pathetic tampa radio

[FiveStar]

Actually, I'm amazed that Randy has time to waste in here, trading shots with me. In a way, I'm flattered. I'm not even in the biz anymore, but I certainly have enjoyed helping him reveal his true self to the world. I hope anyone reading this and the Vacuum thread will take them into consideration before signing on at a station he's consulting.

I'm sure Randy has more money than I ever will and more power to him, but as it says in the Good Book, "What shall it profit a man to gain the world if he lose his very soul?"

 

[coolaid213]

FiveStar, I seriously wouldn't be surprised if this was an impostor. It takes some pretty big stones to claim that WFLA is better now than it was with Lassiter/Norman/et al. But then again, it also takes some big ones to claim...

"I had a plan that totally would shut down the Pig - but they would not let me execute it. Even Scott Shannon who said there was nothing that could have been done, upon hearing the details of the plan, said it was genius and would have worked." Whoa... seriously, get a grip dude.

Assuming that this is the real deal. I would respectfully like to take this opportunity to ask, what exactly was your secret plan for Q105, Randy? Maybe you'd also like to address some of your other successes as well. Maybe you could give some insight into Classic Country KTPK, or the short lived WWBD, which along the rest of your Point stations is quite possibly the 5th Horseman of the Apocalypse. I actually dig the programming on TPK, but whoa what a stinker!

 

[Ssummers]

I don't doubt that it's Randy, what I do doubt is that Rick Sklar would waste his time on the Tampa board..I know both and I seriously doubt WABC's Ricky would be sparring with you!

You know both? Seriously? You're more of a d-bag than Randy!

As my friend OldSchoolWoman knows, Rick passed in 1992 under very tragic circumstances. You've lost all credibility with me.

Awkward. Time to update the Blueberry(at least the Rolodex), Ape.

FiveStar, I seriously wouldn't be surprised if this was an impostor. It takes some pretty big stones to claim that WFLA is better now than it was with Lassiter/Norman/et al. But then again, it also takes some big ones to claim...

That's what I've been asking all along. At first, I doubted it was really Randy. But I have since confirmed that it is, in fact, Randy, and I cannot figure out what his motivation is for posting at all, much less mixing it up in here. He doesn't need the ego stroke or the validation. That's why I have to ask "Why post to begin with?"

As for Randy's view on Q105 and plan that would've turned things around, I've actually heard that a few times over the years from a few mutual acqaintances. I cannot personally verify, but they have said that it is factual.

 

[BIG APE]

:Quote from: RickSklar77 on Yesterday at 06:56:58 pm
Quote
I don't doubt that it's Randy, what I do doubt is that Rick Sklar would waste his time on the Tampa board..I know both and I seriously doubt WABC's Ricky would be sparring with you!

You know both? Seriously? You're more of a d-bag than Randy!

As my friend OldSchoolWoman knows, Rick passed in 1992 under very tragic circumstances. You've lost all credibility with me.



Awkward. Time to update the Blueberry(at least the Rolodex), Ape.




You know, I was well aware of all the particulars of the WABC Wizard, however, I wanted to see how a "Dead Person" would post on the boards...A better question is "Why would someone impersonate Rick and use his name???? BIG APE!

 

[smedge2006]

Had to answer something in this quote from Kabrich:

The talent is better on WFLA today than it was 20 years ago as well. It might not be local, but its better. Yes, they still have issues - but again I believe far too many forget the issues of years ago.

Bottom line 1) The talent isn't there to have great local shows in all markets 2) The Management (Programmers) were never good enough to coach and help talent find their full potential at the local market level 3) Agents got involved and feed so much BS to any talent that would listen that talent quit listening to local management anyway.

One reason that talk radio PD skills were stunted was BECAUSE of the widespread acceptance of syndication. PD's were told to "paint by numbers" and plug in the syndication. As one consultant put it, talk radio is the only format where GMs start from a position of "who's available" rather than "what's our target audience and let's build our format around that."

Another reason is that too many PDs during the early expansion of talk outside the major markets (1980's) were exiles from the pathetic 1970's era of whittled-down AM Top-40 in its dying days, trying to employ pseudo-Drake-style clocks and concentrating on things like telling the talent to read the weather or a liner-card promo. These sorts of "mechanics" totally broke up the flow and were an unnecessary distraction to hosts who were using most of their brain cells trying to run a show and keep a train of thought going. It's no wonder the Jacor stations went to the other extreme, as in "Let (talent) be (talent)", instead of trying to develop a coaching model that would work in the talk format. GMs and owners also failed in not realizing that talk radio generates "heat" (phone calls, letters and in 2008, e-mails) by its very nature, and failed to communicate to too many talents that "we have your back." Syndication took hold before local management had a chance to effectively work out these issues and develop strategies that worked. It would be as if KHJ and WABC had suddenly been satellited across the country in 1967 -- local Top 40 development would have been stymied, and a lot of consultants' careers would never have happened.

