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March 2008
3/31: Ludacris and Tommy Lee team up for reality show
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta actor/rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges (right) has teamed up with Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee in a reality show called “Battleground Earth” (which has nothing to do with that John Travolta disaster “Battlefield Earth.”)
It will air this summer on Planet Green, a new network to replace Discovery Home in 50 million homes.
The concept, according to Variety magazine:
They will criss-cross the country competing in various challenges designed to highlight green issues. [The show] will culminate with the two artists converging in Los Angeles to co-headline a concert at the Greek Theater with proceeds benefiting Griffith Park.
“It’s big, bold entertainment that would fit in great” on cable networks such as VH1 or Bravo,” Planet Green president Eileen O’Neill told Daily Variety. If the concept works, they may bring in other celebrities for future seasons.
Does this sound like a good idea? Would you watch?
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3/31: Dr. Laura interview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dr. Laura Schlessinger returns tomorrow on the Atlanta airwaves after nearly fours years gone. She’ll be on from 9 to 1 p.m. Sure, she’s on a station that isn’t terribly accessible to a lot of people: 1160/WCFO-AM. But at least she’s got a foothold back in the nation’s No. 8 market. The print edition ran a shortened version of a Q&A with her. Here’s the longer version:
Given your track record in Atlanta, were you surprised after WGST dropped you in 2004 that it took nearly four years for another station to pick you up?
Of course I was surprised, but I’m thrilled to be back. Like fine wine, some good things take time. I also understand the reality of 150 syndicated talk show hosts and 2 local radio stations that also need to put on their own local programming as well. I have more women listening to me than any other show on the radio, and yet somehow that gets discounted because I am not a bra-burning, man-bashing feminist. But every day I go on the radio and help people and that’s the most important thing to me.
What was your take on what happened at WGST from 1999 to 2004 that caused them to drop you? They first put you on live from 3 to 7, bumped you to the mid-mornings then to nights after 9/11.
Clear Channel owned my show at that time. The BIGGEST mistake they made was to take me from WSB which they did not own and where I had higher ratings than Rush Limbaugh head-to-head and move me to afternoon drive on their own station WGST where many of my core listeners, particularly stay-at-home moms, were unable to tune in. After 9/11 many stations felt they needed to be all politics all the time. I talk about things that are more important to many people than who is in the White House — family, marriage, divorce, personal responsibility, morals and ethics. But that was not the flavor of the day. In 2005, I took back control of my destiny and now I own my own syndication company, so, hopefully we won’t make those mistakes again.
I know there was some loss of affiliates post 9/11 but since then, you’ve managed to get your numbers back up and are now 3rd in terms of total audience (8.25 million-plus weekly listeners), according to Talkers magazine. Has your show changed much since Atlantans last heard you in 2004?
I guess they’ll need to tune in to find out for themselves. But I can tell you that my core beliefs and values have not changed and my goal of helping people has not changed. I did start a new thing a few years ago where I will give someone who is trying to improve his or her life an assignment and ask them to call back. For example, there was a couple that was having intimacy issues. I gave them my “15 minute” assignment — cuddle in bed every morning for 15 minutes and call me back next week. Well, I can tell you that by the time they called me, they were no longer having any problems being intimate.
Are there any issues in which you’ve shifted your viewpoint in recent years?
I am more and more concerned about the level of civility in this country. We no longer debate ideas, but instead attack motivations. Why? Are we so afraid of ideas that we would rather attack the messengers? I would love to see us bring civility back to this civilization.
Why do you think your philosophy on life still resonates with so many people?
There are people who understand that personal responsibility is not a dirty word and that purpose is the antidote for despair. It’s really the central point of my new book “Stop Whining, Start Living”. And despite the efforts of the main-stream media to isolate me and my point of view and marginalize me, it’s debuting at #2 on the New York Times best-seller list this Sunday.
I know you’ve gotten some flak for your comments regarding Elliot Spitzer. [She sounded like she was admonishing his wife more than him.] What’s your take on the response to those comments?
I never gave an opinion regarding the Spitzers because I don’t like to speculate about individuals who I know nothing about. I answered a general question “Why do men stray?” Frankly I’m amused by how people’s heads explode when I talk about the personal responsibility of the husband and wife in a marriage. It amazes me that women in particular seem to prefer to embrace the role of victims where they are at the mercy of events around them rather than have a purpose-filled life where they take responsibility and get control of their life and happiness.
Thank you for posting on my radio/TV blog last week. Are you at all surprised how split people are about you—they either hate your or love you? Do you really appreciate the fact you elicit such passion one way or another rather than indifference (the kiss of death for any radio personality)?
I find that most people who hate me have never listened to me. The only things they know about me are what other people have said. I hope they take the opportunity to listen and judge for themselves. I am always surprised at how upset some people are with me, because all I’m doing is giving my opinion. If you don’t like it, don’t listen! I get letters and emails every day from people who have followed my advice telling me it’s helped their lives. I never get a letter or email from someone saying they followed my advice and it screwed them up.
Are you planning to come down to Atlanta soon and do you now yet when?
I’ve always loved Atlanta and the entire state of Georgia. The people have always been wonderfully hospitable and kind and I look forward to returning to your fine city. I was at Ft. Benning last year - that’s where my son got his paratrooper training — leading the “God Bless Ft. Benning” event and we had a great time. I ran a 5K with a bunch of troops and still managed to speak to a crowd of around 10,000 afterward. I look forward to coming back to Atlanta before the end of the year. Besides, my favorite fruit is a peach…and it’s a color that looks great on me!
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3/28: Phil Hendrie interview, CoCo Brother’s new gig & other bits
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m off to Houston today for a cousin’s wedding. So I’m packing it in here with a few bits collected during the week:
— Phil Hendrie, the man of 1,000 voices, next Tuesday will join 1160/WCFO-AM after years on WGST-AM. He’ll be on from 6 to 8 p.m. For folks who don’t know him, he often creates fictional characters and have them to talk to each other as if he has a real guest or two but in fact he’s talking to himself. It’s truly theater of the mind.
He said he needed a break when he left Clear Channel and WGST in June, 2006. He tried his hand in acting in a sitcom called “Teachers,” on NBC, which didn’t last. So he got back into radio. He said he’s doing slightly fewer characters than in the past. He was once on 100 stations, now up to 75 again. “I enjoy doing this more than the old show,” he said. “There’s more flexibility, more ability for me to move elements around. The handcuffs are off on this show. I get to be a commentator again.”
Hendrie likes both John McCain and Barack Obama. “These are two honorable people. By God, when’s the last time we had that?”
— CoCo Brother, a jock at Hot 107.9 since 2005, will be joining Praise 97.5 as the station’s very first night-time jock from 7 to 10 p.m. starting Monday. And he’ll be live. He’ll continue his syndicated show on Sundays on Hot. (I’ll add more to this when I talk to him later Friday.)
— Do you want to meet CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta? He will be part of the 10th annual Atlanta Stories fundraiser this Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Georgia Tech Hotel ballroom. “Atlanta & Company” co-host Holly Firfer emcees. He worked with a professional playwright to create a one-act play based on one of his life experiences. Tix are $150 each, with dinner included. More info here.. Jazz guitarist Earl Klugh and author Melissa Fay Greene will also participate.
— Hoss, the producer/stunt guy for Q100’s Bert Show the past couple of years, has been moved to promotions. Bert Weiss said Jeff Dauler is sifting through 100-plus resumes for a replacement. He declined to comment why Hoss was moved. Hoss recently got into trouble for trying to sell some press passes for a sporting event on eBay.
— I grabbed lunch with Mark Arum Thursday. WSB-AM and WSB-TV’s morning traffic expert for the past decade recently added WSB-FM duties. So he’s seen and heard quite a bit now. But he said his true ambition is to be a full-time talk show host, not to be the next Captain Herb Emory. It’s a tough field to break into but he’s willing to give it a try in market or out of market. (He already does a Saturday evening talk show for WSB-AM but was passed over when Chris Krok was let go last December. Krok’s job went to Herman Cain.)
— On Wednesday, I also caught up with Rob Jenners, formerly of 99X’s ill-fated new Morning X show, which was dumped in January when 99X was taken off the FM dial. He admitted the show never quite melded and he’s glad he was at least replaced by the Regular Guys and not some hacks. He is now doing commercial and imaging work for 680/The Fan.
— A few days ago, I added a link on the left to a new blog by former veteran news reporter Doug Richards who left WAGA-TV last summer. He’s running his own video production business now and seems happy. To get his name out there, he recently started his own blog critiquing local TV news. It’s dubbed Live Apartment Fire.. It’s smart and well written. Just read his comparison of Wednesday’s WSB-TV and WAGA-TV 6 p.m. newscasts and you’ll be dutifully impressed. I’m sure local news folks are already making it a daily must read.
