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Who wants to work for Cumulus?

M

mort guffman

Guest
From: Tony Salvadore
Sent: Tuesday, April 07, 2009 11:19 AM
To: SFO_Allstaff
Subject: Benson

It is with regret that I inform you that Dave Benson is leaving Cumulus/SF. After 9 years his work on behalf of KFOG, and most recently his work on behalf of the BONE, has been nothing short of spectacular.

In a business that is changing very quickly these are the kind of changes that are inevitable. Dave will always be thought of as an important part of the history that is KFOG.

Dave will be with us over the next few days, please stop by and wish him well.

Tony
 
The other question is will there still be a Cumulus to work for? The company is in a deep financial well and Lassie refuses to save Lew Dickey
 
mort guffman said:
From: Tony Salvadore
Sent: Tuesday, April 07, 2009 11:19 AM
To: SFO_Allstaff
Subject: Benson

It is with regret that I inform you that Dave Benson is leaving Cumulus/SF. After 9 years his work on behalf of KFOG, and most recently his work on behalf of the BONE, has been nothing short of spectacular.

In a business that is changing very quickly these are the kind of changes that are inevitable. Dave will always be thought of as an important part of the history that is KFOG.

Dave will be with us over the next few days, please stop by and wish him well.

Tony
Click to expand...

If Dave was spectacular why the hell would you fire him? Oh that's right it's the economy. How about STUPIDITY at the top in Cume-less! THAT'S the problem.

More and more I see really good radio people shying away from Cumulus. Citadel and Cumulus=CRAP
 
Cumulus doesn't know radio. Hell...they don't even get basic accounting. They have KILLED a golden goose. It makes me sick. All of us who have worked our asses off - OK, we DID have fun...but it was work nonetheless...to have these assholes DESTROY a LEGENDARY radio station that so many of us laboured for so many years to make...I am SICK to my stomach. Dickeys - YOU BLOW...and NOT in the good sense of the phrase!
 
Maybe they should do what Citadel did and change their name...to Cumulonimbus...
;D
--jay
 
mort guffman said:
Cumulus doesn't know radio. Hell...they don't even get basic accounting. They have KILLED a golden goose. It makes me sick. All of us who have worked our asses off - OK, we DID have fun...but it was work nonetheless...to have these assholes DESTROY a LEGENDARY radio station that so many of us laboured for so many years to make...I am SICK to my stomach. Dickeys - YOU BLOW...and NOT in the good sense of the phrase!
Click to expand...

I'm so proud of you for speaking your mind! I worked briefly for Cumulus in another market, and that was the final straw for me as far as my radio career is concerned. After MANY years in this business, I became thoroughly disgusted...and yes, sick to my stomach...at how absolutely half-ass the company was run and how poorly their employees were treated. It should be criminal for these jack-asses to run a company so irresponsibly. That applies to Cumulus and seemingly every other broadcast company these days. I've said for a while now that it's not "the economy" that's hurting these companies, but the crappy way they run their businesses. Geez...
 
BossJock1947 said:
If Dave was spectacular why the hell would you fire him? Oh that's right it's the economy. How about STUPIDITY at the top in Cume-less! THAT'S the problem.

More and more I see really good radio people shying away from Cumulus. Citadel and Cumulus=CRAP
Click to expand...

How about stepping into Cumulus's shoes for a moment. After all, if a person wants to be fair about it, doesn't fairness require looking at their side?

Maybe his ratings were going down and his pay level did not justify keeping him onboard? We're in a time of deflation, and employees do not take reductions in their salaries well. ("How could I be worth less now than I was 2 years ago?") Thus, a lot of companies are finding it better to lay off staff than to cut their compensation. Another option in some places has been to eliminate a fulltime position and replace it with independent contractors. Maybe this was not an option Cumulus could do.

A broadcasting company is not purposely going to shoot themselves in the foot. They are in the business to make money and their salaries ultimately depend on the ability of the station or station group to sell advertising. Perhaps Cumulus is finding that they need to reposition KFOG to attract a slightly different audience? Sometimes this means letting go of some DJs and hiring others.
 