Here's a response to his dig on pirate radio: There was a time when young people were passionate about radio. As late as a dozen years ago, they were expressing that passion by starting up pirate stations. Relentless consolidation and black-shirted FCC crackdowns ("Eat the dirt, Craven Moorhead!") put out that pilot light. While we may decry the interference they would cause, one of the reasons radio is in trouble now is the dissipation of that kind of pirate-radio passion.

 

[Don62]

Syndication took hold before local management had a chance to effectively work out these issues and develop strategies that worked. It would be as if KHJ and WABC had suddenly been satellited across the country in 1967 -- local Top 40 development would have been stymied, and a lot of consultants' careers would never have happened.

That point alone, it wouldn't have been such a bad thing.

Here's a response to his dig on pirate radio: There was a time when young people were passionate about radio. As late as a dozen years ago, they were expressing that passion by starting up pirate stations. Relentless consolidation and black-shirted FCC crackdowns ("Eat the dirt, Craven Moorhead!") put out that pilot light. While we may decry the interference they would cause, one of the reasons radio is in trouble now is the dissipation of that kind of pirate-radio passion.

I've always thought that was a mean-spirited and pathetic attack on a "competitor."
Here the suits own all the signals, and charge someone mega millions to even come close to "competing."
Yet they're scared by some independent operation that doesn't take its orders from an office thousands of miles away?

 

[Kabrich]

I don't doubt that it's Randy, what I do doubt is that Rick Sklar would waste his time on the Tampa board..I know both and I seriously doubt WABC's Ricky would be sparring with you!

You know both? Seriously? You're more of a d-bag than Randy!

As my friend OldSchoolWoman knows, Rick passed in 1992 under very tragic circumstances. You've lost all credibility with me.

Awkward. Time to update the Blueberry(at least the Rolodex), Ape.

FiveStar, I seriously wouldn't be surprised if this was an impostor. It takes some pretty big stones to claim that WFLA is better now than it was with Lassiter/Norman/et al. But then again, it also takes some big ones to claim...

That's what I've been asking all along. At first, I doubted it was really Randy. But I have since confirmed that it is, in fact, Randy, and I cannot figure out what his motivation is for posting at all, much less mixing it up in here. He doesn't need the ego stroke or the validation. That's why I have to ask "Why post to begin with?"

As for Randy's view on Q105 and plan that would've turned things around, I've actually heard that a few times over the years from a few mutual acqaintances. I cannot personally verify, but they have said that it is factual.

I come here to see how clueless those who cannot make it in the business are. You work in the business, so you know i am not talking about you. But its really comical to see those who cannot accept what the public wants and thinks they KNOW exactly what is what.

As noted before if the public wants pig farts, i'll give it to them - and who is anyone to say its bad if audience gives it good ratings? I guess at one time people said the earth was flat and that if man was meant to fly, he'd be born with wings.

I guess thats why I do not go to conventions and pitch clients (in fact you will find my name never listed on Consultant pages of R&R, All Access and all the rest). You either have to know someone or actually have to work to figure out how to track me down....yet they go through all that and come to me. One can only wonder why ;D

 

[Don62]

As noted before if the public wants pig farts, i'll give it to them - and who is anyone to say its bad if audience gives it good ratings? I guess at one time people said the earth was flat and that if man was meant to fly, he'd be born with wings.

So Howard Stern, because he apparently had good ratings, that means his show is/was good?

Hence record sales means a certain song is better than others?

Interesting definition.

 

[AConsultant]

This is torture. Why is it so hard to understand what Kabrich is saying? Frankly I'm amazed this thread is still going. It was a good one - but lots of back and forth nit-picking.

Don - An illustration for you:

You have a room of 20 people and one moderator. The moderator is asking questions and taking notes. One question the moderator asks is "how many of you would prefer to eat meal worms instead of a steak?" 17 of those people indicate they would rather eat meal worms.

So...thinking, if you can, as a business person Don, would you rather own a meal worm restaurant or steak house?

If people are stupid enough to eat meal worms - and you can make money selling meal worms - give them meal worms!

