New Meat for The Max

[DeltaKing]

From All Smacks-us..

Former CLEAR CHANNEL/LOUISVILLE OM MICHAEL LEE has been tapped as PD at CITADEL Variety Classic Rock WXMX (98.1 THE MAX)/MEMPHIS, effective MONDAY (8/29). Says GM SHERRI SAWYER, "MICHAEL was our ideal choice. His proven track record with multiple Rock formats and his tenure in our industry make him a great addition to the current talented WXMX staff."

Commented LEE, "I am thrilled to be a part of this incredible CITADEL team that has such strong heritage in MEMPHIS. It is going to be fun working with these pros and making Rock in MEMPHIS exciting for the listeners again, plus I'll finally be able to use my white sequined jumpsuit doing a few ELVIS shows each week at the HOWARD JOHNSON."

So, this means that they DIDN'T hire the ideal choice first? Or, is this the "Don't F--- with Drake & Zeke" choice?

Wow, there are so many former CC people in that building now that John Hogan is planning to visit!

Good news is, he can only take the ratings higher...And, what is "Variety Classic Rock", anyway? JACK for bikers?

 

[foreverchanges]

> From All Smacks-us..
>
> Former CLEAR CHANNEL/LOUISVILLE OM MICHAEL LEE has been
> tapped as PD at CITADEL Variety Classic Rock WXMX (98.1 THE
> MAX)/MEMPHIS, effective MONDAY (8/29). Says GM SHERRI
> SAWYER, "MICHAEL was our ideal choice. His proven track
> record with multiple Rock formats and his tenure in our
> industry make him a great addition to the current talented
> WXMX staff."
>
> Commented LEE, "I am thrilled to be a part of this
> incredible CITADEL team that has such strong heritage in
> MEMPHIS. It is going to be fun working with these pros and
> making Rock in MEMPHIS exciting for the listeners again,
> plus I'll finally be able to use my white sequined jumpsuit
> doing a few ELVIS shows each week at the HOWARD JOHNSON."
>
> So, this means that they DIDN'T hire the ideal choice first?
> Or, is this the "Don't F--- with Drake & Zeke" choice?
>
> Wow, there are so many former CC people in that building now
> that John Hogan is planning to visit!
>
> Good news is, he can only take the ratings higher...And,
> what is "Variety Classic Rock", anyway? JACK for bikers?
>


It's what you are when you play Eric Clapton into Prince into 3 Doors Down, I guess.

 

[briancraig]

> > Former CLEAR CHANNEL/LOUISVILLE OM MICHAEL LEE has been
>
> > tapped as PD at CITADEL Variety Classic Rock WXMX (98.1
> THE
> > MAX)/MEMPHIS, effective MONDAY (8/29).


It will be interesting to see if Michael Lee can make anything out of this mess.

Has there ever been a major Memphis FM station that sounds as bad as The Max (music, imaging, jocks etc.)? I'm not counting Flinn's 3 FMs.

 

[radio_pimp]

> From All Smacks-us..
>
> Former CLEAR CHANNEL/LOUISVILLE OM MICHAEL LEE has been
> tapped as PD at CITADEL Variety Classic Rock WXMX (98.1 THE
> MAX)/MEMPHIS, effective MONDAY (8/29). Says GM SHERRI
> SAWYER, "MICHAEL was our ideal choice. His proven track
> record with multiple Rock formats and his tenure in our
> industry make him a great addition to the current talented
> WXMX staff."
>
> Commented LEE, "I am thrilled to be a part of this
> incredible CITADEL team that has such strong heritage in
> MEMPHIS. It is going to be fun working with these pros and
> making Rock in MEMPHIS exciting for the listeners again,
> plus I'll finally be able to use my white sequined jumpsuit
> doing a few ELVIS shows each week at the HOWARD JOHNSON."
>
> So, this means that they DIDN'T hire the ideal choice first?
> Or, is this the "Don't F--- with Drake & Zeke" choice?
>
> Wow, there are so many former CC people in that building now
> that John Hogan is planning to visit!
>
> Good news is, he can only take the ratings higher...And,
> what is "Variety Classic Rock", anyway? JACK for bikers?