Exactly!

djj said:
Maybe they should do what Citadel did and change their name...to Cumulonimbus...
;D
--jay
Click to expand...

I've always said that when Cumulus comes to your market, there's dark clouds on the horizon!
 
Another winner here from DK...Seriously dude, why you even bother commenting. ::)

DavidKaye said:
How about stepping into Cumulus's shoes for a moment. After all, if a person wants to be fair about it, doesn't fairness require looking at their side?

Maybe his ratings were going down and his pay level did not justify keeping him onboard? We're in a time of deflation, and employees do not take reductions in their salaries well. ("How could I be worth less now than I was 2 years ago?") Thus, a lot of companies are finding it better to lay off staff than to cut their compensation. Another option in some places has been to eliminate a fulltime position and replace it with independent contractors. Maybe this was not an option Cumulus could do.

A broadcasting company is not purposely going to shoot themselves in the foot. They are in the business to make money and their salaries ultimately depend on the ability of the station or station group to sell advertising. Perhaps Cumulus is finding that they need to reposition KFOG to attract a slightly different audience? Sometimes this means letting go of some DJs and hiring others.
Click to expand...
 
DyingMedium said:
Another winner here from DK...Seriously dude, why you even bother commenting.
Click to expand...

Because (1) I have owned several businesses, including those with dozens of employees, (2) I have done some radio management, (3) I find that the "common wisdom" in a situation is usually not the truth but what people wish were true, (4) my opinions are very often supported by people who are successful in their fields -- more successful than the armchair pundits.

My explanation of the radio situation stands. Maybe you should put your money where your keyboard is, and then maybe you'll see that running a successful business is way more than just flying by the seat of your pants and doing what pleases your personal tastes.
 
...And the hits just keep on comin'...Just one uninformed post after another from you. I've already put my money where my business sense is...Which is why I find your lack of real-world radio knowledge astounding, since you repeatedly claim "success", although that's a relative term. Glad you were happy with your experience...

Budgets always come into play...however, dumping salaries can actually be come more expensive down the line in terms of what you give up in stability and continuity, costing you listeners and even more lost ad revenue.

While we certainly don't know the specifics, blowing out a 9 year PD (who successfully programmed TWO stations) with a proven track record seems short-sighted. Hard to believe letting this PD go would be the difference between solvency and bankruptcy.

Your opinions are supported by YOU. Bring on your big successful friends! Show us the way! Really, enough with the "I've done this and that" rhetoric. Plenty of people on these boards have achieved great success in and out of the radio business. They don't feel the need to offer it up every time they're challenged on an opinion. Grow up.

By the way...Taste counts! It isn't just research, play the top 10 in your format, and call it a day. New music and programming originates based on someone's taste - or lack of it. You can't program based solely on your personal taste. But you can't just rely on numbers, either. There are many tools available to PDs, but instinct and taste are two things you CAN'T teach - obviously.
 
Budgets always come into play...however, dumping salaries can actually be come more expensive down the line in terms of what you give up in stability and continuity, costing you listeners and even more lost ad revenue.

You're right about one thing; and that's about it frankly.. Budgets always do come into play. Successful business requires budgets. Radio is a business, not strictly a way to employ people.

Grow up.

I submit that before telling others who disagree with you to grow up, you should try it yourself first.

By the way...Taste counts! It isn't just research, play the top 10 in your format, and call it a day. New music and programming originates based on someone's taste - or lack of it. You can't program based solely on your personal taste. But you can't just rely on numbers, either. There are many tools available to PDs, but instinct and taste are two things you CAN'T teach - obviously.

Really! So are you trying to say that your taste counts more than others? Or are you speaking for the masses?

Please why don't you educate us all... If one doesn't do research, then what "tools" would one use? Or is it you're saying that you are in fact a tool? (Purely from a radio business expert perspective that is) :D
 
DyingMedium said:
...And the hits just keep on comin'...Just one uninformed post after another from you.
Click to expand...

