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Noticed TFM has gone all Christmas on T-giving

  • Thread starter TightwadSquarepants
  • Start date

You're right Bored-op, if they aren't seriously looking for the next TFM PD, why even keep the job posting on the net? And the fact is, they aren't looking. It has been seven months since they let Dave DeFranzo go. I don't think even for the pickiest GM, it should take over half a year to find your program director. It is a cost saving measure. That's the reason there is no real promotions director in the building, no overnight jocks on TFM or RZK, no TV news department, no TV sales reps. It is penny pinching to the n-th degree! And I am sorry, the building has already been paid for. Other than salaries, Holston Valley Broadcasting cannot have that much overhead. It's part of the reason they are, and probably will be for a long time, the number three horse in essentially a three horse race.
As far as promoting from within, I don't think this would pose a big problem among the airstaff. Dave and Steve are old friends who get along with each other. And Elva, to the best of my knowledge, gets along with both of those guys. The only reason you need a PD at WTFM is to create some direction with the music. The jocks are only allowed to be liner readers anyways.
I know that some of my posts could be considered sour grapes concerning HVBC. I don't mean for them to be taken that way. These are some things I thought while I was still there, but I wasn't going to say because I was a team player and wanted the company to win. And even though I am playing for another team now, I still think of a lot of those people at HVBC (Dave, Steve, Elva, Scott, Winnie, Gary and others) to be friends, and I only wish that the management would loosen up the reigns and let them be who they are. They are professional enough to make the company a viable contender with BBC and Citadel, if only...if only.
I will shut up now.
 
I thought RZK was an LMA? There must be some overhead there. Somebody gets paid for the use of the frequency. Even so, its no different anywhere. Or in other industries for that matter. Actually, its probably better in the Tri Cities than bigger markets with bigger players. At least the stations have more than one person per station. Cheap Channels bussiness model is bare bones programming and fat sales. Some of the markets smaller than the Tri Cities that I worked in started feeling the pinch 8 or 10 years ago. I'm talking lack of talent. There was no training ground once voice tracking became available. You could have prime talent track overnights, weekends and red headed step child stations. No need to pay part time hours. No need to groom talent. Guess what happened? When the time came to hire a new night person, I got everything from club dj's to hand written notes for resume's. All the radio people were moving up in market size and tracking multiple markets and so on. I knew it was a matter of time before it crept into the bigger markets. I bet, within five years, the hand written note resumes start showing up in the top 50 markets....The only good thing about that is the fat cats at the top of the big radio companies might hit the panic button. Short sighted-penny pinching goals usually make the big picture pretty ugly. Alot gets said about how Sh$#tty Radio is around here, but at least the stations in this market have staffs. I've been around a bit, and they don't sound any worse than the bigger markets. Way off topic,sooo.... TFM will get a point or two for the holiday tunes. And knowing AC, The music will be exactly the same after the break. ;D
 
You're right. WRZK is an LMA, so there is some there, too. Sorry, let that slip my mind. I want to say that I had heard around six-figures per year for the LMA, but I can't remember the exact numbers.
And I know it could always be worse, bored-op, but from what I hear and have seen in my few months at Citadel and compare it to HVBC and then from the friends I have at BBC, Holston Valley is the cheapest and least willing to spend a buck. And not to say that money cures all problems, but HVBC is years overdue for some serious upgrades in the building when it comes to equipment (especially for WKPT-AM and TV) and to put some money into promotion (i.e. TV, other areas and for some good book promotions). I remember when TFM used to give away cars for their big promotions. Heck, they gave away a house one year with Hunter's Lake back in the mid-90's! They've stuck with that 100 dollar giveaway for years now.
If they're not going to do anything with the music, you've gotta get the listener some other way. TFM's biggest problem, however, is this. The listeners they have are very loyal. They just haven't had the ability to attract more listeners into their base.
Plus, they've programmed the station as if they are competing against other AC formats in the market. A good friend of mine put it best. If TFM was in another market where there were 2 or 3 other AC stations, they would be number 1 in the format. Trouble is that WTFM ain't competing against other AC's. The competition is a country station and a classic rocker. That makes things a little tougher and it's a big reason they really need a competent program director in the building. Whether it be someone already there or from outside, WTFM needs a PD and one who knows the AC format.
 
