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SLATON LEAVING KZOK?

Question for you sales guys: Ever had something like this happen (i.e., big name booted) and a client(s) said "goodbye"?
 
Rarely happens on the regional/national level. It happens quite a bit on a local level if a talent leaves one station and heads to another. Talent may have relationships with specific clients who will follow them. I remember when Ichabod left KMPS and took clients to KRPM. Bob Rivers took clients to KZOK. Happens primarily with morning talent.
 
I agree - national level, not so much.

At one of my recent gigs - a long run where I was affter CC bought the station - a few sponsors pulled. One was a window replacement guy. He had never used radio but liked me so he was running about $200k a year with me as the endorsement guy. A few days after I was fired, the account exec called me, close to tears, asking if I would go with him to the client's place for a meeting. It was like a third of his income and he was panicking. I had told the honchos that they were paying me way less than I was bringing in but you know how much that matters.

I was friends with the sales guy so - why not? Went to the meeting, smoothed some ruffled feathers. He agreed to come back on with a 75k schedule but only if I did the spots. The CC goons okayed the deal so I haunted the halls there for the next year and made $200 extra a week. Eventually the window guy upped the buy and I faded from the deal but I've had a few things like that happen. But once the axe swings for whatever reason - budgetary, personal dislike - it's almost always permanent. If I could bring in a mil a year, they would have still shown me the door.
 
A ton of respect for Steve as a professional and as a person...
but stylistically his show was too "classic" in several ways and not enough "rock" to me.
I consider most of the Beatles fetish passe'. I wish he would have extended the love for AC/DC to Alice in Chains, etc. Wonder how they change the slot. I assume they go younger DJ but do they extend classic rock to classic alternative now or someday soon? Already considered the Grandpa station but if they don't extend the music rotation they might face a further aging. I haven't seen the numbers, have they already drifted further from the sweetspot than they want?
 
Thank you for all the kind and supportive words. I do appreciate them... Hail Hail Rock n' Roll!
 
Steve, thank YOU for rockin' us for the past 30+ years. You certainly deserve a more graceful exit from Seattle radio than this one so I hope you get another opportunity.
 
Slaton (I assume that really is you... only 1 post). Nice of you to drop in to thank the posters on this board.

You really do have class and are one of the great personalities of all time in Seattle Radio. I hope we hear you again as soon as the consolidators finish their fire sales.
 
I thought it might've been an extended vacation; everytime I tuned in after 3pm this week, I heard Stacy Ireland - thought she was filling in. Another one of Seattle's Best... we'll be waiting for you to return somewhere.... maybe with Robin and Maynard, Beau Roberts...
 
iamdmc said:
I thought it might've been an extended vacation; everytime I tuned in after 3pm this week, I heard Stacy Ireland - thought she was filling in. Another one of Seattle's Best... we'll be waiting for you to return somewhere.... maybe with Robin and Maynard, Beau Roberts...
Click to expand...

Wow... you posted this at 11:52pm (albeit Chicago-central time) 9:52 here in Seattle. Ironic you mentioned Steve returning and Beau Roberts...because I rolled an aircheck of KZOK starting at 11:53pm tonight (yesterday now) and Beau Roberts was on the air...as the voice guy and doing an air shift! Beau is another guy I've followed around the dial starting when he was at KNBQ then at 97.3 in Tacoma. I sure wish CBS hadn't let Steve go, it's really a shame.
 
I actually live in the Seattle area don't know why it came up as Central Time Zone; Roberts does fill-ins often and it's great to hear the jocks that actually know what they are doing and that they are there to play for the people that tune in and have for years. If you've been in Seattle since the early 80's, you'll find that there have been a number of talented voices on the "rock" stations in town and I've followed this core group (Slaton, Roberts, Robin and Maynard, Crow and West) from KNBQ, KISW, KXRX, KZOK - and they are all going away, being replaced by those with either no character or those that try too hard to win over an audience by trying to copy the stylings that those before them had so much success with.
I realize that radio is seemingly being slowly replaced by iPods and the like, but these talented DJ's have been the ones that have grown these stations and it is sad to see them leave.
"Hail hail rock and roll" indeed Mr. Seattle Rock and Roll.
 
