One more Clear Channel rant....

[Insideradio]

It really does blow my mind what the thought process is behind the moves Clear Channel makes. You have a FLAME thrower signal in 94.9!!! So what do they do? They hire some dude with highlights and a shell necklace to launch the station. Cause nothing says Country like highlights and shell necklaces.

I could see if you wanted to target females.... But they will be the flagship of the BRAVES!!!! And a majority of their TV campaign targeted males. I saw many commercials on ESPN!!!!! Once again, no forward thinking, no focus, no direction. They come out of the gate sputtering HOPING for a run in turn 4.

How bout playing kick butt Country and go directly after Kicks! Make it a Country station with attitude. Don't be afraid to shake up the PC demo. Hire some guys with edge. Do gorilla marketing. SOMETHING????????

I know by now nothing they do should shock me but I'm really baffled by this launch and what they did to 96rock.

They get rid of REALLY talented people and replace them with Mr. Ego (Chris Williams) and the Gurgling Cowboy (Lance - hold the "S" sound at the end - Houston)

 

[ssnake]

It really does blow my mind what the thought process is behind the moves Clear Channel makes. You have a FLAME thrower signal in 94.9!!! So what do they do? They hire some dude with highlights and a shell necklace to launch the station. Cause nothing says Country like highlights and shell necklaces.

Hahaha! This echoes the comments posted under Rodney's blog entry with the photo.

Interestingly, it seems like the Bull is aiming for an older audience with their Eagle-like music mix.

 

[jimbo722]

People outside of this board, or Rodney Ho's article, probably don't know what Lance Houston looks like, and since he hasn't mentioned his name on the air yet, most people probably have no idea who it is. My opinion is that he sounds ok, not great, but ok. The knock on everyone they bring in from the outside will be just that, he's an outsider and doesn't know Atlanta. True enough (he's been calling Art "Mad Man Mehring" "Madman Art Mahring" all week), but cut the guy a little slack. The music on the Bull has been a good mix and I think thay are doing a good job.
So, Lance Houston will be doing afternoon drive, correct? Then who should they bring in to do mornings and mid-days? Offer some solutions if you don't like their looks. What a ridiculous rant, it's RADIO!!!!

 

[troone]

Here Here. You use a guy's bio photo to justify your hatred of Clear Channel? Weak.

And using the AJC radio blog as the litmus test toward defending your position? That blog is the most racist, homophobic bile I've ever read. If you want to make an strong argument, you'd counter whatever anyone in that blog is writing.

 

[Insideradio]

You use a guy's bio photo to justify your hatred of Clear Channel? Weak.

Yes. The kid comes from market what? 150 something? Look at his station website on the AJC link. He doesn't even have hair on his chest. He's Nudge goes Country.
I'm sure there were a MILLION other guys more qualified for the gig. How bout someone in uh....the top 100 at least? This is not a night gig....a weekend slot...this is MD/APD of a New Country format launch in MARKET 10! I'm sorry. The kid may be ok...but OK is NOT good enough.

 

[Frasier]

And using the AJC radio blog as the litmus test toward defending your position? That blog is the most racist, homophobic bile I've ever read.

Two comments from "Tim Hardaway" alone... Funny [EDIT]...

[EDIT-profanity]

 

[littlejohn]

All the geniuses I've met in this business showed their genius at a very early point in their careers. Here's an inexpensive chance to grow one. What if the guy fills in the local blank, and turns into or has noiticed a genius for the position? Either way, it will develop in 90 days, more or less.

 

[tbarber]

You use a guy's bio photo to justify your hatred of Clear Channel? Weak.

Yes. The kid comes from market what? 150 something? Look at his station website on the AJC link. He doesn't even have hair on his chest. He's Nudge goes Country.
I'm sure there were a MILLION other guys more qualified for the gig. How bout someone in uh....the top 100 at least? This is not a night gig....a weekend slot...this is MD/APD of a New Country format launch in MARKET 10! I'm sorry. The kid may be ok...but OK is NOT good enough.

Hey, I don't know you so this isn't neccessarily aimed at you personally. You make it personal if you want to.

We are market 151- not 150.... and I'd give [EDIT] to have Lance back as my PD. We just got our Fall book back and we kicked the crap out of the heritage country station in 18-34 and 18-49. We owe a great deal of this success to Lance. He is right on target with his music and imaging. I hated to have him go, but was very happy for him. Yes, it's a huge jump in market size- but last time I looked, you spoke in to one microphone and the words and music came out of one antenna.... and you reached one person at a time.