Tightwad, I wasn't "Let Go", I left. I do agree with you. There's no reason why Steve Mann should not be made PD. I said that on my way out. He's the best choice for the job. However, I think Steve could be in a bigger market too!
 
Sorry, Radio Rat. I didn't mean to imply that you were fired. I had kind of heard that you were kind of "forced out". Please accept my apology. And yes, I have to agree with you that Mr. Mann could be in a larger market and I think if they don't start treating him better, I wouldn't blame him for moving to Florida to be near his family. But Mr. Widener knows that Steve has his own ideas on where the station should go and that's one of the biggest reasons why David won't give Steve the job.
On a different note, but in the same arena, one reason why WTFM had the same PD for the better part of two decades with Mark McKinney was because Mark was able to do things he knew were good for the station, even if David didn't necessarily agree, because Mark was one of the greatest pragmatist I have ever met. He knew when to pick his battles and when to back off if the fight wasn't winnable or wasn't that important. It's something I was never able to learn and probably a big reason I was "let go." I think a lot of people took Mark the wrong way and thought he didn't care. I don't believe that for a minute. He just learned how to keep his cool and maintain composure, which is an absolute necessity at HVBC. I think you'll agree with me there, Radio Rat!
Whoever gets that job will need that people skill to be successful within the confines of 222 Commerce Street.
 
And, yes, you all are right. Vallie is doing the consulting work for WTFM right now with Sneed out of the picture. World's Oldest Teenager...Crossman, that is classic! (insert Beavis and Butthead laugh here)

Peace.
TWSP
 
Tight Wad,

What the H*#@ is up with your apparent loyality to Holston Valley.
Sure you started there. But come on. They FIRED you for heaven's sake.
And for no apparent reason.
Tell them what they can kiss.
They aren't ever going to call you back.
They aren't going add, build or operate additional stations in the future.
That group reached their pinnacle in the 1980s and now have started "down the tubes"
From what I hear there are MAJOR changes in the future!
 
Mr D,
I have no loyalty to that God Forsaken place anymore. I think you misunderstand my posts. While I have a lot of animosity against the management of HVBC, I don't against a majority of my co-workers. They didn't fire me. George and David did! And if you read my posts, I don't think I have said anything positive about them, just the people I worked with.
I think the world of Scott Highland, Dave Barnett (probably my best friend in the world), Steve Mann (I would love to have his talent), Winnie Byrd, Elva Marie, Duane Nelson and others. When I got fired, for example, I know it tore Scott all to hell because he told me. Now don't get me wrong. There are some people (I won't mention names) that I am extremely upset with because after I got the ax, they turned their backs on me and I feel like they have forgotten I even exist. There are others, however, who haven't. It's hard to work at a place for 15 years and not look at a lot of them like family members. Dave has shown his true colours to me over the last four months as he has listened to my rants, my hurt feelings and given me more advice than I know what to do with! He really has been family since all this went down.
I don't look at my posts as trying to kiss anyone's butt at HVBC. And I know they are going to rehire me. Even if hell froze over and they did call me back, I wouldn't go. And I have told them how I feel about the decision, I just didn't do it on a message board. But David and George know how I feel. Trust me on that one. Heck, Tightwad Squarepants is my derisive name for Widener, for heaven's sake. Oops, didn't mean to let that one out of the bag. But sorry if my posts came off as a poor attempt to curry favour with the management at Holston Valley Broadcasting. But I still care a whole lot about those people and I think they get the shaft on a daily basis and they don't deserve it. They are just as much victims of the place as I was. At least I got parolled!
 
This early Christmas format must have been Widener's stupid idea.

I've heard it's turning several people off.......or better yet.....to other stations.
 
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