Some other stuff not related to impending changes in Good Karma Land...well, mostly not related...
MILLER REPLACEMENT TIME: WEWS/5 sports director Chris Miller is now under a week away from his departure from the Cleveland ABC affiliate, bound for Washington DC's Comcast SportsNet regional sports channel. His last day is February 28th.
We hear that Miller and CSN's Tony Burke (an ex-WEWSer) go back a long time, and that the presence of the offer from DC didn't result in a counter offer from the folks at NewsChannel 5, though the popular sports anchor and his Cleveland station had been talking contract.
And though we hear John Chandler is also talking contract with WEWS, it's not a foregone conclusion that he'll move up to replace Miller after his exit. In fact, it seems that at least some folks believe Channel 5 will look outside the building for Chris' replacement...
XM/SIRIUS MERGER: By request from a very nice OMW reader...
OK, so we don't really "play requests" here, and don't have much to say about it, but you'd have to be under a rock to not know that satellite radio services XM and Sirius are hoping to merge.
We say "hoping", as despite the announcement, it would appear the regulatory hurdles are rather high. Approval, unlike most FCC approvals (and FTC, etc.), would not seem to be anywhere near automatic for any number of reasons.
There is a tiny Northeast Ohio angle here.
Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin is the father of Good Karma's Craig Karmazin (WKNR/WWGK), who is a bit busy these days with his own facilities in Cleveland. OK, so there's a small WKNR-related item here...
Karmazin the Elder would retain his CEO title in a merged XM/Sirius, whatever it's called. We believe that gives him the upper hand in this so-called "merger of equals"...
KASPER ACTION: We spent a lot of time on this the last time it happened, but don't have much to say this time about two Cleveland radio names getting some attention.
The name of WAKS/96.5 "Kiss FM" afternoon drive host/APD Kasper has once again shown up in the "Action" section of the popular trade website AllAccess. Twice...once Friday, and once Monday.
Not to be outdone, "Kiss" programmer Bo Matthews, who also is still in his original role programming sister Clear Channel rock outlet WMMS/100.7, appeared in that same list on Tuesday.
"Action" is - presumably - a list of people who might be "up to something" in the near future, news which is usually related to some sort of move or job change.
No, we don't know what, if anything, it means.
The last time, Kasper's name was being attached by the rumor mill to every possible opening at every possible major market top 40 outlet in America. Or, at least it seemed that way to us.
As it turned out, the Friendly Afternoon Driver and OMW reader decided to stick around Northeast Ohio - not upsetting the Radio Talent Balance in this region.
We "haven't heard anything". We're just reminding you that names can, and do, appear in that section of AllAccess even if nothing eventually happens...and if we DO hear anything, we'll let you know...
FILE IT IN THE "DELAY" FILE: And speaking of "Action", OMW is hearing that Cleveland's "19 Action News" may not round out the Local HDTV News Lineup in Cleveland as soon as the end of this month.
Oh, the engineers at Raycom Media CBS affiliate WOIO/19 are still working on it - diligently, we're told. We just have heard that the "end of February" target date may be too optimistic for the folks at Reserve Square to become Cleveland's fourth HD newsroom, after WJW/8, WKYC/3 and WEWS/5.
One problem: They'll have to perfect broadcasting in color, first.
Yes, we're just kidding...honest!
Or maybe they're waiting for CBS to return that 5.1 audio equipment, so they can put each "19 Action News" anchor on a different speaker.
Yes, we're kidding...again...
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
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31 comments:
Sirius and XM are so much better than old fashioned radio...
The XM/Sirius merger reads like a neon sign... "We blow and we don't have enough subscribers to keep us afloat".
Yeah...so much better. So much in fact that subscriber estimates are MILLIONS below what was originally promised to inventors.
They merged to even keep Sat radio alive.
Too little too late...W-Max will kill Xm and Sirius even more.
"Karmazin the Elder would retain his CEO title in a merged XM/Sirius, whatever it's called. We believe that gives him the upper hand in this so-called "merger of equals"..."
There is hardly ever a merger of "equals" two parties may come to the table with similar assets and walk away with 50-50 attributable interest, but almost always one company's corporate culture prevails. In this case my money is on Sirius. Mel did not join this band to play second fiddle. Look at the Westinghouse/CBS/Infinity merger in the 90's. The remaining corporate entity was Westinghouse (although it was named CBS, later changed to Infinity, and then back to CBS) but the Infinity corporate culture won out... at least in the short term.
thanks for "playing my song!"
