WKNR Programming Changes

[jaywepp]

I'll apologize....Heard that maybe LeCharles left because he was sticking up for a co-worker over money issues. If that is true, noble of him. About time someone take some stand against radio stations either outright stealing labor or cutting corners.

 

[Capulet]

He had limited talent. The ex jock thing only goes so far. It takes a verbal athlete to play radio.
Bently aint that.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

As noted, I don't expect any major role for him if he goes at The Fan.

Maybe a visit with The BSK and the Fox on Sunday after the Browns game? A drop in with Andy and Jeff?

I certainly wouldn't put it past 92.3 to give him a guest shot or two. It's done all the time with people who leave competing stations.

But I don't see a regular, weekday spot for LeCharles at the Halle Building.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Nathan is posting on Twitter that apparently, LeCharles wasn't happy that WKNR wouldn't pay producer Emmett Golden "minimum wage", so LCB quit.

I don't have any information about that on this end.

And oddly enough, as I am typing this, Twitter informs me that Mr. Golden has started following the OMW Twitter account. He may just want to see what I'm saying.

 

[CleveRadioInsider]

LeCharles Bentley quit? Where am I going to get my sports talk fix of blame it on the white man? ;D

 

[jaywepp]

Can't see him getting in at 92.3 either....They truly seem to be taking the route of ignoring WKNR exists. The worst thing that has come out of there is a promo saying you can't hear WKNR at night (w/o mentioning WKNR by name).

Trying to make it on their own merits w/o picking a fight. Honorable....But I think the wrong way to approach it. Especially to draw attention and get some people to tune over once WKNR inevitably takes the bait.

 

[Ron Lee]

Rizzo went off on critics of RBS at the end of the show today.

Among the rants...

1. He laid into Buckeye fans jumping down Aaron's throat by claiming that not everybody's an OSU fan (especially people from outside the state borders) and that "we (the fans) need to get out of our Ohio cucoons and deal with it".

2. He dropped an "If you don't like it, change the G. D. channel" bomb.

3. He claimed that callers/e-mailers were only "1%" of the listening audience and "weren't indicative" of the true pulse of things.

4. He said ratings weren't the end-all be-all, and the true definition of success was all the advertising partners he had.

5. He laid into people who prefered more "homerism" by claiming "For the last 15 years, sportstalk in this town has sucked! We tried it your way, and now we're doing it ours...you don't like it, too bad!"

6. And he claimed "the other guys have 15 different guys trying to do this, and they can't touch me".

Oh where to begin...

1. Criticism of OSU is fine, especially when deserved. I'm a Buckeye fan, and I'll take my lumps. What Aaron does is just complete over the top, contrived, almost cartoonish hatred. (the old wrestler playing the gimmick theory).

2. Translated..."It doesn't matter what you think, and if you don't like it, don't let the door hit you on the @$$ on the way out!" Way to treat potential users of your advertisers' products there Rizzie.

3. That sounds like something out of the CK playbook. It's almost like Craig scripted that for him.

4. Spoken like someone who's been knocked off the pedastal a bit. Oh and don't forget those 2 for 1 discount deals you give your clients when they put ads on 1540.

5. Gee, in the last 15 years what has been the only full time sports talk station in town...why it's WKNR (with KNR 2 riding in the back seat)! Way to (whether intentional or not) throw guys you work with (especially KNR lifers Brinda and Roda) under the bus there, T.

6. Was that a swipe at Talking Heads there Rizz? Obviously poking fun at the first week when Jeff Phelps was getting his contract sorted out, and Andy Baskin had several different fill-in co-hosts. Could they be getting into your head a bit there, Rizz?

I think there is no doubt that some collars are getting tight at the Galleria.

They're obviously reading all the message boards (Hell, they read one of Nathan's tweets on the air the other day), and can't take what Nate, OMW, me, and numeorus others on here are saying about them.

The Fan is exploding out of the blocks, "Bull and Fox" are taking the city by storm, and you just know "Talking Heads" is taking a bite out of their ratings, and they just don't know how to handle someone coming into their sandbox, kicking sand in their face.

So they (in the form of Rizzo) lashes out at critical callers, e-mailers, listeners, and bloggers.

92.3 is getting to them, make no mistake.

This was kind of a Phil Savage "F You, go root for Buffalo" moment there from the minority owner of Good Karma Broadcasting.

Yeah, I heard some of this. It was Rizzo, basically, telling the listerners why this is a good show and why it should be embraced and supported.

Great analogy of Phil Savage and his infamous "F-You" email. Exactly what it remided me of.

The sweat is flowing and the gripping has begun, in full, over at the Galleria.

 

[FM 100 Means Music]

4. He said ratings weren't the end-all be-all, and the true definition of success was all the advertising partners he had.

But ratings define how much Rizzo can charge these "partners" of his. If ratings go down, then WKNR has to charge lower rates and do more make goods.

 

[vjm]

Nathan is posting on Twitter that apparently, LeCharles wasn't happy that WKNR wouldn't pay producer Emmett Golden "minimum wage", so LCB quit.

