M
mo rock
Guest
you can stop reading now if you expect this to be a venomous tirade against a former employer that let me go, (some may read, fired) from a six figure (some may say, no way, but yes way) job just before christmas... not that there's any 'good' time to lose a six figure a year job or any job, because that is not what this is going to be. Nabco gave me a great opportunity and i rode it until the wheels fell off knowing there is nothing more i could have done outside of not voting for Obama because i think that scared the fiscal out of my conservative republican tax minded friends and who can blame them?... this is more in response to the many post that query the state of radio in columbus, and having resided there and done radio for the last 3 1/2 years and being the most recent, if not also the most gorgeous casualty, i think i have a few things to say...
let's discuss vision. more importantly, long term vision of which i think the current economical state has all but blinded many to. from a glance, a very quick glance, it might seem financially sound for Nabco to let go of Blazor And Mo In The Mornings, a show that cost them roughly a hundred and seventy thousand dollars a year for Bob and Tom, a show that syndicated probably runs about sixty thousand a year, (about forty too much, but i digress)... what is not factored in is the "human" element which aside from matt mnich, a friend and rather tall human, i wonder if others with a vote there at Nabco, understood. ie, lets look at revenue lost or 'let go' with the letting go of Blazor And Mo In The Mornings, Classics Sports Bar, huge chunk of revenue gone from a concept i brought the sales department in the form of Mo's Mix. the owner was more than happy to do one a month, and we were up to Mo's Mix 22, so believe me there was ad time being purchased that is now gone because, well, you can't have Mo's Mix without Mo and i don't see Tom flying his happy ass down to Columbus once a month. Yavitch and Palmer, an account i brought sales when on air, Blazor and I discussed a speeding ticket i received and they called in and we saw the potential for show and had them on once a week with free legal advice which turned into a 40k a year ad buy. gone. where. tune in to wags and elliot and you will find out. The Movie Tavern, another buy brought to sales by me and my love for film. we were on our second three month buy, now wave that bye bye because again, Tom ain't dragging his happy ass down to see movies with listeners. Columbus Car Audio, who was there prior, but had exhausted all ideas until i gave sales, 'win Mo's mostly used stereo', and was working on the next good idea. i could go on, and i could, but the point is made, simply put, i was paying my own salary. Nabco need not have worried about me. i was their best sales person. and it was only to get better. things a board of directors either ignores or simply doesn't understand.
it's sad, and not necessarily for me, for again, i was afforded a great opportunity, made great friends for life and am moving on to direct a movie in columbus this Feb, that i was in pre-production on for over a year, believe me, i saw the writing on the wall. so i am good. i left on very good terms and wouldn't hesitate to accept the call back. even at a reduced salary. hell, i would have taken a pay cut if anyone had asked. it's sad because i see my friends there making what i think is a move in the wrong direction. Nabco, with its three stations should be Columbus' voice! but it seems they are moving away from being able to be just that. it's more than a little ironic that you brand yourself "Columbus' Rock Station" then effectively become all but the only rock station in Columbus without a local morning show. vision. long term. ride the storm. this is not a problem inherent with Nabco but radio across the nation.
secondly, as i have seen it discussed here on this board that Nabco wants to reach the 25 54 demo and Bob and Tom can do that better, well that's not true. Blazor and myself had growing 25 54 numbers when we were Blazor And Mo, which is to say when they brought us back, after, and i don't care what research says, and ill advised 2 months off, then threw 6 songs an hour onto the show, (and when two of those songs are one by Metallica at 8 min and one by GNR at 7 1/2, that is now an 8 song hour) and reduce talk time to 8 min an hour, that is not a morning show. that is not going to work. even if it was promoted which it was not. ironically, they now have a heavily promoted morning show with zero songs which begs me to ask humbly, what were Blazor and I doing for the past 8 months? vision. long term. ride the storm. and for the love of god if you want 25 54 numbers STOP PLAYING SO MUCH METALLICA! there are bands that grow, U2 and their fans grow with them. then there are bands that show no growth what-so-ever so the age of the average fan when they first achieved success, 18 to 34, will be the age of people that will continue to find them fascinating. i don't know many 40 year olds that were waiting for Death Magnetic.