Here’s how he explains his blog:
Live Apartment Fire is managed and written by a 27 year veteran of the TV news biz, 22 of it in Atlanta. The writer is now co-owner (with the writer of the blog called the Daly Briefing) of a kickass video production company called TomorrowVision Media.
“Live Apartment Fire” refers to the bane of the existence of the Atlanta TV reporter. When an apartment catches fire- especially close to news time- it doesn’t matter what good work a reporter has developed during the day. The apartment fire will be treated like Armageddon, especially if the flames can be broadcast live during a newscast.
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3/27: CNN Headline News attempts comedy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CNN Headline News is not known for comedy. But with the success of “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central and the continued popularity of talk-show monologues, the news channel is mining for laughs.
“Not Just Another Cable News Show” will premiere Saturday April 5. It will be modeled after VH1’s “Best Week Ever,” where events are presented and commentators (known and relatively unknown) make snarky remarks. This is a way to mine CNN’s 28 years of archives and provide a change of pace on the weekends, a spokeswoman said. Each episode will focus on a topic. The first episode is political blunders. In the future, highlights include stupid criminals, unusual pop culture moments and bad celebrity behavior
There is no host and it’s being produced internally in New York by the same team that produces Glenn Beck’s show. Pundits include Time.com editor Ana Marie Cox, Los Angeles Times columnist Joel Stein, Republican strategist Amy Holmes, Huffington Post media editor Rachel Sklar and comedian Hugh Fink.
The 30-minute show will air on Saturdays at 7 p.m. ET, then will be repeated at 9 p.m. and midnight.
It will be followed by an existing Headline News show “News to Me,” which highlights home-made video from non journalists.
Fox News dabbled in a comedy show last year dubbed “The 1/2 Hour News Hour,” which was an attempt to be a “Daily Show” for conservatives. It lasted only 15 episodes.
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3/26: Whither smooth jazz?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In recent weeks, three major markets have dropped their smooth jazz stations for other formats: New York, Houston and Washington D.C. And a station in Jacksonville, Fla. dumped smooth jazz a few days ago, too.
Does this mean Atlanta’s Smooth Jazz 107.5 is in danger of checking out, too?
Naturally, the bosses there are saying it’s just fine. Wayne Brown, the GM, said there are no immediate plans to switch formats. (And even if he was, why would he tell me ahead of time?) Smooth Jazz at 107.5 has been around since 2001 and has done fairly well over the years, drawing an older, multi-racial, upscale audience.
But the numbers are worrisome. The station has seen its ratings fall off sharply the past 18 months with no real explanation why. Most of the falloff has been in time spent listening. The station ranked 13th among 25 to 54 years old last fall, down from 7th a year ago, according to Arbitron.
The station plays a mix of smooth jazz artists and R&B songs. Acts such as Kenny G, Chris Botti, David Sanborn and Fattburger blend with cuts from Hall & Oates, Stevie Wonder, Angie Stone, Sade and Earth, Wind & Fire. Many say smooth jazz is the “beautiful music” equivalent this decade, an innocuous backdrop for workplaces and waiting rooms. It takes songs with some jazzy elements but cuts out the more improvisional feel of the music heard more on WCLK-FM. The Washington Post recently wrote a more detailed piece on the format’s troubles here.
Do you like the current smooth jazz station at 107.5? Has the format played itself out? If Radio One chooses to drop the format, what’s worth replacing it? It’s a stronger signal than Grown Folks 102.5. Perhaps Radio One could put Steve Harvey on 107.5 and give Kiss’s Tom Joyner a run for his money with comparable signals. But then what would they put on 102.5, which does amazingly well for such a weak signal?
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3/25: Britney does “How I Met Your Mother”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ABOVE: Here’s a summary of all the Britney bits from Monday’s “How I Met Your Mother.” The show pulled in 10.67 million viewers, up about 10 to 15 percent from its norm, with the most 18-49 viewers in the show’s three-season history.
This is what you called lowered expectations.
In CBS’s modestly funny sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” Britney Spears tonight nabbed a modest guest role as a receptionist who has a crush on the main character Ted (Josh Radnor). She managed to do her job with passable facility, hitting her punchlines reasonably well, if not nearly as well as the regulars.
Nor was she nearly as funny or facile as fellow guest star Sarah Chalke, best known as the amusing foil for Zach Braff’s lead character on NBC’s “Scrubs.” (She played a doctor here, too, who kept fighting off the adorable advances of Ted.)
But small victories are small victories. Fortunately, Britney didn’t have to do it live — unlike, say, the MTV Video Awards.
She got some bonus laughs at the end of the half hour for going off with horndog Barney (Neil Patrick Harris). He hones in on her after her heart is broken by Ted.
“How would like me to take you out to a fancy restaurant and then go on a shopping spree, treat you the way you should be treated. Would that make forget about that Ted monster?” Barney says.
“Wow, my mom was wrong. There are nice guys in New York!” Britney says.
“We just have to go by my hotel room first,” Barney said. “My bed was broken. I just have to make sure they fixed it.”
“If it’s fixed, can we have sex on it,” she says, “then go shopping?”
“I like you!” Barney utters as they walk off together. Fade.
CBS did this stunt casting to help give “How I Met Your Mother,” in its third season, a lift. The show usually draws about 9 million viewers and when it came back last Monday, post strike, it almost hit 10 million. That’s hardly hit territory but in this day and age, 10 million keeps most shows alive.
Honestly, HIMYM is far better than it was in its first season. The actors, the writers and the producers have all found their rhythms and while it’s no “Office,” it is far better than most of what’s left in the denuded wasteland that is sitcomland. If this was an excuse for you to check the show out of the first time, it sure beats “Rules of Engagement” or “Carpoolers” or “Unhitched.”
And it never hurts that the show highlights the lovely Alyson Hannigan, a former Atlantan.
Meanwhile, over at “Dancing With the Stars,” magician Penn Jillette was amusing during his quick step, which featured a voodoo doll and the floating tie. But he tripped on the steps on the way back to the “green” room. Now that was funny. I’ll link to the YouTube clip when it’s available.
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3/25: Update on Rock 100.5’s English Nick
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
English Nick, a long-time jock at 96rock and night-time DJ for Rock 100.5, has had a bit of a roller coaster ride the past couple of months. In January, he had a nasty accident where a person in a Nissan hit the driver’s side of his Mini Cooper on Buford Highway as he was making a turn. He had to have the socket between his leg and hip fixed and stayed at Atlanta Medical for five days. Without health insurance, he was told the bill was a whopping $82,000.
Fortunately, he had friends in the music business. Former 99X PD Leslie Fram hooked him up with MusiCares, which helps out folks like English Nick. They contributed $10,000 and when he called Atlanta Medical, he found out since he was paying out of pocket, he was free and clear!
Nick (real name: Nick Parsons) came to the U.S. 12 years ago and Atlanta in 1999. He voicetracked overnights and filled in at 96rock until the end of 2006 when that station disappeared.
Leslie gave him a part-time gig at 99X until that station gave way for Rock 100.5, in many ways a replica of 96rock. When Rock 100.5’s Matt C of the evening Matt C & Lewis show went to 11Alive, Rock 100.5 needed an evening jock and Nick got the call so now he has benefits as well as a steady gig. “That part of my life has worked out pretty well,” he said.
The 40-year-old British native, who has hosted the live karaoke band Metalsome Mondays with gusto at 10High in Virginia Highland for years, now can only do Saturday nights. (The band now plays three nights a week instead of just Mondays.) He also hosts the Atlanta Rollergirls events, the next one April 12.
He also co-owns a coffee/ice cream shop in Candler Park called Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party, but for now while on crutches, he can’t work there. But it’s feeling better. “I now have 100 percent movement in my leg,” he said. He’s told to stay on the crutches as a precaution for another three weeks.
So far, he said Rock 100.5 fans have been universally calling in, saying how much they love the deeper playlist. “They missed their 96rock,” he said. We’ll see if that translates into ratings.
Here’s English Nick’s Myspace page.. And here’s his profile on Rock 100.5.
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3/24: XM/Sirius merger approved by Justice Dept.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The U.S. Justice Department has approved the long-awaited $5 billion merger of XM and Sirius satellite radio companies. Now they must await the Federal Communications Commission to give its thumbs up.
The two companies announced their intention to combine forces more than a year ago but the government has been cautious about such a move. Many years ago, when the companies were just forming, the FCC gave them both bandwidth with the deliberate intention that there be competition.
But after more than six years, XM and Sirius have both bled cash in the billions of dollars. Neither company has been able to make money on a consistent basis despite a combined subscriber total of 16 million plus.
The two companies argued that the merger was necessary because they weren’t just competing with each other but the Internet, traditional AM/FM and the iPod. (The Web and the iPod were not foreseen when the idea of satellite radio came about in the early 1990s.)
It appears Sirius has the upper hand in this situation so that name may outlast XM. And how they merge channels is up in the air, too. There is talk that subscribers may be able to pick and choose stations in an a la carte situation. I’m not sure how easy that would be technically.
