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Tripp West to leave Star 94, Seacrest "replaces".

T

Twitch

Guest
(The subject line pretty much says it)

After a respectable run of 11 years, Star 94 mid-day jock (and all-around nice guy) Tripp West is leaving Star 94 in May 2009.

As another poster noted a little while ago, Star's website has started to promote the "return" of Ryan Seacrest....and Seacrest will, in fact, be syndicated in mid-days. So, the words "return" and "replaces" are kind of misleading. The site has a teaser on the front page with the caption "I'M BACK" in big letters with a 12-square jumbled picture of the former Star jock.

No word yet on where Tripp is going, but I do know that he's thrilled with the run he had at Star and is looking forward to his next adventure.

That is all. Good luck, buddy!
 
I'm not pleased, but I'm not surprised either. Tripp is an excellent jock and I wish him all the best. We'll see if Seacrest is the antidote for Star's ratings issues - or at least part of it.
 
And yet ANOTHER prime shift in a Top 10 market is replaced by automation.

The people that run this industry should be lined against a wall and shot.
 
Tripp West is a top-notch talent and first-class person. He certainly can be proud of his 11-year run at Star 94. I wish him nothing but the best.

Radio is radio, and maybe it is time for a change, both for Star 94 and for Tripp.

The move to Ryan Seacrest is not a big surprise and makes some sense. Star 94 saves money and gets star power. And the fact that Seacrest hails from Star 94 might get the station a little additional value.

The jury is still out regarding the Seacrest syndication's effect on the stations that carry it, and that includes a slew of big ones such as New York's mighty Z100. My guess is that on established CHR stations, the change to Seacrest won't have much of an effect one way or the other.

But adding Seacrest in middays is certainly not a move that's going to propel Star 94's ratings in a significant way. It's like taking a car needing an engine overhaul and putting on new tires. I'm sure Star management is well aware of this. I think we'll be talking about Star 94 a lot more this year.
 
Something to bear in mind...Seacrest's show is only 3 hours. Many stations are airing it from 1-4P, but I don't think that's advisable given that it would cut an hour of C&R, Star 94's undisputed cornerstone at the moment. So maybe they'll air it from 10A-1P or Noon-3P...regardless, there's an extra two or three hours of programming to be accounted for. I wonder what JR will do with that shift.
 
That's ridiculous! Tripp is very talented and in my own opinion the more and more automation that you squeeze into Atlanta the more and more 'listeners' you lose. The people will lose interest in personality and just turn to their ipods or mp3 players (if they haven't already) because what's the point? Something needs to be done where personality returns and automation is taken out. I understand automation has it's perks but so does macaroni and cheese.. in certain portions.
 
Talent in the mid-day shift is interchangeable. People are at work and are interested in hearing music, and they certainly aren't going to decide what station they listen to based on the DJ on the air.
 
Tell Mara Davis that. Just like nobody thought personalities would make any difference in afternoon drive, Cindy & Ray proved otherwise. In the mega-rare instances where personality IS allowed in middays (Mara being just about the only example I can think of here), surprise, surprise, it works. In fact it's Dave's ONLY bright spot and Mara is the highest paid personality.
 
Cindy and Ray proved otherwise? In the ratings that came out Wednesday Q100 led Star by a large margin in women 18-34 in every daypart except nights.

I don't disagree that Tripp is a great DJ and solid personality, and I certainly think he's better than Brittany on Q100. However, Brittany was #1 in atlanta women 18-34 in their demo. Apparently the rest of Atlanta also believes the talent isn't nearly as important as the music on the air.
 
burksy said:
Talent in the mid-day shift is interchangeable. People are at work and are interested in hearing music, and they certainly aren't going to decide what station they listen to based on the DJ on the air.
Click to expand...

PPM world says otherwise - midday is ranking higher than mornings in several markets. Plus brand strength and content win with listeners over how insiders rate a jocks talent. Beyond the salary savings this move can put Star 94 back in the headlines. Ryan brings fresh content daily to the terrestrial and streaming signals. Not to mention it's a killer sales story. Marketing basics: when your brand needs help, hook on to a stronger one and ride it up!
 
PPM world says otherwise - midday is ranking higher than mornings in several markets.
Click to expand...

Burksy wasn't talking about the size of ratings. He was talking about how people listen to radio in midday.

I don't expect Seacrest to hurt Star 94, and he might help to some extent. I just think the station has more fundamental problems that need to be addressed if it hopes to overtake Q100. And I believe they will be addressed.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
I don't expect Seacrest to hurt Star 94, and he might help to some extent. I just think the station has more fundamental problems that need to be addressed if it hopes to overtake Q100. And I believe they will be addressed.
Click to expand...

Nailed it.

I will opine, however, that the mid-day competition over on Q100 - Brittany - is very solid as well. She's got a great, friendly delivery and seems personable. And although there's a fair amount of station selling, a) one can say the same for Tripp and b) that's likely an edict from the powers that be.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
PPM world says otherwise - midday is ranking higher than mornings in several markets.
Click to expand...

Burksy wasn't talking about the size of ratings. He was talking about how people listen to radio in midday.

I don't expect Seacrest to hurt Star 94, and he might help to some extent. I just think the station has more fundamental problems that need to be addressed if it hopes to overtake Q100. And I believe they will be addressed.
Click to expand...

Note that "how" people listen (read: expectations) in midday is framed by available choices. To date, other than Mara, they're are pretty thin for music formats - usually it's someone to keep the transmitter warm and hit sweepers. Mara is proof that you can win with more than a jukebox 10-3. Ryan can take it to the next level. Imagine a rate card with midday at $750 and mornings at $200. It's a new day - and about friggin' time!
 
Has anyone ever listened to Seacrest's radio show? It's been a few months since I've streamed it, but when I did it was very celebrity-driven (of course, being in LA), but weak on other content. He did have a feature with a child he called "L'il Allie" who used to prank call
department stores and ask strange questions (pranks on the 20s, anyone?), but other than that it was pretty thin. Maybe he's added more now that the show is going to be syndicated, but like Roddy said, it probably won't shift the ratings much either way. My question is with the Mess, Seacrest, and Cindy and Ray, will some be turned off by the constant talk? Like someone mentioned, many people listen while they work. Do they want Seacrest chattering in the background about the bad sushi he had the night before? I don't really have a strong opinion either way, just wondering. And I, like everyone, wish Tripp the best. He is a very genuine, talented guy.
 
Looks like it's going to be Ryan noon-3p starting Monday 1/12. http://www.star94.com/ryan/

Roddy, I'm stealing a previous idea of yours (Shannon in the middays). Could someone imagine a voicetracked Shannon 10a-noon? (and extend in part the Morning Mess brand until noon)?
 
caller10 said:
Roddy, I'm stealing a previous idea of yours (Shannon in the middays). Could someone imagine a voicetracked Shannon 10a-noon? (and extend in part the Morning Mess brand until noon)?
Click to expand...

Same thought crossed my mind, actually. All Access suggested that JR Ammons might take over from 10-noon, but I have no idea whether that was purely conjecture or otherwise. I would guess that 10a-noon will be voicetracked, regardless of who's actually tracking, but I'd love to be incorrect.
 
As in the Maverick who's been on The Beat for years? I don't remember him being on Q100, but I recall very little about Q between 2001 and 02 so it's possible...
 
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