I don't have any information about that on this end.

And oddly enough, as I am typing this, Twitter informs me that Mr. Golden has started following the OMW Twitter account. He may just want to see what I'm saying.

Wow.

Looks like they really WERE making guys work 20 hours a day for Ramen noodles!

To say there's chaos at the Galleria, would be an understatement.

1. You have Hammer pooping his pants on the air over his reduced role.
2. Rizzo flipping out on his critics.
3. A thrown together new PMD show set to debut on Monday that was necessatated due to their new competitor kicking their teeth in.
4. And now the star of the evening program walks out due to sticking up for his buddy who he felt was grossly underpaid.

CK is supposed to be on RBS at 10 a.m. (hmm..right when Talking Heads starts) to explain all that's going down...this should be interesting.

 

[vjm]

As noted, I don't expect any major role for him if he goes at The Fan.

Maybe a visit with The BSK and the Fox on Sunday after the Browns game? A drop in with Andy and Jeff?

I certainly wouldn't put it past 92.3 to give him a guest shot or two. It's done all the time with people who leave competing stations.

But I don't see a regular, weekday spot for LeCharles at the Halle Building.

Pair LB up with Ken Carman.

 

[kaysguy]

Well, the official announcement is nothing very big.

No reduced role for Goldhammer. He is the cohost of the RBS with Rizzo, though Karmazin talked about the "opportunity to sometime" add a third voice to the show.

Afternoons are indeed Hooley, Brinda and Fedor (in Karmazin speak, "a rising star", though he and Goldhammer were hurt by working together, since they sound too much alike).

 

[Rusty Muck]

Well, the official announcement is nothing very big.

No reduced role for Goldhammer. He is the cohost of the RBS with Rizzo, though Karmazin talked about the "opportunity to sometime" add a third voice to the show.

Afternoons are indeed Hooley, Brinda and Fedor (in Karmazin speak, "a rising star", though he and Goldhammer were hurt by working together, since they sound too much alike).

It wasn't very big an announcement, mainly because the details were already leaked out days in advance, so much of it became common knowledge. :

Sounds like Joe Goldhammer put in a call to Craig K.'s office and gave him the ol' horse-head-in-your-bed threat regarding the "reduced role" deal.

The spin Craig K. inflicted on his audience was something out of a World Pinwheel Convention. He went out of his way to bill Fedor as an equal on the afternoon show, and basically did the same by validating Aaron's infliction on tRBS... sounded a whole lot like a vote of confidence to me.

Oh, and he totally ignored the other elephant in the room: no mention of LeCharles in any way, not even a "he's no longer with us" mention or a "good luck" deal. Totally ignored him. Not to mention the obvious 7pm-9pm gap in the schedule that now exists with 'Xs and Os' obvious cancellation.

Funny thing is, Aaron and Fedor's acts are oh so similar to each other, but Craig K. and Aaron actually sound very similar in a vocal sense.

 

[Rusty Muck]

I should have followed that up with a <sarc/> tag after the fact... but can't edit the post now.

Apparently the belief of Joe G.'s influence in Good Karma was just that: a belief. I'm now being told definitive proof that Joe has virtually no investment or influence in the company at all. None.

While the NYU deal might have been with his parents' assistance (duh, any parent would try to help their child go through college) Aaron got where he was at WTLX-FM and WKNR by his own accord. (Now, you could argue Aaron's close friendship with Craig K. plays a role in his influence at WKNR, but that's a whole other story.)

Look, I wouldn't be posting this if I didn't have anything to back it up, because, honestly, most people don't know AND it's always been in question since day one of tRBS in February 2007.

 

[Capulet]

Geting Brinda on at a time when people can hear him has long been over due. He's the longest running sports guy in this market, hall of famer, author, Ignatius-KSU guy. Why they buried him at night for 5 years is beyond me. One of the classic KNR blunders.

Hooley is the smart hire.

Fedor is worthless. He is what? ...The " board-op who chimes in "? Stupid.
Brinda and Hooley are a great combo....but they had to ruin it with Fedor. Stupid.

 

[vjm]

LeCharles Bentley will be on "Bull and Fox" during the 5 p.m. hour.

That should be interesting.

 

[vjm]

I should have followed that up with a <sarc/> tag after the fact... but can't edit the post now.

Apparently the belief of Joe G.'s influence in Good Karma was just that: a belief. I'm now being told definitive proof that Joe has virtually no investment or influence in the company at all. None.

While the NYU deal might have been with his parents' assistance (duh, any parent would try to help their child go through college) Aaron got where he was at WTLX-FM and WKNR by his own accord. (Now, you could argue Aaron's close friendship with Craig K. plays a role in his influence at WKNR, but that's a whole other story.)

Look, I wouldn't be posting this if I didn't have anything to back it up, because, honestly, most people don't know AND it's always been in question since day one of tRBS in February 2007.