"Sirius and XM are so much better than old fashioned radio..."
That must be why they're making money hand-over-fist. Oh wait, that's "old fashioned radio" that's generating a 30% cashflow.
SatRad may be the "8-track" of the new millenium. In between the technologies that have longevity, there are always those that are born, tried, and died. Examples: Phonograph cylinders, 44 mHz band FM, the CBS sequential color system, Beta-Max, Video Discs (the 70's version, not DVD's), Quadraphonic stereo, AM Stereo, DAT's and DCC's, The TRS-80 Computer, and the list goes on and on.
This might be the most exciting merger since the Pennsylvania and New York Central Railroads merged. Kinda' like two AIDS patients getting married.
Well that was inappropriate. Sheesh.
I purchased Sirus' streaming service after the Howard Stern Preview in November..and have recently added XMs stream on my home computer..
Those who wish to predict the demise of SatRadio need to listen to the product..it blows commercial radio out of the water..
and I still work in commercial radio..for now..
I've felt for a long time that AC programmers should be made to listen to XMs AC channels..they might learn something about how to program music properly..
I no longer have to sit through badly done client ads on terrestrial radio...both services offer commercial free music..
Howard Stern has never sounded better..Playboy Radio is excellent as part of Sirius..XMs 20 on 20 is an excellent example of how CHR should be programmed..too bad no one in terrestrial radio ever figured out how..
SatRadio's problem has been how to market the service..and don't tell me ''local radio'' is better..how ''local'' is Canton Radio these days?
Where I reside now, I can't hear the MLB affliate of my favorite team..and the local affliate can't run a game to save its ass..I'll have an XM unit for baseball season any day now..
I wouldnt have to do that if the people running commercial radio cared about how their stations sound..fact is..they don't..
Commercial radio is generating 30 percent cash flow by drowning listeners in spots..programming was sacrificed a long time ago in favor of 20 minutes an hour..or more..of clutter...
The only ones who think Sat radio is failing are the ones that buy the crap written by publications like Inside Radio, which are owned by Clear Channel.
15 million americans are now paying for Sat. Radio. Oh wait. I get it. HD will help dinosaur radio get back on track. lol
The huge gains in those paying for Sat. radio show that the many of americans are tired of the poor quality programing given by companies like Clear Channel. Sirius had less than a million when the announcement was made that Howard had signed with them. They now have over 6 million, less than two years later. Yeah, that's failure.
I like Sirius just for the "F**k the FCC" and "F**k Clear Channel" imaging.
Canton rock radio is getting less and less local.
Wait a few weeks and see...
Watch how Clear Channel takes what was once a great station and continues to kill it.
WRQK died about 3 1/2 years ago. In 3 1/2 years the weekly cume on WRQK dropped from 33,000 to 11,000. That is almost neck and neck with WNPQ! Guess Val's Playlist made a big difference, same with that piped in morning show that ypu can now hear on three frequencies in Canton.
Winners in the Sat Merge? Mel, Howard, the consumer, as more channels are possible.
Losers? Lee Abrahams, almost sure to be out and some decent shows on XM that'll be bounced, like the Phillips Phile. The Consumers. Betcha sub rates increase.
Why does XM air Rollye James on 3 different channels?
Considering Howard had a weekly audience, according to published reports at the time, of over 12 million, it ain't that good.
He pulled the curtain back, too far.
The fun part of listening on radio was the tiptoe around certain words. It made the show dangerous and exciting. On sat it's commonplace to say four letter words. It's no longer the edge of your seat show it once was.
Thanks for the comment about WOIO. Gave me a laugh. Considering I have heard it won't be until June until they have HD broadcasting. But let's face it. Management at that station is not what you would call the brightest bulb in the socket.
"I no longer have to sit through badly done client ads on terrestrial radio...both services offer commercial free music"
We'll see how long that last's... LOL. Subscription and equipment fee's will only go so far for so long. The day WILL COME when SAT radio no longer holds that card over regular radio!
"Those who wish to predict the demise of SatRadio need to listen to the product..it blows commercial radio out of the water..
and I still work in commercial radio..for now"
Your a radio/music geek,of course you feel that way... Truckers are the other big demo for SAT radio. The vast majority of America still uses regular radio and always will. It will NEVER become a "necessity" like computers have become over the last 10 years!
