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WSB's evening newsguy

W

WhatYes

Guest
I'll try to be as nice and delicate as I can with this, but honestly I'm surprised the new evening news guy on WSB-AM, Ashton Martala (??) is still on the air. When he first came on I was underwhelmed by his 1960's style of delivery and his many bumbles, but it just hasn't gotten any better after a couple of months. I listen to WSB on my way home from work and every evening I cringe. Not saying I could do better, I'm sure I couldn't, but I'm just wondering how this guy landed this position with a flagship station and how long they're going to let him keep stumbling through the evening news. Anyone know any background on him?
 
> I'll try to be as nice and delicate as I can with this, but
> honestly I'm surprised the new evening news guy on WSB-AM,
> Ashton Martala (??) is still on the air. When he first came
> on I was underwhelmed by his 1960's style of delivery and
> his many bumbles, but it just hasn't gotten any better after
> a couple of months. I listen to WSB on my way home from
> work and every evening I cringe. Not saying I could do
> better, I'm sure I couldn't, but I'm just wondering how this
> guy landed this position with a flagship station and how
> long they're going to let him keep stumbling through the
> evening news. Anyone know any background on him?
>
Here's an idea...change the channel. Jennifer Perry on 640 WGST has a nice, smooth proffesional delivery. When she's out and Wendy Grossman fills in, that's when I cringe.
 
> > I'll try to be as nice and delicate as I can with this,
> but
> > honestly I'm surprised the new evening news guy on WSB-AM,
>
> > Ashton Martala (??) is still on the air. When he first
> came
> > on I was underwhelmed by his 1960's style of delivery and
> > his many bumbles, but it just hasn't gotten any better
> after
> > a couple of months. I listen to WSB on my way home from
> > work and every evening I cringe. Not saying I could do
> > better, I'm sure I couldn't, but I'm just wondering how
> this
> > guy landed this position with a flagship station and how
> > long they're going to let him keep stumbling through the
> > evening news. Anyone know any background on him?
> >
> Here's an idea...change the channel. Jennifer Perry on 640
> WGST has a nice, smooth proffesional delivery. When she's
> out and Wendy Grossman fills in, that's when I cringe.
>
Sure I can change the channel. Is that what WSB wants tens of thousands of listeners doing every night? Do you put a person into your evening drive slot thinking "Oh well, our listeners may change the channel but what the heck?!"
By the way, have you ever seen Wendy? She may not be the smoothest sounding on the radio, but in person she's gorgeous.
 
I can't really comment on what Ashley Martella sounds like on WSB because I rarely listen at night. So, I'm not saying I disagree with you necessarily.

However, Martella comes into WSB with blue chip, major market credentials. He was an anchor at 1010 WINS Radio in New York City for at least 20 years.

If he has an "old school" delivery it's because he is from an older generation of broadcasters---people that you listened to (or your parents listened to) when you were growing up.


> I'll try to be as nice and delicate as I can with this, but
> honestly I'm surprised the new evening news guy on WSB-AM,
> Ashton Martala (??) is still on the air. When he first came
> on I was underwhelmed by his 1960's style of delivery and
> his many bumbles, but it just hasn't gotten any better after
> a couple of months. I listen to WSB on my way home from
> work and every evening I cringe. Not saying I could do
> better, I'm sure I couldn't, but I'm just wondering how this
> guy landed this position with a flagship station and how
> long they're going to let him keep stumbling through the
> evening news. Anyone know any background on him?
>
 
Actually I do like Ashley Martello, he does bring an "air of confidence" with him, that quite frankly I feel we need more of. Yeah he is learning his way around the Atlanta scene a bit.. but AM750 has gone to that short attention span lowest common denominator audience especially in the evening and I would imagine it is a bit of a learning curve for him to get in and out in 90 to 120 seconds. I remember Bob Pollante having to change a little coming from Boston to the wizbeey.

