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Q 105 ALL Christmas

Living in Richmond during the Eighties, I listened to Q94 as Richmond had no AC station at that time. I was aware of Q105 and Scott Shannon and the QZoo . Q94 had that also. If Scott Shannon is not considered the "genious" behind their success, who is? Who were the jocks who launched the station? As for Christmas music, it appears that not only Q is all Xmas, but so is Magic and WDUV. If I weren't so old, I'd buy an Ipod. I never thought I'd say the Point is my station of choice--------but it is right now. of course I have a computer as you all know and I can go back to Virginia and listen to Beach 104 and WPTE during these stressful times. :p
 
In the aspect of execution, creativity, and presentation, almost everyone was responsible for Q105's success but least of all, Mason Dixon.
 
RMarino said:
I was referring to past Q105 (circa 1980 to 1982). During that time period I could not stand the station. Mainly because they presented themselves as a top 40 and they were really an adult-top 40. In my opinion, they were an awful top 40. However, not a bad Top40/AC.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with you. Listening to airchecks of Q105 (of which I have many) from 1981 through 1983 (a.k.a. the Scott Shannon years) the station sounded very unfocused at times and relied heavily on AC and oldies and little in the way of personality. I think the station sounded better after Scott left (as well was before he got there.) Personally I think Q105 was at its best from late 1983 through late 1985. Coincidentally that's also the period when they had direct competition from Z98.
[/quote]

First, let me say this. Most radio people are so close to something, they can't see it. Just because someone doesn't follow the idiot's tried and tested two page industry playbook, does that qualify something as "bad"?

Radio's biggest problem is that it is the most boxed up business in the entertainment spectrum. And if many of you recall the good old days with fondness, you will all recall that there were significant distinctions between radio stations. Sure, radio has always been full of mimicry and thieves, who'd rather just take someone else's ideas, for lack of ingenuity, and slap on a copy of their favorite radio station, built on original thinking. But, in that time, you didn't have layers of regional Vps, consultants, and corporate bean counters with their fat little fingers in the pie, dictating all of this rigid no-risk sameness.

Let's not lose site of the fact that Wheeler and Shannon accomplished more in that fractionalized, wandering, spontenaety than did anyone previously in the market and in 6 short months! And it seems that this feat was widely admired, as the country's radio stations
grew all sorts of versions of ZOO shows laster than chia pets.

But how many of them were successful? Lander's Houston one was because he was fed the "secret ingredients" by the show's originators and was able to adapt extreme localization to it. Bob and Tom stole the idea in Indy, a namesake they may not have ever needed, for they were still just Bob and Tom and did well being that. Don and Mike knew what to do wtih a ZOO at WAVA but this is about RADIO PERFORMERS, not brilliantly creative P.D.s or consultants who know something about innovation and crafting it.

Let us also look at the historical account and the reasons Q105, as a musical oddball and one-of-a-kind, became one of America's phenomenal and most admired radio stations. Dixon had his shot and tanked it. Shannon was brought in because he was stuck as an off-air
PD at PGC and was burning, not to command, but to bust out of the corporate regimen and do what Shannon always did best....BE HIMSELF. When he got there to save the place, he found the perfect partner in the guy who sat in the chair. Cleveland gave creative form to Shannon's rambling. common guy style. Together, they were Martin and Lewis.

Radio has got to start loosening up and stop thinking it is science. It isn't enough that the empires are systematically eliminating human beings, they have literally removed the human element from the product that is delivered by the people that are left

Q105 will stand as a classic example of "if you build it, they will come" If you trust something to the devices of the human imagination (whoever is left that is capable of that in our business), all the mechanical programming geniuses in the world, can't touch it.

It is what radio is obviously missing that it needs most of and that which it does most of that it shouldn't. The Shannon-Wheeler experiment (and that is what it was) should have been seen as a super vaccine but instead of progressing, radio has regressed to one of those times when radio thought less of everything was more. God rest him, Bill Drake, has his place in history and used the simple dynamics of radio on spin cycle but it all faded fast because humans are not androids and they appreciate discovery and they take risks.