When I heard the news, I was just speaking to talk-show host Phil Hendrie (who is joining Atlanta’s 1160/WCFO-AM from 7 to 10 p.m. April) and he said this is a bad move, that it’s just proof the two companies are “on the path to mediocrity.” He doesn’t have much good to say about Mel Karmazin, who runs Sirius, that he made one good move over the years — finding and nurturing Howard Stern at CBS.
Do you agree with the Justice Department? I know this blog has many satellite radio fans. Will this be a good thing or not? Or do you see subscriptions rates inevitably go up and services go down?
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3/24: Ski, Zoller on CNN; Dekker in NYC; Hugh Jarrett, Don Baird ill
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CNN hosted a panel Saturday night featuring two local radio hosts: V-103’s Frank Ski and WDUN-AM’s Martha Zoller, who regularly appears on CNN and Fox.
They talked about Bill Clinton’s comments which implied Barack Obama isn’t patriotic.
“In order for his wife to get in, Barack’s numbers have to go down,” Frank Ski said.
“He knows exactly what he’s doing,” Zoller said. “He’s perceived to be wounded in their eyes. They’re going in for the kill.”
He also thinks John McCain hitching his wagon to George W. Bush on the war. And he thinks the war “is the worst thing we’ve ever done.”
They also talked about Obama’s speech about race.
“He’s saying, this is what black people feel and white people never listen to. It’s hard for people to listen to it… We’ve never had the true conversation of what really happened [with race.]”
“Barack Obama had a very similar experience that I grew up,” Zoller said. “He didn’t grow up in the conditions he’s talking about.”
Naturally, Zoller thought Obama didn’t spend enough time on the Jeremiah Wright issue while Ski said he had no choice but to straddle the fence on it, as not to alienate his black constituents.
The pair were pretty cordial until l the final seconds when Ski took it as an insuilt that Zoller said she could relate to what she had heard in a black church. Then they were out of time.
Dekker (AKA Greg Russ), who hosted nights at 99X from 2005 until September 2007, left 99X a couple months later to see what he could find in New York. He has managed to get a DJ gig at WRXP-FM, the new rock station there.
Two local radio legends are very ill.
Hugh Jarrett, a radio host at WPLO-AM and WQXI-AM (and most recently Victory 91.5, was in a car accident and not doing well. He hosted a variety show on WXIA-TV at one point. He was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame in 2007. He was also known as Big Hugh Baby Jarrett, a baritone for the mid-1950s group the Jordanaires, which backed up Elvis.
And former WSB-AM and CNN Radio host Don Baird is ailing. He was known for covering the Civil Rights movement on WSB-AM in the 1960s, from Martin Luther King Jr. to Lester Maddox. Here’s info from Mike Kavanah’s www.wsbhistory.com site.:
YEARS AT WSB: 1962 to 1974
PRIOR: Don worked three years as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal Constitution before moving to WSB Radio.
AFTER: Don worked for CNN for 15 years before retiring in 2002. During a tenure in the late 1980’s, Don worked alongside CNN Business Anchor and another WSB Alumnus - Mike Kavanagh.
TODAY: (2008) Don has been very ill and on March 19, 2008 was sent home for hospice care. We will update you on Don as we get word. Our prayers are with him.
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Former WAGA-TV Doug Richards’ insightful blog
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
http://liveapartmentfire.wordpress.com/
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3/20: 1160/WCFO-AM drops business talk for Mancow, Dr. Laura, Phil Hendrie, Lou Dobbs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1160/WCFO-AM has dropped its nearly two year experiment in business talk for a regular news/talk format. It’s all syndicated product. It will be called news/talk 1160, the talk of the town.”
Starting April 1, the new weekday lineup is:
6-9AM: Mancow. He was a popular host in Chicago through the 1990s through about 2005. He’s become more political in recent years. He’s now syndicated. He is often on “Fox & Friends” so some folks in Atlanta know him.
9AM-1PM: Dr. Laura (also, Sundays 2-5PM) She’s back after nearly four years out of the market. She’s still huge in many major markets.
1PM-3PM: Dr. Joy Browne. She’s a relationships expert out of New York but much gentler and kinder than Dr. Laura.
3PM-6PM: The Lou Dobbs Show. He’s become known as the anti-illegal immigration man on CNN. His radio show just started earlier this month.
6PM-8PM: The Phil Hendrie Show. He used to be on WGST for a long time but now migrates up the dial. He’s known for creating on-air characters and make it sound like he’s talking to other people.
8PM-10PM: Bruce Williams. He does an advice show focused a bit on politics, a bit on economics.
10PM-12MID: Computer America
General manager Jeff Davis was very candid about business talk. “It never gained any traction,” he said. “In hindsight, it was too small a niche.” (Most major markets have some form of business talk so he figured Atlanta could handle one, too.) “I thought it was a no brainer,” he added. “But it turned out I was wrong.”
Davis said he had an opportunity to pick up Dr. Laura two years ago but chose business talk instead. “I should have grabbed her years ago,” he said. “Some people say she’s not compatible with the likes of Rush or Sean. But that argument doesn’t hold water. She was wildly successful on WSB. She does tremendous numbers on the No. 1 talk station in Los Angeles KFI.”
He admits WCFO does not have a big marketing budget but they have placed ads in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles as well as Atlanta magazine. And they’ve hired a PR firm, 360 Media.
I’m trying to procure an interview with Dr. Laura and I’ll post that as soon as I get it.
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3/19: Cari Champion leaving WGCL, Wes Sarginson gone from WXIA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Curses! She’s gone again!
Cari Champion has left WGCL-TV for a new unspecified broadcast job just a few weeks after being reinstated. She had originally been fired for accidentally uttering a possible obscenity on the air last November.
While the word she said could have been construed as a curse, she claimed she actually said “mothersucka.” After she lost her job, she went public defending herself, saying she deserved punishment but felt being canned was too extreme. She hired an attorney and after some negotiations, WGCL relented, giving back her reporter/weekend anchor job in January.
Subscription broadcast news site Newsblues.com broke the story.
I spoke with Champion late afternoon Tuesday for the first time. She can’t say what her new broadcast job is quite yet but has given WGCL two weeks notice. Her final day at the local CBS affiliate is Friday.
WGCL management “was very gracious with me,” she said. “They were very kind. It was an amicable separation.” She said her new job “is a better opportunity you can’t pass up.”
She worked at WGCL for two years and has been in broadcast journalism for six years. As for the “mothersucka” incident, “I just wanted to restore my reputation and do a good job.” She said she “will miss Atlanta so much. I love this city!”
Here’s what she originally told Richard Prince at the Maynard Institute about the incident:
“I was talking to my co-anchor during a commercial break. The floor director did not cue me or my co-anchor, and when it was time to tease an upcoming story, you could only hear us but not see us.
“My co-anchor and I were talking about a mechanical screenwriter. It is difficult to use at times. The last part of our conversation was silly banter and barely audible, but it was picked up. I called the screenwriter a ‘mothersucka’ not the f-bomb. I emphatically deny any attempted cover up of the mishap. In fact I was the one who brought it to the attention of the news directors. And, the beta tape, wherever it is, has conversation that clearly supports my position.”
In other broadcast news, Wes Sarginson’s final day at WXIA-TV was last Friday. He has retired after 45 years in the business. He was taken off as primary anchor last April from WXIA-TV. But he kept right on working, as backup anchor and doing plenty of reporting, including his “Wes Side” stories about inspiring profiles in courage. He did so partly because he was still under contract.
Sarginson, 65, who also anchored beside Monica Pearson on WSB-TV from 1978 to 1984, has been at the NBC affiliate for the past decade. At the end of 2005, the award-winning evening anchor stopped anchoring the 11 p.m. news, leaving those duties to a new guy Ted Hall.
Sarginson couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday but I’ll update this Wednesday if I track him down.
Last year, when he first announced he was going to retire and step down from anchoring full time, he said he did it to spend more time with his family.
In his career at 11Alive, Wes has covered the 1998 Hall County tornadoes and their aftermath, the Heritage High school shooting and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.
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3/18: Could Dr. Laura be coming back to Atlanta?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dr. Laura appears to be coming back to the airwaves in Atlanta after a nearly four-year absence.
Dr. Laura Schlesinger was one of the most popular radio hosts here in Atlanta when she was on WSB-AM back in the 1990s. Her star dimmed when she moved to WGST-AM, which seems to have a knack for dimming a lot of lights. In July 2004, WGST dumped her completely after moving her around to different time slots to no avail. At the time a lot of people were writing her off as a has-been, that her tough love schtick had gotten old.
Since then, not a single station in town has picked her up. I came across the latest edition of Talkers magazine, which had a big ad touting Dr. Laura, who nationwide remains one of the top 10 talk-show hosts. Surprisingly, she’s made a come back and remains the nation’s most popular female radio host (though Laura Ingraham is making serious progress.) So I emailed her publicity folks off her Web site.