Hmmmm....somebody else leaving CC? Spencer?
>

 

[foreverchanges]

> > > Former CLEAR CHANNEL/LOUISVILLE OM MICHAEL LEE has
> been
> >
> > > tapped as PD at CITADEL Variety Classic Rock WXMX (98.1
> > THE
> > > MAX)/MEMPHIS, effective MONDAY (8/29).
>
>
> It will be interesting to see if Michael Lee can make
> anything out of this mess.
>
> Has there ever been a major Memphis FM station that sounds
> as bad as The Max (music, imaging, jocks etc.)? I'm not
> counting Flinn's 3 FMs.
>

So who is this Randy that's on with Megan mid-days with all her celebrity gossip?

Anybody feeling that??

 

[MemphisMitch]

> > > Former CLEAR CHANNEL/LOUISVILLE OM MICHAEL LEE has
> been
> >
> > > tapped as PD at CITADEL Variety Classic Rock WXMX (98.1
> > THE
> > > MAX)/MEMPHIS, effective MONDAY (8/29).
>
>
> It will be interesting to see if Michael Lee can make
> anything out of this mess.
>
> Has there ever been a major Memphis FM station that sounds
> as bad as The Max (music, imaging, jocks etc.)? I'm not
> counting Flinn's 3 FMs.
>
Can you post without insulting someone. I think the Pig sounded better than the max and there are a lot of people that would agree. Hot also is a good sounding station. The "Q" is not my cup of tea but they have talented people working there and their billing is up. Why is this board jumping on doc every chance it gets. Lighten up on him and his stations, I have 30+ years of radio under my belt (sometimes over it!) and the most fun I ever had was working at the Pig. Why do you feel the need to put down good people? Doc owns the stations but people just like you and every one else on this board work(ed) there. <P ID="signature">______________
Experience is a tough teacher; you have to fail the test before you can learn the lesson.</P>

 

[RealDeal]

> > > > Former CLEAR CHANNEL/LOUISVILLE OM MICHAEL LEE has
> > been
> > >
> > > > tapped as PD at CITADEL Variety Classic Rock WXMX
> (98.1
> > > THE
> > > > MAX)/MEMPHIS, effective MONDAY (8/29).
> >
> >
> > It will be interesting to see if Michael Lee can make
> > anything out of this mess.
> >
> > Has there ever been a major Memphis FM station that sounds
>
> > as bad as The Max (music, imaging, jocks etc.)? I'm not
> > counting Flinn's 3 FMs.
> >
> Can you post without insulting someone. I think the Pig
> sounded better than the max and there are a lot of people
> that would agree. Hot also is a good sounding station. The
> "Q" is not my cup of tea but they have talented people
> working there and their billing is up. Why is this board
> jumping on doc every chance it gets. Lighten up on him and
> his stations, I have 30+ years of radio under my belt
> (sometimes over it!) and the most fun I ever had was working
> at the Pig. Why do you feel the need to put down good
> people? Doc owns the stations but people just like you and
> every one else on this board work(ed) there.
>
I can't imagine anyone being fired from a company and saying it was a great place to work. The displacement that it causes for you and your family is tremendous.

A good sounding radio station is also one that generates ratings and revenue and the Pig did neither. It was at best an unique format for non-mainstream people who did not take the time to fill out Arbitron diaries or frequent the few advertisers that the Pig could muster, except for the staff for the free drinks and food.

It's the age old fight between people who live to be on the air and the people who live to make a successful profit.

Just because it may have "sounded" good, does not mean by any stretch that it was or would have ever been successful from a business standpoint.

