Psycho-paths Running Houston Radio

[FilioScotia]

Don't laugh. It's true. Not all psycho-paths are criminals. Psycho-paths are found in all areas of society. Most of us have worked under psycho-pathic bosses at one place or another, and they all have one thing in common. They don't give a damn about anything but their own advancement, and they don't care what they have to do or who they have to screw over to make it up the ladder.

They have no empathy for others. They want power for its own sake, and for the fun of using it over those under them.

Check out this very enlightening story I found on CNN's website.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/19/business/psychopath-boss/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Sound like someone you know? I recognize several bosses I worked for at KTRH.

 

[Scout]

I worked for a guy who falls into this category; proving that small town family-owned stations that be as much of a living hell as a corporate overlord. :-\

 

[mrbeasley]

Had a GM at a station in the company where I worked who fit into this category almost to the letter. At the time, he was a work-in-progress. Within three years he had utterly destroyed the morale, comraderie and profitability of a once proud and somewhat profitable station to the point that the owners had to sell out. The station was never the same after that and has never been a player since. I think a decision by a similar personality at the top level had something to do with his being hired in the first place. Needless to say, the other comany didn't keep him around.

 

[FilioScotia]

Psychopathic bosses are their own worst enemy. They may make it to the top, but no one gives a damn when they fall all the way to the bottom. And sooner or later, they will fall.

There's truth in that old song:

Once I built a railroad,
made it run, made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad, now it's done,
brother can you spare a dime.

Say don't you remember, you called me Al
It was Al all the time
Say don't you remember, I was your pal
brother can you spare a dime?

 

[TheSpinMan]

I'm getting tired of all these "Michael Barry" threads.....

 

[FilioScotia]

***What a bitter man you are FilioScotia - I feel sad for you.***

Bitter? If you're serious, where in the world did you get that idea?

You don't have to be bitter to be able to look back in perfect 20-20 hindsight and see bad managers for the A-holes they were.

I'm retired now, and I love it, but I do miss all the great people I worked with and under over all those years. I was truly blessed to be able to spend my entire working life doing something I love, and have the privilege of working with some of the finest people I've ever known.

Unfortunately, some of my bosses were not "the finest", but I'm not bitter about it, not at all.

And, for TheSpinMan, I wasn't referring to Michael Berry. He never entered my mind when I started this thread. He's a saint compared to some of his predecessors.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Well - after hearing of the shameful mistreatment of Buddy Holiday at KSBJ several years back, I certainly do not feel the same about listening to them. Not very Christlike, that is for sure.

 

[CaptainShowbiz]

All I know is, there is no hyphen in "psychopath."

 

[Drucifer]

Clear Channel is enough to make anyone bitter. That being said, criticism, personal, objective or otherwise is not, necessarily, a sign of bitterness.

 

[FilioScotia]

Thanks Drucifer. There's no bitterness here. I've never been happier.

I left KTRH just before it was sold to a company that was later "assimilated" by CC, but the CC management style was already in force in the persons of Laura Morris and her underling minions. They fit right in with CC managers.

The day I left Fort Rusk at 510 Lovett Blvd I felt like I had been liberated from behind the Iron Curtain. Anyone who worked there in those days can tell similar stories.

That experience taught me a lot about what was happening in the world of radio in the early 90s, and I was deliriously happy to be out of there. I never regretted leaving. My only regret is that it took me as long as it did to make that decision.

 

[Drucifer]

Thanks Drucifer. There's no bitterness here. I've never been happier.

I left KTRH just before it was sold to a company that was later "assimilated" by CC, but the CC management style was already in force in the persons of Laura Morris and her underling minions. They fit right in with CC managers.

The day I left Fort Rusk at 510 Lovett Blvd I felt like I had been liberated from behind the Iron Curtain. Anyone who worked there in those days can tell similar stories.

That experience taught me a lot about what was happening in the world of radio in the early 90s, and I was deliriously happy to be out of there. I never regretted leaving. My only regret is that it took me as long as it did to make that decision.

For most of us, I would guess radio has been more than a job, it's a passion even to this day. I wanted to do radio since I was a child and have been fortunate enough to be truly blessed working for some genuine, true and equally compassionate professionals. Before leaving Clear Channel, of my own accord, I had come to realize that the corporate control, whether it be Cox, CC, Emmis or whatever was basically the same. Some of the things I complain about are because of the state of the industry. In reality, radio is not what it once was and it will probably never be that way again. Is radio successful because of voice-tracking, downsizing etc etc? As far as numbers on a spread-sheet, there is little doubt. The corporate suits in San Antonio, Atlanta and Indianapolis obviously know what they are doing. Is there more than one was to achieve success? The passion in me wants to think so. There are still folks like Howard Stern, Bob & Tom, Phil Hendrie, Rush, Beck, Berry and many others who obviously know what it is to entertain on the radio. There are others like J.P. & Lana, Braddock and others who know what it is to inform and report.

