Sandbox out at FNX

[rockcaptain]

The Sandbox is off the air. Keith Dakin is doing mornings at WFNX. "Tweet" from "Special Ed": just joined the ranks of the unemployed! Thanks to everyone who made the last 2.5 years of The Sandbox so awesome.

 

[Deleted User]

oh joy, more unemployed radio people, right around the holidays.

Talk about a profession with no job security and few places to go from here...

I am sooo glad I got out of the radio business when I did, took that crappy government job, did my time and retired.. BTW thanks for the monthly kiss in the mail taxpayers of MA!

 

[jmgill89]

You're welcome ;D

Too bad about those guys. I've met them at major events where WFNX was among the exhibitors, and they were great and talented people. Hopefully someone will hire them, and soon!

 

[ESH1980]

It sounds like the axe is swinging at FNX and more than just the Sandbox are out. Who else is being let go?

 

[jmgill89]

From FMQB:

"Boston Modern Rocker WFNX is starting the New Year with a new on-air lineup with major changes throughout the day. Beginning in AM Drive, the station has cancelled the Sandbox morning show, replacing it with a new show co-hosted by long-time WFNX personality and program director Keith Dakin and the Sandbox’s Fletcher, with news and current events covered by morning mainstay Henry Santoro.

Elsewhere, former ‘FNX and WBCN personality Adam 12 returns to the station to take on afternoons, replacing Big Jim Murray, who will focus full-time on off-air duties, including a creative role in the new morning show.

Also, syndicated 10 p.m.-Midnight program Loveline will no longer air on the station. Night-time personality Paul Driscoll will expand his shift to replace Loveline. Julie Kramer’s midday show, including the long-running Leftover Lunch music feature, will not be affected by the changes."

http://fmqb.com/article.asp?id=1646202

 

[probboy]

While I don't wish unemployment on anyone, all I can think of is "good riddance." Maybe FNX can play some actual music in the mornings now--I swear that there's been a few morning commutes that I've listened and they hadn't played a single song.

 

[WRKOLD]

I'm surprised Sandbox lasted that long. It had a big budget to support all those hosts and had poor ratings. A shame because it was the best show in the morning.

Also, I really liked Big Jim. Adam 12 may be a better classic personality, but Jim is a lot funnier and more entertaining.

 

[WBIMDJ]

Sucks to see my boys go. But hey, "that's the business." Ed, Charlie, if you're reading this, (and I know you do Ed, we've talked about this place several times before, LOL), good luck with all your endeavors in the future. We'll miss you.

P.S. There is some good to come out of this, Loveline is FINALLY gone. What a WASTE that was on the airwaves.

 

[radiorama1]

From FMQB:

"Boston Modern Rocker WFNX is starting the New Year with a new on-air lineup with major changes throughout the day. Beginning in AM Drive, the station has cancelled the Sandbox morning show, replacing it with a new show co-hosted by long-time WFNX personality and program director Keith Dakin and the Sandbox’s Fletcher, with news and current events covered by morning mainstay Henry Santoro.

Elsewhere, former ‘FNX and WBCN personality Adam 12 returns to the station to take on afternoons, replacing Big Jim Murray, who will focus full-time on off-air duties, including a creative role in the new morning show.

Also, syndicated 10 p.m.-Midnight program Loveline will no longer air on the station. Night-time personality Paul Driscoll will expand his shift to replace Loveline. Julie Kramer’s midday show, including the long-running Leftover Lunch music feature, will not be affected by the changes."

http://fmqb.com/article.asp?id=1646202

I'm very happy to hear that Adam 12 is getting a regular air shift again (and in the Boston market!! 8) ) ... it's nice to see one of the good guys win once in awhile. 8)

Also glad that they left Julie Kramer where she is... I.M.O. the Leftover Lunch is one of the best programs on Boston radio.

 

[MisterBilge]

Sorry to hear about Ed - he did a ton of "behind the scenes" stuff that really made a difference. Enjoyed Jim on the air as well but it sounds like he'll still be a part of 25 Exchange. On another positive note - more music in the AM and extra Driscoll is a big plus! An airshift for Keith D should help his employment picture as off-air PD's are becoming few and far between. Really psyched for Adam 12, certainly one of the good guys! Good luck, survivors!

 

[Speaker of Truth]

This is one morning show in Boston that I made time for..these guys were funny and did a good job of relating to their audience..any evidence that this was PPM related?

 

[JoshuaC]

Dunno about PPM. Historically, WFNX has never exactly soared in the ratings (regardless of the methodology), so that a change would be made entirely based on Ratings is unlikely. Probably money had a lot more to do with it: Nobody has it, everybody needs to be paid it. A three-person Morning Show where one of those people is already being paid to be the Program Director is probably a deal cheaper than a 4-person show and an off-air PD. I've been hearing about large-cast Morning Shows being trimmed down in a lot of other places lately too. It's just rough to justify these big shows anymore... especially now that drive-time just isn't what it used to be.