The COO Jake Russell wrote back today saying something is percolating and very very soon. But he couldn’t say what station would take her. I’ll post the info as soon as I get it. David Dickey, who oversees news/talk 1230/1340, said he has no interest. Condace Pressley, APD at 750/WSB-AM, had not heard anything in the rumor mill. Left a message with PD Randall Bloomquiest of WGST, her last home in Atlanta. GM Mike Moran at 920/WGKA-AM said he had heard Dr. Laura’s destination was WCFO-AM. GM Jeff Davis at business talk station 1160/WCFO-AM had no comment. You can take that for what it’s worth.
WCFO-AM is a relatively strong 50,000 watts during the day time emanating out of South Cobb, but it’s not the crispest signal and has not showed up in the Arbitron ratings.
Do you miss her? Do you even want her back?
3/18: Big bucks on the Morning Mess
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Star 94 is spending $600,000 over the first six months to promote “The Morning Mess,” according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
We already see the billboards and bus shelter/bus ads. There are also 30-second ads on AMC and Regal theaters. Star has sent out direct mail ads promoting the i-Phone giveaway, resulting in 15,000 entries. It’s using its 12-person “street team” for guerrilla marketing. And Star hired KCPR to get the word out on the Mess.
That’s a healthy budget for a radio station but not unprecedented. Star regularly spent big bucks on Steve & Vikki over the years, especially TV ads. To lesser effect, 94.9/The Bull certainly pulled out the stops a year ago to introduce Atlanta to the new country station.
Mark Kanov, general manager for Star 94, said the Biz Chronicle story was accurate and said the first-month Arbitron ratings (which are not weighted properly and should not be taken as gospel) were better than he expected. So far, he has wisely counseled patience in terms of the morning show’s progress. Star expects to flush out a certain number of the old listeners of Steve & Vikki and believes it will take time to bring in a comparable number of new ones seeking something fresh.
With all the turmoil in this market, we won’t be able to make a solid judgment call on the Morning Mess’ impact for months. Initial feedback on this blog has not been good but even Bert Weiss of Q100’s successful rival Bert Show admits his show was lousy its first few months back in 2001. There are differences between the two morning show’s startup situations. The Morning Mess worked for more than two years in Indianapolis so they at least were comfortable with each other when they started 10 weeks ago. Bert, Jeff Dauler, Lindsey Brien and Melissa Carter had never worked together before joining Q100 and it took time for them to gel. (And Jen Hobby replaced Lindsey about two years into the show.)
But the Bert Show had a crucial advantage: it was on a new station with zero expectations, no legacy morning show to replace and a very patient privately held company behind it. It also devised what became a successful game plan to chase after the younger segment of Steve & Vikki’s audience, that 18 to 34 year old female with a heavy dose of relationship talk and pop culture.
Star 94 and the Morning Mess do have a privately held company behind it and the station is known to be patient. Management, which has been very stable, developed the successful Cindy & Ray show from scratch in the afternoons.
So far, the Morning Mess offers a far more irreverent tone and a younger outlook on life, focused more on drinking and partying than Steve & Vikki ever did (both were in their 30s by the time they started the show while Marco on the Mess is the oldest at 30.) Will they be able to slice away enough of the Bert crowd as well as folks listening to other stations such as Dave or the Beat? Time will tell. Steve & Vikki, by the way, move to B98.5 July 1 once their noncompete clause is over at Star 94.
3/17: Kegs & Eggs with the Regular Guys
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Regular Guys 3.0 held their first live remote (okay, sure, there was a 24 second delay but live enough) at Taco Mac at Perimeter Place this morning.
I got there just a few minutes before they went off the air and snapped a few pictures of the Rock 100.5 crew. Kip Winger was there, too, along with 100 people ready to their drink on at 9 a.m. in the morning when the taps started flowing Guinness. Larry Wachs wore his blond wig, Eric Von Haessler wore a hat to hide his thinning hair and “Southside” Steve got hit near the male sweet spot during the “Shoot Steve” segment. And they all drank (except producer Tim Andrews.)
ABOVE: Larry (left) and Eric bid the crowd farewell.
ABOVE: “Southside” Steve Rickman revs up the crowd while Kip Winger plays.
ABOVE: Eric Von Haessler gets the crowd to applaud while Tim Andrews makes important arm gestures.
3/15: Late-night media coverage of the Atlanta tornado/storm
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is what TV news does best: covering breaking news and doing it for hours on end if necessary, even in the middle of the night.
From 11 p.m. Friday night until past 1:30 a.m., all four local TV stations preempted commercials and late-night talk shows in favor of running continuous coverage of the storm and a tornado that hit downtown Atlanta and other parts of the city including Cabbagetown.
Anchors on all the stations went nonstop for several hours though WGCL-TV cut out first before 2 a.m. WAGA-TV finally ducked out at 3 a.m. WSB-TV closed shop at about 3:15 a.m. Last one out? WXIA-TV at 3:33 a.m.
John Pruitt on WSB-TV at one point apologized for sounding hoarse and Monica Pearson got him some water. (WSB-TV had the most sophisticated 3-D visuals of the tornado hitting Atlanta.)
At 2:30 a.m., WSB-TV had live trucks and reporters at Station 4, emergency command center; Cabbagetown, where the Cotton Mill Lofts got hit; and near CNN Center. At 2:25 a.m., WSB-TV’s Pearson reported that the Home Show at the Georgia World Congress Center has been cancelled and the Omni Hotel has stopped taking reservations. This doesn’t bode well for the Winter Jam Spectacular Christian music show at Philips Saturday. AJC.com was the first to report a little past 1 a.m. that the SEC tournament has been moved to the Georgia Tech. WSB-TV meteorologist Glenn Burns at 2:45 a.m. noted that this is the first time he can recall tornadoes hit the area since the 1970s and that was up near the Governor’s mansion, not downtown. “Tornados occur any time, anywhere,” he noted.
WAGA-TV has reporters at all those locales as well, with anchors Amanda Davis and Lisa Rayam still holding fort as of 2:30 a.m.. Ditto with WXIA-TV anchor Ted Hall, who at 2:35 a.m. is talking with reporter Jerry Carnes at the Cotton Mill Lofts. Meteorologist Paul Ossman provides warning of a new set of storms set to come to Atlanta later today. Hall said the St. Patty’s Day parade is being diverted away from the damaged streets. Backpack journalist Catherine Kim said it’s a “ghost town’ downtown near the Omni Hotel by 3 a.m. Oddly, they have seldom shown Ted Hall in the studio, even while he’s talking, opting at 3:15 a.m. for a dual screen of a live satellite weather radar screen and a live shot of downtown Atlanta.
WGCL-TV was the first local station to leave storm coverage. At 2 a.m., the station was airing paid advertising about a sexual stimulant for women.
WSB-AM radio has also been covering the aftermath and was the only station on the AM dial which aired Mayor Shirley Franklin’s press conference at 1:30 a.m. (It is frequently simulcasting WSB-TV’s coverage.) V-103 is the only FM station providing any news coverage at this hour. WGST-AM and WGKA-AM are MIA.
CNN, which is part of the story since the CNN Center was damaged, is covering the story but not continuously and is airing ad breaks, including during Franklin’s press conference. Fox News ran parts of her press conference live. MSNBC was airing pre-scheduled programming at 1:30 a.m.
Amazingly, as of 3:05 a.m., there were just 20 minor injuries reported, Pearson reported.
*addendum: I woke up at 9:30 a.m. and V-103’s Frank Ski was in special on Saturday morning taking calls from people about the damage.
3/14: New WSB weekend sports anchor, Rhubarb says goodbye
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Citadel gave Eagle’s long-running morning host Rhubarb Jones a real chance to say goodbye to his fans on sister station Kicks this morning on what is now the Caddy and Dallas morning show. And Kicks will sponsor his 16th annual golf classic April 21 to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with Charlie Daniels.
“Rhubarb, we love you,” said Dallas, who worked with Rhubarb for many year at Eagle until the Leap Day Massacre when Rhubarb and most of the on-air staffs of Eagle and Kicks were canned. Eagle is now True Oldies 106.7 and Dallas took over for Kristen on the Kicks morning show.
Cadillac worked at Y106 and thanked Rhubarb for being so welcoming to him. “You helped me through some of the darkest days of my entire life,” he said.
“You people are family to me. I have nothing but admiration and respect and love for this radio family,” Rhubarb said.
You can listen to his audio here..
Also, WSB-TV has hired a replacement for Bill Hartman, the station’s long-time No. 2 sports guy. The new anchor’s name is Zach Klein (right) and he comes from Orlando ABC affiliate WFTV. Chuck Dowdle remains. More info about Zach here..
3/14: TV series on the bubble
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hollywood Reporter yesterday listed several shows “on the bubble.” Here are a few of them:
- ”Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” The show opened big, saw its numbers slip off toward the end but Fox liked the finale and thinks it still have potential to be a keeper.
