The Coming Cumulus Massacre of Citadel

[Element9]

Here it is February and the Buffalo cluster appears stable. Rumors of eminent demise locally seem to have been greatly exaggerated. Could be shedding the Bills saved the day.

 

[heydaybegone]

Here it is February and the Buffalo cluster appears stable

E9....cudos on the glass half full observation ;D
Surely giving credence to the Bills for such a concept equates to missing a field goal (tongue in cheek)
I will join you in the "egg on the face" reality show by suggesting it still may not be over...just in hiatus
"After all..tomorrow is another day"
Vegas line says 50-50 with no spread...you in? Any other takers ???

HDBG

 

[Bob1370]

Could be that Cumulus' penny pinching is going to be focused on bigger markets.

They already blew up KGO in San Francisco, now they're spreading Geraldo across a bunch of markets instead of local shows...and watch how they use Mike Huckabee, who's airing live in Rush Limbaugh's noon-3 PM ET slot. Don't be surprised if he shows up in place of Rush (one of the highest priced talkers in syndication, if not THE highest) at stations like WABC, WJR, WMAL and WLS. Numbers might ease a little, but a barter show like Huckabee will be to Cumulus, is an awful lot more inherently profitable than a show which costs you a ton of money to buy.

(For that matter, a local host would be cheaper than Rush in most of the markets where he airs, so it'll be interesting to see if Rush has to make a choice between more reasonable carriage rates and losing some markets in the next few years as his existing contracts have to be renewed.)

Buffalo could be spared this time, not just because the Bills are off their books, but because they've already trimmed beyond fat to muscle and bone...

 

[SirRoxalot]

Rumor has it that there are a lot of empty cubicles in the sales area. Some of that has to do with the loss of the Bills, but not all of it.

 

[Element9]

House accounts.

 

[GeorgeKramer]

A few empty cubicles, but not as many as most had first feared.

 

[Element9]

With the release of the Spring book just days away, the Cumulus Buffalo cluster seems stable, at least on the surface. However, there does seem to be a trend rolling through Cumulus' larger markets as it applies to on-air program directors. In Dallas, Atlanta and New York, full air shifts are part of each Cumulus program director's daily assignment.

http://www.radio-info.com/news/cumulus-makes-adjustments-at-chrs-in-dallas-and-atlanta-involving-devoe-mil

It appears off-the-air PDs may be a luxury in Cumulus' eyes.

 

[chas108]

With the release of the Spring book just days away, the Cumulus Buffalo cluster seems stable, at least on the surface. However, there does seem to be a trend rolling through Cumulus' larger markets as it applies to on-air program directors. In Dallas, Atlanta and New York, full air shifts are part of each Cumulus program director's daily assignment.

http://www.radio-info.com/news/cumulus-makes-adjustments-at-chrs-in-dallas-and-atlanta-involving-devoe-mil

It appears off-the-air PDs may be a luxury in Cumulus' eyes.

I understand what you're saying, 9...but I'd argue that given the choice, I'd take an on-air PD...someone pulling no more then 3 hours a day but is on-air enough to know the trenches firsthand. Scott Shannon is an excellent example of an on-air PD. This assumes that some of the PD duties are delegated to a strong assistant.

Then again...I've heard that the legendary Jeff Kaye wasn't all that great on-air, even though WBZ/Boston is on his resume. My current PD, one of the best I've worked for in 30 years in the biz...also claims he wasn't all that great on-air.

That said, my understanding is that Cumulus' end game is to run their operations as cheaply as possible, results be damned.

 

[TheBigA]

It appears off-the-air PDs may be a luxury in Cumulus' eyes.

I think it really depends on the format.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Chas, there are plenty of Jeff Kaye airchecks on the Internet. Google 'em, and decide for yourself. I think he more than holds his own with the talent of the time.

I too think that a programmer has a different perspective if they pull an airshift from time to time, but I don't believe it has to be a full-time gig. One danger is that they may try to make the presentation even simpler and more generic only because they really don't have time to do the show prep, and master the newer control room technologies. Most on-air PDs seem to be doing a lot of things other than their show when they're on the air.

 

[heydaybegone]

And yet, I question what PD's are doing during their day. Where corporate dictations come down to programming, it doesn't take much time to implement. The cue cards don't turn yellow (and need a Sharpie Renewal) that quickly. I'm thinking a (corporate based) PD should be pulling a full airshift...and not be an overpaid title for material the Regional PD is giving him!! ;D
It ain't that tough if you have your staff doing what you need to have happen.

 

[chas108]

Chas, there are plenty of Jeff Kaye airchecks on the Internet. Google 'em, and decide for yourself. I think he more than holds his own with the talent of the time.

I too think that a programmer has a different perspective if they pull an airshift from time to time, but I don't believe it has to be a full-time gig. One danger is that they may try to make the presentation even simpler and more generic only because they really don't have time to do the show prep, and master the newer control room technologies. Most on-air PDs seem to be doing a lot of things other than their show when they're on the air.