In that same group, the moderator asks the question: "If you had a choice between two radio stations - one features a music mix of 70s 80s and 90s music with great personalities, and the other is pig farts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which would you choose?" 18 participants respond favorably to the pig fart station and only 2 indicate they would listen to the mix station.....

Which station would you rather own Don? A pig fart station with revenue and ratings or a "mix" station bottom feeder in the ARB food chain?

P.T. Barnum said "There's a sucker born every minute" and he made money capitalizing on people's gullibility. It isn't for radio managers to decide what people want - people tell radio what they want and radio responds. It doesn't need to be good, funny, shocking, entertaining or horrible - it simply needs to provide what people ask for - even pig farts.

 

[FiveStar]

If you have, say 30 stations, using a variety of formats and more lsten to pig farts than any other, you'd have a case. What the radio industry has done is put out nothing but pig farts and then brag about giving the public what they want, when in fact they have little if any choice.l Now what's interesting is that Randy is pointing out the threat of the Internet to terrestrial radio. Why would they be a threat to terrestrial radio? Of course, it couldn't have anything to do with elitist notions like "localism" or "quality".

By the way, I applaud both you and Randy for your honesty. Nice to see someone come right out and call their clients and target audience "stupid". Says a lot about both of you.

 

[Ssummers]

If you have, say 30 stations, using a variety of formats and more lsten to pig farts than any other, you'd have a case. What the radio industry has done is put out nothing but pig farts and then brag about giving the public what they want, when in fact they have little if any choice.l Now what's interesting is that Randy is pointing out the threat of the Internet to terrestrial radio. Why would they be a threat to terrestrial radio? Of course, it couldn't have anything to do with elitist notions like "localism" or "quality".

By the way, I applaud both you and Randy for your honesty. Nice to see someone come right out and call their clients and target audience "stupid". Says a lot about both of you.

Hey man, not to belabor the point, but I don't recall Kabrich ever calling or referring to the audience as anything but the standard by which a station's direction can be culled. If anything, he places the audience's opinions on a pedestal above everyone and everything else. Actually, I don't read A. Consultant's post as calling the audience "stupid", either. He conjured up a ridiculous scenario to more easily illustrate what Kabrich was saying and followed it with that statement, "If people are stupid enough to eat meal worms..." and finally quoting PT Barnum's famous "sucker" quote.

 

[Don62]

This is torture. Why is it so hard to understand what Kabrich is saying? Frankly I'm amazed this thread is still going. It was a good one - but lots of back and forth nit-picking.

Don - An illustration for you:

You have a room of 20 people and one moderator. The moderator is asking questions and taking notes. One question the moderator asks is "how many of you would prefer to eat meal worms instead of a steak?" 17 of those people indicate they would rather eat meal worms.

So...thinking, if you can, as a business person Don, would you rather own a meal worm restaurant or steak house?

If people are stupid enough to eat meal worms - and you can make money selling meal worms - give them meal worms!

In that same group, the moderator asks the question: "If you had a choice between two radio stations - one features a music mix of 70s 80s and 90s music with great personalities, and the other is pig farts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which would you choose?" 18 participants respond favorably to the pig fart station and only 2 indicate they would listen to the mix station.....

Which station would you rather own Don? A pig fart station with revenue and ratings or a "mix" station bottom feeder in the ARB food chain?

P.T. Barnum said "There's a sucker born every minute" and he made money capitalizing on people's gullibility. It isn't for radio managers to decide what people want - people tell radio what they want and radio responds. It doesn't need to be good, funny, shocking, entertaining or horrible - it simply needs to provide what people ask for - even pig farts.

The expert here, if you'll go back and read his feeble posts, claimed that just because a program had ratings, that meant it was good or better than others.

After all, he was the one claiming people would want to hear pig farts. How illustrative of his vocabulary and creativity, to use such a vulgar analogy.

I guess TV shows that nearly got canceled during their first two-three years on the air, ala Mash, Cheers, Seinfeld, etc., they weren't any good because they didn't have great ratings.

Pet Sounds, that musical masterpiece by Brian Wilson, didn't sell well. Got as high as No. 10, considered a relative failure compared to other Beach Boys smashes that reguarly hit the Top 5.

So Pet Sounds isn't any good because it flopped commercially?

It's considered alongside Sgt. Peppers the greatest rock and roll LP ever. But it's no "good" right?

Dusty Springfield's great LP, Dusty in Memphis, hit like only No. 151 on the LP charts. Yet critics consider that a brilliant album.
So that's not good either?