It is truly sad that those of you who comment on what Q105 was, dissect it like some sort of mechanical bug and attach radio's niched, hydrid titles to classify it, only to deduce that it wasn't "politically correct."

The fact that it defied all the hard and fast strategies and was embarrasingly successful to those that profess to be broadcasting scholars
and the brain trusts of our business, should be a glaringly obvious message to radio, worthy of a place in a sequel of National Treasure.
 
MsMusicRadio,WDUV just went all Christmas for the weekend and starting after Midnight tonight will play 2 Xmas songs a hour! Cheers Dr Johnny P LoveTrain 8) ???
 
Re: Q 105 ALL Christmas and Bill Drake

I was in LA when KHJ became Boss Radio. I thought it was clearly the better of KFWB and KRLA. I thought their more music, less talk concept was really cool. In all due respect to his genious, when I listen to the Cox stations in Tampa, I wonder if "more music and less talk " got misinterpreted over the years. This why I'm so loyal to Q105. it is still the best here.
 
canismajor said:
First, let me say this. Most radio people are so close to something, they can't see it. Just because someone doesn't follow the idiot's tried and tested two page industry playbook, does that qualify something as "bad"?

Radio's biggest problem is that it is the most boxed up business in the entertainment spectrum. And if many of you recall the good old days with fondness, you will all recall that there were significant distinctions between radio stations. Sure, radio has always been full of mimicry and thieves, who'd rather just take someone else's ideas, for lack of ingenuity, and slap on a copy of their favorite radio station, built on original thinking. But, in that time, you didn't have layers of regional Vps, consultants, and corporate bean counters with their fat little fingers in the pie, dictating all of this rigid no-risk sameness.

Let's not lose site of the fact that Wheeler and Shannon accomplished more in that fractionalized, wandering, spontenaety than did anyone previously in the market and in 6 short months! And it seems that this feat was widely admired, as the country's radio stations
grew all sorts of versions of ZOO shows laster than chia pets.

But how many of them were successful? Lander's Houston one was because he was fed the "secret ingredients" by the show's originators and was able to adapt extreme localization to it. Bob and Tom stole the idea in Indy, a namesake they may not have ever needed, for they were still just Bob and Tom and did well being that. Don and Mike knew what to do wtih a ZOO at WAVA but this is about RADIO PERFORMERS, not brilliantly creative P.D.s or consultants who know something about innovation and crafting it.

Let us also look at the historical account and the reasons Q105, as a musical oddball and one-of-a-kind, became one of America's phenomenal and most admired radio stations. Dixon had his shot and tanked it. Shannon was brought in because he was stuck as an off-air
PD at PGC and was burning, not to command, but to bust out of the corporate regimen and do what Shannon always did best....BE HIMSELF. When he got there to save the place, he found the perfect partner in the guy who sat in the chair. Cleveland gave creative form to Shannon's rambling. common guy style. Together, they were Martin and Lewis.

Radio has got to start loosening up and stop thinking it is science. It isn't enough that the empires are systematically eliminating human beings, they have literally removed the human element from the product that is delivered by the people that are left

Q105 will stand as a classic example of "if you build it, they will come" If you trust something to the devices of the human imagination (whoever is left that is capable of that in our business), all the mechanical programming geniuses in the world, can't touch it.

It is what radio is obviously missing that it needs most of and that which it does most of that it shouldn't. The Shannon-Wheeler experiment (and that is what it was) should have been seen as a super vaccine but instead of progressing, radio has regressed to one of those times when radio thought less of everything was more. God rest him, Bill Drake, has his place in history and used the simple dynamics of radio on spin cycle but it all faded fast because humans are not androids and they appreciate discovery and they take risks.

It is truly sad that those of you who comment on what Q105 was, dissect it like some sort of mechanical bug and attach radio's niched, hydrid titles to classify it, only to deduce that it wasn't "politically correct."

The fact that it defied all the hard and fast strategies and was embarrasingly successful to those that profess to be broadcasting scholars
and the brain trusts of our business, should be a glaringly obvious message to radio, worthy of a place in a sequel of National Treasure.
Click to expand...

an interesting look from the outside, however i have the inside aspect.

i took the PD job at Q105 despite ABC offering me 50% more to return to DC and take Q107.

