Truly Amazed!

[slickkicker]

Just catching up on the latest Entercom/Wease stuff here. The ratings don't justify paying half a million for this guy (and even more for his "staff"). WCMF probably bills six million or so. They billed 5 over twenty years ago. Sure it's growth yet it's insignificant as compared to the erosion the stations numbers have accomplished over the years. And with all of the other media options Entercom reps compete against on a daily basis in this day..I'd say Wease is talking himself out of a job.

The little guys like Kane and Pete are toast. Every potential employer will be wary of trying to pay off there mortgages, ex-wives, vacations etc. They have Wease as an example. And certainly Entercom people didn't too much like having there egos bruised while CBS was blissfully brandishing outlandish salaries and perks. You'd be tweaked too.

If I know Wease, and I was close many years ago, he'll bail and go for the FOX or some other option. From a distance I'm not surprised that complaints about the studio have surfaced and hit the air. That sounds like Wease. When you're trying to re-negotiate however this diatribe certainly won't help.

I say Wease ends up on another outlet with a salary under 200 G's. He'll commit to three years, get some Mondays off, keep some of his crew and end his gig at 9 AM.

 

[SirRoxalot]

What Goes Around...

Slick, the only argument that I have with your scenario is that I'm not sure that CC will pony up $200Gs at this point. They're trying to sell Rochester. Any ratings bounce that they might get won't come soon enough to offset the huge salary increase that Wease thinks he's worth.

Wease held CBS's feet to the fire 10 years ago when he negotiated that sweetheart deal. This time, the fire's warming his toes. Karma, brutha.

 

[slickkicker]

Let's go nuclear! Wease could end up replacing Norton at 97 Rock! Just joking.

He's taking a BIG salary cut and he might enhance the CC sale while he's at it.

 

[slickkicker]

I guess nobody got it. Norton wanted the WCMF morning slot back in 1984 but ended up being the Production Director there for four long years before 97 Rock came back in 1988 and gladly made Norton the morning guy. Both John Hager and Larry Norton did time at WCMF and both got the shaft.

Today 97 Rock is..well 97 Rock. WCMF is another story.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

If I know Wease, and I was close many years ago, he'll bail and go for the FOX or some other option. From a distance I'm not surprised that complaints about the studio have surfaced and hit the air. That sounds like Wease. When you're trying to re-negotiate however this diatribe certainly won't help.

I say Wease ends up on another outlet with a salary under 200 G's. He'll commit to three years, get some Mondays off, keep some of his crew and end his gig at 9 AM.

The days of paying jocks six-figure salaries are history. There is just one other major media owner in Rochester (Clear Channel) and that company isn't about to pay him what he made at CMF or even half of that.
The longer Wease is off the air the less of a bargaining chip he has because you know one of the cardinal rules of broadcasting; once your off the air people eventually forget about you.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Another "Voice"

Welcome to the party, Voice. You're a little late with your observations, but welcome none the less.

There are some jocks who will make six figures. Leading morning teams will get it, and are well worth it. The six figures will be on the low end. Very few local people will have salaries that start with a "2". The $150K range is likely to be closer to the standard. I don't see anybody commanding "Wease Numbers" in today's environment.

There may even be a few people in PM Drive that command six figures. PM Drive now has higher cumes than AM Drive.

Ultimately, salary levels may rise. I believe that radio's revenue decline correlates directly with the increase in syndication, voice-tracking, and tightening of formats. Sooner or later, some suit will be labelled as a "genius" (i.e. Dave Mason at CBS-FM) for re-introducing personality to radio, and encouraging jocks who make a connection with listeners. People who can do that successfully will have ratings that will justify a reasonable percentage of the revenue that they generate.

PS - I'm talking about commercial radio - not public broadcasting. I know that you have your ax to grind there.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

Re: Another "Voice"

Welcome to the party, Voice. You're a little late with your observations, but welcome none the less.

