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WINS changes
- Thread starter AMRocks
- Start date
J
Joylovepulse967
Guest
Wow
They both suddenly retired on a Thursday. OK.
Larry worked Friday.
Paul posted on another forum and indicated he "was not pushed."
As of Monday:
BQ anchoring middays solo without a co-anchor. Larry Mullins and Lori Madden starting one hour earlier, at 3PM.
Using BQ solo and shuffling the shift hours rather than slotting in weekend/reporter talent (Donna Vaughan and Sonia Ricon, for instance) makes this feel like Larry Kanter was pushed out.
Note that at other Audacy all-newsers - retirements / departures over the last year and a half have not been backfilled (Vicki Allen at WCBS, Felicia Middlebrooks at WBBM) while layoffs continue to occur at other stations (KNX just laid off two veterans).
BQ anchoring middays solo without a co-anchor. Larry Mullins and Lori Madden starting one hour earlier, at 3PM.
Using BQ solo and shuffling the shift hours rather than slotting in weekend/reporter talent (Donna Vaughan and Sonia Ricon, for instance) makes this feel like Larry Kanter was pushed out.
Note that at other Audacy all-newsers - retirements / departures over the last year and a half have not been backfilled (Vicki Allen at WCBS, Felicia Middlebrooks at WBBM) while layoffs continue to occur at other stations (KNX just laid off two veterans).
And if you wonder why that could be, here's part of the answer:
Audacy's Q1 Revenue Declines 19% - Radio Ink
Net revenue for the recently renamed radio company in Q1 2021 was $240.8 million, down 19% compared to $297.0 million in 2020. Digital revenue (including podcasting) was up 17% to $49.8 million.
radioink.com
Hard to pay staff when company revenue declines by 19%.
4th Q 2020 was down by even more:
Radio Industry News, New Music, Music Promotion, Radio Station Song Charts
All Access offers the latest radio industry news and music news, music promotions for record companies new music, radio station song charts, and much more. AllAccess.com has been serving the radio and music industry since 1995, always bringing you the highest quality content with...
In other posts, we've noted several All-News stations are running pre-recorded news overnight, but not WINS, WCBS or most of the Audacy stations..
All Live Overnight:
WINS NYC (Audacy)
WCBS NYC (Audacy)
KNX Los Angeles (Audacy)
KCBS San Francisco (Audacy)
WTOP Washington (Hubbard)
WWJ Detroit (Audacy)
Not live...
WBBM Chicago (Audacy) some weekend overnight hours are prerecorded but I think weeknights are live.
WBZ Boston (iHeart) all prerecorded.
KYW Philadelphia (Audacy) all prerecorded.
KOMO Seattle (Sinclair) all prerecorded along with airings of Jim Bohannon.
CFTR Toronto, CKNW Vancouver and CFFR Calgary (Rogers) share one anchor overnight. He or she says "All News Radio" rather than giving individual call letters.
All Live Overnight:
WINS NYC (Audacy)
WCBS NYC (Audacy)
KNX Los Angeles (Audacy)
KCBS San Francisco (Audacy)
WTOP Washington (Hubbard)
WWJ Detroit (Audacy)
Not live...
WBBM Chicago (Audacy) some weekend overnight hours are prerecorded but I think weeknights are live.
WBZ Boston (iHeart) all prerecorded.
KYW Philadelphia (Audacy) all prerecorded.
KOMO Seattle (Sinclair) all prerecorded along with airings of Jim Bohannon.
CFTR Toronto, CKNW Vancouver and CFFR Calgary (Rogers) share one anchor overnight. He or she says "All News Radio" rather than giving individual call letters.
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I think it's only 2AM to 4AM, and there are news staffers in the building during that time.
My understanding is all of the stations on your list have live traffic during that time. Some run TOH network news.
I'm not wondering - I understand revenue is down and that may be affecting hiring practices. However, as long as you maintain the same format you have to fill the slots somehow, so, particularly on hard to fill shifts like WCBS on overnights, you might have a pressing need to get someone in there full time and not rely on a rotation of part-timers, freelancers, and reporters working at the anchor desk.
At 7PM, anchor team switched to Lane Bajardi and Sonia Rincon (who did not work her midday slot over the weekend).
Interesting that they are prioritizing two anchors on duty for evenings (where Paul James had done it solo), and just a single anchor for middays.
My assumption was that with the 1010 WINS format, the half hour the anchors were off air was spent writing and working with the editor on their next block. Thus, it is more important to have more anchors during the day when lots of news is happening, but you could get by with a smaller crew at night when the news is more static.
I wasn't aware that there is such a rule. That's why some of the stations are re-airing some blocks in overnight.
I said somehow.
You can re-air earlier news blocks. You can take a talk show. You can contract out the news (as Komo does on weekend afternoons and evenings). But some how, some way you have to fill the air.
And if you pride yourself on being a 24hrs news operation, a warm body on the mic is important.
Just saw in the Buzz Stream feed that KCBS San Francisco morning sports anchor Steve Bitker will be retiring at the end of this week too.
There sure seems to be a trend of prominent anchors abruptly retiring from Audacy newsers lately but I'm sure it's just a coincidence.
There sure seems to be a trend of prominent anchors abruptly retiring from Audacy newsers lately but I'm sure it's just a coincidence.
They're all in their mid-60s, which at one time was retirement age. In fact CBS once had a mandatory retirement at age 65. Bitker is 68.
At some point, there needs to be a chance for younger people to get into radio. It's not supposed to be a job for life.
It looks like the second anchor with Lane Bajardi will be on rotation. Sonia Rincon did the first week. Mario Bosquez did last week Mon-Thur, with Donna Vaughan on Friday. Monique Coppola was off Saturday night, and is working tonight so she'll probably be on much of the week.
Budd Mishkin has picked up a lot of the weekday overnight shifts. Stephanie Officer worked weekend evenings the last two weekends, with Mitch Lebe - who is, what, 80 years old? - covering weekend overnights.
Ronnie Stern, who has been at the editors desk for more than 40 years seems to have moved from mornings to afternoons with these changes.
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Another abrupt retirement on a Thursday from a distinguished Audacy news veteran, John Montone at 1010 WINS.
What is that, a dozen now? So many chances for those younger (and cheaper) people to get into radio...assuming Audacy didn't just double up the work on whoever is left.
What is that, a dozen now? So many chances for those younger (and cheaper) people to get into radio...assuming Audacy didn't just double up the work on whoever is left.
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