General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCheap Channel Swings The Axe...Hundreds Fired Yesterday...
This was anticipated and rumored...as Bain/Cheap Channel...faced with billions in debt are pinching pennies and destroying lives and careers just before the holidays. They're sacrificing a lot of dedicated and talented people so they can continue to pay rushbo and insannity their outrageous salaries (with little revenue coming back...definitely not anywhere near what they're being paid now).
Bain bought Cheap Channel in '07 and the "inside" talk was to grease Willard's skids for his '08 and then '12 Presidential runs...buy off the Limbaughs and other critics and help create the bubble that popped loudly on election night. Now that Rmoney's political career is as done as Meatloaf's musical one...Bain has no need for thousands of radio stations; many that are worth far less than when they were overpaid for (much of it thanks to Lowrey and Mark Mays) and over-the-air radio in a state of rapid decline (thanks to previous rounds of firings and "deregulation)...
http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/113290/another-round-of-layoffs-at-clear-channel
ALL ACCESS has learned that CLEAR CHANNEL is going through another round of layoffs today. The reductions in force appear to be covering several of the company's clusters.
A statement from the company obtained by ALL ACCESS says, "We are constantly looking at all aspects of our business to ensure that it reflects how the best organizations work today, taking advantage of the latest cutting-edge technology and organizational structure so we can continue to operate as effectively and efficiently as possible.
"Like every successful business, our strategy continues to evolve as we move forward as a company; this creates some new jobs, and unfortunately eliminates others. These are never easy decisions to make.
"In the process of making these recent changes, some employees were affected. We thank them for their service and wish them all the best for the future."
So now if you're wondering what's happened to your favorite stations...including KPOJ...here's your reason. Looks like the cannibalizing of the company is about to begin...
Discuss...
malaise
(269,054 posts)To think WiLIARd Rmoney's karma just began on election night. I can't wait for the rest of it but I do hope the IRS is part of the karma package
KharmaTrain
(31,706 posts)This morning lots of morning personalities who were there yesterday won't be today...just a computer and satellite. I have a bunch of friends still stuck in the Cheap Channel spider web and so far they've survived this round but I'm reading about many others who didn't. They're shaving maybe a couple million to chip away at billions in debt. Absolutely no regard or respect for those who were fired...little or no severance and few job prospects since the company owns most the other local stations. So if you want to stay in "the biz" you have to travel (at your own expense, of course) and probably take less money and work more hours. It's a world I'm glad I'm far removed from.
titaniumsalute
(4,742 posts)I was smart enough after 5 years on the air to jump into sales and then spent a decade at the ratings company. Now...nothing to do with the radio industry. I moved three years ago to Florida and besides a few stations I can't tell you what stations are on what channels. I listen to a few stations around the country via my phone but mostly Sirius/XM.
Every time Clear Channel or other corporate radio owners slash and burn it just perks up the newer digital and satellite radio industry. Local stations are basically now either jukeboxes or satellite radio repeaters for right-wing talk radio.
CC slashed pretty much everything over the years EXCEPT decent talent. This year they are slashing talent. Morning shows (the pinnacle of the programming day and revenue) are now being decimated. That is NOT good for the industry. Can you imagine being a sales person with hundreds of the thousands in revenue tied to a morning show and you go to work today to explain to clients why they no longer exist?
Ugg.
KharmaTrain
(31,706 posts)I started in "the biz" in the stoned ages of the 70s...lots of idealism and some fun and creative radio as well. I saw a lot of people's hard work turn into multi-million dollar ventures that were gobbled up by greedy corporates who used "deregulation" to turn the public airwaves into a private plantation. They "downsized" and "consolidated" to the point where they squeezed the creativity and energy out of almost all of their operations and drove listeners away. The "farm system" was wiped out long ago and now it looks like CC's "plan" is to carry the same show/format on stations in every market...what is termed "repeater" radio. It's desperation. The real irony is how the "wizards of finance" who hold the notes on this company turned to the people who destroyed the medium to turn things around. Oh well.