Despite wanting to live in Florida instead of DC (which I hated while programming WAVA), I had 2 reasons for wanting to go into Q105 at the time.

1) I assumed they had the Zoo formula down and wanted to understand exactly how it worked.

2) I wanted to see first hand how they handled all the promotional activities they were involved with.

Within 30 days of joining Q105, I was surprised to find that Wheeler et al had no idea what made the show work and were grasping for straws. The sad part was I found that I knew more about why the show worked than they did. Shannon and I discussed this in great detail over the next several years while at Z100 and later in LA.

It was clear that Wheeler had lost it when they forced a proposition on animal testing which was sounding defeated. A year earlier you could call in and get your lost dog or cat on the morning show. A year later they would blast you on the air for not having the pet tagged and you were ridiculed. It was clear to me at that point that the morning show was the titanic looking for the iceberg.

The research done in 1988 and again in 1989 showed that Wheeler was hated by more people than liked him - and people were listening for the information services - not Wheeler.

Those who held similar views to you hired Wheeler at WQYK where he took a 15 share morning show and cut it in half in a year.

His success at WYUU also speaks volumes.

You can be critical of Mason Dixon, but Mason did what Wheeler never could - moved stations and took it to #1 in the ratings (Mix 96).

So bash away at MD and praise Cleveland (though you sound very much like the later), but MD clearly has had a brighter career in the Tampa Bay Market than Wheeler ever did.
 
Kabrich said:
{quote}an interesting look from the outside, however i have the inside aspect.

i took the PD job at Q105 despite ABC offering me 50% more to return to DC and take Q107.

well, then weren't you the bright one!

Despite wanting to live in Florida instead of DC (which I hated while programming WAVA), I had 2 reasons for wanting to go into Q105 at the time. No offense, but who are you since you have told us all but your social security number??????

1) I assumed they had the Zoo formula down and wanted to understand exactly how it worked.
who is the "they" you are speaking of? THE PEOPLE WHO CREATED IT?

2) I wanted to see first hand how they handled all the promotional activities they were involved with.
did you learn anything, Einstein?

Within 30 days of joining Q105, I was surprised to find that Wheeler et al had no idea what made the show work and were grasping for straws. The sad part was I found that I knew more about why the show worked than they did. Shannon and I discussed this in great detail over the next several years while at Z100 and later in LA. This means you must be one of them "experts" that is responsible for driving radio into the dirt. Are you the guy who wrote that two page "how to" handbook that everyone uses so that everything sounds like a plastic copy of itself all over the country? That deserves a plaque.. I can only tell you from a zoo fan's perspective, that the full run at Q105 was an amazing one to anyone in the industry. It was obviously street level brilliance beyond your ability or comprehension. I watched Shannon an Cleveland hit an 18 share almost out of the box...then it wasn't long before they hit a 24 and not long after, Shannon left. I didn't hear any "grasping at straws". I heard the show get better and bring in lots more of the community and real characters. I heard a lot of political stuff and whether or not I agreed with it, it made me think and unlike, talk radio's right wing circus, it wasn't all one-sided. I don't know where you were when the ZOO really hit it's stride but that was when WHEELER AND MCKEEVER were the ZOO and drew 34 SHARES. You ca pontificate and discuss whatever you want but whatever straws CLEVELAND was grasping at< must have made Q105 lots of money.

It was clear that Wheeler had lost it when they forced a proposition on animal testing which was sounding defeated. A year earlier you could call in and get your lost dog or cat on the morning show. A year later they would blast you on the air for not having the pet tagged and you were ridiculed. It was clear to me at that point that the morning show was the titanic looking for the iceberg. I bet you are just THAT iceberg, aren't you? I have no idea what you are babbling about...animal testing. That show had a pet of the day ever since it came on the air..I heard more than just one person tell people they should put tags on their dogs and it seemed t me like good advice so whats this got to do with positive results?


The research done in 1988 and again in 1989 showed that Wheeler was hated by more people than liked him - and people were listening for the information services - not Wheeler. No doubt, research conducted by you. Cleveland WAS the information serivce!

