Where else can they cut at CBS?

[Oxford_Street_Shuffle]

So it seems that Oldies has taken a brunt of the chopping from CBS over the past few days. Are there other cuts coming to Mix and BCN?

Does BCN really need all of those people on the afternoon show? Does Mix need an off air music director and a cast of characters in morning drive and afternoons while consisitantly losing to Kiss, Jamin' and sometimes Mike-FM?? Makes you wonder.

 

[dyeingeye]

The only ones they could cut on the T&R would be Adolfo or the producer. The rest have contracts. Besides, they appear to be doing very well.

I am not in the business, but from a general business perspective and knowing what happened in NYC, look for long time off air personalities to go away at WBCN. I have no idea what ChaChi does except tell stories and tape shows to be broadcast at 6:00AM on Sundays.

 

[miz]

I'm not a Boston radio guy, but I was a CBS employee for two of their major markets... This post caught my eye. Trust me they can cut in places you don't even think they could. My last CBS gig they canned the National Sales Assistants and had the HR Mrg. doubling up duties as the National Sales Assistant. In a top 25 Mkt!!! Where is this company going?!?

 

[MassMusicMan]

Isn't Chachi the promotions director? Every station needs one. Somebody has to schedule the $8/hr. college kids.

Maybe CBS is the one that should be cut. Why don't they just sell the stations to somebody who gives a shit?

 

[dyeingeye]

The last post brought something to mind. I read a discussion of the woes of Entercom stock and somebody made the point that the company brings in cash but doesn't have the revenue growth that Wall Street looks for.

What are the chances that these radio conglomerates are broken up to be sold to local owners that are happy with a steady stream of cash and don't have to answer to Wall Street?

 

[Steele1080]

The last post brought something to mind. I read a discussion of the woes of Entercom stock and somebody made the point that the company brings in cash but doesn't have the revenue growth that Wall Street looks for.

What are the chances that these radio conglomerates are broken up to be sold to local owners that are happy with a steady stream of cash and don't have to answer to Wall Street?





[/quote I'm am currently a working PD outside the Boston market. My theory about the CBS collapse rests on the really bad toupee of a 97 year old man who got in over his head (Sumner Redstone) who tried to use his Viacom/CBS holdings as collatoral for a struggling movie theatre entertainment arm. Lousy movies, overpriced, declining audiences because of cost and on demand etc. Now his notes are coming due for those loans and the radio holdings won't support it. Now every overnight guy in the chain is on the bubble! HR mgr doubling up as sales coordinator? Top 25!? Not fair I say..Has anyone in the chain seen Summy' without the Clay Aiken wig? Threaten him with pictures..It could slow down the ax..

 

[katzradio]

'BZ might start w/ Steve LeVielle...

Sounds like an idea to mull over...

 

[wavelength9]

Isn't Chachi the promotions director? Every station needs one. Somebody has to schedule the $8/hr. college kids.

Maybe CBS is the one that should be cut. Why don't they just sell the stations to somebody who gives a shit?

Are you capable of posting anything on this site that doesn't include foul language? The constant use of four letter words in every post makes you look very ignorant

 

[MassMusicMan]

When radio people stop doing stupid irritating things, then I'll stop responding with angry four-letter words.

George Carlin made a career out of four-letter words, and is one of the most insightful people who ever walked the Earth.

 

[Steele1080]

I'm an out-of-market PD/Morning man who enjoys the live' local overnight show of Steve Levielle? He's a great throwback for me remembering the one-on-one listener contact. He's certainly refreshing compared to those goofy UFO shows offered in cheap syndication. That being said: It's a miracle (to this point anyway) that he's flown under the radar of the CBS suits swinging the mighty ax! I had to release my overnighter on Christmas Eve 2002 when my owner gave the mandate to fire up the digital automation we all know and love to this day. "Let's test this robot and work out the bugs on the least listened to night of the year, Christmas Eve." BZ' overnights with Steve is comfort food to me who is a PD/Morning man/Image Director/newscaster/chief bottle washer all in one. My only PD advice to BZ' overnight guys is: eliminate the old callers. Suits h-a-t-e the oldness "geriatrics" bring to the sound of the station as it affects demo perceptions! Making a long term listener star out of that Generosa? is hideous to listen to as a PD.

 

[mistermicrophone]

Isn't Chachi the promotions director? Every station needs one. Somebody has to schedule the $8/hr. college kids.

