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WIBC's Jeff Pigeon Leaving

Pidge is one of the nicest people I've met in this business. He's been a class act and a great ambassador for broadcasting and the 3 owners he has worked for.
 
Agreed. Pidge is a great guy.

Terri is also a very good person, and hopefully she comes through well.
 
This is the interesting part of the story,

"WIBC's parent, Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications, has no plans to replace Pigeon.
'The show goes on with Terri, Jake and the news team...' "

Now, are Terri and Jake strong enough to carry that morning show? Really. I'm sure they are good and nice people and all, but is this really where Emmis wants to take the station?

I hear Abdul's contract expired without a renewal at Entercom. Could Emmis be looking at Abdul to move into that spot?

Maybe there is some truth to the 93.1 rumor and that has something to do with Pidge leaving. A lot of interesting things to think about down on the circle.
 
Actually, with long news blocks on WIBC (which I like), I wonder if Pidge thought there was room for him? Today's Indy Star mentioned that they moved the morning show start time to 4:30AM & he wasn't fond of getting up that early. As good as he is, with the longer news blocks, his role was becoming more of a traffic cop & less of an entertainer. The remaining crew can carry on that job. WIBC's morning show played music when he arrived, then it moved toward entertainment/information...maybe they're moving it toward news/information now?
 
Yes, that makes sense. I've been wondering how happy he must have been being the "ringmaster" of the show.
 
That's the biggest problem on WIBC... They make their traffic and weather the star of the show... That's why their ratings are dying with their audience... Younger generations tune into talk radio for personalities. We get news and weather from our computers or Blackberries, and our traffic from in-car devices.

They can't make room for Abdul? Pidge is unhappy being ringmaster? Dave and Pidge only have/had 9 to 11 minutes to plan their content in an entire hour! The rest is spots, traffic, weather, and news that means little in a persons life. Why is Rush their biggest draw? He has time to produce content.

WIBC's formula just is not relevant anymore because of new technology. Until they let their drive-time personalities take over those slots, expect those to continue to be their weakest hours.

There is a discussion on monument circle to flip Garrison and Wilson, which would be the biggest mistake EVER.

It's not talent that needs to go or change, it's management that is stale, or unwilling to let in big personalities to draw an audience.
 
Listening to the show right now. I just got really bummed when he gave the Call letters and went to break. Pidge has been on WIBC almost as long as I've been alive, so today really sucks.

No matter what you think of the state of WIBC, you can't help but love it.
 
Big Question : Why and where is he going?

No one in radio just leaves at his age with no plans.

Did he get mad and quit? Does he have a business on the side? Is he making way for Bob Richards to return?

Is he going to Cumulus ala Gary Todd in Anderson years ago?

Gary's loving audience followed and WXXP became the number one station in Indiana...remember?

Unlike every other news story on a radio person leaving, (Kelly McKay at WZPL) the television story didn't answer the question WHY?

Upside down pyramid people. There was no story because it didn't include the elements of a news story. It was intentionally and noticably lacking because there was no element that made it a story.

"Pidge is going to operate his home micro brewery" When Biob Gregory, Mike Ahern, Stan Wood retired the next step was always covered.

A car plows into a group of people but we didn't want to ask why so we'll show you the car, the dead, and not wonder why it happened.
 
I've heard that they "mutually" agreed that it was his time to go, which means he got canned.

Two reasons: They want to appeal to a younger audience, and management was forcing him to change his show. When you're Pidge, why should you? You hire someone to do what they do. You couldn't have Marco do what Pidge does and vice versa. So that was not working out.

Secondly, he gets paid a lot of money, and the stockholders are getting restless. All big salaries at all Emmis stations should be getting their resumes together.
 
Maybe there IS no answer to the question "what will he do now" because he doesn't know. And maybe nobody is giving a definite answer to the "why" question. Does that mean it's then not a story?
 
RDO said:
This is the interesting part of the story,

"WIBC's parent, Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications, has no plans to replace Pigeon.
'The show goes on with Terri, Jake and the news team...' "

Now, are Terri and Jake strong enough to carry that morning show? Really. I'm sure they are good and nice people and all, but is this really where Emmis wants to take the station?

I hear Abdul's contract expired without a renewal at Entercom. Could Emmis be looking at Abdul to move into that spot?

Maybe there is some truth to the 93.1 rumor and that has something to do with Pidge leaving. A lot of interesting things to think about down on the circle.
Click to expand...

I could see Terri shift over to afternoons. She brings the best out of Dave (don't know if that says anything).

And didn't Marco sign a big contract with Emmis last year? It seems desperate to clean house at WNOU. Then again, so was putting country music on WENS (now HANK). And don't tell me that Marco could do well on a WIBC FM talk station. I'd rather set myself on fire.
 
It is my understanding from a former management official at WIBC that Jeff Smulyan himself stated that he wanted Pidgeon out...at a meeting in 1996.

Only took him 11 years to get it done.
 
Now for the $64,000 question...is there any connection between Jeff Pigeon's exit and WIBC's bomb shell announcement to relocate to FM? Will he show up at another spot on the dial or is all just coincidental timing?
 
BobOnTheJob said:
Now for the $64,000 question...is there any connection between Jeff Pigeon's exit and WIBC's bomb shell announcement to relocate to FM? Will he show up at another spot on the dial or is all just coincidental timing?
Click to expand...

Hard to say, Bob...I see IBC has gone back to airing George Noory since Pidge's exit. I kinda miss listening to local news at 4:30 on the way to work, so I've been listeing to my Sirius box instead. Time will tell, but right now, my money is on Pidge returning after a long vacation.
 
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