Well, I'll eat some crow on this, as I have always felt that Poppa Joe had some string pulling power over there, because how the hell could a twirp like Aaron Goldhammer have so much pull without outside influence.

But, it is no secret he's tight with CK, so the basic thesis is correct, just some of the details were wrong.

 

[Rusty Muck]

I should have followed that up with a <sarc/> tag after the fact... but can't edit the post now.

Apparently the belief of Joe G.'s influence in Good Karma was just that: a belief. I'm now being told definitive proof that Joe has virtually no investment or influence in the company at all. None.

While the NYU deal might have been with his parents' assistance (duh, any parent would try to help their child go through college) Aaron got where he was at WTLX-FM and WKNR by his own accord. (Now, you could argue Aaron's close friendship with Craig K. plays a role in his influence at WKNR, but that's a whole other story.)

Look, I wouldn't be posting this if I didn't have anything to back it up, because, honestly, most people don't know AND it's always been in question since day one of tRBS in February 2007.

Well, I'll eat some crow on this, as I have always felt that Poppa Joe had some string pulling power over there, because how the hell could a twirp like Aaron Goldhammer have so much pull without outside influence.

But, it is no secret he's tight with CK, so the basic thesis is correct, just some of the details were wrong.

It could be as simple as blind favoritism on Craig K.'s behalf.

Aaron is hardly the ONLY person that Craig has kept close ties and a near-insulated status (sales manager and de facto station manager Keith Williams is another) but he's obviously the most visible one.

And therein lies the problem. You can't run a major-market sports station - or ANY major-market radio station - where the owner allows close friendships to call the shots on who gets hired and fired.

 

[vjm]

Geting Brinda on at a time when people can hear him has long been over due. He's the longest running sports guy in this market, hall of famer, author, Ignatius-KSU guy. Why they buried him at night for 5 years is beyond me. One of the classic KNR blunders.

Hooley is the smart hire.

Fedor is worthless. He is what? ...The " board-op who chimes in "? Stupid.
Brinda and Hooley are a great combo....but they had to ruin it with Fedor. Stupid.

Fedor works cheap, which makes him gold to GKB.

And who knows...they may have Fedor join Je'Rod Cherry from 7-9 to kind of a modified "Gamenight" style show, to salvage the remnanats of "Xs and O's".

It's not like Ned doing double duty is a foreign concept. Only difference is now Chris wouldn't have to twiddle his thumbs for 7 hours between shows...only 1 (Browns Daily).

 

[vjm]

I should have followed that up with a <sarc/> tag after the fact... but can't edit the post now.

Apparently the belief of Joe G.'s influence in Good Karma was just that: a belief. I'm now being told definitive proof that Joe has virtually no investment or influence in the company at all. None.

While the NYU deal might have been with his parents' assistance (duh, any parent would try to help their child go through college) Aaron got where he was at WTLX-FM and WKNR by his own accord. (Now, you could argue Aaron's close friendship with Craig K. plays a role in his influence at WKNR, but that's a whole other story.)

Look, I wouldn't be posting this if I didn't have anything to back it up, because, honestly, most people don't know AND it's always been in question since day one of tRBS in February 2007.

Well, I'll eat some crow on this, as I have always felt that Poppa Joe had some string pulling power over there, because how the hell could a twirp like Aaron Goldhammer have so much pull without outside influence.

But, it is no secret he's tight with CK, so the basic thesis is correct, just some of the details were wrong.

It could be as simple as blind favoritism on Craig K.'s behalf.

Aaron is hardly the ONLY person that Craig has kept close ties and a near-insulated status (sales manager and de facto station manager Keith Williams is another) but he's obviously the most visible one.

And therein lies the problem. You can't run a major-market sports station - or ANY major-market radio station - where the owner allows close friendships to call the shots on who gets hired and fired.

It was very easy to make assumpsions about Poppa Joe. He and Big Daddy Mel are similar type guys who run in the same circles.

But there is a lot of nepotism/favoritsm going on at GKB, which hurts the product as a whole.

And I gotta point this out...

Rizz and Hammer bid Ned adieu at the end of the show today, and Chris was gushing about how much he learned form both of them.

Now Tony, having growing up around the business and being a part of it for 25 years, would have a lot to offer a young guy.

But what could Fedor possibly "learn" from Hammer? Like Aaron is some sort of grizzled industry veteran (He and Ned are the same age).

 

[Ron Lee]

Geting Brinda on at a time when people can hear him has long been over due. He's the longest running sports guy in this market, hall of famer, author, Ignatius-KSU guy. Why they buried him at night for 5 years is beyond me. One of the classic KNR blunders.

Hooley is the smart hire.

Fedor is worthless. He is what? ...The " board-op who chimes in "? Stupid.
Brinda and Hooley are a great combo....but they had to ruin it with Fedor. Stupid.

Listen to Hooley for a little while before proclaiming him "the smart hire". His act wore thin in Columbus and he had reason to temper it. Just watch what happens with this guy now. (getting popcorn out to enjoy the freak show...)