There are some jocks who will make six figures. Leading morning teams will get it, and are well worth it. The six figures will be on the low end. Very few local people will have salaries that start with a "2". The $150K range is likely to be closer to the standard. I don't see anybody commanding "Wease Numbers" in today's environment.

There may even be a few people in PM Drive that command six figures. PM Drive now has higher cumes than AM Drive.

Ultimately, salary levels may rise. I believe that radio's revenue decline correlates directly with the increase in syndication, voice-tracking, and tightening of formats. Sooner or later, some suit will be labelled as a "genius" (i.e. Dave Mason at CBS-FM) for re-introducing personality to radio, and encouraging jocks who make a connection with listeners. People who can do that successfully will have ratings that will justify a reasonable percentage of the revenue that they generate.

PS - I'm talking about commercial radio - not public broadcasting. I know that you have your ax to grind there.

I wish that I could share your optimism about the return of personality radio, but unfortunately I do not because such a format requires station managers to cut into their profit margins in order to pay for local personnel.
As for “an ax to grind with public broadcasting”, I have no quarrel with public radio; in fact a good part of my day is spent listening to public radio. I just don’t happen to think that its right for certain people making six-figure salaries to go on the air crying the ‘poverty blues’ while lining their own pockets and driving around in (station purchased) gas-guzzling SUV’s.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Re: Another "Voice"

I wish that I could share your optimism about the return of personality radio, but unfortunately I do not because such a format requires station managers to cut into their profit margins in order to pay for local personnel.

If the trends continue to spiral downward, there won't be any profit margins for station managers anyway.

If radio doesn't differentiate itself from other delivery methods by adding live and local content, there will be a lot less reason for people to choose radio instead of MP3 players, satellite, and WiFi radio. WiFi radio may, in fact, become a higher-quality delivery method for programming from quality-challenged AMs and signal-challenged FMs. It's conceivable that some low-power stations may find that Internet streams delivered via WiFi radio can ultimately may deliver more listeners than traditional over-the-air broadcast.

 

[Bob1370]

RoxaLot points out quite rightly that "If radio doesn't differentiate itself from other delivery methods by adding live and local content, there will be a lot less reason for people to choose radio instead of MP3 players, satellite, and WiFi radio."

Less reason? NO reason, really. Without the value-added of entertaining personalities and useful information that a good local radio station provides, there is NO reason for someone to prefer the accountant's dream of voice-tracked automated radio over your own custom-programmed mix of CDs, cassettes and MP3s...especially since your own music mix is coming to you commercial-free 24/7 and there's never a song you don't like. Why would any normal person want to listen to a mechanical mix of burned-out songs and endless commercial stop-sets instead?

The bean counters are trying to squeeze the maximum return out of radio--but when you look at the sick P&L statements most major broadcast groups are posting these days as a result of all their cost and quality cutting moves, what they're really doing is squeezing themselves out of business. It's not too late to save it--but if they don't act soon to put quality back into the product, maybe it'll be time to let commercial radio as we know it continue its decline and ultimately die, in hopes that perhaps something good will rise like a phoenix from the ashes.

 

[AndrewLawson]

It's become rather clear. After reading everything that's been written about talent, by talent, personalities, personality radio (whatever that is) and corporate decisions by those who've dealt with corporate deciders; it comes down to this. Air talent, personalities, dee-jays, whatever you prefer to call the people we hear on the radio: Management has given them a vote of No Confidence. And in return, radio is getting the same No Confidence vote from listeners and share holders. This seems especially true for 18-34 year olds. No Confidence. Keep playing those stupid, predictable, over-researched, tired ten songs in a row followed by ten minute commercial breaks and a contests to win trips to Cancun. Is it asking too much for listeners to hear a live, human being talk to them and make the radio sound like a human experience? Apparently, it is. But in the end even the best radio station cannot beat an iPod or mp3 player. Most listeners would like to give radio more time but radio keeps disappointing them.