You have to ask the question, if it was such a good format to have in the highest black metro in the country, why wouldn't one of the real broadcast companies that are in town, such as Clear Channel, Entercom, Citadel, or Infinity jump on it. All of these groups have much bigger sticks than Flinn and if they thought it would improve their bottom line, they would have done it and left Flinn in the dust.

My guess is that everyone is happy trying to make money and not losing any and they see no way that a 6k signal playing Pig music can be anything but a financial loser. It might sound better than someone else, but sounding good don't make the loan payments.

 

[briancraig]

Mitch,

There is no reason to take criticism of Dr. Flinn's stations so personally. The purpose of this board is to express opinions about Memphis radio, both good and bad.

You would have to admit that in the past Dr. Flinn has made changes in his stations and personnel that made no sense.

I think the Max was the wrong move for 98.1 and so far the ratings agree. Others may disagree and are free to post their opinions on this board. Maybe the new PD can improve the station.

~Brian

Btw, I would still love to read your WRNO stories from the classic rock board. Please email them to me if you get the chance.

 

[MemphisMitch]

> >
> I can't imagine anyone being fired from a company and saying
> it was a great place to work. The displacement that it
> causes for you and your family is tremendous.
>
> A good sounding radio station is also one that generates
> ratings and revenue and the Pig did neither. It was at best
> an unique format for non-mainstream people who did not take
> the time to fill out Arbitron diaries or frequent the few
> advertisers that the Pig could muster, except for the staff
> for the free drinks and food.
>
> It's the age old fight between people who live to be on the
> air and the people who live to make a successful profit.
>
> Just because it may have "sounded" good, does not mean by
> any stretch that it was or would have ever been successful
> from a business standpoint.
>
> You have to ask the question, if it was such a good format
> to have in the highest black metro in the country, why
> wouldn't one of the real broadcast companies that are in
> town, such as Clear Channel, Entercom, Citadel, or Infinity
> jump on it. All of these groups have much bigger sticks
> than Flinn and if they thought it would improve their bottom
> line, they would have done it and left Flinn in the dust.
>
> My guess is that everyone is happy trying to make money and
> not losing any and they see no way that a 6k signal playing
> Pig music can be anything but a financial loser. It might
> sound better than someone else, but sounding good don't make
> the loan payments.
>
Let's see where to start with this. #1 Being fired had nothing to do with how good the station sounded, or how much fun it was to work there. I didn't say it was a good place to work, I said the station sounded good. Don't put words in my mouth. I liked working there because of the music, the info, the interviews and people like Marshall, Zeke, Tater...I could go on. Did it piss me off to get fired? Yes it did. That doesn't take away from the fun part of the job. We always had great turnouts for our promotions. I can't believe that you would say something like "A good sounding radio station is also one that generates ratings and revenue..." listen very carefully so you get this...a good sounding station...sounds good. Period. That was the point of my reply. You made valid points about the ratings and revenue, however that was not the subject of the post. Brian also made a good point when he said that I take it too personal when someone puts the Pig down. I'll watch that in the future, but all your babble about the business and revenue is mute. That's not what the post was about, it was about the sound of the station. I have worked in many markets where there were GREAT sounding stations that had no ratings, even stations I didn't work for! Sales and management have to think about those things, the morning/mid-day jocks don't. I am proud to have worked at the Pig, it was a great sounding station. Yes you are right when you say “It's the age old fight between people who live to be on the air and the people who live to make a successful profit.” That’s why there are different departments in every business. I live to be on the air, making the profit is someone else’s job. You have never been on the air have you? I don’t confuse the two and you shouldn’t either. As I recall you are the Redneck from Frayser and I am the Hippie…so we never saw eye to eye. I guess we never will, but the next time you reply to one of my post try to keep it on the same subject matter. I was talking apples and you are talking oranges. The bottom line is I think that the Pig was a good sounding radio station and many people agree with me on that. The business end was not my concern, my job was to have a good sounding shift and I think I did that. <P ID="signature">______________
Experience is a tough teacher; you have to fail the test before you can learn the lesson.</P>

