Tara Servatius interview (former WBT host)

[ml]

Now she's in Charleston, but she talked about why she thinks she was fired from WBT. There certainly seem to be more female hosts in your area than in Chicago (where I live), which is a much larger market :-\

Listen at http://podcast.radiogirl.us/2013/06/tara-servatius-no-barriers.html

 

[Mike Sheridan]

The question is what do you think of her suspected reason? I know lots of people who's contract wasn't renewed for little or no reason. They just learn to move on.

 

[test123]

She indicated that her contract was not renewed because Greater Media was moving to more liberal hosts on their talk stations. In this case that idea doesn't wash. She was replaced by former WSOC-TV anchor Vince Coakley who, in my opinion, was very conservative. Vince was there a year before being replaced by Brad and Britt who are more left leaning.

I have no inside knowledge was to why Ms Servatius' contract was not renewed. As you say Mike it could have been anything. She may have wanted more money or more time off. Maybe it was a ratings/revenue type deal. Who knows? I think she does...

t123

 

[tothedj]

If you listen to WBT, most of the hosts are conservative, i can't picture Brad & Britt as liberal.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

When she started at WBT Tara was an experiment, a find outside of broadcasting. Tara was at the time known mainly for her writing in "Creative Loafing" a free paper here in Charlotte. There were those of us who thought she hadn't paid her dues to be on THE BIG 11-10 WBT. For us old timers being on WBT is like playing in the Super Bowl. It has nothing to do with her being female. Like most, in time she got better but she was still not doing the kind of radio I wanted to listen to, a little too combative for my taste. I wish her all the best and who knows she might even get her own network show one day.

 

[ml]

I don't have an opinion about her suspected reason, and I think she seems to have a good gig in Charleston now, so she seems to have moved on.

I'm in market 3, and even here there are people on the air who don't have much radio experience. They're chosen because they know someone, they look nice, they come from other media...various reasons. And the experienced radio pros get upset about it, but what can they do? It depends on who management favors.