“Scrubs.” I thought this veteran comedy was a goner but surprisingly, it may be back — except ABC might pick it up.
“How I Met Your Mother” Although its numbers are typically the weakest on Monday nights, the fans are fairly rabid and CBS seems to like the show. So it should be back for a fourth season.
“Moonlight” Its overall numbers are weaker than “Ghost Whisperer” and “Numb3rs.” But like HIMYM, it has developed a loyal following and will likely be back.
“Friday Night Lights” NBC is working hard to share costs with DirecTV and keep this amazingly good but ratings challenged drama a lifeline.
“Law & Order.” Its ratings have been solid this winter and will definitely be back.
“Til Death”/”Back to You.” Neither show is blowing anybody away in ratings but given the tepid state of sitcoms today, Fox looks to keep them around.
“Prison Break” Although numbers slipped 15 percent season three and a tiring premise, Fox just might give what was originally a two-season arc a fourth season.
“According to Jim” Like a cockroach, this sitcom won’t die. And it might live for an inexplicable eighth season.
“Reaper” Its final episodes are going to have pull in huge numbers (relatively speaking, since we’re talking the CW) to survive. I loved the pilot, thought the show has been disappointingly dull ever since.
“Women’s Murder Club” This show pulled in passable overall numbers but it skewed a wee bit old and is definitely on the bubble for ABC.
Freshman shows that are back for sure include ‘Dirty Sexy Money,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Private Practice,” “Samantha Who?” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Chuck,” “Life,” “American Gladiators,” “Kitchen Nightmares” and “Gossip Girl.”
3/12: Tim Gunn makes it work in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ABOVE: Tim Gunn co-hosts a fashion show at Macy’s Wednesday night at Perimeter Mall with Liz Claiborne director of marketing Leah Caruso. PHOTO CREDIT: Rodney Ho
I got to catch a few minutes with the always engaging, uber-nice Tim Gunn, the fashion expert who helped propel Bravo’s “Project Runway” into a true pop culture phenomenon. He was at Macy’s Wednesday at Perimeter Mall on behalf of Liz Claiborne, hosting a practical fashion show with tips on how women can accessorize different pieces of clothing. He then spent two hours meeting and greeting with fans.
“It’s like waiting for Santa,” said Janet Patterson, a “Project Runway” acolyte and friend of mine who waited in line for more than an hour to meet him with no regrets.
ABOVE: Tiffany Mathis (left), 26, of Atlanta, works at Liz Claiborne Shoes and got a chance to meet Tim Gunn.
I informed him upfront that “Project Runway” a week earlier pulled in Bravo’s strongest ratings ever among 18 to 49 year olds at 3.75 million, up from 3.44 million for season three’s finale. (Overall ratings were down slightly from 5.36 million to 5.18 million.) Fierce 21-year-old Christian Siriano won over two very strong competitors. In fact, arguably, it was the strongest collection for Fashion Week to date. I noted how this season was less about the drama and more about the fashion and that this didn’t appear to hurt the show.
“I was really thrilled that these designers were so absorbed in their work that they weren’t thinking about catfighting,” Gunn said. “They had a sincere respect for each other. With impunity, this was the best season of ‘Project Runway’ in terms of quality and point of view.”
About Christian, who early on especially veered between confidence and arrogance: “I would alternately want to give him a big hug and smack him.”
At first, he said he was worried about Christian’s relative youth and inexperience. But in the end, he deemed him a “prodigy.” Last summer, he recommended that Christian get a business plan together and not wait until he won. “He’s very far along now,” Gunn said. “He’s already talked to Sevven on Six for Bryant Park this fall. That’s music to my ears.”
Gunn said he still loves Atlantan Mychael Knight, a finalist from season three. “He’s been diligent about moving forward,” Gunn said. “I know he’s been presented with a lot of opportunities. I’m not sure he’s zeroed in on what he wants. I will say as much as I love the fact he’s stayed in Atlanta, there is so much more available for him in New York. And I miss him. I wish he’d come to New York. He’s committed to being here.”
He’s not sure if Bravo will renew his makeover show “Tim Gunn’s Guide To Style,” which didn’t pull in the ratings that Bravo had probably expected.
If there is a second season, “I would creatively liked to approach it a little differently. I’m not unhappy with season one but I recognize what it could be. There would be more education and I’d get rid of the underwear drawer. I want to banish things that are unecessarily embarrassing for the subject. The journey is difficult enough.” Later, during a Q&A with the audience, he added: “It was horrible. Even I was weeping!”
One thing he learned: of the eight women, he said none of them wore the right size bra. “There’s a big veil of mystery over that,” he said. “Women need bra experts to make certain things are right. The right bra can improve carriage and posture and make not-so-great clothes better.”]
ABOVE: Tim Gunn watches runway model Leann.
As for his own fame, he’s cool with it. “It’s the most lovely thing in the world. When I first came on ‘Project Runway,’ I was a consultant. They were worried nobody would talk while they worked so they brought me in.”
Overall, “I’m blown away by the whole phenomenon. I’m riding the wave. I’m loving it. I know how rare it is. I’m not playing a character.”
He’s supportive of the Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD. I asked if he had met with part-time Atlantan Elton John. “I haven’t yet,” Gunn said. “I saw him at the Dreamworks party before the Oscars. I was way too starstruck to say hello. He was walking around with Cher!”
3/12: Scott Shannon interview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Scott Shannon, the legendary New York radio jock who ran WQXI-AM in the mid-1970s when it was “Quixie in Dixie,” is back in Atlanta via satellite with his “True Oldies” format on 106.7.
I caught up with him by phone today. I grew up with the guy listening to his Z100’s “Worst to First” Morning Zoo crew in the mid-1980s in New York. He in effect created that fun (if often mocked) format and it was replicated nationwide. He is still doing mornings at WPLJ-FM in New York.
He said he started the True Oldies format two years ago “as a hobby. It’s my passion.” But he turned it into a business, to create a low-cost alternative for markets where oldies was now a borderline financial proposition. And more than 30 markets have bit, including major markets such as Chicago, D.C., Minneapolis, Tampa and Orlando.
Shannon said he likes deep playlists, properly programmed. (And he’s a good programmer.) He has 1,000 to 1,200 songs in his regular playlist and he throws in more soul than most. 90% of the songs are from the 60s and 70s with about 100 cuts from the 50s. He said he worked hard to get an affiliate in Atlanta and this one is a solid, strong FM signal to boot.
“I’m just so happy,” he said. “It’s fun to be on the radio talking to people who appreciate the music. The response from Atlanta has been absolutely astounding.”
The flaw, he said, of some of oldies stations is they pick 300 highly researched songs, then play them to death.
You’ll hear Shannon from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. locally after Imus. The new local jock will cover from 4 to 8 p.m.
Shannon doesn’t think anybody really remembers his time as program director of WQXI and afternoon host. He helped prop up the AM top 40 station when music on AM was starting to go away. “I was a hotshot programmer in the South,” he said. “I was able to help move QXI from 9th to 2nd behind WSB.” He remembered how great Gary McKee was in mornings. He is still buds with JJ Jackson, now in Louisville but was a vet on Fox and Cool. He also has great respect for Bert Weiss at Q100.
He lamented the end of 99X. When I told him that they “straddled” between the younger audience and older audience, he noted, “Straddling is the kiss of death!”
3/11: WABE’s HD stream down for three days, True Oldies will have a local jock
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you listen to WABE’s news and/or classical streams online or on HD, the systems have been down since Saturday. This is the note on the WABE web site.
WABE’s Classical and News HD Services are temporarily off the air. We’re working on technical enhancements to our service. We apologize for the inconvenience and will return to the air as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.
UPDATE John Weatherford, the GM, said Tuesday evening that the streams were back up Tuesday afternoon. The server died on Saturday and it took a couple of days for the replacement to come on.**
And True Oldies 106.7 will have a “live local talent” from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., according to a Power Point presentation I got that they are sending to advertisers. Who that is I’m not sure but hopefully they’ll get a familiar name.
A natural fit would be Randy & Spiff. But Randy is still doing mornings at WGST-AM. Spiff Carner, who was booted from GST a few months ago, at end of the month is free and clear. “I called them and expressed interest,” he told me today. “I’ve had a great break from radio, but I want to stay in Atlanta. It’d be fun.”
Tonight, A.J. Cannon, former Eagle 106.7 weekend jock, was on live this evening on True Oldies 106.7. Mark Richards, the PD, is going to test different jocks in the coming days so I don’t think Cannon has it in the bag. (Richards was Spiff’s boss at Fox 97.1 for a year back in 2001-02.)
3/10: Shakeup at WCLK-FM, 1690/WMLB-AM profile
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sudden changes aren’t just happening in the commercial radio world. WCLK-FM recently lost both its mid-day and afternoon hosts at the same time, while hiring a new program director.