Excellent points all, SirRox. Now that I think of it...one A/C I worked at back in the 80's had a PD who did simplify the presentation because he was afraid of anyone showing him up. I wasn't there long...and having spent much of my career with hyphens in my title...I can attest to the difficulties of leaving the PD...or even MD or Production Director duties behind when I'm on-air.

And I will have to go dig up some old Jeff Kaye airchecks and give 'em a listen. The assessment I'd made was based off comments he himself may have made on either the old SOWNY Show or WKBWradio.com. It's been a few years.

But getting back to the topic at hand...Tuesday, Jerry DelColliano reported that Rick Dees had a dinner meeting with Lew Dickey...

"Lew Dickey was spotted having dinner with Rick Dees at the Patys Restaurant in Burbank Friday – one day after he quit Clear Channel...Dees denies he had dinner with Dickey although he was plainly seen with him."

Jerry goes on to speculate the possibility of Dees becoming Cumulus' version of Ryan Seacrest, fed to all their CHR's which wouldn't affect Buffalo but would affect 93Q/Syracuse. They've already got a ready-to-go CHR night show...my ol' B94/Pittsburgh buddy Adam Bomb is Perez Hilton's sidekick there.

 

[TheBigA]

Jerry goes on to speculate the possibility of Dees becoming Cumulus' version of Ryan Seacrest, fed to all their CHR's which wouldn't affect Buffalo but would affect 93Q/Syracuse.

They also have a lot of adult hits stations. Over on the LA board, people have talked about how good Dees would fit with the crew at KRTH. My bet would be that they might want Dees to do some kind of national show for that format. Maybe replace John Tesh on WHTT?

 

[chas108]

Jerry goes on to speculate the possibility of Dees becoming Cumulus' version of Ryan Seacrest, fed to all their CHR's which wouldn't affect Buffalo but would affect 93Q/Syracuse.

They also have a lot of adult hits stations. Over on the LA board, people have talked about how good Dees would fit with the crew at KRTH. My bet would be that they might want Dees to do some kind of national show for that format. Maybe replace John Tesh on WHTT?

Dees seems like a better fit for Adult Hits or HAC than today's Top 40.

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

Seems Dees would fit a Classic Hits or AC format better than CHR, where he's out of the demo.

PDs have their hands full these days. It's not just pressing F9 on Selector or Music Master. Many PDs also do the web site, station imaging production, have their arms wrapped around promotions and deal with incoming fire from sales. And there's the daily meat grinder of programming not one, but sometimes three stations, managing/massaging a morning show and proper feeding and caring of on air talent. Some PDs even block out time to coach their talent and groom newbies. Time management is critical and even the most disciplined, organized PDs run out of time.

With all this, a PD can still do what used to be called a "show." The problem is, and anybody who's been a PD knows how it works, the studio often becomes a convenient place for the GM, SM or jocks to corner the PD and discuss issues. It's hard to tell a GM, especially one who may not appreciate the demands of programming and doing a shift (er, "show"), to "take a hike." There's a story about a major market RKO PD who would tape a large sign on the studio door when he was on the air, "THIS IS NOT A CONFERENCE ROOM. I'M DOING A RADIO SHOW TALKING TO 250,000 LISTENERS." It stopped all but the GM from waltzing in to discuss the problems of the day.

As to Jeff Kaye, on the few occasions that he went on the air to fill in during the short time I worked at KB, even the K-Big legacies would perk up, "Hey, Jeff's gonna be on this Thursday." When I visited him a few months ago (travel arrangements courtesy of Dan Neaverth... Don Berns unable to join as hoped, but offered a classic one liner about spending four hours in a car with Dan), Jeff gave me a large box of tapes, including air checks, Buffalo Bills football production and some narrations, to be donated to the Buffalo Broadcasters. He also asked me to digitize a few tapes for his personal archives. As fate would have it, my electronically pristine Revox 99 burned out a capstan roller (they seem to turn into Gummy Bears after a few years), so I've had to beat the bushes for another reel to reel. Luckily, our friend Pat Feldballe offered one of his back-up Otari's. I'll pick up this weekend and look forward to hearing some treasured audio.

Apologies for the name dropping. (Big A, take note of the Buffalo names. There may be a test. Heh, heh...)

 

[TheBigA]

Apologies for the name dropping. (Big A, take note of the Buffalo names. There may be a test. Heh, heh...)

Right! Heheheheh.

From what I can see, Cumulus is trying to lessen the workload of PDs. Obviously they're replacing fringe dayparts with syndication, so that's less work. The format captains pick most of the adds and set the rotations. They just bought a jingle and imaging company, so the PDs don't have to do that any more. Doing a mid-day shift isn't a big strain. That daypart is usually music intensive anyway. They can voicetrack the shift in 20 minutes, and get back to spending time with the GM.

Yes I understand it's not the job a lot of these folks signed up for. They wanted to have fun. But the biggest regret I see from over-50 DJs who're now on the beach is they never advanced in their career. The way to do that is to get closer to the power base, which is in the corner office. I know that's a mortal sin, but if salary and career advancement are important, you have to grow up someday. From my experience, the few management types who also understand programming are actually revered and respected for their ability to actually get things done rather than delegate. Look at Dan Mason.

 

[Board Editor]

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