SORRY TO SPOIL THE "BACK TO Christmas spirit" and all the revolutionary talk about old Christmas songs, but I just had to jump back for one last time to make something clear. I only RESPONDED to comments being made about the new vs old Q105. I think I presented a fair picture of what happened in my mind and from everything I read and have discussed with radio people, pretty much a consensus. I believe that I made my point that Q105, and in particular, the ZOO made that time in my life special......something that no other radio station has been able to do since.
Just as all the "MEN BEHIND THE CURTAIN" create a fabricated persona for political candidates to persuade you that all is not what you see or read, I educate myself to know that the radio biz has all the numbers geeks to justify what they do, then tell people, according to statistics, this is what you really want. Seems to be the big charade in every business sector in the country these days or we wouldn't be in the financial mess we are in.
So it made me a little angry that "Kabrich" comes out of nowhere to attempt to bash me, my opinion and my fond memory of great radio, as I heard it in Tampa Bay.
As to the comment by one who inferred that if I didn't know who Kabrich was, that I should keep opinions to myself, my comments are just as valuable as anyone else's. This is a discussion board, isn"t it? I have enjoyed reading for a long time..sort of like looking through that one way window at all you radio types but until very recently haven't commented. I didn't seek approval or initiation to join an exclusive club...only to share what was on my mind about the main subject, radio.
Maybe someone with no life BUT radio can't be touched by it in the same way as those on the outside of the dial and quite possibly, that is what these kinds of people (radio decision makers) need to pay most attention to instead of putting more of less into every aspect of radio.
I can tell you this, from the front seat of my car on the way to work, it was a sad day when Q started sucking hind-tit on the PIG and lost respect for itself. This happened long before Cleveland got back from the long vacation. You could hear the lack of that long time confidence on the air and all that "Reigning in" of the casual, friendly feeling you used to instantly get from the station. It was that warmth that made them more than just radio dee jays.
If things sounded to a fan like they were going down hill well before Cleveland left on his "sabbatical" and certainly well before he returned, then Q105's loss in numbers was more the fault of it surrendering to the POWER PIG and rolling over, rather than the total fault of it's morning show, as the "Kabrichs" would have you believe is the black and white of it.
The articles were numerous in the papers - EVEN Creative Loafing wrote an in depth article about Q105 giving it up and playing mimic to the Pig. Forget any logical reasoning for this suicide...it's indefensible but it happened. When someone has proven, in a very short time that they have the best PORK (Power Pig), Tampa's most renowned VEGETARIAN (Q105) isn't very credible in convincing mostly new pork lovers (having just blown all vegans off) they are now everyone's favorite meat.
This is, in fact, what happened. Q105 killed itself. The articles respectfully state that consistently. Mr. Edens hired people to come in and install a music format that was almost identical to the PIG and put personalities with a presentation and appeal to 15 year olds. Mason and the other originals were already gone when Cleveland got back. There HAD to be some damage done to ratings because of that, alone. When Cleveland came back on the air, I recall him making comments about the music as if he was as surprised as the people who had supported the station for years. He sounded out of place and obviously by design. It is still a big mystery as to why all the dysfunctional strategy to have him return, go back on the air and play dance music, then go through the whole negative business of taking him off. Why not just say, "hey, it's been nice, here's a check..now move along" but it sounded like the station had to have a misery party. MIND YOU, THIS IS WHAT IT SOUNDED LIKE TO MY EARS AND MANY OTHERS. They may not be "trained Kabrich ears" but they are ears that be the certificate of death to a radio station.
I don't believe anyone can champion the short lived ZOO replacements and their fabulous audience success in Tampa. If they were so great, and the music change was so right on, why isn't the station cooking away today, as it was then? There is no grand statue of Gary Wall, the guy who took a legendary station and turned it into a garbage disposal and the only thing genuine about today's Q105 is the old logo banner. The great spirit left the station while Edens still had title to it.
Although it was never a plan to write this innocent epitaph about a once-great radio station for the purpose of defending specific people and condemning others, I have been attacked for my views so I feel I must defend the honor of the departed.
I spoke to people who have listened to WQYK all their lives. I even got to speak with someone who still works at the station and was there when Cleveland was hired.
The listeners told me they though Cleveland's show was good and beyond that didn't have too many observant comments. NONE OF THEM MENTIONED HEARING Michael Jackson songs. I was told by the QYK employee that hiring Cleveland was considered a bold move even by those who did it but that they had great respect for his abilities and market success. Above all though was that Cleveland had great name recognition and QYKs numbers were already being whittled down by the new country competitor, Q105 before he took the job and the long-time QYK morning host had it.! It was said that the powers believed that hanging the name out, with years of association to Q105 would devalue the competitor. Huh?
PERHAPS, Q-105 WAS ACTUALLY GIVEN POINTS THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE RECEIVED AS THE RESULT OF THAT. YET ANOTHER BRILLIANT, RADIO DECISION. His exit was most likely (popularly summarized by those I spoke to) due to that very,aforementioned revelation by the geniuses in programming and management.
This seems to be radio's best escape for their own failings. Some man or woman behind the mike customarily takes the bullet for a power suit. But radio, in general, doesn't just victimize their own to cover their mistakes. Now, once loyal listeners are radio's biggest causalities and nobody much seems to care.