Maybe CBS is the one that should be cut. Why don't they just sell the stations to somebody who gives a shit?

Define "gives a sh!t". CBS does give a #2, about their business. They are doing what they can to make money in a bad economy. Don't get me wrong, it sucks that so many good people are losing their jobs...but don't think that CBS doesn't give a crap, they do, just not what YOU give a dookie about.

 

[MassMusicMan]

"Gives a shit" = Somebody who's in radio to serve the community and make a modest living, not somebody looking to be a billionaire like Sumner Redstone.

Corporations and radio don't mix.

 

[Bakers_Bookstore]

I saw the re-broadcast of Greater Boston's Beat the Press Friday night and they did a segment on broadcast media cuts in Boston. They mentioned WBZ was cutting two on-air anchors and showed their photos.

I didn't recognize their photos and Greater Boston didn't identify them. Who is missing from their lineup?

 

[Bakers_Bookstore]

I compared the WBZ Radio photos Greater Boston used in their piece on media cutbacks with the staff pics on the WBZ website and if Greater Boston is right, then Bob McMahon and Alan Segel are out or on their way.

 

[Watt]

They could hire a new morning drive show for Mix, the current one needs to be retired.

Also get rid of Freddy and Sue Brady (she sounds pretty awful most of the time) from afternoons.

 

[NewsAddict]

I compared the WBZ Radio photos Greater Boston used in their piece on media cutbacks with the staff pics on the WBZ website and if Greater Boston is right, then Bob McMahon and Alan Segel are out or on their way.

Re: WBZ 1030 -- Wonder if that is why they had Bill Watson (I believe) doing morning sports this a.m., and then Mary Blake doing the sports report this afternoon? I thought it was odd when I heard Bill Watson doing the sports at 5:15 A.M., but thought that perhaps their sports person was maybe running late. Then when I heard Mary Blake doing the sports report at 4:15 this afternoon I figured something must be up.

 

[katzradio]

My only PD advice to BZ' overnight guys is: eliminate the old callers. Suits h-a-t-e the oldness "geriatrics" bring to the sound of the station as it affects demo perceptions! Making a long term listener star out of that Generosa? is hideous to listen to as a PD.

Hey Steele1080,

When you reach the tender age of 90, maybe they can forget about you & put you out to pasture as well. Once someone outlives their usefulness, then just cast them aside, huh?

'BZ is known as a geriatric station, I'm sure that won't change; however, it would be nice to see a change in the weekly overnight slot, maybe replacing said host with one who isn't so "full of himself" and ready to jump down anyone's throat who has a different point of view.

When you start calling folks "MORON" on a regular basis, that doesn't make for good radio.
He's run his course, it's time to move on...

MORON - Steve's fav. word for folks who don't see things his way. Kinda funny when you think about it. Steve calls himself a liberal. I looked up "liberal" in the dictionary -

open-minded or tolerant, esp. free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values; favoring or permitting freedom of action, esp. with respect to matters of personal belief or expression, etc.

Oh yeah, that sounds just like him. :

 

[SharkBites]

june knight was a true professional. i wouldnt mind see her on her own somewhere

 

[Steele1080]

I never heard Steve L use the moron' word while addressing callers..Never met the guy either. NOT only do the "suits" hate old callers, I am instructed NOT to take winners of important prizes to callers outside our Arbitron metro. If they're not in diary zips they're dead to us. Of course if they move into one we're screwed. But it's a chance that has served us well in the same format for 21 years. OLD people? I Love em' ALL I'm saying is everybody is thinking young in the ad community and stations can position better for a buy if they aren't perceived to be old. The GM in my cluster once tried to eliminate our 70 year old morning guy from the payroll a couple of years ago to brighten up the format on one of our AM's. I'm not familiar with any strategies of BZ' brass, so they might not mind old callers??

 

[radio zombie]

I am instructed NOT to take winners of important prizes to callers outside our Arbitron metro. If they're not in diary zips they're dead to us. Of course if they move into one we're screwed.

I'm wondering how you can "not" take winners of important prizes outside your Arbitron metro.
Are you rigging contests? I'm told the FCC frowns on that. How do you know before you take
a call where it is coming from? Caller-ID? I would think taking contest calls should be "blind."
Avoiding callers because you know an area code or some other information sounds like some
sort of discrimination to me.