Wease?CMF update?

[SirRoxalot]

Losing Hand

I believe in talent too. I just don't believe that Wease has any chance of making a living outside Rochester. I also don't believe that any operator in Rochester will offer him anywhere near the kind of money he made during his last contract.

Sitting out is just going to cost Wease money - more money than most jocks, including some with better ratings - make in a year. Holding out won't get him a deal that's enough better to make up the loss. In fact, Entercom may just rework their agreement with the DOJ, let 'CMF twist in the wind, and make off with WRRM instead. More income, less headaches. David Field ain't stupid. If 'CMF goes down the tubes, that's one less competitor in the long run.

Meanwhile, Wease STILL has nowhere else to go. If Clear Channel finds a buyer, or 'CMF & 'PXY are bundled with Fickle & The Zone and sold to a new player, neither party is likely to commit big money to a 60-year-old prima donna who's had serious health problems, along with serious attitude problems. They'll be paying off the cost of the stations, and not looking to take on a salary several times the going rate for the market.

Wease may decide to make a stand. The result will just be more money out of his pocket in the long run. Meanwhile, the Entercom oversized cluster continues to operate, and WRRM helps boost the bottom line enough to make up for whatever 'CMF loses.

 

[JohnGault]

You are assuming that the money is more important than anything else. Most managers do. You also include lots of insults in your post. Talent = Ego. No prima donna equals no ratings. Old? Health problems? Heck, Britney's got health problems and Rudy Guliani is a cancer survivor. You're reaching, and you don't need to. I relate to both sides, but like baseball it's the greedy fat cats vs the greedy player. I happen to be for the guy who actually has talent.

 

[OttoM]

You are assuming that the money is more important than anything else. Most managers do.

In today's radio - you had better believe money is more important than anything else. Don't believe me? Look at what John Hogan just did.

While it's very nice to think of radio as the picture you describe, John, it's not reality. And Wease is learning all about reality.

 

[SirRoxalot]

John, you're the one doing the assuming.

Maybe money is just a way of keeping score for Wease. Either way, he wants more.

My statement that Wease is a prima donna has nothing to do with his talent. Have you listened to him whine about not having a window? What other morning show REQUIRED its own studio? There are plenty of real-life examples that can be quoted here that label Wease a prima donna. There are also plenty of very talented people both in and out of the market who I'd never tag with that label.

Wease's health problems and age are a factor in the longevity of the contract, and the odds that he'll fullfill them successfully.

I'm not "for" either side. I'm just telling you what I perceive as the reality of the situation. It would be a shame for Wease to sit out for no reason, and ultimately lose a pretty hefty paycheck because his ego got in the way. It doesn't serve either Wease or his listeners well.

 

[JohnGault]

John, you're the one doing the assuming.

Yes, I am assuming that Entercom will lose a LOT of money if they lose Wease. I have the experience to back that up, but you don't have to take my word for it.

Maybe money is just a way of keeping score for Wease. Either way, he wants more.

That sounds like ASSUMING to me. I haven't talked to him, so I don't know what he wants. All of you do, though. I have heard various stories from "he wants more" to "they want to cut his value by more than half.

I don't pretend to know what I don't know. That's what you guys do.

Have you listened to him whine about not having a window? What other morning show REQUIRED its own studio?

I can think of many, in many markets... one of them makes 100 Million dolllars a year. Certainly if you think Rochester is too small for that, you like to think small, which is why you never had a number 1 talk show. Lots of #1 rated shows do that kind of bit, and you would have to be pretty small town and sheltered not to know that.

Wease's health problems and age are a factor in the longevity of the contract, and the odds that he'll fullfill them successfully

Pure Baloney. Ask Imus. ask Dick Purtan. When revenue dies, you do, and not until. Period. Fact.

It would be a shame for Wease to sit out for no reason, and ultimately lose a pretty hefty paycheck because his ego got in the way.

His type of show can sit and come back. Yes it would be a shame if ENTERCOM'S ego got in the way and caused them to lose all that money.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Winners and Losers

Entercom won't lose squat if they sell off 'CMF and keep WRRM. Entercom will make money in the meantime because the listeners will go somewhere, and they're more likely to go to other Entercom properties than the also-rans owned by now-crippled Clear Channel.

I don't know of any other morning show in Rochester that has its own studio, and Wease ain't got nothin' outside of Rochester. That's not thinking small, that's being realistic about his appeal. What people do in NYC, LA, or Chicago doesn't apply to Rochester. If you think that Wease can take his act there, then he needs to make the move. His non-compete won't prevent that.

If age and health aren't factors, then Wease ought to be willing to stipulate that he'll forego part of his salary if he's unable to perform because of health issues.

Wease may be able to sit and come back, but he's got to have a place to come back to. NOBODY in Rochester is willing to pay what he's asking. That's a simple fact. Whether new owners will change that fact is doubtful.