Dealing with on-air radio peeps is, perhaps, one of the most difficult experiences I encountered as a P.D. Ego's, necessary for a degree of success, could be biting and difficult but the people I worked for that truly understood the magic of the talent knew how to cultivate it, work it, stroke it when necessary, coach it to achieve the best results. Management has got to understand that listeners can put their IPOD, IPhone or whatever on auto-play and listen to whatever music they want but still it's what goes on in between the songs or breaking news, weather and sports that truly matters.

 

[ChuckTiller]

Thanks Drucifer. There's no bitterness here. I've never been happier.

I left KTRH just before it was sold to a company that was later "assimilated" by CC, but the CC management style was already in force in the persons of Laura Morris and her underling minions. They fit right in with CC managers.

The day I left Fort Rusk at 510 Lovett Blvd I felt like I had been liberated from behind the Iron Curtain. Anyone who worked there in those days can tell similar stories.

That experience taught me a lot about what was happening in the world of radio in the early 90s, and I was deliriously happy to be out of there. I never regretted leaving. My only regret is that it took me as long as it did to make that decision.

For most of us, I would guess radio has been more than a job, it's a passion even to this day. I wanted to do radio since I was a child and have been fortunate enough to be truly blessed working for some genuine, true and equally compassionate professionals. Before leaving Clear Channel, of my own accord, I had come to realize that the corporate control, whether it be Cox, CC, Emmis or whatever was basically the same. Some of the things I complain about are because of the state of the industry. In reality, radio is not what it once was and it will probably never be that way again. Is radio successful because of voice-tracking, downsizing etc etc? As far as numbers on a spread-sheet, there is little doubt. The corporate suits in San Antonio, Atlanta and Indianapolis obviously know what they are doing. Is there more than one was to achieve success? The passion in me wants to think so. There are still folks like Howard Stern, Bob & Tom, Phil Hendrie, Rush, Beck, Berry and many others who obviously know what it is to entertain on the radio. There are others like J.P. & Lana, Braddock and others who know what it is to inform and report.

Dealing with on-air radio peeps is, perhaps, one of the most difficult experiences I encountered as a P.D. Ego's, necessary for a degree of success, could be biting and difficult but the people I worked for that truly understood the magic of the talent knew how to cultivate it, work it, stroke it when necessary, coach it to achieve the best results. Management has got to understand that listeners can put their IPOD, IPhone or whatever on auto-play and listen to whatever music they want but still it's what goes on in between the songs or breaking news, weather and sports that truly matters.

Well said, Drucifer.

 

[radiobop]

ditto

 

[johndavis]

...I had come to realize that the corporate control, whether it be Cox, CC, Emmis or whatever was basically the same. Some of the things I complain about are because of the state of the industry. In reality, radio is not what it once was and it will probably never be that way again...

Corporations in and of themselves aren't the reason the industry has changed, in my view.

The difference is technology.

The art of radio - creating something for people to listen to - is the same. Automation isn't a new concept - we've had automation of some form or another with us since the 60's at least. Tight formatics and brief breaks? Thank Bill Drake for that. Plus this business has never been known for its high pay or job stability.

But even if you limited groups to 10 stations and one am/fm combo to a market, I don't think anyone would keep doing things the old way with the technology we have today.

That technological revolution isn't limited to the creation side - it's also happened on the consumer side. If you don't adapt and remain relevant to the public, you will be left behind.

If you want to be successful in radio, in my view, you have to be able to get your inspiration from the past where necessary but live in the present.

Dealing with on-air radio peeps is, perhaps, one of the most difficult experiences I encountered as a P.D.

Broadcasting is littered with highly defective people, but that's why they're so brilliant at what they do. I've noticed a ton of insecure people behind the mic, but for the hours they're in the studio they create magic. The magic they create makes dealing with their off-air issues totally worth it. The biggest challenge is knowing when to step in when you spot self-destructive behavior. People skills and a thick skin are as important in programming as having a vision for success.

 

[bigtom101]

The art of radio - creating something for people to listen to - is the same. Automation isn't a new concept - we've had automation of some form or another with us since the 60's at least. Tight formatics and brief breaks? Thank Bill Drake for that. Plus this business has never been known for its high pay or job stability.

Peoples tastes, wants and needs change and evolve over time. What sounds great on a aircheck from 30 years ago (CKLW "20/20 News" for example) on a CHR station today would flop. I was driving around with a relative the other day and had the station I program on when the AP Update came on at the top of the hour for news. She was angry that I had stopped the music for news...60 seconds of news. She was ready to change the station (forbidden by law in my car).

