Who is the crappiest radio company with stations in Atlanta?

[R-Fetzer]

My votes go to either Clear Channel or Cumulus. Wait, isn't Cumulus Broadcasting based out of Atlanta?
Then definitely Cumulus. I hear more talk from people who have worked there on how utterly sad and scary it is to be employed there. Clear Channel talk is no better.
Both companies treat their employees with disrespect and they offer uninspired crap as content no matter what format they are presenting. I mean really have you tried listening to 99X? How about The Bull (which is) and that Project thing? STINKY.
I don't ask for a lot from my radio. I can't there is nothing there.

 

[sidechick1]

I worked with the Cumulus Cluster in Savannah a few years back and they were great to work with, very professional. I was not employed by them, but always found them to be well-managed and easy to deal with. I can't speak for their presence in Atlanta...it may be different in a market of this size. I've worked for Clear Channel 3 times, though. (Twice in this market...) Their management is pretty honest about the fact that the company is more interested in saving a buck than producing quality radio.

 

[taylorengineer]

In this radio enviroment just who IS a good company to work for??
The bean counters run ALL the companies - at least the larger ones. There are really no "from the gut" programming types anymore....and if there were....they would never get a shot at doing anything really different. Creativity is untested and dangerous. Risk avoidance is a entire course of study and the good managers minimize risk and maximize profits.
Sidechick has it right and most management is not ashamed to admit it. It's all about saving a buck - that's one more buck in profits. But here is another one liner -"sometimes you gotta spend money to make money."
I think that current owners do not have a clue on the showbiz part of the business. They get the business side...they are very smart businessmen/women....but they just do not understand the art of entertainment. And the talent pool....at least the proven talent....is empty.
Time for ownership to step up to the plate before their chance has passed! Someone will fill this entertainment vacuum.....

 

[OutOfTheBiz]

The bean counters run ALL the companies - at least the larger ones. There are really no "from the gut" programming types anymore....and if there were....they would never get a shot at doing anything really different. Creativity is untested and dangerous. Risk avoidance is a entire course of study and the good managers minimize risk and maximize profits.
Sidechick has it right and most management is not ashamed to admit it. It's all about saving a buck - that's one more buck in profits.
Time for ownership to step up to the plate before their chance has passed! Someone will fill this entertainment vacuum.....

You do realize that this is the case in every area of business - not just radio. As more and more companies get swallowed up by Wall Street investment firms, the "less-cost-more-profit" mentality is ingrained in every type of business you can imagine.

We have no one to blame but ourselves as we watch our 401k's swell and grow. How do you think it happens?

 

[bnaivar]

My votes go to either Clear Channel or Cumulus. Wait, isn't Cumulus Broadcasting based out of Atlanta?
Then definitely Cumulus. I hear more talk from people who have worked there on how utterly sad and scary it is to be employed there. Clear Channel talk is no better.
Both companies treat their employees with disrespect and they offer uninspired crap as content no matter what format they are presenting. I mean really have you tried listening to 99X? How about The Bull (which is) and that Project thing? STINKY.
I don't ask for a lot from my radio. I can't there is nothing there.

At least Cumulus doesn't appear to shoot themselves in the foot with every "business" decision, like Clear Channel does.

ie Planet Radio?

 

[MaskMan]

Clear Channel is the worst group on the face of the planet! Clear Channel - World Wide! You-bettcha!

 

[amlover]

Why are we revisiting a topic that has already been beaten to death? If you don't like what you hear on the radio leave it OFF!

 

[seabass]

My votes go to either Clear Channel or Cumulus. Wait, isn't Cumulus Broadcasting based out of Atlanta?
Then definitely Cumulus. I hear more talk from people who have worked there on how utterly sad and scary it is to be employed there. Clear Channel talk is no better.
Both companies treat their employees with disrespect and they offer uninspired crap as content no matter what format they are presenting. I mean really have you tried listening to 99X? How about The Bull (which is) and that Project thing? STINKY.
I don't ask for a lot from my radio. I can't there is nothing there.

Please! Clear Channel by a mile. No one comes close. How many times must we beat this horse to death?

Cumulus is not bad. They're a public company and have to do some unpleasant things to people. The state of the business is such that if you have content and confidence, you will land. Most of the people who have been cut, won't return because they weren't built to do so and needed to go anyway.

 

[Stillatit]

There is no better time in the history of our business to get satellite radio.

 

[amlover]

I do have XM Satellite radio and couldn't live without it and also do the streaming thing. It's hard now to depend on Atlanta terrestrial radio to give me what I want to listen too.

 

[KDRadio]

im not in ATL but i can say this convo is goin on all over the country. Think about this most people below 25 are tuning out or just not listening to radio anymore, and at some point in the next 5 10 years broadband will be completely wireless which means analog or terresrial radio will be game over, and this change will also kill satalite radio do to the fact that if anybody can get the web in there can and can listen to anything anywhere then why pay for xm or suirius. read between the lines, most of the companies who own stations are trying to make as much money as they can before people completely tune out. and satalite is only there to pacify us until we make the switch to mobile wifi.

 

[louisNatl]

I would have to say that the worst is Clear Channel. They terminate their most talented workers abruptly because they don't want to pay for talent. They have no respect for the clients and listeners of their stations by flipping formats before the stations have a chance to build brand equity. They do not care about the local communities that they serve and do not want to provide local news, information, and talent. If they could get away with it, they would voice track all of their stations.

As far as the best company, I have heard many good things about Salem. Apparently, they treat their employees well and definitely are not quick to throw in the towel and flip formats. The second best company would be Susquehanna (pre-Cumulus). They were employee-owned and had a good corporate culture.

