• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

The Clear Channel Changes

A

andywknz

Guest
Just curious if anyone related to WRDX was kept when on-board when the format was changed from The River to Tom-FM? I can't say I listen to WDSD a lot, but I don't hear Phil doing news anymore, either... Anyone know what happened to Phil and the staff from The River?
 
Not sure about anything happening to Phil, as far as being let go. The holidays just passed and he may have been on vacation.

As far as The River/TOM-FM are concerned, I know that, as of right now, the OM/PD, Bob Walton was let go about a week after the flip, The River AM show (John Hanson and Max Morgan) were cut the day before the flip, the midday guy (Glen Hamilton?) was voicetracked from Harrisburg, PA and I would assume he's still in Harrisburg. Not sure if Brad Majors was kept on. He was sharing production duties with Kathryn Alt and I know she's still there and I can't really see a need for 3 production people in the cluster, since WDSD and WDOV still have the services of Donna Cavender...

Of course, if all rumors are proven true, the Clear Channel heads haven't even begun to roll yet....
 
I listened to WDSD this morning during the Big D and Bubba Show and yes Phil is still there doing the news. He is also still a contributor at WDOV and WILM for Delaware This Morning.

Donna Cavander is doing mid days at WDSD and the Saturday night Country Gold show.

The production work on the Big D and Bubba show has improved since I listened the last time. Even though I know those two are from Premiere Radio and not in Dover you can't tell. Their chatter isn't any more interesting than before, but they sound like they are in Dover.

I like Donna's mid day show better as she does play some great sounds from the 90's that you don't get to hear along with the latest hits.

I went to WDOV, WDSD, WRDX, and WILM's web sites today. Interestingly, all but WRDX list the station's on air personalities, like WDSD listed Big D and Bubba, Donna Cavander, and the other jocks and Phil Feliceangeli; WILM listed Mark Fowser, Ted Efaw, John Watson, Rush, Hannity, etc; WDOV listed Phil Feliceangeli, Glenn Beck, Rush, Hannity, etc. WRDX didn't list anyone.
 
There is nothing but music, liners, spots, and Alex Piela doing traffic and weather on WRDX... (and on that topic, the station voice stinks) No talent to list, because there is none!
 
It's a shame, WRDX had the potential to be an excellent station. The problem is the same as many stations, short playlists, too many commercials, DJs with over inflated egos, etc. In my opinion, they should change the format to a "hard and heavy classic rock", as is found on sat. radios "boneyard". Also, they need to direct their programming to strictly mid-state, and not try to be another above the canal station.
 
WRDX started as an active rock station in 1997, moving to classic rock that rocks in 1999. I was there doing mornings from '97 to '02 and the numbers the station got during that time were marginal, at best. It wasn't for a lack of good programming, music or talent. It was mostly because in Wilmington, you were still able to get WMMR, WMGK and WYSP, which were, and to some extent, still are, the heritage rock stations in the 3 state area (PA, NJ, & DE). WRDX also suffered from signal issues in New Castle County, hence their move back to 92.9 early last year. Not sure going back to what they originally were is the answer to the many problems that Clear Channel Delaware has...or starting tomorrow...going to have.
 
Seems that 'Black Tuesday' inside the Clear Channel web claimed a couple of names from the Delaware cluster. Looks like Joe LeCompte was cut from WILM and the bigger shocker was that Donna Cavender was cut loose from WDSD. I always thought that Donna was a class act and did a great show...radio sucks.
 
I worked with Joe LeCompte at WILM. He's a good reporter and newscaster, and a decent person to boot. They've really cut WILM to the bare bones. Only a few folks left. If CC doesn't quit cutting back on people at WILM, it will soon only be Mark Fowser, John Watson, and a board op (to produce Watson's show and then produce the weekend local shows) left as a news department and on air staff. Unfortunately for Mark, as I guess with all the other PD's and News Directors in the CC clusters around the nation, they don't get to make those decisions, CC higher ups (bean counters) at the home office in Texas does. It must be frustrating for Mark and those others watch as their stations are being cut into the meat and bone of their organizations.

Of course, radio isn't alone in this current economic climate to be facing such cuts, all industry other than possibly Forclosure and Bankruptcy Lawyers are cutting back in major ways.

Donna Cavender has been at WDSD for many years, she's did a great job as the mid day host (frankly I was surprised when WDSD put Big D and Bubba on rather than moving Donna to morning drive) and I especially liked her Saturday night Time Machine Show. Maybe WXCY, WXTU, or the other lower Delaware country station, Cat Country I forget the calls) will pick her up before she leaves the local area in search of a new radio gig. In Delaware she's a well known name in country radio.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom