Triv vs. Rizzo

[Rusty Muck]

" ownership role " ? what a joke! what does that REALLY mean? Someone explain this to me. Did Bad Karma re-mortgage the properties and put Rizzos name on the notes? He's responsible for the debt? Somehow that ain't working. Not for me. Recently fired TV sports Italian goy-boy who never held a management position suddenly " owns " a " part " of what the NYC media family bought so the old man's kid has a " job" ? And Mel did this ( took on a new ownership partner ) why?

Dude, don't shoot the messenger. Like I have any understanding on any of this either. Maybe it will all make sense on Friday...

 

[Capulet]

" ownership role " ? what a joke! what does that REALLY mean? Someone explain this to me. Did Bad Karma re-mortgage the properties and put Rizzos name on the notes? He's responsible for the debt? Somehow that ain't working. Not for me. Recently fired TV sports Italian goy-boy who never held a management position suddenly " owns " a " part " of what the NYC media family bought so the old man's kid has a " job" ? And Mel did this ( took on a new ownership partner ) why?

Dude, don't shoot the messenger. Like I have any understanding on any of this either. Maybe it will all make sense on Friday...

no shot fired....just befuddled

 

[vjm]

Rizzo is Karmazin's biggest gun in Cleveland.

CK wanted to make sure his star would commit full time to radio, and not TV, because Rizzo couldn't keep doing both forever.

I don't know for sure, but this certainly sounds like something that would go down like this:

Rizz: "Craig, I can't keep doing both radio and TV, I'm tired, my marriage is on the rocks, I never see my kids, I gotta give up one or the other."

CK: "What would it take for you to stay here with me full time?"

Rizz: "I want a piece of the company, so I can call my own shots, and work at my own pace, and have a life off the clock."

CK: "If that's what it takes, you got it!"

Bottom line,--without Rizzo WKNR, WWGK, and Good Karma Cleveland is up you know what creek without a paddle, so Craig did what he thought he had to do to keep his stud in the stable.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

There are other factors.

For one, TV stations are very much letting high-priced contracts expire without renewal, or giving low offers. That probably happened to Rizzo, too.

Rizzo does indeed have a "piece" of Good Karma now. I don't know how big that "piece" is...I suspect it's a fairly small share, but significant enough to have the need to see the entire company in action.

I also don't know the mechanics of it, as asked here. I'm not an expert in finance.

I also don't see Rizzo's current show syndicated within the Good Karma universe. Another show? Who knows?

But my gut tells me that the Rome fill-ins are enough for him nationally for now...he doesn't want to be the next Dan Patrick, knowing that the national sports radio landscape is kinda spotty after Romey, DP, Mike & Mike and Bruno.

And as noted here, he would not dilute the current show's Cleveland focus just to be heard in Milwaukee, West Palm Beach and the like.

 

[former interm]

I still maintain they need to enhance the website and offer more content on the website. But, it all depends how much money they have to hire good reporters/writers.

 

[Capulet]

Rizzo is Karmazin's biggest gun in Cleveland.

CK wanted to make sure his star would commit full time to radio, and not TV, because Rizzo couldn't keep doing both forever.

I don't know for sure, but this certainly sounds like something that would go down like this:

Rizz: "Craig, I can't keep doing both radio and TV, I'm tired, my marriage is on the rocks, I never see my kids, I gotta give up one or the other."

CK: "What would it take for you to stay here with me full time?"

Rizz: "I want a piece of the company, so I can call my own shots, and work at my own pace, and have a life off the clock."

CK: "If that's what it takes, you got it!"

Bottom line,--without Rizzo WKNR, WWGK, and Good Karma Cleveland is up you know what creek without a paddle, so Craig did what he thought he had to do to keep his stud in the stable.

vjm,

Thanks but I have to disagree with your last assessment. KNR would go on with no ratings or revenue loss if Rizzo was not there. Also I may be wrong but I see Rizzos value to the radio going down since he lost the TV gig.
Matter of fact, losing the TV gig gives the bargaining power to the radio station. They know he needs whatever they want to pay him. Something about this " ownership stake " postering is fishy sounding to me.
Anyway, Rizzo is a good talent, and his act is a good listen. He is an oasis of talent in that dismal excuse for a radio station. However Bad Karma wants to pay him is okay with me. Just don't pretend like he owns the station. He doesn't.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Just don't pretend like he owns the station. He doesn't.

Since OMW is the place where this first came to light: I don't believe we've ever said that "Rizzo owns the station".

We were told by our sources that he is taking "an ownership stake" in the station. This could be a relatively small financial percentage. Maybe it was offered to him as part of his compensation deal post Fox 8? Who knows.

My gut tells me we're probably talking about a 10 percent or less stake in the company. That's certainly enough financial interest to prompt the Grand Tour of Good Karma that Rizzo talked about Monday...if you've got no stake in the game, why do you go visit Beloit WI, where GK has a station?

It doesn't make him "station owner" any more than minority investors in the Cleveland Cavaliers own the team. It's just a piece.

Though the tweaking of Keith Williams on Monday's "RBS" was interesting.