Debb Moore, mid-day host for 20 years quit and so did Tony Hart, who was late afternoon host the past two years. The new program director Aaron Cohen comes from a noncommercial jazz station in Houston.
Wendy Williams, the GM, said this was not directly correlated. Given the opportunity to heap praise on the two former employees, she opted for a clinical answer: “People look around and get other options all the time. It’s part of the radio business.” She will use fill ins and hopes to have replacements in a month.
“We’re happy with the way the shows sound,” Williams said. “We’re keeping consistency more or less throughout the day with jazz and a mixture of contemporary. We’re getting excited about our upcoming fundraising on March 31.”
I readily admit this is not a station I listen to very often and have not made contacts with either Debb or Tony. If you can pass along their contact info to me at rho@ajc.com, I’d be forever grateful.
I’ll update this blog entry as I get more info.
ABOVE: Joe Weber, the bakery magnate who purchased WMLB-AM/1690 in 2006 and runs it with a distinctive quirkiness. CREDIT: Hyosub Shin/Staff.
Meanwhile, check out my colleague Drew Jubera’s story in Sunday Living’s print edition about WMLB-AM/1690. It’s a station that truly redefines quirky, bringing in multiple genres of music, from opera and classical, to rock and R&B, to Americana and jazz, plus the occasional comedy routine, famous speech and bird call.
Project Runway host coming to Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tim Gunn has doled out advice to four seasons’ worth of aspiring designers on “Project Runway,” and now he’s coming to Atlanta to improve your look, too.
The fashion expert, author and businessman will visit the Perimeter Mall Macy’s on Wednesday for a fashion show and question-and-answer session with the audience. Read about the Macy’s visit here.
Would you go to see the amiable Gunn in action? What do you think he needs to tell Atlanta women to improve their sense of style?
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Project Runway
3/9: Eagle’s switchover to True Oldies. First song: “Revolution.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Naturally, Citadel did a minimalistic switchover from Eagle 106.7 (WYAY-FM) to True Oldies 106.7 at about 7 p.m. tonight after the NASCAR race. There was no acknowledgement of the fine 24 years of Y106/Eagle history since there wasn’t anybody left to do it. Very dismally corporate of Citadel, which has only owned the station for less than a year.
Citadel, as noted, is using a satellite turnkey playlist. The first song was “Revolution” by the Beatles, followed the first hour by “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5, “My Boyfriend’s Back” by the Angels, “Black Water” by the Doobie Brothers, “Bend Me, Shape Me,” by The American Breed, “Teach Your Children” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, “Come a Little Bit Closer” by Jay & the Americans, “Get Together” by the Youngbloods, “Do You Love Me” by the Contours, “Hey Baby (They’re Playing Our Song)” by The Buckinghams, “Love is Alive” by Gary Wright, “If You Really Love Me” by Stevie Wonder, “Back is Black” by Los Bravos and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ ” by the Righteous Brothers.
It’s clearly a deeper playlist than latter-era Fox 97.1 or Cool 105.7. You can download the official switchover here.
And former afternoon jock Steve Mitchell, fired on the “Leap Day Massacre” along with most of the Eagle air staff, emailed some thoughts and hey, almost everybody else got their two cents so here ya go, Steve!
Life lessons are everywhere, everyday. The events of the last several weeks have only reinforced what my folks (and probably yours) always told me….never buy more than you can afford. You just may have to get rid of everything else just to keep your prized possession. This is in effect what happened when Citadel bought the ABC stations. I know if I was a Disney shareholder (50% owners of Citadel) I wouldn’t be too happy with what has happened less than 2 years after the sale closed. But business is business, even if it’s bad business.
It’s hard to say if any of us will ever be on Atlanta radio again, but I wanted to personally thank all of our listeners. I am proud to have been associated with 106.7, going all the way back to 1990 and the 3 year stint with Rhubarb in the morning. In 1997 I became Program Director and set out to be the best we could, given our role as a flanker to Kicks. Knowing we would not have the tools, resources or attention they had only made us try harder and it brought the staff together. Hopefully it translated into a pleasurable listening experience for our listeners, who we always thought of as family. It warms my heart to read all the comments on Rodney’s blog and know we had touched our listeners in some way.
Professionally, I have already moved on, focusing on voiceover work Steve Mitchell Voiceworks and video production Steve Mitchell Productions …but, for the record: I’ve got more radio in me and a wealth of knowledge and market longevity to go with it. As a matter of fact, I know 11 other people just like me!
I’ve had the pleasure of working with some awesome and talented folks over the years….folks like Cadillac Jack, who was only 21 when he first came to work there, and I’ve watched grow into the star that he is…and who actually called me the night we got canned just to see how I was doing. A class act. In situations like this, you find out who your friends are. Another one of those life lessons.
God Bless you all. It was a pleasure,
Steve Mitchell
3/7: It’s official— Eagle going oldies Sunday; Don Imus is back, too
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Not surprisingly, Citadel, owners of the 106.7 signal, announced they are going to switch to oldies on Eagle after the NASCAR race Sunday.
So say hello, hello, to the Beatles, the Supremes and the Beach Boys. Say goodbye, goodbye to Toby Keith, Johnny Cash and Faith Hill.
And although his name was not included in the release, Don Imus will be joining True Oldies 106.7 as a syndicated host. (Oh, and NASCAR fans, no worries: the races are staying on 106.7.)
They will be using Scott Shannon’s satellite oldies operation. This will be not be local in any way, shape or form, from the sounds of it. But for those who missed all that late 50s, 60s and early 70s music, it’s back. And the format apparently is deeper than what either Cool 105.7 or Fox in its final days played. You can sample Shannon’s station here at www.trueoldieschannel.com. The DJ Scott Shannon is a legend in radio circles and has been heard in New York for years. He spent some time back in the 1970s at WQXI-AM, the former top 40 station that now plays sports talk.
Cool 105.7. was the last metro-wide oldies station, which disappeared about three years ago. The format has had trouble in recent years simply because its audience has aged and made it more difficult to draw a wide variety of advertisers.
But the format might have some gas left because Arbitron is changing the way it measures listeners in Atlanta starting this fall (people meters vs. paper diaries) and it might do okay for awhile.
And as expected, Dallas McCade from Eagle will be joining Cadillac Jack in the mornings starting Monday.
Getting back to Imus, the New York talk show host aired for a few years on 790/The Zone in the 1990s and 1230/1340 earlier this decade. He has never been a huge hit hear but he’s never been on a reasonably strong FM signal either.
In case you missed it, Citadel last Friday gutted the air staffs of both Kicks and Eagle, leaving just Cadillac, Bill Celler (now 3 to 7 p.m. on Kicks) and Dallas. Everyone else was canned, including Rhubarb Jones, Steve Mitchell, Scotty O’Brien, Kristen Gates, Sandy Weaver, Jim Vann and Wylie Rose.
3/7: Talking with Rhubarb Jones and Kristen Gates
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former Eagle morning host Rhubarb Jones (right, with Kenny Chesney), part of the mass carnage a week ago at Eagle/Kicks, left me a lengthy voicemail and there was nary a surprise in what he said. He was gracious and he already knew with his contract up next year, that the end of the line was near.
I’m fine with everything. This is a big corporate decision and you know, I’m man enough to live with the cards that have been dealt with all my life. I have nothing but great things to say about the people I’ve had the opportunity to work with at 106.7. Dallas is wonderful to work with. She’s a wonderful human being. I wish her and Cadillac and the people still there, I wish them all the luck in the world. But you know, that’s the way things go. I’m going to be fine. I’m going to be alright. Life is good. I’ve got so much to be grateful for… I’m not going to go away. I’m not moving. I’m not leaving town. Maybe hopefully I’ll teach college.
Kristen Gates said she enjoyed her time at Kicks but has not shed a tear since she left. She said they gave her a passable severance, through June 13, 2008, when she’ll be free to work again on radio. She said she’s spent the last week on the phone, surprised so many people in the radio business cared about her.”I’m not worried about life after my noncompete,” she said. “I have to say all my years of hard work will pay off and something will happen - or not. I don’t have to be in radio the rest of my life though I’d like to. If I don’t stay in radio, so be it.” Overall, “I’m shocked how okay I am.”
She gave me the most detailed account of the meeting of the firing.
First of all, let’s get to the irony: she and Caddy were considering a segment soliciting calls Friday playing off “Celebrity Apprentice.” If you knew someone was getting fired, would you tell them ahead of time? She of course had no clue what was about to happen except Kicks had let go Buck in the Truck that Thursday. They decided to drop the segment for Buck’s sake, not realizing this was not an isolated situation, that Citadel had let him go a day early merely because he was going on vacation on the day of the actual bloodbath.
