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Thoughts on CBS-FM Success and Personalities

BigA. I just lost my teeth laughing at your comment. Yeah, even radio is to blame for not hiring immortals. Another reason for someone to start a hate blog.

Here’s the deal. Scott Shannon will say more soon, but he was ready and wanted to stop BEFORE radio stopped him. Money and contracts mean nothing to him. But, he had to land his own plane because he is so set in his regiment and work ethic that he knows what that can lead too. The regiment is brutal. He just made it look really easy.

Broadway Bill has said he wants to keep going for at least a few more years. His health and energy are great right now and he has been tracking from home so it has been a positive. Note CBS-FMs VT allows near instantaneous breaks, so Bill and Dave Stewart track that way. Sometimes they are in studio, but....

And for the guy typing on the typewriter and mailing in what we see above who thinks CBS-FM is done.... it’s literally pretty much one of the TOP 3 most listened to radio stations in America. So, like it’s said in the radio world (ok maybe not) “don’t let the off button hit you in the ears.”
Sadly real radio is about “WE” not you or me. And CBS has lots more listeners than past air personalities (with us still and sadly passed on.)
 
A forced retirement is not "mutually beneficial." You said you believe this was forced.
A layoff is not mutually beneficial. But how it’s sold to the public can be. Suppose a deal was made to sell this as Scott’s choice to “retire”. Audacy looks good. Scott doesn’t look like damaged goods and appears to have the upper hand. Hence, mutually beneficial.
 
RMarino - this was not at all an Audacy mandate in sheep clothes. I get why most things can be suspect.

FWIW, anyone know that Jim Kerr had a birthday today? They didn’t even hide he is 70. There goes all those listeners thinking he is 45.
 
A layoff is not mutually beneficial. But how it’s sold to the public can be. Suppose a deal was made to sell this as Scott’s choice to “retire”.

Then it's not forced. He's in agreement. When something is forced on you, you aren't in agreement.

But it's all speculation. The only way we really know is if Scott ends up doing wake-ups somewhere else.
 
I suspect Audacy didn’t want to continue to pay Scott’s salary. The choice was to either fire him or have him continue part-time “in other ventures“. We all know which option looks better from PR standpoint.
WCBS FM (edit: I mistakenly at first put in WHTZ) is the 6th highest billing music station in the US. A huge portion of the revenue comes from the morning show. He was well worth whatever they were paying him and I doubt he is leaving to save them money.

I suspect that his leaving will be a net loss in revenue vs. costs for the station.

The fact that Scott himself made the first announcement and has been on the air doing a non-stop farewell show for two weeks already with nearly another two to go seems to indicate that he was the originator of this plan.
 
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David, whats WCBS-FM ranking? I will suggest that any corporate wanna-be that EVER suggested trimming anything back with Shannon was not listened too and probably long gone. He made them millions after all his “expenses.”
 
David, whats WCBS-FM ranking? I will suggest that any corporate wanna-be that EVER suggested trimming anything back with Shannon was not listened too and probably long gone. He made them millions after all his “expenses.”
I made a large mistake. The rank I posted was for CBS-FM, but somehow I got distracted and put the wrong calls. WHTZ is the 3rd highest rated music station in the US:
 
Not a huge mistake, sir! It would be interesting to see the actual $ revenues of the Top 10 US Billers. Pretty easy info to find. Does make one wonder what Audacy will do after changes in revenue and all happen at CBS-FM. Never know.
 
CBS FM is not what it used to be, I was so happy when they ditched the "Jack" (awful) format and came back, but they returned not as Oldies 101 but Classic Rock, they used to have the top 500 every year and I would always wait for what was always the number 1 song, "In the Still of the Night" by the 5 Satins (recorded in my old schools church basement in New Haven, Connecticut) well those days are looooooong gone.
 
CBS FM is not what it used to be, I was so happy when they ditched the "Jack" (awful) format and came back, but they returned not as Oldies 101 but Classic Rock,
They did not "return" at all. After the relatively brief episode as "Jack" (which had higher 25-54 share than the dying "oldies" format had towards the end) the switched to "classic hits" which is the industry term for a format that focused on later 70's and mostly 80's music.
they used to have the top 500 every year and I would always wait for what was always the number 1 song, "In the Still of the Night" by the 5 Satins (recorded in my old schools church basement in New Haven, Connecticut) well those days are looooooong gone.
And that is because the listeners for the 50's and 60's core songs are now in their mid to late 70's and have no appeal to the majority of advertisers.
 
And that is because the listeners for the 50's and 60's core songs are now in their mid to late 70's and have no appeal to the majority of advertisers.
I'm in my mid 30s and I love the 50s and 60s music!!! I'm sure there's more people like me and they should factor us into the demographic and bring this music back!!! The Vinnie Medugno Show and Cousin Brucie's Rock and Roll Party on 77 WABC are my favorite shows!!! By the way, Vinnie Medugno is in his mid 30s as well!!!!
 
I'm in my mid 30s and I love the 50s and 60s music!!! I'm sure there's more people like me and they should factor us into the demographic and bring this music back!!!

What we see is that 6% of the audience is in their early 30s. But the bulk (65%) is much older. The median age is 60.
 
I'm in my mid 30s and I love the 50s and 60s music!!! I'm sure there's more people like me and they should factor us into the demographic and bring this music back!!!
You are what is called in research an "outlier". You are part of a statistically insignificant group that can not be appealed to directly with a radio format, a consumer product or anything else. Attempting to appeal to you dilutes appeal to the major target group and weakens the product.
The Vinnie Medugno Show and Cousin Brucie's Rock and Roll Party on 77 WABC are my favorite shows!!! By the way, Vinnie Medugno is in his mid 30s as well!!!!
Then enjoy them while you can. Very few station owners can afford to program to the major appeal group of those shows... people over 65... and even less to the handful of younger consumers who like older demographic radio formats.
 
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