but they're seriously underbilling. Now that the front office has "fixed" the Bull, Chris Williams and the rest of 961 should probably start to sweat.
 
Richard Kimball said:
There is little doubt more cuts are just around the corner, especially at WGST. As soon as they secure a morning show, Randy and his producer will exit. They'll keep one morning news anchor and a couple of people to operate the state network. More changes once Braves season is over; this is the final year of the contract. Look for some changes at the Spanish stations. The ratings aren't horrible but they're seriously underbilling. Now that the front office has "fixed" the Bull, Chris Williams and the rest of 961 should probably start to sweat.
Click to expand...
I guess I'm a little puzzled. Do others think Randy's show is weak, or is it simply too expensive (or is it just assumed that CC will screw up anything that's working)? Personally, I like the show -- it seems to be a good mix of information & entertainment during the morning drive. If I wanted music or syndicated talk, I'd turn on the XM, but I really want local info. I regularly hear the local Senators & Representatives along with other guests that I find interesting. When they originally brought in Art Mehring, I wasn't real pleased, but he's grown on me since & I've developed an appreciation for his humor. I wish they had a sports guy that didn't have NE ties, but he at least tries to stay objective.

While I know they are constantly award-winning, I just cannot tolerate WSB for more than 10 minutes at a time, between the repetitiveness & the constant teases that take more time than the stories.

I fear I'm going to be forced to start listening to Morning Edition if GST does away with The Morning Drive. Does anyone else have a recommendation for a morning show that's got minimal to no music and provides a mix of news & entertainment? If there is one, I've not yet found it -- at least with a signal that reaches NE Cobb.
 
hail2theorange said:
I guess I'm a little puzzled. Do others think Randy's show is weak, or is it simply too expensive (or is it just assumed that CC will screw up anything that's working)?
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It's both... next to last ratings-wise (only Imus is worse) and there are five people involved in it, plus the traffic and weather... Outsource the time slot, keep one local news guy to fill the holes next to recorded traffic and weather, and you have CC's perfect business model of turnkey radio. They can't do anything about the awful signal, so they'll slap something on the air as cheaply as they can until Beck and Rush come along. I agree, WSB is ripe for some competition, but CC is throwing in the towel.
 
I fear I'm going to be forced to start listening to Morning Edition if GST does away with The Morning Drive. Does anyone else have a recommendation for a morning show that's got minimal to no music and provides a mix of news & entertainment? If there is one, I've not yet found it -- at least with a signal that reaches NE Cobb.
[/quote]

I find myself listening more and more to 550am, WDUN. I know it's weird.
But I can't stand listening to WSB anymore. Repetitiveness, endorsements, excessive teases..it just wears me out.
 
trusty said:
hail2theorange said:
Does anyone else have a recommendation for a morning show that's got minimal to no music and provides a mix of news & entertainment?
Click to expand...

TRG
Click to expand...

If restaurant reviews, 4 year old girls going to birthday parties and celebrity name dropping is your bag, try "Steak and the Sports Gang"
 
If all this is true...holy s***. An Atlanta talk radio AM station with NO local host or programming?

I have my doubts it'll be piped in syndication...which truly would be a complete surrender and defeat. More likely they will make a change in mornings, someone less expensive than Randy but who can hold their own as the "face" of GST.

It's just unfathomable to me they'd bring someone like Scott Lindy into the building, base Clay Hunnicutt in Atlanta, all just to make this the "headquarters of no programming."
 
Clear Channel is basing all of its decisions on the "lemmings" model. First, CC creates the voice track model with no REAL local programming. Then, when it fails, after everybody else has joined the bandwagon, the fire everybody and create the "one size fits all" model. Again, once everyone follows, they come up with the brilliant idea to program all their stations locally with local programmers in charge of the content and local folks talking about local issues with large music playlists and fewer spots.

Either that or CC is just plain stupid. Based on the fact that Mr. Mays stated today that he's basing how CC is run off of mathematic algorithims.

May God have mercy on our transmitters.
 
lipripper said:
I fear I'm going to be forced to start listening to Morning Edition if GST does away with The Morning Drive. Does anyone else have a recommendation for a morning show that's got minimal to no music and provides a mix of news & entertainment? If there is one, I've not yet found it -- at least with a signal that reaches NE Cobb.
Click to expand...

I find myself listening more and more to 550am, WDUN. I know it's weird.
But I can't stand listening to WSB anymore. Repetitiveness, endorsements, excessive teases..it just wears me out.
[/quote]

No, listening to WDUN is not weird. They are a class act. Boortz has gotten so stale--and the rest of the WSB crap you mention so annoying--I find myself listening to Zoller more now.
 
The B.O.D creative services department just got hit. Just got an email from one more castaway who was let go late yesterday.
 
Their shop was for clients. Trying to create jingles, better-than-local commercial production, etc. Some pretty talented people.
 
Should have turned on the ::) sarcasm light. By now I think we can safely conclude that talent is not an attribute that Clear Channel management values all that highly at the moment.
 
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