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WRKO FIRES FREE "800" CALL IN PHONE LINES

C

Casablanca

Guest
It what must be the final death throws of WRKO, Howie Carr announced today that WRKO "fired" the free 800 call-in phone numbers leaving Howie with ONE call-in line in the 617 Area Code.

Entercom must be desperate and is a sign that WRKO as a talk format may be a short timer.

As a caller said to Howie Carr today, "Look, Howie you too may be called into the office at the end of your shift...." Can Julie "The Executioner" Kahn be far behind ? :)

Howie, don't forget to turn out the lights when you leave. Entercom needs to save every penny.
 
At least Howie was joking about it. Good thing he's not doing a Wizard of Uhhs contest--it would take forever to do with just one phone line.

The anti-RKO folks are having a whole bunch of schadenfraude (pleasure in others' pain), kind of like how
Red Sox fans like me felt when the Yankees were in last & Sox in first for awhile early this year, or how
conservatives felt when Kerry lost. (And how Howie felt when Barnicle was forced out by the Globe.
"I remember him dancing up and down, 'Barnicle resigns, Barnicle resigns!'," as VB recalled a few weeks back...

'RKO should get good ratings once Sox season starts. For the cost E-com paid for the rights, they'd better!
 
apples and oranges, Raccoon.

Bob, imagine if we put The Red Sox on AM 1430? Air America Radio with The Red Sox would do well too.

What you are admitting is that WRKO has failed as a talk station. It is the BALK station!
HA

Casablanca has a good point - don't forget to turn off the light, Howie, on the way out.

He better hit that cash register button as much as he can. WTKK here comes Howeeeeeeeeeee.
 
Howie is obviously upset over the firing of the news department. Maybe the problem with the phones just pushed him over the edge. Things around that place must be a bit tense after last weeks house cleaning.
 
Casablanca said:
It what must be the final death throws of WRKO, Howie Carr announced today that WRKO "fired" the free 800 call-in phone numbers leaving Howie with ONE call-in line in the 617 Area Code.

Entercom must be desperate and is a sign that WRKO as a talk format may be a short timer.

As a caller said to Howie Carr today, "Look, Howie you too may be called into the office at the end of your shift...." Can Julie "The Executioner" Kahn be far behind ? :)

Howie, don't forget to turn out the lights when you leave. Entercom needs to save every penny.
Click to expand...

...and it's painfully obvious that you can't tell when Howie is kidding.

It will be such a pleasure to see you proven wrong...AGAIN.
 
From Buffalo, Entercom does this kind of thing here, too. They run a 5 kW news talker, WBEN 930; a 5kW sports talker, WGR 550 and a 50 kW lib talker, WWKB 1520, the once proud WKBW that runs totally syndicated, on life-support and gets about a 1.3 share these days. November is blood-letting month at Entercom Buffalo. Purging the entire WRKO Boston news department has to be a new low point. Soulless bastards.
 
>>>...and it's painfully obvious that you can't tell when Howie is kidding.

It will be such a pleasure to see you proven wrong...AGAIN.>>>

HUH?? he was furious, not kidding..
 
My read on it was he was NOT kidding, he was PO'd that he was down to ONE phone line, the 931 exchange high volume contest line.

He showed his displeasure thru sarcasm. But Howie isn't stupid. Outside of TTK where could he go?

Imus is doing well for them in morning drive, Jay was just rehired for PM drive, mid days against Rush maybe?
 
Entercomm has to be in real tough financial shape. They're being penny wise, pound foolish. Bad enough to fire the news team. Then to get rid of the toll free line?

They put that thing in just for Howie to begin with, although others eventually used it.

I'd be pretty upset too if I were in his shoes.

I can't take the same kind of pleasure in this that Casablanca and Joe V. seem to. When a major station in the market goes down like this it's bad for radio.
 