I'm just ripping the shreds out of this cretin and showing him he has no basis for claiming what's good or not.

Lest of all his judging - without even listening to the friggin' program - that Dro Silva and the great guys at WWBA "aren't any good" because those syndicated shows on 'FLA will kill everyone... So let's not do radio. WWBA should go back to syndication... blah blah blah.:

 

[TampaDan]

I agree with you, Don, that the popularity of something has no relation to how "good" it is. (And sometimes it's inversely related. The worse something gets the more people will stop by to rubberneck.) But, also, something with a great deal of quality but no ratings is not exactly going to get owners/management/stockholders excited. It IS a business after all. It makes a profit or dies.

So then the question is do you make a quick buck with the easy schlock that attracts the lowest common denominator in droves... or do you try to find some way to put "good" and "profitable" in the same sentence.

 

[coolaid213]

Hey man, not to belabor the point, but I don't recall Kabrich ever calling or referring to the audience as anything but the standard by which a station's direction can be culled. If anything, he places the audience's opinions on a pedestal above everyone and everything else. Actually, I don't read A. Consultant's post as calling the audience "stupid", either. He conjured up a ridiculous scenario to more easily illustrate what Kabrich was saying and followed it with that statement, "If people are stupid enough to eat meal worms..." and finally quoting PT Barnum's famous "sucker" quote.

True, most consultants will claim that their audience sets the standard, but they frequently twist the numbers (no matter how good or bad) to support their agenda. As A.Consultant so astutely pointed out, if you can sell meal worms to the masses, more power to ya. Consultants have mastered this art. Why bother selling steak if you can have these chumps eating worms??? Yes, Mr. Kabrich loves to mention that if the audience wants pig farts then he'll give it to them. The reality is, at the rate things are going it won't be long before we are listening to pig farts on the radio. Until alternatives become more widely accepted and affordable to the masses, lots of people will continue to listen to whatever crap people like Mr. Kabrich decide to put on the air.

...talk about the dumbing down of America.

 

[YEKIMI]

Compared to some of the so called music {ESPECIALLY rap & hip-hop} that I have heard on the radio, I'd rather listen to pig farts.....and maybe a few other barnyard animals for variety.

 

[Don62]

As noted before if the public wants pig farts, i'll give it to them - and who is anyone to say its bad if audience gives it good ratings?

Not necessarily.

Radio doesn't program "what the public wants."

If that were the case, we'd see stations playing real oldies, MOYL-standards, and real smooth jazz, which is absent from most markets. We'd also see a more balanced NT, not one-sided drivel programming to the choir.

It's like a radio station saying "Call in your requests..." when in reality, the station only plays requests that are on its playlist...

Radio, if programmed better, wouldn't be so pathetic, to put a capstone on this thread.. ;D

 

[Kabrich]

The expert here, if you'll go back and read his feeble posts, claimed that just because a program had ratings, that meant it was good or better than others.

After all, he was the one claiming people would want to hear pig farts. How illustrative of his vocabulary and creativity, to use such a vulgar analogy.

That sums up exactly why you guys have NO IDEA whats going on - you fail to observe what is correct when it right in front of your face.

I never claimed people would want to hear pig farts - but that doesn't stop you - besides, a piece of fiction, like most posts made by you and others in this thread, is more exciting than the truth, right?

If you cannot see and grasp what people say when its right in front of you, you will NEVER gauge what the public wants OR SHOULD HAVE - and you certainly are not the great Educators to Edumucate them

You want a Dictatorship - I on the other hand believe the people have a vote in Democracy.

 

[FiveStar]

That's why people at your stations have to do exactly what you say and don't dare talk back! Gotcha! Keep posting Randy, you just make me happier I'm not in radio anymore. ;D

 

[BIG APE]

That's why people at your stations have to do exactly what you say and don't dare talk back! Gotcha! Keep posting Randy, you just make me happier I'm not in radio anymore. ;D

;D "Pig Farts" would be an improvement to the "crap" we have on stations in the WS/GSO/RAL Triad NC now!

 

[Don62]

You want a Dictatorship - I on the other hand believe the people have a vote in Democracy.
[/quote]
Then, once again, why aren't there more formats appealing to listeners over 50?
Radio seemed to have abandoned them, removing older songs, getting rid of the 50s and 60s, "younging-up" oldies stations, redefining classic rock, removing MOYL/ standards, killing smooth jazz in most markets (it's demos are "too old").

Again, where are these formats?