She's 30, and obviously does not expect news from an oldies station. Or any music station for that matter. Have the cutbacks in news departments been caused by corporate mandated cutbacks, or by the realization that audiences do not expect music stations to have much news content outside of AM drive?

Radio is still a powerful medium - just as TV forced radio to evolve in the 1950's, the Internet is forcing it yet again to evolve. Why should someone listen to a song on YOUR station when they have Spotify, YouTube, their iPod etc? The Drake format made you distill your personality into its purest form, and make it flow with the music, and not stopdown needlessly. PPM just reinforces the guidelines he laid down 40 years ago. Of course, you can have the best cook book, but if you stink as a chef (or PD), the pizza will taste like cardboard with ketchup.

Dealing with the various personalities in radio is good training if you ever want to get a Psychology degree. Maybe I should have gotten that instead of my Comm degree!

 

[johndavis]

I was driving around with a relative the other day and had the station I program on when the AP Update came on at the top of the hour for news. She was angry that I had stopped the music for news...60 seconds of news. She was ready to change the station (forbidden by law in my car).

She's 30, and obviously does not expect news from an oldies station. Or any music station for that matter. Have the cutbacks in news departments been caused by corporate mandated cutbacks, or by the realization that audiences do not expect music stations to have much news content outside of AM drive?

Radio is still a powerful medium - just as TV forced radio to evolve in the 1950's, the Internet is forcing it yet again to evolve. Why should someone listen to a song on YOUR station when they have Spotify, YouTube, their iPod etc? The Drake format made you distill your personality into its purest form, and make it flow with the music, and not stopdown needlessly.

Perhaps she wouldn't have minded the news update if that newscast adopted a little bit of Drake: make it flow with the music. AP news is pretty dry and brings everything to a screeching halt. If the news doesn't halt the flow, it's less of a tune out.

Case in point: when I listen to the news on BBC Radio 1 (or any other European broadcaster where they're still mandated to do some of those things) it's well produced, contemporary, has some cool music beds and stings, and is delivered by people who sound like they belong on the station. By the time I've realized that they've stopped the music they're back into it.

Of course, they're making the best of a mandated situation, much like 20/20 news did on CKLW. But I keep thinking of an AC station I worked at in the 90's where the GM pretty much put a morning show in both drive times and did well with it. After the local owner sold out and it became just another AC station, they still did well... so I wonder - did the audience put up with the 60 seconds of headlines and traffic we used to do on the way home because they had to or because they wanted to?

 

[Drucifer]

The comments about Drake automation compared to voice-tracking are not, exactly, spot on. When I was loading the reels for "Country Lovin" on WCSI-FM a hundred years ago or so, it was obvious that the station was automated. It sounded automated. Voice-tracking allows for stations to sound somewhat more live than that and the computer technology allows 21st century automation to downsize the air staff to nothing. I guess my point is that it still matters what happens in between the songs. Entertaining talent can go a long way toward keeping listeners coming back. I, personally, would rather plug in my ipod for music then listen to voice tracked crap. Again, thats just MHO but I also realize that many listeners cannot tell the difference OR could they if a live talent was taking live calls, stunting and so on?

 

[rbrucecarter5]

She's 30, and obviously does not expect news from an oldies station.

Houston has no oldies station. The two "classic hits" contenders are not oldies. Neither are they "classic rock". I don't know what they are. Pick one really small, burned out, bad playlist or the other really small, burned out, bad playlist on the other station.

Oldies / classic hits is the biggest format hole in Houston. Deep fringe rimshots do not serve the need. Neither does pretending the so-called classic hits stations are filling the need for oldies. Given the success of KONO in SA and KLUV in DFW, it is a real puzzle to me why we don't have real oldies / classic hits here. Or real classic rock for that matter.
Or real CCM for another matter.

 

[uncamark]

Oldies / classic hits is the biggest format hole in Houston. Deep fringe rimshots do not serve the need. Neither does pretending the so-called classic hits stations are filling the need for oldies. Given the success of KONO in SA and KLUV in DFW, it is a real puzzle to me why we don't have real oldies / classic hits here. Or real classic rock for that matter.
Or real CCM for another matter.

Isn't KSBJ CCM? Seems to me that Top 5 is pretty darn good for a non-com.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Oldies / classic hits is the biggest format hole in Houston. Deep fringe rimshots do not serve the need. Neither does pretending the so-called classic hits stations are filling the need for oldies. Given the success of KONO in SA and KLUV in DFW, it is a real puzzle to me why we don't have real oldies / classic hits here. Or real classic rock for that matter.
Or real CCM for another matter.

Isn't KSBJ CCM? Seems to me that Top 5 is pretty darn good for a non-com.

Nope. Praise and worship. I think I finally figured their deal out. They've listened to the dial the "truth" folks about the anapestic beat. Everything on there is a plodding 4:4 beat. The exact opposite of inspiring.