Wellllll, Mickey, it's like this. When the gay bashing Howie Carr and the anti-Democratic agenda of Entercom go down the same time the Republicans get swept out of office, it is a GREAT day in Boston.

These bass - tidos have infected radio the way Oedipus stifled creativity at WBCN. Beyond just a symptom, they have abused the public airwaves with epithets, hate speech and money over quality broadcasting. Only it bit them in the behind. They are in dire straits, if you saw how much money RKO is making compared to EEI,
and Howie Carr is a walking anachronism.

These radio stations have become useless. Better to have a MIKE FM that at least plays music instead of the gay bashing, gay baiting, rude, obnoxious broken records that are one stale joke after another. Todd Hughes and Spencer Feinburg are the other side of the coin - talentless shmucks put on the air to aggravate.

Then you have the failed Jeff Katz, who allegedly purchased the RKO time to get on the air; same with the
Two Chicks dishing. Check the facts - RKO used to sell the time and they'll have to go back to that.

Wonder what they'll be charging Carr to be on the air? 800 Large indeed.
 
It had to be a technical issue, the 266 6868 number is local and costs them nothing. Now the WATS lines that were put in when ABC was syndicating him could easily go away for a substantial $ savings. Most of Howies affiliates are close by, and it's not like long distance calls are expensive these days. Most cell phone providers, cable companies, and V.O.I.P. phone companies give it away. Besides people would call a 900 number to get on radio I think. Hey Julie there is an idea, fund the news operations from 900 number revenue!
 
Panago said:
>>>...and it's painfully obvious that you can't tell when Howie is kidding.

It will be such a pleasure to see you proven wrong...AGAIN.>>>

HUH?? he was furious, not kidding..
Click to expand...

Self-delusion is a wonderful thing...
 
Neggy said:
It had to be a technical issue, the 266 6868 number is local and costs them nothing. Now the WATS lines that were put in when ABC was syndicating him could easily go away for a substantial $ savings. Most of Howies affiliates are close by, and it's not like long distance calls are expensive these days. Most cell phone providers, cable companies, and V.O.I.P. phone companies give it away. Besides people would call a 900 number to get on radio I think. Hey Julie there is an idea, fund the news operations from 900 number revenue!
Click to expand...

phone service doesn't cost them anything anyway. internet(e-mail, stream, website), phone and cable are always message for trade deals. even sales peoples' cars and servicing are message-for-trade. top jocks and talkshow hosts get hi def plasmas and home theaters installed in their homes for nothing. we sales people always hook them up with perks. no one pays for anything if you bring ratings and kiss sales manager's behind from time to time.
 
I just have one word for Julie "The Executioner" Kahn and her group of thugs - schadenfraude!!! :)
 
What is it, a half dozen seasoned radio people out of work with bills to pay and mouths to feed? OK a business decision was made fine. Firing these people before the holidays is the kind of karma that tends to come back around on people. We can speculate about formats, decisions and the future of radio but I continue to have the inability to wrap my mind around firing devoted employees prior to the holiday season. Does it get any lower that that? Am I totally off base here?
 
No, you are right on track. I cannot think of a more despicable act. If Julie "The Executioner" Kahn had a soul she would have quit before she executed the entire WRKO News staff one by one.

If you heard Rod Fritz on Emily Rooney's program you heard him say that each news person was called into Khan's office individually and assassinated.

You Django obviously have a heart and a soul. Have a great Thanksgiving and let us hope and pray that Rod, Listo and the entire news staff find a new position very soon. With any luck the Entercom suits will soon prey on Kahn.



Django said:
What is it, a half dozen seasoned radio people out of work with bills to pay and mouths to feed? OK a business decision was made fine. Firing these people before the holidays is the kind of karma that tends to come back around on people. We can speculate about formats, decisions and the future of radio but I continue to have the inability to wrap my mind around firing devoted employees prior to the holiday season. Does it get any lower that that? Am I totally off base here?
Click to expand...
 
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