As you wish. If you think that what I say is uninformed then I wonder why you're responding to my posts at all. Just ignore what I post.

My statements remain. People who have had past successes may or may not be in touch with the vision the company has for the future. You assume that people in high-level management are making stupid decisions. I suggest that they got to high-level management by making good decisions, not bad ones. Just because you happen to like a particular PD does not mean that they fit into a company's vision.

An example is a couple Bonneville stations, KOIT and I forget what 95.7 was called at the time. The idea was to position them as female 25 to 49 and male 25 to 49 and sell them in some kind of package. But 95.7 didn't work out, so they scrapped the format and went to a country format (sort of country-politan) to get more females 25 to 49, thus cornering the market on that demo. Well, they had to make some staff adjustments for the new target, which meant letting some people go.

I was thinking about Steve Masters the other day, wondering what became of the hotshot Live 105 KITS PD. Could he program KNGY today? One would think so, but then he's a generation older than the bulk of KNGY listeners. Is this a fit?

We all like to believe that we're in touch with what's current, with what an audience wants, but we're sometimes not the best judge of our own abilities. Upper management makes decisions based on long-term goals, and sometimes they see trends that begin to slide. Maybe the PD in question was on one of those trends. Maybe he was beginning to lose a certain demo. Or maybe the station wants to adjust its target demos.

What I'm saying is that the decision to fire someone is usually not made lightly. It's usually made after careful deliberation. I'm saying that there are likely to be facts unknown to posters here that point to a solid reason to release the PD in question.

So, my critique stands.
 
You mean radio ISN'T charity??? Get out of here!!! Nowhere do I say it's not a business. We're talking about how you RUN the business. Plus, it's fairly obvious you didn't read the whole post, Genius. :)


TVradioguru said:
Budgets always come into play...however, dumping salaries can actually be come more expensive down the line in terms of what you give up in stability and continuity, costing you listeners and even more lost ad revenue.

You're right about one thing; and that's about it frankly.. Budgets always do come into play. Successful business requires budgets. Radio is a business, not strictly a way to employ people.

Grow up.

I submit that before telling others who disagree with you to grow up, you should try it yourself first.

By the way...Taste counts! It isn't just research, play the top 10 in your format, and call it a day. New music and programming originates based on someone's taste - or lack of it. You can't program based solely on your personal taste. But you can't just rely on numbers, either. There are many tools available to PDs, but instinct and taste are two things you CAN'T teach - obviously.

Really! So are you trying to say that your taste counts more than others? Or are you speaking for the masses?

Please why don't you educate us all... If one doesn't do research, then what "tools" would one use? Or is it you're saying that you are in fact a tool? (Purely from a radio business expert perspective that is) :D
Click to expand...
 
Dave was programming two successful radio stations, with good ratings. Both have been top 10 25-54 adults. When Clear Channel blew up KSJO, they were still making money, but had dropped to 33rd in rank. My thought is you don't fire a PD who is having top ten success, that's bad business. He was not making morning show type money, many sales managers in the market make more, and split across two stations it was a very modest amount for a PD-less than their top sellers were paid.

As for research, I know that at least KFOG did plenty of music research. One major radio group has dropped ALL music research this year to save money, and it's not Cumulus.
 
SFStatic said:
Dave was programming two successful radio stations, with good ratings. Both have been top 10 25-54 adults. When Clear Channel blew up KSJO, they were still making money, but had dropped to 33rd in rank. My thought is you don't fire a PD who is having top ten success, that's bad business. He was not making morning show type money, many sales managers in the market make more, and split across two stations it was a very modest amount for a PD-less than their top sellers were paid.

As for research, I know that at least KFOG did plenty of music research. One major radio group has dropped ALL music research this year to save money, and it's not Cumulus.
Click to expand...

Both stations are in the top 5 of their demographic target. Cumulus has dropped all music research.
 
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