 

[Dave Sarnoff]

My gut tells me we're probably talking about a 10 percent or less stake in the company.

10 percent? LOL - a point or two maybe, but nothing close to 10 %. My guess is a tiny percentage of any profit in the event of a sale (good luck with that one).

 

[vjm]

Rizzo is Karmazin's biggest gun in Cleveland.

CK wanted to make sure his star would commit full time to radio, and not TV, because Rizzo couldn't keep doing both forever.

I don't know for sure, but this certainly sounds like something that would go down like this:

Rizz: "Craig, I can't keep doing both radio and TV, I'm tired, my marriage is on the rocks, I never see my kids, I gotta give up one or the other."

CK: "What would it take for you to stay here with me full time?"

Rizz: "I want a piece of the company, so I can call my own shots, and work at my own pace, and have a life off the clock."

CK: "If that's what it takes, you got it!"

Bottom line,--without Rizzo WKNR, WWGK, and Good Karma Cleveland is up you know what creek without a paddle, so Craig did what he thought he had to do to keep his stud in the stable.

vjm,

Thanks but I have to disagree with your last assessment. KNR would go on with no ratings or revenue loss if Rizzo was not there. Also I may be wrong but I see Rizzos value to the radio going down since he lost the TV gig.
Matter of fact, losing the TV gig gives the bargaining power to the radio station. They know he needs whatever they want to pay him. Something about this " ownership stake " postering is fishy sounding to me.
Anyway, Rizzo is a good talent, and his act is a good listen. He is an oasis of talent in that dismal excuse for a radio station. However Bad Karma wants to pay him is okay with me. Just don't pretend like he owns the station. He doesn't.

Trust me, Rizzo goes bye-bye, and Good Karma's gonna feel it in the wallet and in the ratings book.

KNR needs Rizzo more than vice versa.

Rizz has Karmazin by the short hairs in any contract negotiation because of the ratings and $$$ he brings in (in spite of Hammer and Ned).

Craig is gonna do everything he can to keep who is without a doubt the star of his signature local program happy.

If that involves giving him a piece of the pie, then that's what it's gonna be.

 

[40 oz]

Triv gets ratings because he kisses butt. He pretends he's this "tell it like it is" guy, but he toes the company line with the three teams.

Rover proved why syndication out of Cleveland wouldn't work. Rover started on, what, 13 stations and basically all of them, including WCKG, dropped him. Stuff that is popular in Cleveland just doesn't translate nationally. Just ask MSB.

Rizzo benefits from a weak timeslot. He's the only local show in mid-mornings, and people listen because he's the only thing on, save for Glenn Beck's crying act on 1100. Going to afternoons will be a trainwreck, especially with Goldhammer and Fedor taking the 9-12 spot.

What KNR needs is a local morning show, like back in the Drennan days.

 

[Rusty Muck]

My gut tells me we're probably talking about a 10 percent or less stake in the company.

10 percent? LOL - a point or two maybe, but nothing close to 10 %. My guess is a tiny percentage of any profit in the event of a sale (good luck with that one).

My guess is somewhere in between - say 5 percent.

It does remind me of when Drennan was one of the many that actually owned stock in the Cleveland Indians. That whole farce was a classic example of why ordinary people shouldn't practice investment planning without taking a basic class or two in economics.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Triv gets ratings because he kisses butt. He pretends he's this "tell it like it is" guy, but he toes the company line with the three teams.

Rover proved why syndication out of Cleveland wouldn't work. Rover started on, what, 13 stations and basically all of them, including WCKG, dropped him. Stuff that is popular in Cleveland just doesn't translate nationally. Just ask MSB.

Shane "Rover" French only has one other affiliate left. One. ONE! And it's a third-tier alt-rock station in Rochester, New York. Not the definition of "syndicated" in my book...

Rizzo benefits from a weak timeslot. He's the only local show in mid-mornings, and people listen because he's the only thing on, save for Glenn Beck's crying act on 1100. Going to afternoons will be a trainwreck, especially with Goldhammer and Fedor taking the 9-12 spot.

I actually know a few people that are diametrically the polar opposite of Glenn Beck, who feel forced to listen to Glenn (!!!) simply because they can't stand tRBS.

If Rizzo went to afternoons, unless he's TRULY calling the shots on that, Goldhammer and Ned (or at least one of the two) would automatically go along with him. Personally, I can't find the adjectives to describe how much of a disaster that would be... 'trainwreck' doesn't cut it. Too optimistic.

And I would beat my radio to death with an aluminum bat than hear Goldhammer and Ned by themselves 9a-12p.

What KNR needs is a local morning show, like back in the Drennan days.

They need a whole lot of things... the lack of a local morning show is the tip of the iceberg.

 

[gabigley1]

I was in Cleveland when it was first announced the Browns were leaving Cleveland.
Rizzo, on WHK 1420, said at first he didn't believe the Browns were leaving Cleveland
but Triv on the other hand was always better informed on the matter. That's is why I put my trust in Triv at the time.

That said, I don't think Rizzo can compete with Triv.
Not sure how things have changed over the years. Is Rizzo much better then he was
in the 90s? Maybe he is better equipped to compete with Rizzo but I wasn't impressed with him back then.