John, you have your point of view, and I'm not sure that you know the market well enough to support your contentions. You've never told us your background, or why you suddenly appeared after the Wease situation made it to public scrutiny. I get the impression that you've got a dog in this fight, and that dog ain't Entercom. I don't have a dog in this fight, but I think that I have a pretty good handle on the players. Neither Wease nor Entercom is gonna drop a chunk of change on me either way, so I don't really care who "wins". I'd hate to see Wease, the listeners, or a heritage station lose because somebody gave him bad advice.

Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm right. Time will tell.

 

[JohnGault]

You would have us believe that buying a heritage property that is a top biller, and reducing it to a stick for quick sale would be painless to Entercom? I know David well enough to know he would not be proud of that.

You also believe that you know what Wease is asking. Hmmm, yet no dog in the race huh? That doesn't pass the blogging body language test. Unless you are just one of those guys who is jealous of talent and tries to keep them from getting "uppity". I most certainly don't know what Wease is asking, and know from experience that numbers posted here are very unreliable.

Most contracts have health clauses. Duh.

Maybe you have told everyone who you are during one of your 3,308 posts. I must have missed it. I think the anonymity here is part of the reason people can speak freely. In our real jobs we are not allowed to.

I assure you I have no financial interest whatsoever in the outcome. I also have no beef with Entercom, though I think they could handle this better. My point of view does not need supporting, it just is what it is. The outcome is not decided by anybody on this board, and I offer my views for entertainment purposes only.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Blogging BLT

I'm not sure what a "blogging body language test" is, so I guess I'll have to go back to blogging school for remedial help.

As far as being jealous of talent is concerned, I'm quite happy with my current position, thank you. I don't make anywhere near Wease's money, but I also don't have anywhere near Wease's problems. Money really isn't everything as long as you can support a lifestyle that makes you happy.

My anonymity must remain intact in order to avoid problems with my employer, but those who've been around the board for a while have a pretty good handle on my views. I certainly am not pro-corporate, but I like to think that my opinions are based on considerable experience and facts gathered from multiple sources. And, like your opinions, they are offered for entertainment purposes only - at least until somebody offers to pay me for them.

 

[slickkicker]

I've been out of the biz for some time now and will acknowledge that I'm jealous of the scratch made by some others. I suck at contract talks. Dave Kane sucks at them too.

But let us gain some perspective here. WCMF blows and sucks as a radio station and has for years. WCMF is W-BILLS or W-WEASE. Entercom has diagnosed the disease.

 

[Radknowski]

The Gault-Roxalot WCMF-Wease debate was rather enjoyable, so I thought I'd re-kindle the thread for the sake of intelligent discourse, to be sure. Looks like Entercom has cost-cutting issues in other markets as well:

It's not just radio, all media is focused on cost-cutting. It's TV and print too. And in radio, it's not just Clear Channel tightening its belt. Three Entercom talk show hosts in Seattle were fired last week "for budgetary reasons."

This may portend Wease's future at WCMF, or lack thereof in the Flower City. Have at it gentlemen.

 

[SirRoxalot]

Brought to you by the LoWV???

So, you're like the "innocent" bystander who asks Bill if Barak is ready to be president.

Mr. Gault and I agree on many issues. I'm sure that we will continue to disagree on a few issues.

My reply, like the 'CMF website, remains "Under Construction".

 

[OttoM]

The Gault-Roxalot WCMF-Wease debate was rather enjoyable, so I thought I'd re-kindle the thread for the sake of intelligent discourse, to be sure. Looks like Entercom has cost-cutting issues in other markets as well:

It's not just radio, all media is focused on cost-cutting. It's TV and print too. And in radio, it's not just Clear Channel tightening its belt. Three Entercom talk show hosts in Seattle were fired last week "for budgetary reasons."

This may portend Wease's future at WCMF, or lack thereof in the Flower City. Have at it gentlemen.

Don't count on it. Those Seattle stations WERE owned by Entercom, but have been owned by Bonneville for over six months now.

 

[JohnGault]

Yeah, I checked. Those were 3 weekend part-timers in Seattle. Not relevant.

Roxalot and I are on the same page in his Conspiracy Theory rant.

So I'll let the Wease debate stand. My only prediction is that Entercom will lose money if they don't sign him, meaning he has leverage. I am on record stating talent is more important than quarterly numbers, and management is killing the business because they have that backwards.

With the egos involved, I agree with Rox... it's under construction!

 

[slickkicker]

You could just end up blowing it up! The calls could change and the format too. It could become a JACK or RIVER.

Stan screwed it up and Entercom can't be blamed. WCMF is identified as the Wease station as compared to being a great rock station with a high profile morning show. There's been no one in that building for years who truly appreciates what WCMF meant locally and musically.

I saw some video recently of Dave Kane chatting up the new Genesis Live record (minus Peter Gabriel of course). No wonder he never got the stripes let alone picked the hits. And they paid this guy serious scratch!

The more I think about it the more I feel that Entercom just might torch the disease.