SaveWRKO: Rumor (I stress, rumor) has WBZ cutting Leveille, Dyett

[raccoonradio]

I beg to differ re: Jordan. My friend Frank Ochieng, at least, is on live along with Garry and Marilyn Armstrong
(and sometimes the likes of Jon Hitesman and Chuck Goldstone) to talk movies or TV every couple months.
It's pretty interesting and often funny. On the most recent Movie Night, someone called in who apparently
thought Jordan was Steve Leveille. Jordan, of course, goes into his Leveille impersonation and tries to
pretend he is Steve. The caller doesn't get it. Jordan's producer starts rolling the Steve Leveille theme
and Jordan goes on to do a spot-on Lovell Dyett impersonation, etc. (How ironic...)

I can't speak about other guests on Jordan's show but these TV and Movie nights are musts for me. Jordan
does a lot of work for charity, too. If he's been doing product pitch interviews lately, I would blame
WBZ or CBS management for that, not him.

Frank was a longtime guest on my WMWM blues show doing the occasional Oscar or Emmy preview. I got to
know Frank because he was a regular with Morgan on WMRE, etc. One night Morgan filled in for Paul
Sullivan and had Frank as a guest. Jordan came in and said something like "You really know your movies"
and soon had Frank booked as a guest. It's been running strong for several years now. One time I called
in and said, "You know, you guys probably know as much TV stuff as you do about movies. You could
talk about that, too." Garry chimed in, "You know, I was thinking the same thing". And thus was launched
TV Night.

I hope Jordan doesn't meet the same fate as Steve, Lovell, etc.

"Be nice so you can do good. God Bless You, and God Bless America"--J.R.

 

[WFNERBSHX]

I can't speak about other guests on Jordan's show but these TV and Movie nights are musts for me. Jordan
does a lot of work for charity, too. If he's been doing product pitch interviews lately, I would blame
WBZ or CBS management for that, not him.

Is it possible that Jordan is now responsible for selling ad time on the show? I remember reading that when Larry Glick came to the end of his last contract with WHDH, they expressed interest in keeping him on staff but only if he sold the ad time, effectively paying for his own shift and salary. Nearing 70 at that point, Glick decided that he didn't want to be hustling for ad buys at that point and retired to Florida. Perhaps Jordan is working with a similar arrangement and that's why the ax hasn't fallen on him in this round of layoffs?

Also, though I'm very displeased with what has transpired and I'm truthfully not looking forward to the new programming, I am impressed that Jon Grayson posted this morning and has reached out to the Radio-Info Boston community. Its a classy move and I wish him well in this new venture.

 

[ParadignPro]

a lot of Jordan's guests are pathetic, especially the "new agey" ones...

His whole show is pathetic. All interviews are pre-recorded days before and they're all about pushing someone's products. people he interviews. It's like one of those staged ads where a wellknown Dj interviews Roseanne Barr about her Vegas shows..All cheese, all the time.

I feel the need to correct your ignorance... a small percentage of Jordan's interviews are pre-recorded, and they only run when call volume is light. It's a great way to get intersting guests and interviews on at 3am (when the alternative is Jordan talking to himself or elderly listeners recalling the good 'ol days), and it often provides topics for callers to discuss for the remainder of the show.

As for pushing products... Jordans supports and promotes authors, musicians and artists. Thats what he does. His show is not for everyone. He has a large fan base from around the country and has used his airtime to help more people than you ever will... so you, my friend, are pathetic for thinking a talk show that has informed and entertained millions over the years is "all cheese", because it isn't produced specifically for you.

- Cory

 

[magpie]

I will miss tuning in to Lovell Saturday nights--all his stumbles and bumbles were a hoot. "Am I on? Is this on?"
His poor producer!

 

[ParadignPro]

I will miss tuning in to Lovell Saturday nights--all his stumbles and bumbles were a hoot. "Am I on? Is this on?"
His poor producer!

Producing Lovell's show was a blast! i worked with him April '07 - May '08... you never knew what to expect. ;D

 

[katzradio]

lol, alot of great posts in this thread! ;D

I agree with the "pathetic" comments on Jordan's show, to a point; He is really too "guest heavy" & has been for several years. I started a thread about it a year or so ago, many posters in this thread did comment in it. Not enough open lines, basically.

Lovell's stumbles & bumbles were a hoot, especially the non-remembering of the guests names continually throughout the show. But, I still like him, & I know he has health issues. God Bless Lovell.

Jon Grayson, if that is really you (since you can never tell about these things online), I for one welcome you to 'BZ. You are talking my language with the old car restro, & the Gibson is one fine axe, I can relate to that as well! Basically, my requirements are few;

No "over the top" sports talk - we have plenty of ESPN spots avail. on the dial for that stuff; The politics have completely burned me out this year, Steve hammered that nonstop for about 10 mo. straight in his attempt to get B.O. elected... :

Also, there wasn't any "tech-talk" allowed on the show; since he didn't drive, you couldn't share any in-depth auto/car/etc. related stories, which I for one do like. He did have somewhat of a musical discussion, although that could have been a bit more "techy" too, for my tastes! ;D

I don't really mean to bash Steve, I mean, I do still love the guy, but with his constant use of the word "moron", & other caller bashing, I just kinda grew tired of that kind of treatment. As I mentioned before in another thread, He & I had & still do have an excellent relationship;

He always gave me plenty of on-air time, & was very fair to me - we did "click" when we chatted, but things are what they are now...