 

[RealDeal]

> > >
> > I can't imagine anyone being fired from a company and
> saying
> > it was a great place to work. The displacement that it
> > causes for you and your family is tremendous.
> >
> > A good sounding radio station is also one that generates
> > ratings and revenue and the Pig did neither. It was at
> best
> > an unique format for non-mainstream people who did not
> take
> > the time to fill out Arbitron diaries or frequent the few
> > advertisers that the Pig could muster, except for the
> staff
> > for the free drinks and food.
> >
> > It's the age old fight between people who live to be on
> the
> > air and the people who live to make a successful profit.
> >
> > Just because it may have "sounded" good, does not mean by
> > any stretch that it was or would have ever been successful
>
> > from a business standpoint.
> >
> > You have to ask the question, if it was such a good format
>
> > to have in the highest black metro in the country, why
> > wouldn't one of the real broadcast companies that are in
> > town, such as Clear Channel, Entercom, Citadel, or
> Infinity
> > jump on it. All of these groups have much bigger sticks
> > than Flinn and if they thought it would improve their
> bottom
> > line, they would have done it and left Flinn in the dust.
> >
> > My guess is that everyone is happy trying to make money
> and
> > not losing any and they see no way that a 6k signal
> playing
> > Pig music can be anything but a financial loser. It might
>
> > sound better than someone else, but sounding good don't
> make
> > the loan payments.
> >
> Let's see where to start with this. #1 Being fired had
> nothing to do with how good the station sounded, or how much
> fun it was to work there. I didn't say it was a good place
> to work, I said the station sounded good. Don't put words
> in my mouth. I liked working there because of the music,
> the info, the interviews and people like Marshall, Zeke,
> Tater...I could go on. Did it piss me off to get fired?
> Yes it did. That doesn't take away from the fun part of the
> job. We always had great turnouts for our promotions. I
> can't believe that you would say something like "A good
> sounding radio station is also one that generates ratings
> and revenue..." listen very carefully so you get this...a
> good sounding station...sounds good. Period. That was the
> point of my reply. You made valid points about the ratings
> and revenue, however that was not the subject of the post.
> Brian also made a good point when he said that I take it too
> personal when someone puts the Pig down. I'll watch that in
> the future, but all your babble about the business and
> revenue is mute. That's not what the post was about, it was
> about the sound of the station. I have worked in many
> markets where there were GREAT sounding stations that had no
> ratings, even stations I didn't work for! Sales and
> management have to think about those things, the
> morning/mid-day jocks don't. I am proud to have worked at
> the Pig, it was a great sounding station. Yes you are right
> when you say “It's the age old fight between people who live
> to be on the air and the people who live to make a
> successful profit.” That’s why there are different
> departments in every business. I live to be on the air,
> making the profit is someone else’s job. You have never
> been on the air have you? I don’t confuse the two and you
> shouldn’t either. As I recall you are the Redneck from
> Frayser and I am the Hippie…so we never saw eye to eye. I
> guess we never will, but the next time you reply to one of
> my post try to keep it on the same subject matter. I was
> talking apples and you are talking oranges. The bottom line
> is I think that the Pig was a good sounding radio station
> and many people agree with me on that. The business end was
> not my concern, my job was to have a good sounding shift and
> I think I did that.

Mitch,
Always love the dialogue and the differences of opinions. So we can get on the same apple cart, here is my point; sounding good is important for air talent, you should always strive to do your very best. Sounding good is moot if the format is too narrow, to boutique, too hard to sell to the general public. The marketing world is littered with "sounding good" products that did not make a dime. One of my favorite examples that they used to illustrate in class at UofM was the stainless steel, gull wing Delorean. Great concept, great design, terrible sales, now just a historical footnote. The Tucker automobile is another, and the hits just keep on coming.

The latest edition of Inside Radio points to the decline of AAA shares, Active Rock Shares and so on. It's great for the 8 track, the Ipod or the internet, but it just has a hard time making money.