Those who held similar views to you hired Wheeler at WQYK where he took a 15 share morning show and cut it in half in a year.

I don't like country music and was out of earshot when that must have happened, so I wouldn't know about that but why such an attack on Cleveland Wheeler. My comments were about praise for the ZOO days and what they meant to me in regard to what others said about Q105, present and past.....and WHAT GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS beyond those pitiful people on the air, did you bring to Q105 in your sacrificial move to Florida?

His success at WYUU also speaks volumes. The only person that I ever heard of that was "successful" at U-92 was Scott Roberts. I never heard too much about that staton being "successful" due to anybody. I see lots of stations all over the place, including Tampa, right now, that look like they shouldn't even be in business and by their ratings, appear to be broadcasting to the amusement of themselves. Do you have anything to do with those stations too?

You can be critical of Mason Dixon, but Mason did what Wheeler never could - moved stations and took it to #1 in the ratings (Mix 96).
What kind of drugs are you on? Besides, if WHEELER WAS NEVER OFFERED THAT SHOT, HOW WOULD BE EVER KNOW WHAT HE WAS CAPABLE OF?

So bash away at MD and praise Cleveland (though you sound very much like the later), but MD clearly has had a brighter career in the Tampa Bay Market than Wheeler ever did. This isn't about Mason, although if it were about dogturds, you'd probably be writing your defensive diatribe.You may not have noticed, but again, my comments were about all of the things that made the ZOO great and Q105 - not Mason Dixon. I just don't happen to be a Mason fan or "follower", as I am sure those who are close to him prefer. Some people can be very convincing and give great snowjobs. That may sustain those "BRILLIANT CAREERS" for a lifetime or a long time..but sooner or later, history catches up and records who they really are. When Shannon had to be brought in to save Q105 from your hero, it should have been clear. Some people are slow and it takes them longer to catch on...especially when the revenues don't justify all unproductive that brilliance on board and their jobs go on the line.
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No offense to anyone, but a few observations...

1. I wouldn't admit to advising Q-105 on anything in 1988 or 1989. That was the first domino in a line of many to fall in the station's fall to the Power Pig (but let's discuss that on another thread some time).

2. While Mason has experienced some success at Q-105 recently, everything he's touched hasn't turned to gold. Does the Power Cow in Birmingham ring a bell? I'll give Mason credit for jumping on the Hot AC wave early with Mix 96, but had Q-105 not been so poorly managed from '88 on the Q would have been Mix 96 and Mix 96 would have lasted two years at best. Let's not forget how Mason killed a golden goose in 101-WUSA in '96 with the all over the map "KISS-FM". And his creation of what is now Q-105 was helped tremendously by a) beating an automated Oldies 97-1 with a live and local U-92.5, and b) Q-105 Country providing nothing more than a buffer against competition for QYK so a format swap with 92.5 made sense before US-103-5 came around.

3. As for Cleveland, while I know he could be difficult to deal with, I'd almost give him a pass with QYK. A very liberal personality on a true-blue (or is it "red state"?) heritage country station? Just a bad hire. WYUU was never a powerhouse in the 90's, and was going downhill before Cleveland was hired. Don't forget CBS was close to changing formats on WYUU in 2000 before the "brain trust" realized they were getting kicked in the pants by 250 songs and three Dick Clark liners.

Now everyone can bash everyone else here, but realize this: No one will come close to replicating Q-105's glory days of the early and mid 80s. NO ONE! Even if CBS hired every single person back from the glory days of the Q, some guy in New York will make the programming decisions and make Q-105 sound like every other CBS owned "classic hits" station. Radio was different 25 years ago, and we all know why it has gotten worse since then (and yes... it has gotten worse... so stop fooling yourself). CBS has already made their cuts, Clear Channel is very close, and I don't know how Cox will get any slimmer but I'm sure they'll find a way.

I don't care who was responsible (or not) for the Q-success in the 34-share days. All I know is very few people from that magical generation are left in the business, and just as few of all those in the business these days are thrilled with how it is now. In the interest of making money off of the hundreds of stations these companies own, the corporations and the minions who make the decisions for them have sucked the life, creativity, and fun out of radio. And technology and the next generation (30 and under) is passing it by.
 
radiodork said:
No offense to anyone, but a few observations...