i hope this did not come off as vitriolic. i truely have no anger, but i am awash in dissapointment at what was on its way to be. perhaps this needed to be moved from in front of me to complete my film, Benediction (thebenedictionmovie.com) and that holds richer rewards, but i will miss my friends, co-workers, bosses, even hal fish, lay off the guy, he's got a lot of hair to worry about, but more importantly, good personality driven LOCAL morning radio. you will never compete with the iPod or a morning show that is the equivelant of that.
mo rocka
esquire
let's discuss vision. more importantly, long term vision of which i think the current economical state has all but blinded many to. from a glance, a very quick glance, it might seem financially sound for Nabco to let go of Blazor And Mo In The Mornings, a show that cost them roughly a hundred and seventy thousand dollars a year for Bob and Tom, a show that syndicated probably runs about sixty thousand a year, (about forty too much, but i digress)... what is not factored in is the "human" element which aside from matt mnich, a friend and rather tall human, i wonder if others with a vote there at Nabco, understood. ie, lets look at revenue lost or 'let go' with the letting go of Blazor And Mo In The Mornings, Classics Sports Bar, huge chunk of revenue gone from a concept i brought the sales department in the form of Mo's Mix. the owner was more than happy to do one a month, and we were up to Mo's Mix 22, so believe me there was ad time being purchased that is now gone because, well, you can't have Mo's Mix without Mo and i don't see Tom flying his happy ass down to Columbus once a month. Yavitch and Palmer, an account i brought sales when on air, Blazor and I discussed a speeding ticket i received and they called in and we saw the potential for show and had them on once a week with free legal advice which turned into a 40k a year ad buy. gone. where. tune in to wags and elliot and you will find out. The Movie Tavern, another buy brought to sales by me and my love for film. we were on our second three month buy, now wave that bye bye because again, Tom ain't dragging his happy ass down to see movies with listeners. Columbus Car Audio, who was there prior, but had exhausted all ideas until i gave sales, 'win Mo's mostly used stereo', and was working on the next good idea. i could go on, and i could, but the point is made, simply put, i was paying my own salary. Nabco need not have worried about me. i was their best sales person. and it was only to get better. things a board of directors either ignores or simply doesn't understand.
it's sad, and not necessarily for me, for again, i was afforded a great opportunity, made great friends for life and am moving on to direct a movie in columbus this Feb, that i was in pre-production on for over a year, believe me, i saw the writing on the wall. so i am good. i left on very good terms and wouldn't hesitate to accept the call back. even at a reduced salary. hell, i would have taken a pay cut if anyone had asked. it's sad because i see my friends there making what i think is a move in the wrong direction. Nabco, with its three stations should be Columbus' voice! but it seems they are moving away from being able to be just that. it's more than a little ironic that you brand yourself "Columbus' Rock Station" then effectively become all but the only rock station in Columbus without a local morning show. vision. long term. ride the storm. this is not a problem inherent with Nabco but radio across the nation.
secondly, as i have seen it discussed here on this board that Nabco wants to reach the 25 54 demo and Bob and Tom can do that better, well that's not true. Blazor and myself had growing 25 54 numbers when we were Blazor And Mo, which is to say when they brought us back, after, and i don't care what research says, and ill advised 2 months off, then threw 6 songs an hour onto the show, (and when two of those songs are one by Metallica at 8 min and one by GNR at 7 1/2, that is now an 8 song hour) and reduce talk time to 8 min an hour, that is not a morning show. that is not going to work. even if it was promoted which it was not. ironically, they now have a heavily promoted morning show with zero songs which begs me to ask humbly, what were Blazor and I doing for the past 8 months? vision. long term. ride the storm. and for the love of god if you want 25 54 numbers STOP PLAYING SO MUCH METALLICA! there are bands that grow, U2 and their fans grow with them. then there are bands that show no growth what-so-ever so the age of the average fan when they first achieved success, 18 to 34, will be the age of people that will continue to find them fascinating. i don't know many 40 year olds that were waiting for Death Magnetic.
i hope this did not come off as vitriolic. i truely have no anger, but i am awash in dissapointment at what was on its way to be. perhaps this needed to be moved from in front of me to complete my film, Benediction (thebenedictionmovie.com) and that holds richer rewards, but i will miss my friends, co-workers, bosses, even hal fish, lay off the guy, he's got a lot of hair to worry about, but more importantly, good personality driven LOCAL morning radio. you will never compete with the iPod or a morning show that is the equivelant of that.
mo rocka
esquire