I'm very fortunate...I bailed on the "day-to-day" in the 90s and got involved with internet broadcasting over 15 years ago and never looked back. While the money is hard to come by at this point, we're seeing consistent listener growth and it's just a matter of time as to becoming very popular. As I like to point out...you're probably closer to an internet radio (computer or cellphone) than you are of a "conventional" radio.
I have no mercy for those at the top, but unfortunately they'll walk away with golden parachutes. Bob Pitman will probably be able to keep their jets. Worthless broadcast properties will be dumped with few assets and even less ability to generate revenue. I'm just hoping the big Bain dump is sooner rather than later...
Cheers...
ananda
(28,866 posts)..
Berlum
(7,044 posts)Isn't Olde StinkyPants Limbaugh (R) a noxious chickenhawk emission of Smear Channel?
KharmaTrain
(31,706 posts)2013 will not be a kind one to rushbo. He's finally being blamed for a drastic drop in advertising revenue for hate talk stations last year and is viewed as a liability rather than an asset. Much of the griping came from Cumulus...Cheap Channel's prime competitor...who are looking for reasons to dump rushbo and replace him with Mike Hucklenutz. Look for that battle to heat up next year as rushbo is dumped from longtime bastions such as WLS, WABC, KABC, WJR and other big name stations. In some markets he'll find a new home but not on as big a signal and his numbers and revenue would decline appreciably. He definitely won't be worth all the money being thrown at him.
The boycotts have had an affect on stations willing to take on his show if he gets dumped by others.
While rushbo won't be gone anytime soon...he sure will be diminished in the years ahead.
Berlum
(7,044 posts)He's a sad case to be sure. His obvious lies about global warming have rendered him completely irrelevant in the reality community, never mind his sloppy spewage of Republican phony Republican 1% propaganda, and his incessant and unbecoming whinging about Americans being Americans.
meegbear
(25,438 posts)and layoff staff so they have skeleton crews that play the pre-selected music.
It's hyped as "no blabbing DJs", but it also means people out of work.
KharmaTrain
(31,706 posts)There are very few "DJs" anymore...everything you hear on the radio is handled by a computer with a human attached to it every so often. You'll have a couple live bodies to do a morning and/or afternoon show and it's on auto-pilot the rest of the time. Now that's being cut back...repeating programming from a master computer. In addition to the "blabbing DJ", gone are the producers, production and sales staffs. Markets that once had 4 or 5 vibrant and competitive stations now have hard drives and not much else...
LiberalArkie
(15,719 posts)sunwyn
(494 posts)on our local rock station, WEBN, got the axe yesterday...
alfredo
(60,074 posts)CoffeeCat
(24,411 posts)Look at the lengths to which they went to win this election. They purchased hundreds of radio stations. They had hundreds of millions from Koch and Addelson. They had Fox News. They had Benghazi teed up--to destroy Obama's foreign-policy record.
They went to such extreme lengths--how could they NOT win it?
This election is a shining beacon--reminding these sociopathic bastards that you cannot buy an election with money, lies and manipulation. Nothing trumps the votes of decent, honest, enlightened Americans who refuse to have their country stolen by dark forces.
The Whoos down in Whoovile won over the Grinches of the world...that's for sure.
KharmaTrain
(31,706 posts)..is that many radio station looked at all that Citizens United money flying around last year and salivated that they'd get a huge chunk that would go a long way toward fixing big holes in their dwindling advertising revenues and it didn't happen. I heard one rushpublican "strategist" say they were doing the lion's share of their spending on television...they didn't need to spend on radio since stations that played rushbo and that ilk were already advertising for the rushpublicans 24/7. So they didn't get the bonanza they hoped for on top of losing advertisers who avoided the verbosity and toxicity that is today's hate radio. Unfortunately the few Progressive talk stations also took a hit...one that they really couldn't afford.
Cheers...
PADemD
(4,482 posts)MynameisBlarney
(2,979 posts)ruined radio IMHO.