Steve, if your still checking in, just wanted to take the time to thank you for your 30 years of kindness. You are a class act, wherever you are.

Love,

Rain Child
 
iamdmc said:
I actually live in the Seattle area don't know why it came up as Central Time Zone; Roberts does fill-ins often and it's great to hear the jocks that actually know what they are doing and that they are there to play for the people that tune in and have for years. If you've been in Seattle since the early 80's, you'll find that there have been a number of talented voices on the "rock" stations in town and I've followed this core group (Slaton, Roberts, Robin and Maynard, Crow and West) from KNBQ, KISW, KXRX, KZOK - and they are all going away, being replaced by those with either no character or those that try too hard to win over an audience by trying to copy the stylings that those before them had so much success with.
I realize that radio is seemingly being slowly replaced by iPods and the like, but these talented DJ's have been the ones that have grown these stations and it is sad to see them leave.
"Hail hail rock and roll" indeed Mr. Seattle Rock and Roll.
Click to expand...

I cannot agree more. And I think this very post (with no guidance WHATSOEVER from Slaton himself) has brought on more new Radio-Info board members than I can think of. And we ALL feel the same way, whether you're a pro who's been at it for years, somebody who has worked in radio just as the demise was beginning (like moi) or just casual listeners:

Enough is ENOUGH.
 
Steve Slaton on this board? Pretty cool. I always enjoyed his Lowdown feature back when he was on KISW. Fun side story: I was visiting KISW one day, talking to Steve, and he was mulling over changing the Lowdown theme (a Savoy Brown song - I think it's called Sitting and Thinking? If I'm wrong someone will correct me). One of the possible new themes might have been a track by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Anyway, I went home that night expecting to hear Lowdown with a new theme. Didn't happen! Some things you don't change!
 
Lonely Summer said:
Steve Slaton on this board? Pretty cool. I always enjoyed his Lowdown feature back when he was on KISW. Fun side story: I was visiting KISW one day, talking to Steve, and he was mulling over changing the Lowdown theme (a Savoy Brown song - I think it's called Sitting and Thinking? If I'm wrong someone will correct me). One of the possible new themes might have been a track by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Anyway, I went home that night expecting to hear Lowdown with a new theme. Didn't happen! Some things you don't change!
Click to expand...

Yes, it WAS the classic KISW music bed for Lowdown.

It's still a tune ANY decent rock station would STILL use as the bed for it's concert/events promos.
 
Steve Salton is the best. I have worked with Steve most of my career, best man at his wedding. These are rough times for everyone and Corporate mandates fall like rain from the east coast. Steve defined Seattle Rock n Roll for over 30 years, and when this dust settles, I have to believe someone will let him do for another 30. Private ownership will come back and with it a renewed vision of what made radio great, THE AIR PERSONALITY!

Be safe everyone love you Steve,

Gary
 
Thanks for the great memories Steve! One of my all time favs was when you went for a short trip in my '63 Chevy Impala. "NOW THAT'S A DASH"

Take care my friend.

-Ty
 
Maybe Steve could be the first on air talent at that hot new station KMCQ. :eek: They should just turn him loose in the control room and let him play anything he wants! First issue, of course, would be finding the control room! And reprogramming the ipod!
 
Lonely Summer said:
Maybe Steve could be the first on air talent at that hot new station KMCQ. :eek: They should just turn him loose in the control room and let him play anything he wants! First issue, of course, would be finding the control room! And reprogramming the ipod!
Click to expand...

Radio. Gods. Do. Not. Program. iPods......
 
What can I say that hasn't already been said........
Corporate Bean Counters are wrecking radio...... Their perfect world would be airwaves full of JACKFM. No PERSONALITY and no STAFF.

How many local bands owe at least a portion of their success to Steve and Gary Crow........

I'm a Houston transplant and I've seen this happen too many times. The last straw was when they took the BEST rock station around KLOL and turned it Tejano........

Nothing is sacred
 
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