Jon, is your show formatted to take nationwide callers? Will the Boston area calls go to 'BZ, handled by Rob, or are they handled by a producer in your area, with a call to your station?

I know I may not speak for the masses, but again, I welcome you!

EDIT - Oh yeah, I did want to ask - what will your actual time slot be, here on the East coast? And, will it be live, all five nights?

Cheers!
katzradio

 

[Jon Grayson]

Thanks for the welcome and the primer, katzradio. I appreciate all the information I can get about the Boston audience. I have to admit the idea that someone would want to impersonate me makes me giggle a little, but I respect your skepticism. All I can tell you is, yes it's me.
As far as the tenor of the show, I'm not into name-calling. I think it's a cheap way out of an argument. Besides, the show's supposed to be much more fun than that.
Where the schedule is concerned, I'm going to have to leave that to the fine folks at WBZ to fill in for you. What I can tell you is that the show will air live from 12midnight to 5am Central time Monday through Friday. I can also tell you that we are very much counting on caller participation from all of our markets, and we'll do our best to provide the services that have made you count on WBZ (and WCCO and KDKA and KMOX) for as long as you have. That means yes, I will be paying attention to the weather, closings, emergencies and breaking news everywhere we're on. We're working very hard to make it a show for everyone who's listening.
When you call in there will be a toll-free number that will connect you to our central control room answered by my producer.
If there's anything else I can answer for you, don't be shy. Also if you want to check out some more of what I do, check out the Reality Check page at kmox.com http://www.kmox.com/Reality-Check/1812409 . There's a bunch of interviews up there from my Sunday night show. I'll be melding some of the Reality Check theme into the new show, so I hope you like it.
Thanks again for the welcome, and I can't wait to talk to you all live on Monday morning.

 

[SonicOverload]

I'll check out the show, Jon

as Bob said, not all of Jordan's guests were pathetic but he did have some crap on there. I also liked the movie nights and when he'd talk about records...

 

[Blackroc]

This isn't about individuals. Boston is a very different place than St.Paul...Orlando...Louisville et al. We deserve to have a great radio station that is singularly Boston and nothing else. Let the entire country homogenize if that's what they want. I'm sure Philly and Chicago feel the same. ny and LA I don't care about!

And it's not a question of giving a program a chance. WBZ isn't a great station any more. It's going to be dead to me not because of programming change (I didn't like all the guys let go) but due to its irrelevancy to the Boston/ NE area. I got a Boston AR for xmas and it's going to be tuned to Jazz 89.7, BBC, Classical 99.5 in the early morning hours, while I'm on this thing.

If I were programming 'EEI network I'd bring in someone and let him talk sports and anything else 12-5am.

 

[DJbobo]

This isn't about individuals. Boston is a very different place than St.Paul...Orlando...Louisville et al. We deserve to have a great radio station that is singularly Boston and nothing else. Let the entire country homogenize if that's what they want. I'm sure Philly and Chicago feel the same. ny and LA I don't care about!

And it's not a question of giving a program a chance. WBZ isn't a great station any more. It's going to be dead to me not because of programming change (I didn't like all the guys let go) but due to its irrelevancy to the Boston/ NE area. I got a Boston AR for xmas and it's going to be tuned to Jazz 89.7, BBC, Classical 99.5 in the early morning hours, while I'm on this thing.

If I were programming 'EEI network I'd bring in someone and let him talk sports and anything else 12-5am.

99% of WBZ's daytime audience sleeps at night. Doing all-local programming from Mid to 5am to out of town listeners, radio junkies, local thirdshifters and insomniacs is not money well spent. CBS/WBZ finally got this one right.

 

[Peter The Great]

On the most recent Movie Night, someone called in who apparently
thought Jordan was Steve Leveille. Jordan, of course, goes into his Leveille impersonation and tries to
pretend he is Steve. The caller doesn't get it. Jordan's producer starts rolling the Steve Leveille theme
and Jordan goes on to do a spot-on Lovell Dyett impersonation, etc. (How ironic...)



"Be nice so you can do good. God Bless You, and God Bless America"--J.R.

Jordan's impersonation of Steve and Lovell are hilarious. BTW, it's "be well so you can do good"

I feel the need to correct your ignorance... a small percentage of Jordan's interviews are pre-recorded, and they only run when call volume is light. It's a great way to get intersting guests and interviews on at 3am (when the alternative is Jordan talking to himself or elderly listeners recalling the good 'ol days), and it often provides topics for callers to discuss for the remainder of the show.

As for pushing products... Jordans supports and promotes authors, musicians and artists. Thats what he does. His show is not for everyone. He has a large fan base from around the country and has used his airtime to help more people than you ever will... so you, my friend, are pathetic for thinking a talk show that has informed and entertained millions over the years is "all cheese", because it isn't produced specifically for you.