There are a lot of people who post here that hate CC and other groups. I used to get my checks from San Antonio too- so I understand. Don't take your frustrations and hatred out on someone whom you have never met.

Lance will kick ass in Atlanta. Find something else to bitch about. And if you don't like it, bitch at me, I can take it.

And btw, before you want to dress me down about Atlanta compared to Montgomery, I'll put me and my team (or most smaller market successful operators) up against most of you slackers who can't cut it any more.

Terry Barber
General Manager
WBAM Montgomery, AL (Market 151)


[EDIT-vulgar content]

 

[lfuss]

> I'll put me and my team (or most smaller market successful operators) up against most of you slackers who can't cut it any more.

Terry: Most of these big market guys don't have any idea what running a radio station is really like. They don't know what it's like to sell spots, cut spots, collect the bills, handle programming and engineering, do the janitorial work, and change the light bulbs on the tower. And they look down their noses at guys in market #151 because they think you couldn't possibly know anything about radio.

LF

 

[f10]

It really does blow my mind what the thought process is behind the moves Clear Channel makes. You have a FLAME thrower signal in 94.9!!! So what do they do? They hire some dude with highlights and a shell necklace to launch the station. Cause nothing says Country like highlights and shell necklaces.

They get rid of REALLY talented people and replace them with Mr. Ego (Chris Williams) and the Gurgling Cowboy (Lance - hold the "S" sound at the end - Houston)

Well, maybe I'm not as "inside" the industry as your name implies, but I can't see what highlights and shell necklaces have to do with being able to program radio. I thought it came down to what you could put out of the speakers. I'm even more discourged that you choose to bash Lance on here with homosexual slurs for apparently being gay. It is still too early to judge how he will do on the Bull, but I have all the information I need to judge you are crass and bigotted. How embarrasing to only be able to spew your hate anonymously and not have the sack to sign your name to your slurs. Weak.

 

[Insideradio]

Lance will kick ass in Atlanta. Find something else to bitch about. And if you don't like it, bitch at me, I can take it.

And btw, before you want to dress me down about Atlanta compared to Montgomery, I'll put me and my team (or most smaller market successful operators) up against most of you slackers who can't cut it any more.

Terry Barber
General Manager
WBAM Montgomery, AL (Market 151)

Well that's sweet Terry. I'm sure Lance is/was a great employee. But this is big boy radio. And nothing against your boy landing the gig but I'm guessing he'll be exactly what they want - a yes boy.

He won't be able to program here. NO ONE gets to program at CC Atlanta. He'll do exactly what they tell him to do. He'll program the songs THEY want him to program. The songs that research shows test well. And won't pay him much more than he was making in Market 151. (Market 152 according to R&R)

That's my problem with CC. They have hired guys in the past with proven track records but handcuffed them as soon as they got here. Now they know to hire someone young and hungry cause they won't fight back. I'm sure Lance will be a great yes boy. He'll do 3 jobs plus appearances and make decent money...but he WON'T make a difference.

It's sad...


And F10???? What's your FULL NAME and resume?



The high

 

[middlega]

We just got our Fall book back and we kicked the crap out of the heritage country station in 18-34 and 18-49.

Then you must have really gotten your tails kicked 49+ and/or under 18 to have lost the 12+ by the margin you did.

And in one of the more bizarre comments I can recall seeing here

And if you don't like it, bitch at me, I can take it.

Why would anybody here bitch at you? Did you hire him for the Atlanta gig? You really aren't the topic of this particular discussion, nor even a part of it other than how you choose to try to interject yourself into it.

And on an unrelated subject, did it even cross your mind how ridiculous your post would look to people who just observe this board in between placing radio buys? If that's your idea of "putting your team up against ...", it says a lot to this buyer about why you're in market 150-whatever -- you seem to have a tendency to engage your ego and your mouth before/instead of engaging your brain. You had nothing to gain from getting involved in this (unless you're hoping your former employee can help you land a future gig in a bigger market or something) but like so many in markets at your level, your ego apparently couldn't let you stay out of it.