'GST needs to just throw the white flag and get out of the news business.. and go Polka.. (no offense to Polka fans)
 
> > > I'll try to be as nice and delicate as I can with this,
> > but
> > > honestly I'm surprised the new evening news guy on
> WSB-AM,
> >
> > > Ashton Martala (??) is still on the air. When he first
> > came
> > > on I was underwhelmed by his 1960's style of delivery
> and
> > > his many bumbles, but it just hasn't gotten any better
> > after
> > > a couple of months. I listen to WSB on my way home from
>
> > > work and every evening I cringe. Not saying I could do
> > > better, I'm sure I couldn't, but I'm just wondering how
> > this
> > > guy landed this position with a flagship station and how
>
> > > long they're going to let him keep stumbling through the
>
> > > evening news. Anyone know any background on him?
> > >
> > Here's an idea...change the channel. Jennifer Perry on 640
>
> > WGST has a nice, smooth proffesional delivery. When she's
> > out and Wendy Grossman fills in, that's when I cringe.
> >
> Sure I can change the channel. Is that what WSB wants tens
> of thousands of listeners doing every night? Do you put a
> person into your evening drive slot thinking "Oh well, our
> listeners may change the channel but what the heck?!"
> By the way, have you ever seen Wendy? She may not be the
> smoothest sounding on the radio, but in person she's
> gorgeous.
>
No I have never seen Wendy. Maybe if I did I would change my mind about her news delivery. :)
 
> No I have never seen Wendy. Maybe if I did I would change my
> mind about her news delivery. :)


Methinks you certainly would change your mind. Personally, I think her voice is sultry and sexy . . .
 
Ashley Martella: Great pipes. Delivery needs a little work. Here is where I am guessing the problem is... Working at WINS and in Boston, he may not have had to run the soundbites, reports etc himself. Probably the board op in the master control room did that. It sounds like at WSB, the news anchors do all that themselves (possible exception for "Atlanta's Morning News.") The last time he touched anything other than a mic switch, it was probably decades ago and everything was on carts and reels. It seems his stumbles are the result of distractions and they often occur right around the time a soundbite is called for or just after one didn't play. That's just my guess...


> > No I have never seen Wendy. Maybe if I did I would change
> my
> > mind about her news delivery. :)
>
>
> Methinks you certainly would change your mind. Personally,
> I think her voice is sultry and sexy . . .
>
<P ID="signature">______________
Consolidated Corporate Radio S U C K S !!!!!!</P>
 
> > > > I'll try to be as nice and delicate as I can with
> this,
> > > but
> > > > honestly I'm surprised the new evening news guy on
> > WSB-AM,
> > >
> > > > Ashton Martala (??) is still on the air. When he
> first
> > > came
> > > > on I was underwhelmed by his 1960's style of delivery
> > and
> > > > his many bumbles, but it just hasn't gotten any better
>
> > > after
> > > > a couple of months. I listen to WSB on my way home
> from
> >
> > > > work and every evening I cringe. Not saying I could
> do
> > > > better, I'm sure I couldn't, but I'm just wondering
> how
> > > this
> > > > guy landed this position with a flagship station and
> how
> >
> > > > long they're going to let him keep stumbling through
> the
> >
> > > > evening news. Anyone know any background on him?
> > > >
> > > Here's an idea...change the channel. Jennifer Perry on
> 640
> >
> > > WGST has a nice, smooth proffesional delivery. When
> she's
> > > out and Wendy Grossman fills in, that's when I cringe.
> > >
> > Sure I can change the channel. Is that what WSB wants
> tens
> > of thousands of listeners doing every night? Do you put a
>
> > person into your evening drive slot thinking "Oh well, our
>
> > listeners may change the channel but what the heck?!"
> > By the way, have you ever seen Wendy? She may not be the
> > smoothest sounding on the radio, but in person she's
> > gorgeous.
> >
> No I have never seen Wendy. Maybe if I did I would change my
> mind about her news delivery. :)
>
Larry Wachs once put a picture of Wendy and Cari Dean on the Reg guys website. I wasn't sure if they were real pics or not but both were good looking.
 
> Ashley Martella: Great pipes. Delivery needs a little
> work. Here is where I am guessing the problem is...
> Working at WINS and in Boston, he may not have had to run
> the soundbites, reports etc himself. Probably the board op
> in the master control room did that. It sounds like at WSB,
> the news anchors do all that themselves (possible exception
> for "Atlanta's Morning News.") The last time he touched
> anything other than a mic switch, it was probably decades
> ago and everything was on carts and reels. It seems his
> stumbles are the result of distractions and they often occur
> right around the time a soundbite is called for or just
> after one didn't play. That's just my guess...

Ashley ran his own soundbites at WFTL in S. Florida. He had trouble there too, but that was more a result of the equipment he used, which was hit-or-miss for all of the anchors.
 
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