Today's CBS has a positive cash flow, unlike most other broadcasters these days...
Ooh. Spoken like a true stockholder!
I'm sure if I were running things, they'd be much worse than they are now,
if that's possible. Who knows where my narrow view would have taken my
people, my station, or worse, my cluster?
My perspective isn't constrained by conflicting interests, however, so actually
I see what most see. We see, not only CBS, of course, but a majority of the
cut-and-paste clusters have stopped listening to their own listeners, and thus
stopped investing in them, years ago.
We may fail to see the broader picture, but we're not blinded by greed.
I think I can differentiate between a career or format change and an entire
industry going from heart to heartless, from Creative to Plug-in. There's a
stark difference between the pinching of a few pennies and mindless,
money-grubbing cold cuts.
And
where have these cuts led?
Well, one case I'm familiar with (
but sounds like so many others, so it must
be that Broader Vision stuff you're referring to) happened just a few years
ago. I was brought in on promises and smiles but, once inside, saw a station
so mismanaged it teetered on floundering.
I struggled, even paying for my own jingle sessions and personal novelty
giveaway items, and, despite broken promises, was able to hold up my end for
the longest time. I Made new friends I still have today, and had more than a
little fun with my listeners.
I'd love to finish this story about what a mess mindless cuts can produce,
(and, you're right, who gives a shit?) but - suddenly became a cost-cut statistic
myself and consequently lost touch with "that station that lost touch with its listeners."
Heard they weren't doing that well, tho.