- Cory

Agree with this post 100%. Jordan playing those pre recorded interviews tends only to happen in the 2, or much more often, 3am hours when he isn't going to get any calls. Jordan does a lot of good for a lot of people, and though I'm not really privied to his business dealings, I'm pretty sure people aren't paying him to push products. He does a magazine style show where people will hear about "authors, artists..." well you know what JJ says in those bumps.

BTW, is this the Cory I think it is?

I will miss tuning in to Lovell Saturday nights--all his stumbles and bumbles were a hoot. "Am I on? Is this on?"
His poor producer!

You have no idea what it's like on that show. It can be like pulling teeth at times but Lovell is a good man, and very intelligent, and it was an honor to work with him.




--peter

 

[Cap-n Spackle]

If I were programming 'EEI network I'd bring in someone and let him talk sports and anything else 12-5am.

What, you don't think some 'Brick' guy with scripted callers who yells 'kapow' and hangs up on people who try to have a conversation is compelling radio?

 

[Blackroc]

I really don't care enough about syndi' guys to put them on a S'list but JTTBrick would probably be in #1 position.

You have no idea what it's like on that show

Remember the night Lavell just got off the train in time to make it on the air and he hadn't eaten all afternoon and was practically ready to pass out at the mike?

 

[Peter The Great]

I really don't care enough about syndi' guys to put them on a S'list but JTTBrick would probably be in #1 position.

You have no idea what it's like on that show

Remember the night Lavell just got off the train in time to make it on the air and he hadn't eaten all afternoon and was practically ready to pass out at the mike?

Shit, I've been there ready to go at 9, played his opening theme, and then turned on the microphone for Pat Desmaris to talk because Lovell was in a cab somewhere, or still asleep. I always wondered how funny it would be if Lovell had Sadiki scheduled to come on at 9 and had to talk to Pat instead for an hour.

 

[katzradio]

I've been there ready to go at 9, played his opening theme, and then turned on the microphone for Pat Desmaris to talk because Lovell was in a cab somewhere, or still asleep. I always wondered how funny it would be if Lovell had Sadiki scheduled to come on at 9 and had to talk to Pat instead for an hour.

lol

Yeah, it was great "train wreck" radio! I rem. several months ago when the Dr. changed Lovell's medication & he overslept something like 2 hrs. Pat was goings nuts because he wanted to leave, & no one could get Lovell on the phone at home!

Finally, after 2 hrs. Lovell called in & said he overslept because of the meds & would try to make it into the station tonight. It was incredibly funny! ;D

Also - Jon - I did want to add the I/We appreciate the fact that you posted in the thread. As you can tell, there are many varied opinions & feelings, & this move by CBS is not real popular with alot of folks. Also, it is the "way" that CBS went about it.

It didn't catch us all by complete surprise, however. A few of my friends/listeners & I that hang out felt the vibes from Steve on this for quite a few months. We felt it was just a matter of time.

That being said, 'BZ is considered to be a "hometown" station by so many, & this type of move is basically viewed as a "kick in the face".

But again, I for one welcome the change. I am so burned out on politics/sports/heavy topics from this past year, that I don't care if I ever hear a "heavy topic" show again. I will most likely tune out on those nights. I just don't care. All it amounts to is a bunch of "Blah Blah Blah" that doesn't do anything to change the situation anyway, so my feeling is, why waste time on it.

Ditto for the political discussions. But, I know that you will run your show in your manner, & that is fine. I am just hoping that it will be the breath of fresh air that I am looking for.

Cheers,
katz

 

[raccoonradio]

Ah! I stand corrected on Jordan's regular goodbye.

JT can be fun for a moment or two though; what he says I believe is "TIME!" when
a caller is too dull or doesn't know his stuff, though it actually sounds more like he's
saying "TOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWN!"

 

[Peter The Great]

Yeah, it was great "train wreck" radio! I rem. several months ago when the Dr. changed Lovell's medication & he overslept something like 2 hrs. Pat was goings nuts because he wanted to leave, & no one could get Lovell on the phone at home!

Finally, after 2 hrs. Lovell called in & said he overslept because of the meds & would try to make it into the station tonight. It was incredibly funny! ;D

Who do you think was trying to get him on the phone that night? I don't think he overslept two hours, if I remember correctly Pat was on til about 10:30 whenb Lovell finally walked in. Pat was pissed that night, he had a dinner date with friends I believe. He had been talking about it on the breaks of his own show all night, about how he was going out to meet some old friends, etc etc. The funniest part is, Lovell was late again the very next week. Not nearly as late as he was that night but late none the less.

All of this aside, Lovell's a good guy and despite his old age he still had some intelligent discussion going on. Sometimes you just had to filter out the senility.

 

[Bos79]

Lovell really should have gotten a farewell show. Guy's been there since the 70's CBS has no class at all or any respect for it's listeners.

 

[Peter The Great]

That would have been nice, but his last show did have a lot of his regular guests on it as he was trying to do a year end retrospective show. We had Sadiki, Judy Bartnicki, Tom Duffy, and a few others.

 

[Cap-n Spackle]

They have Jordan Rich on for an extra hour.