She heard about the 10:30 a.m. meeting Friday and thought it would be simply Rick Mack, general sales manager, announcing he was going to be the general manager. In fact, she was commiserating with the promotions director Christy Ullman over Buck’s departure and was late for the meeting. As she entered the meeting at about 10;45 a.m., she apologized profusely to her direct boss Mark Richards. She had no idea what was about to happen. She said Mack looked “heartbroken.” His hands shook. She wondered why Caddy wasn’t there. And she was in a haze when he announced everybody in the room was out, including her, Steve Mitchell, Wylie Rose, Sandy Weaver, Jim Vann and Scotty O’Brien. “I was wearing this big Kicks sweatshirt,” she recalled. “I was only cognizant of my heart beating. Is this for real? Are we being punk’d?”
Nope. She wasn’t. She left the room, said goodbye to a few folks and asked the sales folks if it was okay for her to contact her endorsees. By 11:05 a.m., she said, she was in her car and out of the building. (Others, she said, stuck around for hours saying farewell.) She realized she didn’t have any personal effects at all in her office at work or in the studio. “Everything I took out of the studio fit in the envelope with my severance package,” she said. “Maybe I never truly invested in this place like I thought I did. I don’t even have pictures of my kids there!” (She has two—ages 4 and 8.)
Gates’ background has always been radio. She did mornings under the pseudonym Kenzie Brooks at South 107 in Rome while in college. She had a brief stint at 95.5/The Beat but landed work at Star 94 for four years where she worked as a producer for Cindy & Ray and Steve & Vikki. (She said Steve & Vikki, class acts that they are, called her almost immediately after the firing leaked out.) In early 2006, she went to Kicks to produce the morning show with Craig Cornett in 2005. After realizing Atlanta was a bad fit, Cornett fled a few weeks later back to St. Louis and her boss placed her with Cadillac Jack, an arrangement that lasted two years. The show did adequately in the ratings, and she had no clue why they kept Caddy and dropped her in favor of Dallas.
And Gates freely said she was fired. No stigma to her though she says her mom thinks there is. She said she deliberately avoided reading this blog and the comments until Wednesday. But she’s happy that so many people cared. (There are now 463 comments from Friday’s announcement, the most I think I’ve ever had for any blog entry on this blog’s 3.5 year lifespan.)
Also, I wrote a piece for Friday’s paper about Rose McGowan hosting “The Essentials” on TCM with Robert Osborne. Check it out here.. The sexy, quirky actress was great fun to talk to, extremely quotable.
Project Runway: Details, details
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The high: Somehow we just knew that Posh Spice and Christian Siriano were simpatico.
The low: We missed Christian’s feathered pants, which didn’t make the cut from last week.
In this season of platforms and voting, our support was behind Jillian, who took the most chances in Wednesday’s finale with quirky hats and knits. But it was Christian who earned the title of “Project Runway” winner, with his stovepipe pants and dramatic sleeves. On the other hand, Rami’s collection didn’t offer any oomph, though it was safe and would probably appeal to many consumers. We thought he should have been auf’d first.
Here are a few thoughts on the final collections, in order of presentation:
Jillian — Pros: Offered exquisite details; created a collection that straddled high-fashion and easily marketable/wearable looks. Cons: Not enough transition between the “equestrian” looks and the cocktail dresses.
Rami — Pros: Presented solid collection with some clever touches, usually on the bodice. Cons: Displayed designs that often seemed too safe; evening gowns and daywear separates seemed to come from different collections; colors seemed randomly chosen.
Christian — Pros: Started with a strong, innovative look and used flawless silhouettes; maintained his “point of view”; experimented with feathers. Cons: Overdid the black; designed for the model, as Rami said, rather than the customer.
The last word: Did anyone vote in Bravo TV’s “Sew Not Over” online fashion challenge? Twelve of the Season 4 designers (missing: Sweet P, Simone and Victorya) put together collections of three looks apiece, and viewers vote through Thursday on the best. (The winner receives a $10,000 prize.) Click here to watch the 15-minute video, or watch individual collections at the Bravo TV Web site.
Permalink | Comments (25) | Categories: Project Runway
3/5: SNL’s impact on Obama/Clinton, ratings update
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You have to wonder what impact “Saturday Night Live” might have had if there hadn’t been a writers’ strike. The first SNL since the strike ended featured the media fawning over Barack Obama and treating Hillary Clinton harshly. Hillary cited it in the debate a week ago and made a cameo this past Saturday.
Interestingly, the media has been tougher on Obama since that skit, according to this New York Times story.
In ratings, only one scripted show was even in the top 10 last week: “Lost,” although the show had its worst ratings of the season despite a mind-blowing time traveling episode featuring Desmond.
On the plus side: The MSNBC Democratic debate Feb. 26 was the network’s highest rated telecast ever. ABC’s “Oprah’s Big Give” opened strong at 15.7 million March 1. (The other new show that night “Here Come the Newlyweds” only held 2/3 of Oprah’s audience.) Bravo’s “Project Runway” had its second-best ratings ever last Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 4 million viewers. The Discovery “Human Body” special Sunday did well, pulling in about 2 million viewers, which is good for that network
On the downside: Quarterlife,” the drama that started online debuted on NBC Feb. 26 so poorly, with just 3.1 million viewers, that the network pulled the show immediately. Fox’s new uninspired sitcom “Unhitched” didn’t do much better at 5.8 million viewers. ABC’s promising “Eli Stone” has lost audience every week since its debut January 31, from 11.1 million that week to 7.15 million Feb. 28. And CBS sitcom “Welcome to the Captain” looks like its got zip chance of getting renewed, dropping from 7.9 million Feb. 4 to 5.3 million Feb. 25. (The show did recover a bit to 5.6 million this past Monday.) . The FX drama “Dirt” with Courteney Cox opened at a rather tepid 1.7 million viewers this past Sunday, despite heavy promotion, and below its 2 million season average last year.
Interestingly, the penultimate episode of CMT’s “Gone Country” featuring former Atlantan Bobby Brown and Snellville gal Diana DeGarmo saw its ratings jump to a season high 941,000 last Friday vs. 537,000 a week earlier. The finale is this Friday.
The Onion did a tongue-in-cheek bit about the FCC’s recent fines for obscenity. This fake FCC official says if former Atlantan and “How I Met Your Mother” star Alyson Hannigan strips topless, that would not merit a fine:
FCC Okays Nudity On TV If It�s Alyson Hannigan
Project Runway: Who will win?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Before tonight’s “Project Runway” episode, click here for a little preview of the New York Fashion Week action. Who are you rooting for: Christian, Jillian or Rami? And who do you think will win? Let’s take a look at our three finalists:
Christian — Has three wins (not counting fan favorite): Weight loss, avant-garde and museum challenges. Pro: Seems highly adaptable, full of creativity and unerringly confident. Con: Aside from certain aspects of his personality? His clothes are mostly suitable for tall, reed-thin women.
Jillian — Has one win: the retro challenge. Pro: Has a fresh and modern viewpoint, more feminine than Christian’s, and younger than Rami’s. Con: Time management is not one of her strengths; we’ll have to see how her collection turns out.
Rami — Has two wins: “Express yourself as a designer” (the first episode) and Hershey’s challenges. Pro: He drapes beautifully, and his designs seem flattering to different body types. Con: He’s unwilling to branch out beyond his signature look.
Tonight’s special guest judge is Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham. Given the over-the-top outfits she wears, she may side with Christian, or maybe Jillian.
Tune in tonight at 10 p.m. on Bravo TV, and check this blog tomorrow to give your opinion on the Season 4 finale.
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3/4: Flip Spiceland’s whereabouts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WXIA’s former meteorologist Flip Spiceland said when he decided not to accept whatever WXIA was offering him, he said he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. But within hours, he had an offer to enter the world of public relations.
On Monday, Spiceland started as vice president of public relations for The Facility Group, a project management company in Smyrna. They provide services for human resources, distribution, food & beverage, industrial, aviation, transportation, government and schools. More info about the company here..
Flip will be writing press releases about new building projects and help them market their services around the country. He may end up interacting with trade publications and go to exciting trade shows. “I’m feeling my way along,” he said. “It’s sort of a soft landing. We’ll see how this all plays out.
Sure, he admits this isn’t the sexiest job on earth but he just didn’t have it in his heart after 38 years to continue in TV, given the current environment. (He worked at CNN from 1980 until 2001 when he got laid off with hundreds of others and has been at WXIA-TV since then.)
“I don’t have a good sound-bite answer for this,” he said. “It was a long hard thought out process. I was one of those guys who started CNN. I’m driven by challenges. Moving TV to the Web was not a challenge I liked. I like this a whole lot better.”
And one more thing he gets asked constantly: is that name Flip Spiceland for real? More or less. His parents called him Flip from the get go but put a more official spin on it on the birth certificate: Philip Howard Spiceland. “In kindergarten, when the teacher said Philip, I had no idea who she was talking to,” he said. Growing up, “it didn’t feel that funny of a name. There were two other Flips in my school.”