Personal tastes sometimes are different than current economic reality. The many people that agree with you that the Pig was a good sounding radio station somehow didn't get a diary or buy advertising. So let's agree if we can, the Redneck and Hippie from Frayser that Flinn's station was a good sounding station. But was it a good radio station in terms of being a successful business? Absolutely not, or it would not have changed formats for the 3rd or 4th time, I've lost count. I think maybe we both can agree on that.

The morning/midday jock should always be thinking of the business side, because if the business is not good, unfortunately there will be personnel cuts and formatic changes or station sales to other owners.

Enough of this, back to work saving lives.

 

[MemphisMitch]

> Mitch,
> Always love the dialogue and the differences of opinions.
> So we can get on the same apple cart, here is my point;
> sounding good is important for air talent, you should always
> strive to do your very best. Sounding good is moot if the
> format is too narrow, to boutique, too hard to sell to the
> general public. The marketing world is littered with
> "sounding good" products that did not make a dime. One of
> my favorite examples that they used to illustrate in class
> at UofM was the stainless steel, gull wing Delorean. Great
> concept, great design, terrible sales, now just a historical
> footnote. The Tucker automobile is another, and the hits
> just keep on coming.

I said the radio station sounded better than the max, and it did. All these other points you are making have nothing to do with my post. I heard the max go from Zeppelin to the Temptations to Neil Diamond….Hello!

> So let's agree if we can, the Redneck and Hippie from Frayser
>that Flinn's station was a good sounding station. But was it a
>good radio station in terms of being a successful business?
>Absolutely not, or it would not have changed formats for the 3rd
>or 4th time, I've lost count. I think maybe we both can agree on that.

There is your apples and oranges. If it sounds good has nothing to do with if it was a good business move. Those are two different issues. If you bought a beautiful race horse that couldn’t win races, it would be a bad business move, but it would not make the horse any less beautiful!

As a jock your job is to execute what someone else has determined should be the direction of the radio station. Should I care if the station is making money? Absolutely. Should I worry about it? Absolutely not. Why should I worry about something I have no control over? I have no input to the playlist, the format or anything except my shift. So my job is to make my shift sound the best that it can be. That’s it, nothing else. So when I say that the Pig was a good sounding station, that’s what I mean and nothing else. Again, all these other points you are talking about are not determined by the airstaff, but by management. You are a Monday Morning Quarterback, you have never been in radio (I’m guessing) and have no idea what it’s like to be involved in broadcasting. If as a jock, I went to management and told them I thought they were making bad decisions and the station was taking the wrong direction, I would be a marked man. You see, it’s kind of like being married, you get a vote, but it doesn’t count! While AAA may not be a great direction to go it, that was not my concern. My job was to make the format/station sound as good as possible and the format AAA/Blues/Classic Rock/Alterative Country did sound good. When I first started I was not familiar with a lot of the artist, so I did my research and shared that information as I played the artist and incorporated that into my trivia questions. That was my job. The stick, the format, the advertisers, etc was not my focus, nor should it be. If you bought a radio station and applied what you thought (as an outsider) was good business and programming…well, how would you be any different than Doc Flinn? Now, I am done on this subject. I made a comment about the Pig sounding better than the max and you went off on all these other elements of if it’s not making money it doesn’t sound good. In both of your posts you are talking about the business of radio not the sound of the station. I believe you still have some oranges in your apple cart. I think the whole problem with the Pig was the stick or lack there of, and Doc second guessing the professionals he hired, and let's face it you sound like you would do the same thing. The Q’s ratings are not that much better, but the billing is way up. Partly because the advertisers understand what a Top 40 station is. Was that a better business move? Yes. Does that make it a better sounding station? No. If this doesn’t clear it up for you, may I suggest Radio 101 at Columbia?
<P ID="signature">______________
Experience is a tough teacher; you have to fail the test before you can learn the lesson.</P>