 

[MissMitchie]

I have to agree with Amlover, if you don't like what you hear, turn tour radio off or get XM like my husband and i did, with XM you have a choice of good music to listen to no matter what you like to listen to.

 

[X-14]

I've worked for a number of stations and companies and in my opinion Salem IS one of the best to work for. The pay isn't any better than anywhere else, but overall there tends to be more respect throughout the system for each other and more of a true team approach. Part of that may be because many of the employees feel a common bond because to them it's more than just broadcasting; it's a 'mission'. You can agree or disagree, but it's the truth.

I've been in radio off and on for over 30 years and am saddened and disheartened by the increasing decline in quality, connectivity, localism, etc. I, too, have satellite radio and streaming when I'm home (pandora.com primarily) or listen to cds in the car. I'd be willing to bet I don't listen to more than 30 minutes of actual terrestrial radio a week.

I've seen a local pd who had slowly worked his station's ratings up into the top ten in Atlanta, and then get over-ridden by a corporate suit out of a remote state who thought he knew programming better. As a result the station's ratings have plummeted by about 40% in the last year. But for some inexplicable reason, corporate doesn't see it. I simply can't fathom what the logic is in using the generic consultant approach when black and white figures say it isn't working.

Yet another way terrestrial radio is determined to commit suicide.

 

[radioatlantis]

First -- ALL OF THEM. Everyone of these destroyers has the same business model and are in the quest for as much media control as they can get.

It doesn't make headlines yet, but keep an eye of who is lobbying for control of the Internet (all media) as well. They all know it's going that way and they will do everything in their power to kill any entrepreneurial action on the net.

If we will have to hear the same freaking 300 songs over and over in hell - then what is this?

The latest in net broadcasting disablers was the licensing and royalty issue- and that is not all entirely RIAA or artists rights inspired.

The terrestrial industry is afraid or against anything they don't own or can't control. They whined over satellite radio "trying to put them out of business" and they are whining over the satellite merger, shouting "monopoly!" There is the pot calling the kettle black!

These are treacherous and uncaring whores who put the bottom line way above the backs of the people they step on and crush. Everyone is expendable in this business, no matter what the name of the company or how much they smile and act like your bud..

KD, I disagree that Broadband will kill satellite. Great, high-grade technological CHOICES are what this business and the consumers need and if the powers that BE don't ruin everything,
one can significantly help the other.

There is no doubt that for those who do not prefer to program their own ipod, satellite is far superior to anything on the garbage bands

Satellite has to really watch all this terrestrial type syndication though or they'll wind up with just the same crap in CD quality. I'd like to see them start developing NEW talent that doesn't come from anywhere on the ground. TV did that with comedians in the 70s and 80s and it has worked well for their star sitcoms.

I'd bet that mobile broadband will actually be delivered by satellite and quite possible within the spectrum of the current two providers...just as they do real time traffic, air navigation and weather services. That is the kind of stuff the govt. likes.

I think however, they'd prefer the delivery more like cell repeaters - probably utilizing the same placements. That'd be the easiest for wif-fing towns, cities, and serving mobile

Now, for solutions - we need a President who recognizes that what has been allowed to happen in the broadcast industry is not healthy and will reverse this broad and ever-broader ownership ruling. Further, Huckabee and Ron Paul both want to abolish the Fed-ucation dept and the IRS, they should include the FCC --- a worthless bunch of political ass-kissing partisan hacks.... now you have an even newer breed...this Kevin Martin kid from Charlotte, who is a PR machine for himself. I smell ambition like a dead fish!!

 

[taylorengineer]

Excellent post Radioatlantis!
The next real battle is control of the internet. Do you really think the people making mega-money from traditional media are just going to "roll over" and give it up?
When pigs fly!
Controlling the dissemination of information is the foundation of political struggle/control in post industrial societies. It used to be the printed media.....now it is the electronic medias in their various forms.....
Watch for movement to purge radio of talk from Democrats AND Republicans....look for internet tarriffs and taxes of various and sundry forms....watch BMI/ASCAP do their best to kill the transfer of music data in ANY form or fashion over the internet.
Tremendous wealth is at stake here. Those with the gold will fight to the death to keep it.

 

[troone]

I think too much is made of the "same 300 songs over and over" being a new phenomenon...I will guarantee you that 94Q's playlist in 1978 or Z93's in 1981 weren't any deeper than Star's or Q's are today.

 

[OutOfTheBiz]

I think too much is made of the "same 300 songs over and over" being a new phenomenon...I will guarantee you that 94Q's playlist in 1978 or Z93's in 1981 weren't any deeper than Star's or Q's are today.

I can also guarantee you that both XM and Sirius channels all have a 300 song playlist as well. It may be less noticeable because we tend to channel-hop a little more... but pick any one channel and stay on it for 10 days and you will find programming equally as lame and redundant as any local station. And most of the talent on satellite are jocks that couldn't find jobs in local radio. They're hardly the best of the best.

 

[DashRiprock]

I think too much is made of the "same 300 songs over and over" being a new phenomenon...I will guarantee you that 94Q's playlist in 1978 or Z93's in 1981 weren't any deeper than Star's or Q's are today.

I can also guarantee you that both XM and Sirius channels all have a 300 song playlist as well. It may be less noticeable because we tend to channel-hop a little more... but pick any one channel and stay on it for 10 days and you will find programming equally as lame and redundant as any local station. And most of the talent on satellite are jocks that couldn't find jobs in local radio. They're hardly the best of the best.

I disagree. Most of the XM channels I listen to have a pretty decent variety, and some have a playlist so deep that you would have to listen a very long time to hear a repeat. Try testing your theory with XM40.

 

[Stillatit]

CBS Radio, from a management standpoint is the worst.