Wednesday, November 15, 2006

BREAKING NEWS: CC Budget Axe Hitting Cleveland

Clear Channel has been making somewhat more than the usual budget-related staff cutbacks nationwide, reportedly to prepare itself for a sale to private equity firms.

That budget axe has apparently now started hitting closer to home.

Much closer, as in the Clear Channel World Domination HQ on Oak Tree in suburban Cleveland, where OMW hears one name is already on the cut list: T.R. Renzy, imaging/production guy at oldies WMJI/105.7 "Majic 105.7".

We hear there are others affected, but that's the only name that we have so far.

More as we hear it...

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Visit the job postings on All Access. There may be a clue there.

Johnny Morgan said...

T.R. wasn't just WMJI Prod. Dir., he also voiced a good deal of spots on WTAM as well.

Guess they figure they can do with just one or two production guys for the whole cluster...working them to the max...for just this side of $25k.

Nice. Now, does anyone wonder why I'm a lawyer and do radio on the side?

Anonymous said...

Typical of Clear Channel, and unfortunately the industry as a whole. Work 'em as cheaply as possible then toss them out the door. Clear Channel will be dropping anybody with an assistant in their title like yesterdays underwear over the next few months as part of the make way for the money effort.

Anonymous said...

I just heard on the 5 PM news on WKBN-TV that ch 27/fox 17/62 has been sold to new vision television. The on air staff welcomed them to the valley.

Anonymous said...

Here is a little about new vision televison: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Vision_Television

http://www.arlingtoncap.com/investments_newvisiongroup.html

http://www.newvisiontv.com/

Anonymous said...

Here is what the business-journal has to say about the sell of WKBN/WYFX : http://www.business-journal.com/ To access the article you need to have a user id and password.

Anonymous said...

Does CC have any interest in Cleveland anymore? They sure have been getting rid of the $$$ makers like Meg Stevens and RC Bauer. Syndicated mornings on MMS and Kiss. Never a replacement for Popovich. Half the news staff. Maybe the pending buyout will have Cleveland on the auction block.

Anonymous said...

"Paging Craig Karmizan, paging Craig Karmizan... hire T.R. as soon as legally able." I agree with Chuck wholeheartedly: TR's one of the BEST VO's that's left in Cleveland, in a modest stable that includes Ted Lux, Steve Dole and Dan Deely...

Small note: R.C. actually had left on his own, to go to Tampa's WFLA. Yes, CC only promoted Darren Toms to ND, but I betcha R.C. doesn't miss what's going on now... if the writing was on the wall as I think it was all along (WAKS was the only real moneymaker in the cluster earlier this year, and WTAM had to air a whole miserable Indians season...).

Oh, and now WTAM has CC traffic reporter Dave Ramos on the afternoon newscasts, for well over a week. Could Mary Schurmann also have been cut?

And is the countdown clock ticking on Ray Davis? Or Bo Matthews?

- Nathan Obral

Ohio Media Watch said...

FYI - we have an article ready to put up about WKBN/WYFX's sale.

Blogger, for whatever reason, is not letting us even save it off.

We'll put it up as soon as Blogger decides to get over its latest case of indigestion. Heck, we don't even know if this comment will work.

-The Management

Ohio Media Watch said...

Paging Nathan...please check your E-Mail. :D

-Me again

Anonymous said...

I believe Mary Schurmann is on maternity leave.
Ramos is VERY good! He's got a future ahead of him.

Anonymous said...

Clear Channel is the worst thing to happen to radio, in the history of radio. I hate them. They always get rid of people right around the holidays. They are scum of the Earth.

Anonymous said...

It is being reported on All Access that CC will be selling off 448 small market stations. including 34 in Ohio as part of a bigger deal..