Ah.. but the cadence of Flip Spiceland works so well. Recently, a dude at listgasm.com listed his 20 “Ridiculous Weathermen Names.” Flip came in at No. 9, ahead of Sam Champion of “Good Morning America” but behind Fritz Coleman in Los Angeles. No. 6? Ray Ban on the Weather Channel. No. 2 is a guy I grew up with: Storm Field, formerly of WABC-TV. And No. 1? Dallas Raines on KABC-TV in Los Angeles.
The writer’s comment about Flip? “He obviously chose weather over adult entertainment. Good choice Mr. Spiceland!”
Flip follows WXIA-TV reporter Blair Meeks, who also left for PR a few weeks ago.
3/4: Format speculation on 106.7
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Eagle will be put to rest later this week from what I hear. But what will replace it on 106.7?
Citadel Broadcasting, which last year purchased ABC Radio (including Eagle and Kicks), is in poor financial shape. It’s fairly certain whatever they do is going to be done on the cheap. In other words, heavily automated, voicetracked or syndicated. Live and local? Not here.
So here are the likeliest format candidates based on speculation and what commercially viable holes are available:
1- FM talk
Rationale: Citadel owns the syndication for Don Imus, the veteran New York talk show host who was fired last year for uncouth remarks about the Rutgers girls basketball team but won back gainful employment late last year after numerous apologies and genuflecting to the likes of Al Sharpton. Imus was on 790/The Zone for a few years in the late 1990s and briefly on the weak AM combo of 1230/1340 so he’s somewhat familiar to metro Atlantans and folks transplanted from Imus markets. Imus does have a core of very loyal fans and this would be the first time folks could hear him clearly across a fairly wide expanse of Atlanta on an FM signal. Citadel could also populate the rest of the day with other syndicated talkers.
Downside: FM talk hasn’t been terribly successful in most markets. WGST-AM simulcast with 105.7 for a few years in the 1990s and actually wasn’t doing too badly until management decided to switch to that ill-fated Mix format in 1999. And GST has since slipped into near obsolescence. Clear Channel briefly tried an FM talk format in 2004 dubbed “Real Radio” but it was “real lame” and died after eight months in favor of Hispanic music. Imus has never built up a huge following in Atlanta in his two stints. And he’s not exactly a youth elixir for the future.
2- Oldies
Rationale: There’s still a huge Boomer audience out there who still love the Beatles, the Supremes and the Beach Boys. Fox 97.1 (“Good Times and Great Oldies!”) was a big hit back in the 1990s. The last time we had a metro wide oldies station was Cool 105.7, but that died in 2005 after just three years of existence. Citadel could place Imus in the morning and run a syndicated satellite “True Oldies” format it owns and just recently stuck on a former jazz station in D.C. It’s DJed by Scott Shannon, who is now a radio legend in New York, and worked a few decades ago at WQXI in its top 40 days. There’s also evidence that the new ratings measurement called the “People Meter,” which tracks actual listening, benefits oldies stations. Atlanta will start with people meters this fall, if Arbitron keeps to its schedule. Ultimately, done this way, the format could be done on the fly at minimal cost, very appealing to Citadel at the moment.
Downside: Oldies doesn’t have a lot of future upside. It’s an aging format with an aging audience that advertisers aren’t that excited about (much to the chagrin of Boomers.) That’s why it died the past two times and why nobody else has picked it up since. And would Atlantans glom onto an automated station?
3- Soft rock
Rationale: Since Clear Channel snuffed out Lite 94.9 in late 2006, B98.5 has had the “soft rock” mantle all to itself. As a result, its fall numbers were its best in several years. Atlanta survived several years with two soft rock stations. Why not again? Plus, this could also be a format that can be run on a dime for at-work fans of Rod Stewart, Gloria Estefan and Billy Joel. In other words, the station would probably skew slightly older and softer than B98.5, effectively cloning Peach/Lite. And those new people meters don’t hurt soft rock stations.
Downside: By skewing older than B98.5, a second soft rock station wouldn’t be quite as advertiser friendly. (Going harder wouldn’t make sense because that’s basically where Star 94 is.) And any new station will face a tough competitor in B98.5.
4- Alternative rock
Rationale: Cumulus dropped the 99X alt rock format on the FM dial a few weeks ago in favor of a broad rock station at 100.5. Citadel could scoop it right up before those 99X fans permanently jump ship to Project and/or Dave FM or away from FM radio completely. There is plenty of good, young rock talent out there not being highlighted by Dave or Project. And people meters in early markets seem to help rock stations.
Downside: Cumulus dropped the 99X alt rock format because it was no longer working, squeezed by Project on the young end and Dave on the older end. Alternative rock isn’t a very popular format anymore and a lot of fans of the music have wandered to other venues such as online or their own iPods. Plus, this format requires a very active station with plenty of bucks spent on promotions, marketing and personality. It’s doubtful that Citadel would be willing to shell out cash to pull that off given the current environment.
5- Stay with country
Rationale: Citadel could potentially run Eagle as an automated station with minimum wage jocks and not much else. This would at least provide continuity for its listeners in terms of music and keep folks from wandering over to 94.9/The Bull.
Downside: By getting rid of virtually the entire staff, Citadel has already peeved a good number of listeners. What’s the point of stripping the station down and running it on spare parts? May as well start anew. And clearly, Citadel doesn’t believe in the “flanker” strategy ABC successfully ran for years by using Eagle to bolster Kicks and keep competitors away. (It worked until the Bull arrived in late 2006.)
Any other ideas out there for formats this market is missing?
3/3: America’s Next Top Model casting call
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” cycle 11 is casting for new would-be models this Wednesday:
Atlanta: Wednesday, March 5
Wyndham Midtown Atlanta
125 10th Street NE
(Corner of Peachtree St & 10th)
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
10am-3pm
Sorry, no Tyra or Miss Jay in sight. Not even any past ANTM models are going to show up.
3/3: Kicks/Eagle hangover - Words from Sandy Weaver, Jim Vann, Wylie Rose
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I hear Eagle will stick around for another week in stripped down form with Dallas McCade all by herself but the station is certainly a goner. What will replace it is still pure speculation. (I’ll post a new blog listing the likely candidates later today or tomorrow.)
Over at what remains of Kicks, Bill Celler will do the 3 to 7 p.m. shift and it seems McCade will be joining Cadillac though it’s possible they’ll place her in middays. For this week at least, Caddy is on his own.
Sandy Weaver (right), who worked many years at Peach/Lite before joining Eagle as the mid-day gal, got back to me via email Saturday:
Thank you for your concern. While it was quite a surprise and quite a blow, things will be fine. Thinking of all the people in the room yesterday, it’s hard to believe that not one of us will be going back into the building as an employee. There is a lot of great talent there, and all are great people. Hope everyone lands softly and quickly into their new adventure. And hope that [general sales manager] Rick [Mack] and [program director] Mark [Richards] can shake off the very difficult thing they had to do yesterday and move forward. They’re both very nice men who shouldn’t have been put in that position.
And here are comments from Jim Vann (right), veteran morning guy and traffic man at Kicks until Friday and the man who many deemed had the best radio voice in town:
On Friday, February 29th I, along with some of my friends and associates were corporately downsized. While I have been looking for a way to downsize for years, the effectiveness of this weight loss plan came as a complete surprise.
I went to my car to leave and turned on my Ipod, One of my favorite Jim Croce tunes came on. “Workin’ at the Carwash Blues,” is a great song but, the timing was just wrong.
If there is one thing I want to say it is that I am proud of the almost 20 years I was on the air at KICKS 101 5. It has afforded me the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and dedicated professionals in the business. With 6 morning shows, two afternoon shows, three Operations managers and 4 * General Managers to my credit, it is fair to say that I work and play well with others.
It has let me be a part of raising millions of dollars for worthwhile charities. I am especially happy about the work we did for St. Jude. Over the years my friends have learned not to ask me about St. Jude unless you have time to listen. Believe me, from the corner offices on down (or up) the heartfelt dedication was as real as it gets.
I have gotten a lot of calls and emails asking what I am going to do now. I will continue my blog at jimjustthinking.blog.com and I have recently put the finishing touches on my next book, “Jim Just Thinking…Out Loud.” It will be an audio book and I recommend it highly.
Will I be on the radio again? I cannot answer that. A part of me hopes so. I have been behind a mic for the better part of 40 years (yes, there was life before KICKS) and radio is a big part of my identity, but only time…and Wall Street…will tell.
I thank you and everyone for their kind words. I wish you well.
And here are thoughts from Kicks’ former afternoon gal Wylie Rose (right, with Larry the Cable Guy):
Honestly I have nothing but great things to say. I was blessed to work for an amazing radio station for 6 years with talented people I consider family so my quote would be “only blessings, never losses”. I am now going to aim higher personally and pray for those I left behind because surviving it isn’t a picnic either. Thank you for giving the situation attention. I’m sure it will help all of us find employment.
If you want to get in touch with Wylie, go to her myspace page.
