Name: terrestrial radio
Age: 100
Occupation: entertainers and informers of the public
Last Seen: everywhere
Bee-otched For: having a bad business model
Age: 100
Occupation: entertainers and informers of the public
Last Seen: everywhere
Bee-otched For: having a bad business model
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When I was a youngin', I was told that if you bust your ass and do a good job, you're entitled to raises and promotions at work. A good job well-done should be rewarding.
Now, if you do a good job, the tables get turned. Your boss will point out even your most-minor problems and give you bullshit excuses not to promote you, period.
And the broadcast industry is definitely not an exception to the rule.
For nearly 50 years, Detroit has been blessed with a legendary rock station in 101 WRIF. As times changed, so did the evolution of their sound. As a result, they are one of the highest rated rock stations in America and currently in the top three in the Nielsen radio ratings locally. By all means, their jocks and programmers should be given a raise.
But instead, they ended 2019 in the unemployment line.
Longtime Programming Director Mark Pennington - who had been at The Riff since 2001 - and 30-year Riff vet Anne Carlini were shown the door last week. The two, plus Juline Jordan from sister Classic Rocker WCSX 94.7 and DJ Dinero from Classic Hip-Hop 105.1 The Bounce all fell victim to parent company Beasley's budget cuts.
Yes, the same Beasley who owned WQAM 560 in Miami a long time ago. God, do I remember one of their hosts, the late, great Neil Rogers constantly bashing them on the air.
As some of you know, I wanted to get into radio as a youngin'. But since my mother personally knew a lot of DJs in Traverse City, one even told her that he was "replaced by a computer". This was c. 1990 and computerized automation was starting to take over the airwaves up north. Hell, I remembered seeing the giant CD automation system at WKLT that took up an entire corner of master control. Of course, my laptop and even my cell phone can carry more songs than that beast.
Here in Grand Rapids, it was heartbreaking when Matt Hanlon destroyed the original 94.5 WKLQ by demoting Howard Stern to flea-powered WBBL 1340 and screwed over their DJs. I know, this was over 15 years ago. But in the end, KLQ was killed off due to poor ratings, WGRD picked up the Active Rock format (though late 90s/early 00s KLQ was WAAAAAAY better, IMHO) and Matt Hanlon was fired... TWICE. Once for when Citadel was bought out by Cumulus and twice from WGRD parent Townsquare for his infamous drunk driving accident. Of course, he did rebound and is now in Charlotte, NC where he's the market manager for Entercom's radio stations, which include Hot AC 107.9 The Link and the godawful Bob and Sheri Show (of course, it was once carried in northern Michigan on the now-defunct 106.7 WSRT and the ratings STUNK).
Sadly, that's the reality of radio: good jocks get canned while the shitty ones get promoted. Ken Evans was canned TWICE here in Grand Rapids on two top-rated CHRs while the fat bastard known as Bill Simonson is still sucking up the airwaves on WBBL. Not only that, his ratings are totally abyssal.
Oh, and get this (SIGH): RUSH LIMBAUGH HAS RENEWED HIS CONTRACT WITH IHEARTRADIO IN A MULTI-YEAR DEAL. REALLY, IHEART?!?! Ya know, Rush - and fellow right-winged loons - no longer attract the ratings they once had. Hell, in Detroit, WJR is at a 2.2! WOR in New York is at a 1.7 and KEIB Los Angeles is at a .6. The biggest market I can find where Rush is still on a top 10 station is Dallas.
Ya know, there's a reason why iHeart and Cumulus have money problems. There's a reason why up in northern Michigan, the owners of legendary boomer rocker WKLT are going out of business. Hell, the Traverse City area has SEVERAL licensed radio stations that are off the air. The answer is simple: bad decisions.
Radio is like a grocery store. It's like a car dealership, a restaurant or even a gas station. It's a business. If they can't make money, it's their goddamned problem. If they lie to their listeners or even throw them away while the listeners find a new radio home. It's their problem. In WRIF's case, those who are rebelling over Ann Carlini or Mark Pennington's firing of course have Canadian-flavored 89X or internet or satellite radio to turn to for their fix of Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch and Van Halen. But since WRIF is a brand name, they might not have a lot to worry about. They have the American rock audience to themselves almost. But it's true: boycotts work, even in radio. Just look at the aforementioned WKLQ.
It's a shame that terrestrial radio is 100 years old this year. Their business model - and in some cases, demographic - is the same age.
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Bee-otch of the Day Archives can be seen on http://beeotchoftheday.blogspot.com
Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
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