1. I wouldn't admit to advising Q-105 on anything in 1988 or 1989. That was the first domino in a line of many to fall in the station's fall to the Power Pig (but let's discuss that on another thread some time).

2. While Mason has experienced some success at Q-105 recently, everything he's touched hasn't turned to gold. Does the Power Cow in Birmingham ring a bell? I'll give Mason credit for jumping on the Hot AC wave early with Mix 96, but had Q-105 not been so poorly managed from '88 on the Q would have been Mix 96 and Mix 96 would have lasted two years at best. Let's not forget how Mason killed a golden goose in 101-WUSA in '96 with the all over the map "KISS-FM". And his creation of what is now Q-105 was helped tremendously by a) beating an automated Oldies 97-1 with a live and local U-92.5, and b) Q-105 Country providing nothing more than a buffer against competition for QYK so a format swap with 92.5 made sense before US-103-5 came around.

3. As for Cleveland, while I know he could be difficult to deal with, I'd almost give him a pass with QYK. A very liberal personality on a true-blue (or is it "red state"?) heritage country station? Just a bad hire. WYUU was never a powerhouse in the 90's, and was going downhill before Cleveland was hired. Don't forget CBS was close to changing formats on WYUU in 2000 before the "brain trust" realized they were getting kicked in the pants by 250 songs and three Dick Clark liners.

Now everyone can bash everyone else here, but realize this: No one will come close to replicating Q-105's glory days of the early and mid 80s. NO ONE! Even if CBS hired every single person back from the glory days of the Q, some guy in New York will make the programming decisions and make Q-105 sound like every other CBS owned "classic hits" station. Radio was different 25 years ago, and we all know why it has gotten worse since then (and yes... it has gotten worse... so stop fooling yourself). CBS has already made their cuts, Clear Channel is very close, and I don't know how Cox will get any slimmer but I'm sure they'll find a way.

I don't care who was responsible (or not) for the Q-success in the 34-share days. All I know is very few people from that magical generation are left in the business, and just as few of all those in the business these days are thrilled with how it is now. In the interest of making money off of the hundreds of stations these companies own, the corporations and the minions who make the decisions for them have sucked the life, creativity, and fun out of radio. And technology and the next generation (30 and under) is passing it by.
Click to expand...

ARGH...thar be the voice of reason! The above seems to me, a fair assessment. I am for conveying the experience as it was personally received through the radio when I listened and what I remember about that fondly. That is the ultimate truth. No radio has given me that kind of charge since.

Thanks for having one of those rare level heads.
 
Check the Orlando Board on WMMO and you will see how is getting slimmer.
 
radiodork said:
Let's not forget how Mason killed a golden goose in 101-WUSA in '96 with the all over the map "KISS-FM".
Click to expand...

The golden goose had croaked for W-101 long before Mason arrived. Mason was beating the pants off of Bob & Judd and the the rest of the crew. While in panic mode they changed to "100.7 WUSA" and only months later became "101 WUSA." And talk about the all over the map, they had Clarence Carter's "Strokin'" on the playlist! When Mason took over and created "100.7 Kiss-FM" he beat what was left of "Mix" which died a quick death almost exactly a year later.

So what happened? Jacor bought the station from Gannett and the good uptempo Hot AC and Adult Top 40 hits on "Kiss" had to be shelved so that FLZ could have the mass appeal hits to itself. What was left was boring musically. Mason didn't kill "Kiss", Jacor sacrificed it.

In the midst of all the arguing, there really are some very valid points brought up by both sides of the argument. And as usual, the actual truth lies somewhere in the middle. I've always been more of a Cleveland fan then a Mason fan, but you have to realize that both of these guys have their talents.
 
RMarino said:
radiodork said:
Let's not forget how Mason killed a golden goose in 101-WUSA in '96 with the all over the map "KISS-FM".
Click to expand...