Someone once said Cable TV wont be a necessity either. Almost everyone has it now
two much choice on sat radio and not enough of it is really different....cable suceeded because the programming was different than local...All movies ( HBO)..all sports ( the ESPN'S)..
sat radio offers lots of tv simulcasts but not radio type programming which is different ENOUGH.....
personally i have XM....because of MLB and colege football/basletball.
now if i can get the nfl with this merger fine....if not why bother...just le the competitors fight it out.....
i think mel feared he would not be the survivor in such a fight...hence the merger....
Cable TV & Sat Radio is apples to oranges... Comparing any form of TV to radio, Sat or otherwise is just ridiculous!
TV literally controls some peoples lives, so you have the ability to alter the viewers habits on a scale that radio can never match.
Putting sports and other specialty programming on sat radio is just repackaging old ideas... whereas cable TV offering movies and other specialty programming was a completely new concept all together and so completely different from the standard 3 or 4 channels available to viewers of the past... Apples and Oranges!
Sat radio offers better content, much less commercials, more choices, the ability to hear your favorite stations anywhere in the country, no censorship, etc.
Sat radio is a million times better than boring, bland, censored, run of the mill radio.
It is not apples and oranges. Testicle radio has become boring and does not care one bit about the consumer. Therefore the consumer is slowly jumping ship. This jumping will continue.
You can pretend the sat subscriptions are not going through the roof. They are. If you look at the figures you will see that thousands per week are signing up. Just don't look at the false figures generated by companies like Clear Channel, who skirt the truth in the trade magazines they own such as Inside Radio.
It is such a joke, watching commercial radio try to discredit sat. You can tell they are scared and that sat is kicking their ass.
Sounds like karma to me.
False figures and exaggerated claims are the staple of message board trolls that simply revel in the opportunity to discredit and cause detriment to anything and anyone!
Most trolls are merely jaded fools living in a media bubble!
"Rock 106.9"???
Pick up your Canton Repository Friday Ticket section today. You'll find the logo.
What's that all about? Logo hasnt been changed on the station website
Rock 106.9? LOL Now there is a stellar management decision!!! Go Clear Channel go!!!!
Most trolls are merely jaded fools living in a media bubble = Most Clear Channel management & Employees
Rock 106.9? Are you serious? Keith Hamilton spent a month thinking up that great idea!!!!!
In another year, he will get around to updating the website. PD of the year!!!
Rock 106.9 what an great idea. You gotta love those bright minds at Clear Channel or should I say dim blubs.
I bet Keith Kennedy thought of that one for WRQK. Another station down the toilet thanks to Clear Channel
I saw that too, I wondered if anyone else would notice it.
"Rock 1069, It Just Rocks"
Fast food juice dripped onto his Rock 107 shirt, making a dot after the 1 and the 0. He was on his 6th double burger and 9th order of fries and a lightbulb went off!
1-0-6-9!
The best idea of Kennedy' career! He should get a raise to $9 an hour.
Rock 1069 is a joke, thanks to Clear Channel.
"Rock 106.9? LOL Now there is a stellar management decision!!! Go Clear Channel go!"
Boy, you ain't kidding! Now why in the hell would they want to do that? Especially when everyone in America still "dials" in their favorite frequency!
I mean, it's not like there's any digital readings on the radio or anything... Man, that sure is stupid! What are they trying to do??? Get some kind of Arbitron diary benefit from a stunt like that... Or crawl out of the dark ages that Cumulus had them cemented in???
What a bunch of numbskulls... Those guys sure have dug their own grave I tell ya! Don't they realize the sheer listener exodus they will encounter by doing this?
If you ask me, I think they should do everything that the posters on this board tell them to do, and base all of their programming and marketing decisions from the fountain of knowledge that flows so freely from the comment section of OMW.
Speaking of WAKS, I see they've changed formats on their HD-2 station from the "KISS TRANCID" Underground Dance format to "KIWI RADIO", which is being described as this:
(from "http://www.kisscleveland.com/cc-common/hdradio/")
>>So -- you like the MUSIC on 96-5 KISS FM, but you also like Hannah Montana, The Jonas Brothers, High School Musical, Jesse Mccartney, etc ... Sound like you!? Then, KiWi Radio is for you. You can listen to it here and you can also get it with an HD Radio. Get more info on HD radio here. Tell your friends about KiWi radio! <<
They're making a run on the "tween" audience it seems.
Thank you Mr. Hamilton for defending Clear Channel. You were brainwashed easier than most people thought.
That is CC's idea for better ratings? People who hear "Rock 107" don't know how to dial it up on their radio?
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!
A new mid-day guy may be a better idea.
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