 

[tcsnrayp]

I'd give [EDIT]to have Lance back as my PD. I hated to have him go, but was very happy for him. Yes, it's a huge jump in market size- but last time I looked, you spoke in to one microphone and the words and music came out of one antenna.... and you reached one person at a time.

[EDIT-vulgar content]

Terry--you will probably take a lot of crap from SOME of the posters here. But as a pd I want to thank you for speaking out about your former employee. You show a great deal of class by recognizing Lance's opportunity and wishing him well. I am certain that was not an easy loss. But both of you are savvy enough to know that you might be working together again in the future. Even if it is you working for him! ;-)

Sincerely: thank you for stepping out with your support.

*No, i do not know either of these gentlemen and am not now--nor have ever been--associated with their former or current stataions.

 

[tbarber]

..... never mind. I've gone back to my [EDIT]little market. You guys continue on without me. What would I know anyway?


[EDIT-profanity]

 

[Dain]

Let's cut to the chase shall we... radio in Atlanta sucks. But then again it sucks in Dallas, Houston, here in Austin, and pretty much anywhere else CCU owns stations. It's not a question of whether or not this kid from Montgomery is heavy enough to program a station in Atlanta or not, because it's not him being small market, it's CCU running major market stations as if they were small market.

I'm building a chain of small market stations that will tie to WiFi and Internet Radio connections and with rare exception what I find in small markets being considered for acquisition is this:

A live morning show and then at 10AM, the jock hits the magic satellite button and up pops ABC, Westwood or Jones for the remaining 20 hours of that day... yes there will be local news and weather and there will be swap shop show and other local elements, but generally speaking there will be one full time jock and maybe up to three part timers and that's it.

The bulk of the programming is satellite feeds... somewhat akin to what CCU does with its voice tracking approach. That doesn't mean small market has to sound small market and before we're finished with what we're doing, we'll prove that. But I digress...

Don't run down somebody from Montgomery making it to Atlanta. Where do you think Jeff McCartney came before he was at WQXI FM? That's right... Montgomery... actually Jeff is the greatest person to ever come of Shorter, AL, and he'd be the first to tell you that...LOL...

There used to be better CHR coming out of Enterprise, AL at WKMX than half the crap created in Atlanta.

It's all like that Springsteen song about all the TV channels and yet nothing on... now Atlanta has a "full complement" of FM signals and what do you have? Sh** flung further...

So it really doesn't matter who holds the title of Program Director anymore in Atlanta or really pretty much any other major market in this country... because they will be slaves to Corporate, to ratings, to consultants to shift through the ratings, to consultants to research the market to death, to consultants to pick just the right 150 songs to play over and over again, to consultants to make sure the other consultants are doing their job and well, you get the picture.

All of this is precisely why I left Atlanta in 1996 and got the hell of major market anything...

Everybody should just go to "Nine Radio" and call it a day....LOL

 

[Merlin Berlin]

"now Atlanta has a "full complement" of FM signals and what do you have? Sh** flung further..."

My vote for the best line of February 2007.

 

[lfuss]

>Don't run down somebody from Montgomery making it to Atlanta.

Several points:

In case anyone forgot, Rhubarb came from Montgomery too.

Lance may have his hands tied working for the corporate bozos at CC, but you can't blame the guy for taking the job in the Top 10 market when it was offered to him. Years ago, I did the same thing. Do I hear a tinge of jealousy from some?

Being gay is a non-issue. It has nothing to do with programming a radio station.

And finally, Terry Barber runs a damn good radio station. I don't recall him having an ego, he's just stating the facts. As someone pointed out to me recently, "it ain't bragging if you can do it."

LF

 

[Dain]

You're dead on Larry.

How bizarre is this? You're sitting in Vegas and I'm over here in Austin and yet we're still trying to help everybody see the light in Atlanta...LOL

What passes for major market radio these days is stuff that wouldn't have cut it in Alma twenty years ago...

 

[littlejohn]

>We just got our Fall book back and we kicked the crap out of the heritage country station in 18-34 and 18-49.

Uh, Terry, not to put too long a spin on it, WBAM >is< the heritage country call and station in Montgomery. I've no idea what you guys are doing now, but a reasonably cheesy cannon blast and "This am the BIG BAM" made many millions of dollars over the years. Them other guys showed up way later.

 

[lfuss]

WLWI has been the big dog for years. If WBAM's beating them now, Terry's obviously doing something right.

LF