The golden goose had croaked for W-101 long before Mason arrived. Mason was beating the pants off of Bob & Judd and the the rest of the crew. While in panic mode they changed to "100.7 WUSA" and only months later became "101 WUSA." And talk about the all over the map, they had Clarence Carter's "Strokin'" on the playlist! When Mason took over and created "100.7 Kiss-FM" he beat what was left of "Mix" which died a quick death almost exactly a year later.

So what happened? Jacor bought the station from Gannett and the good uptempo Hot AC and Adult Top 40 hits on "Kiss" had to be shelved so that FLZ could have the mass appeal hits to itself. What was left was boring musically. Mason didn't kill "Kiss", Jacor sacrificed it.

In the midst of all the arguing, there really are some very valid points brought up by both sides of the argument. And as usual, the actual truth lies somewhere in the middle. I've always been more of a Cleveland fan then a Mason fan, but you have to realize that both of these guys have their talents.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the explaination. I had often wondered why 100.7 Kiss FM flipped to Mix. Kiss was a very good and well formatted station before it wimped out.

Regarding the downfall of Mix on 95.7, for some reason there has never been a format that has lasted very long on that frequency. I'm not sure why that is the case. Perhaps its signal has something to do with it, but regardless, virtiually every format that has ever been on 95.7 soon departs to make room for the next "format of the week".

Mark Tillery,
Ocala, Florida
[email protected]
 
canismajor said:
Despite wanting to live in Florida instead of DC (which I hated while programming WAVA), I had 2 reasons for wanting to go into Q105 at the time. No offense, but who are you since you have told us all but your social security number??????
Click to expand...

That comment says it all. Guess you really are clueless.
 
radiodork said:
No offense to anyone, but a few observations...

1. I wouldn't admit to advising Q-105 on anything in 1988 or 1989. That was the first domino in a line of many to fall in the station's fall to the Power Pig (but let's discuss that on another thread some time).
Click to expand...

And none taken - it may look that way from the outside, but when you tell management how fast the ratings were about to crumble for 2 years, show them the research to back it up and they would not listen or let you fix it (they refused to dump Wheeler from 1987-1989) you can only do what they will allow you to do. I would also state that the week after I resigned Randy Michaels flew me to Cincy to try and hire me to work with him doing the Denver Properties that were in serious trouble, so despite what you might think, across the street, they had a little different view. You might also want to listen to what Q105 GM Mike Horne continues to tell anyone who listens from his ad agency in Phoenix, his biggest mistake was accepting the Q105 GM job in August of 1989 when I called him at KOY and told him not to take it that it was about to crumble.

I had the plan to blow out the Power Pig and Management would not let us execute it. Scott Shannon said at first it would not have made a difference until I detailed the plan to him. He then said it was the most ingenious plan he had ever heard in his career and it would have worked. The true testament has been what I have gotten back second hand from people that were in meetings with Eden's Principals up to 4 years after Q105, when asked what they would have done differently, Gary Edens, Mike Horne, Michael Osterhout, Bob Bolinger and others all have said "we should have listened to kabrich". When I hear that 10+ times from other people, I know at least they knew where the mistakes were made.

radiodork said:
2. While Mason has experienced some success at Q-105 recently, everything he's touched hasn't turned to gold. Does the Power Cow in Birmingham ring a bell? I'll give Mason credit for jumping on the Hot AC wave early with Mix 96, but had Q-105 not been so poorly managed from '88 on the Q would have been Mix 96 and Mix 96 would have lasted two years at best. Let's not forget how Mason killed a golden goose in 101-WUSA in '96 with the all over the map "KISS-FM". And his creation of what is now Q-105 was helped tremendously by a) beating an automated Oldies 97-1 with a live and local U-92.5, and b) Q-105 Country providing nothing more than a buffer against competition for QYK so a format swap with 92.5 made sense before US-103-5 came around.
Click to expand...

And will all due respect, everything Marc Chase and Randy Michaels touched did not turn to gold either. In fact, very little did. Remember Hell 947 in Chicago? In fact Critical Mass kept using Power Pig in their ads for 10 years which is pretty sad when you really only have 1 success to rant about.