As for Love-Line... I'm sure that was a PPM thing. That show stopped being relevant a decade ago.

Sucks to hear that they were let go, though. I met them several months back when I popped by 25-Exchange to visit my old stomping grounds and they seemed really great guys.

 

[Father Reid]

I don't understand this call for "more music" on am drive radio. If you want music during your drive to work, wouldn't you rather pick the songs yourself and listen to your CDs or ipod? I think one of the biggest mistakes out there is that radio tries to compete with people who can pick from their own infinitely large playlists. If you want me listening you need to provide me with something I can't get by popping in a disc. The Sandbox did that for me.

 

[JoshuaC]

If you want me listening you need to provide me with something I can't get by popping in a disc.

In the long run, Padre, you're probably right. But in the short-run... a lot of it still comes down to money.

Since you're paying the ASCAP/BMI fees anyways, you may as well play the music, however a human being costs a good chunk of money... money that a lot of radio stations just don't have. Factor in that WFNX is owned by a newspaper and the newspaper industry isn't what it used to be either, they're probably hurting a bit more than most. They at least have the advantage that they are not as leveraged as some of their bigger cousins.

Eventually, Radio is going to realize that it needs to provide talent and not just content again, but it's not going to be until the dust settles from a lot of these bankruptcies and bad-buyout decisions made in the last decade or so. A small operation like WFNX could likely be better suited to making that move when the time does come (and hopefully they will make it that far). As for now, it's going to be a long Winter.

 

[Deleted User]

Factor in that WFNX is owned by a newspaper

can we argue that point? The Phoenix is paper with colored ink, with some words strung together masquerading as news, but the real purpose of the Phoenix is to sell advertising space to the adult services industry.


Craigslist has dealt more of a blow to the Phoenix's bottom line than the economy.

 

[JoshuaC]

Factor in that WFNX is owned by a newspaper

can we argue that point? The Phoenix is paper with colored ink, with some words strung together masquerading as news, but the real purpose of the Phoenix is to sell advertising space to the adult services industry.


Craigslist has dealt more of a blow to the Phoenix's bottom line than the economy.

You said it, not I.

Regardless... it is a... ahem... "advertising outlet" that is struggling like many others.

 

[Father Reid]

If you want me listening you need to provide me with something I can't get by popping in a disc.

In the long run, Padre, you're probably right. But in the short-run... a lot of it still comes down to money.

Since you're paying the ASCAP/BMI fees anyways, you may as well play the music, however a human being costs a good chunk of money... money that a lot of radio stations just don't have. Factor in that WFNX is owned by a newspaper and the newspaper industry isn't what it used to be either, they're probably hurting a bit more than most. They at least have the advantage that they are not as leveraged as some of their bigger cousins.

Eventually, Radio is going to realize that it needs to provide talent and not just content again, but it's not going to be until the dust settles from a lot of these bankruptcies and bad-buyout decisions made in the last decade or so. A small operation like WFNX could likely be better suited to making that move when the time does come (and hopefully they will make it that far). As for now, it's going to be a long Winter.

I can completely understand that. It would just be more tolerable to deal with these short term "fixes" the radio industry is doing to combat falling revenue if I saw some move in the right direction for the long run. It's like if you're constantly hurting yourself and getting injured, sure you need to bandage the wounds but at the same time you should look at the bigger picture and try to fix the systematic problem you have that is causing you to constantly hurt yourself. As a radio-head, it's frustrating to watch, but I don't have to tell anyone here that.

 

[Don Juan]

Eventually, Radio is going to realize that it needs to provide talent and not just content...

You see these as different things? I see them as one in the same.

 

[JoshuaC]

Eventually, Radio is going to realize that it needs to provide talent and not just content...

You see these as different things? I see them as one in the same.

I can see see what you mean. Let me clarify...

What I really was meaning to say (in fewer words) is that you can provide plenty of music, or sports scores, or news, or opinion pieces over the radio, but you can also get these in other mediums: If you want to listen to a song you like, you can pop in a CD. If you want to get the score from the game last night or news about the shooting downtown, you can read it online or (if you're one of the three people who still get one) in your daily newspaper. That's the "content." Radio is at its best when delivering that content in a way that is engaging and that you can't get from a CD or an RSS feed. That's the "talent." Anyone can pump music on the air... it takes a certain skill (that has been, unfortunately, quite lacking from this industry in recent years) to do so with that flair and panache that makes you want to hear "crazy drive time dj X" do it more than anyone else.

Of course... that sort of skill set is very hard to quantify, and right now in an era where everyone is cutting costs and trying to find ways to monetize everything, those sorts of intangibles can get lost in the shuffle.

 

[loubeck]

Ed is doing an "Ask me Anything" over at Reddit.com and he's provided some more details on what went down.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/alute/iama_recently_fired_morning_radio_dude_ama_or/