 

[Dave Sarnoff]

Is Rizzo much better then he wasin the 90s? Maybe he is better equipped to compete with Rizzo but I wasn't impressed with him back then.

You wouldn't be now, either. I'm baffled as to why so many here think he's such an asset to KNR. To me, he's utterly unlistenable, just like virtually everything else on KNR, except of course Jim Rome. That idiotic buzzer/aaaaawwww makes his show sound like something you'ld hear on a high school station. I agree he gets listeners by default just because there truly is nothing else worth listening to between 9-12.

That might change real soon, BTW.

 

[Capulet]

Rizzo is good. He has a " hometown guy " flavor to his comments that is likeable. But he's not all that important to KNR, like some here post. The RBS is not good. That could use some sculpting.
Too much crap as noted previously on other posts.
Moving RBS out of the slot between Mike & Mike and Rome ( the two best shows on the station ) would be a mistake. A colossal error. Even if they improved the RBS it would never excel past the established plateau of a niche format. Simple as that. Audience composition for sports stations is all male. Not having 1/2 the population even remotely interested in the niche makes
attempting to compete with a full service news/talk/play by play station ludicrous folly.

The braintrust at 850 would do best to build on what they have established in midday
( 9a-noon ). Moving that show to any other timeslot would be dumb. I for one don't anticipate it. They are not the shaprest knives in the broadcast drawer, but they are not THAT dumb.

Developing a traditional morning show for the 6a-10a slot is problematic over at the Ghosttown Galleria. WKNR is 1/2 a 50 thousand watt station. Only gets to use those 50K watts 1/2 the time. Find the sunrise/sunset chart for northern Ohio. Look at how many hours in the course of a year WKNR has to operate at reduced power in the morning drive slot of 6a-10a. When you see that you'll understand why Mike & Mike are on, not a " live and local " show. If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make any sound? In this case, no.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Mike & Mike are on because WKNR is "ESPN 850", and Craig is very tied up with Bristol.

10% was probably a high guess as to Rizzo's alleged ownership stake. I do not know the number, and no one has offered even a guess to me. I was just commenting that I don't think he visits Beloit and Beaver Dam without at least some $ stake in the place.

(Yes, I know Beaver Dam is HQ, but Craig probably spends more time in Cleveland, and Rizzo has no need to visit Beaver Dam other than to eyeball their small stations for his "investment", whatever percentage that is.)

I agree that moving the RBS lock, stock and barrel against Triv, with little or no change, is a train wreck waiting to happen.

Rizzo with a more dominant presence on the show? Much less Hammer et al? Maybe he's got a shot at better ratings in PMD than Reghi and Roda. But Triv will eat his lunch with the current show. And since it's Triv, he'll eat that lunch on the air.

I have an idea in my head on what Rizzo's show should sound like in PMD to compete with Triv, but it'll never happen as long as they don't have solid programming direction (sorry, Gibbs and/or Hammer) at the Galleria.

 

[VODood]

re: FM stick. No secret that Salem wants to dump 95.5. Question is how much? I"ve heard $8M (which is high)

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

If there's any smoke behind those rumors, I'm surprised Salem hasn't come to OMW to offer one or all of its signals for sale.

OK, that's only a joke. But we've heard about Salem shopping around its signals for a good year or two now, and also get the impression they want too much money.

Even a full market B here isn't getting $8 million in the radio sales market of 2011.

 

[Capulet]

re: FM stick. No secret that Salem wants to dump 95.5. Question is how much? I"ve heard $8M (which is high)

Ed Atsinger and his brother in law built their company with AM signals on which they sold brokered time to preachers. " Hello Reverend! You want an hour? That'll be $300.00. Praise the Lord. "
Clean, easy, low overhead, wildly profitable.
They had no overhead or need to pay expenses for: talent, licensing fees, consultants, ratings services, music research, request lines, program directors, promotion directors, imaging directors, and so forth. All of these expenses came with FM music stations. This was all " cost of doing business " they never had to deal with. When they jumped into the fm music station water, they almost drowned.

They used to have a couple dozen of those Fish stations. I guess that number is way down. Anyone know?

 

[Rusty Muck]

If there's any smoke behind those rumors, I'm surprised Salem hasn't come to OMW to offer one or all of its signals for sale.

OK, that's only a joke. But we've heard about Salem shopping around its signals for a good year or two now, and also get the impression they want too much money.

Even a full market B here isn't getting $8 million in the radio sales market of 2011.

And they still have WHKZ/1440 Warren to deal with - remember that WHKZ's proposed sale to a Pittsburgh preacher in 2008 never was completed. Same story with WRFD/880 Columbus, where that station's sale to the Christan Voice of Central Ohio collapsed after a long process.

My personal wish always has been for WKNR to return to 1220. 1220's night signal isn't that good, but it's light years better than 850's. If Salem ever had the courage to unload both 1220 and 95.5 to Good Karma (including GK's dispersal of 850 and 1540) that would be earth shattering.

Now, allow me to flip the common sense switch in the back of my brain...