Q105 was Mix96 at the end. It was #1 Persons 25-54 in the Winter Book of 1990, but they fired everyone 4 weeks before the book came out as Garry Wall convinced them they had to be #1 12+. As Randy Michaels said to me after Kevin Weatherly and Garry Wall blew up the station, he would have given them 93.3 right then for 104.7 as he could not believe how dumb they were.

radiodork said:
3. As for Cleveland, while I know he could be difficult to deal with, I'd almost give him a pass with QYK. A very liberal personality on a true-blue (or is it "red state"?) heritage country station? Just a bad hire. WYUU was never a powerhouse in the 90's, and was going downhill before Cleveland was hired. Don't forget CBS was close to changing formats on WYUU in 2000 before the "brain trust" realized they were getting kicked in the pants by 250 songs and three Dick Clark liners.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but Cleveland was talking about Michael Jackson on the air at WQYK. He should have never been hired - but even so, Howard Stern had great ratings on WNBC and was a fish out of water. Cleveland took WQYK's 15 share morning show to a 7.5 share in 1 year (a 50% decrease) But lets also examine what happened to Cleveland's ratings at WRBQ as everyone was fired but Cleveland. Cleveland took his 3 months sabbatical and Mike Reeves did mornings returning it to #1 in Winter of 1990. Once Cleveland came back in late March, he went from double digits to single digits (cutting the numbers in half again) in only 5 months. If Cleveland was such a great talent, why was he in 8th place at Q105 when he was let go? As we have seen, the audience will follow true talent regardless of what goes on at the rest of the station. And btw, why do you think Jack Harris bailed off the Zoo? He realized what was going on.

radiodork said:
Now everyone can bash everyone else here, but realize this: No one will come close to replicating Q-105's glory days of the early and mid 80s. NO ONE! Even if CBS hired every single person back from the glory days of the Q, some guy in New York will make the programming decisions and make Q-105 sound like every other CBS owned "classic hits" station. Radio was different 25 years ago, and we all know why it has gotten worse since then (and yes... it has gotten worse... so stop fooling yourself). CBS has already made their cuts, Clear Channel is very close, and I don't know how Cox will get any slimmer but I'm sure they'll find a way.

I don't care who was responsible (or not) for the Q-success in the 34-share days. All I know is very few people from that magical generation are left in the business, and just as few of all those in the business these days are thrilled with how it is now. In the interest of making money off of the hundreds of stations these companies own, the corporations and the minions who make the decisions for them have sucked the life, creativity, and fun out of radio. And technology and the next generation (30 and under) is passing it by.
Click to expand...

That was the problem - Q105 went from virtually 4 Top 4 competitors to none by 1987 and was able to become a very broad station using the proper balance of personality, research and promotion, despite what Cleveland Wheeler attempted to do to the station. It was easy to make it a 34 share. Bottom line, that was never defendable. The choice should have been made to cater to the money - Persons 25-54 when that time came. Instead they chose to chase 12+ which made no money (As Power Pig found out by loosing money for the first 3 years and almost was dealt a format change in 1993 after loosing so much). As stated above, Randy Michaels would have traded Power Pig for Q105 in Q1 of 1990 if thats what Edens really wanted.

And no, no one will have the kind of station again. Think what you will of Mason, but he has clearly had the love of the audience in Tampa Bay on his side for 30 years.

Quite frankly, there is no one else in this market in Radio that has had the number of listeners and impact that Mason has over 30 years.

Until you have 30+ years of ratings most all of them in the Top 5 or higher in target demo, I don't think anyone has much room to speak.
 
jackshell said:
Can't we all just get along?

I mean, you're arguing about a radio station from twenty years ago.

Happy holidays.
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no s**t.

it seems people on this board have to post daily about living in the past. They must have a lovely life!

and people thought I was a miserable person ::)
 
Parttimer said:
How much you want to bet these two worked together (and this is how they got along).....
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I'd say that's a definite "no" given this comment:

canismajor said:
No offense, but who are you since you have told us all but your social security number??????
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Seriously, this tells you all everything YOU actually need to know!!! I guess this canismajor never has actually worked in radio or read any of the industry trades, you think???

Rule of thumb, canis... if you don't know who someone is, at least do your homework before you insult them here. Is that too much to ask???!!!
 
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