Changes at FRS

[dfwabel]

Granted, it did occur yesterday, but Clear Channel layoffed 10% of their workforce yesterday, about 1,850 people. Included in this was the VP for Fox Sports Radio and Premier. For those that don't know, News Corp. aka Fox TV, does not own Fox Sports Radio, rather it allowed Clear Channel to operate their sports radio as "FSR".

Sports By Brooks does a good job of telling who was let go locally and nationally.

With CBS carrying Sporting News after PM drive, there may just be only one player very soon. The 4 letter.

[fiasco!]

I herd that Sean Baligian and Stoney & Wojo are gone from WDFN in Detroit. That's a :censored:ing shame.

[Sodboy13]

I herd that Sean Baligian and Stoney & Wojo are gone from WDFN in Detroit. That's a :censored:ing shame.

Along with pretty much everyone else at that station. Looks like a flip is looming.

[infrared41]

I left Clear Channel in 2000. I've never looked back. (One of the few radio people you'll meet who left radio on their own terms. The Mad Mac is the other. )

This type of thing is why I left. I loved doing sports radio but I had also been in the business long enough to see the writing on the wall. Radio was dying a slow death back in 2000. As we can see, it's much worse now.

It's a shame when 1800 people lose their jobs. It's even more of a shame when those 1800 are just the latest CC or radio employees that have lost their jobs. There's a long way to go before radio stops bleeding.

ESPN being the only "terrestrial" sports radio network is simply inevitable. They are big enough to take the financial beating of doing radio these days.

[Milo Meningocele]

I herd that Sean Baligian and Stoney & Wojo are gone from WDFN in Detroit. That's a :censored:ing shame.

I won't dance on their proverbial graves, because it's serious business to lose one's job. But I could never stand Baligian. I thought he was far too sophomoric, and often bordering on homophobic. Wojo's generally pretty funny, but I've always thought Mike Stone was hugely overrated.

Matt Dery is by far the best talent left there. Hopefully he gets a chance at a prime role, unless he's also involved in the shakeup.

[fiasco!]

I haven't listened to 1130 in over 7 years, but Stoney & Wojo (and before that "Parker & The Man") were a staple of my drive home. I wasn't a huge Baligian fan at all, didn't really like him, I just listed him because he's a name I knew.

[Milo Meningocele]

I haven't listened to 1130 in over 7 years, but Stoney & Wojo (and before that "Parker & The Man") were a staple of my drive home. I wasn't a huge Baligian fan at all, didn't really like him, I just listed him because he's a name I knew.

"Parker and the Man"? Auuuuugh. Unbearable.

My all-time favorite show was Jamie & Gregg.

[infrared41]

I haven't listened to 1130 in over 7 years, but Stoney & Wojo (and before that "Parker & The Man") were a staple of my drive home. I wasn't a huge Baligian fan at all, didn't really like him, I just listed him because he's a name I knew.

"Parker and the Man"? Auuuuugh. Unbearable.

My all-time favorite show was Jamie & Gregg.

It's all unbearable at the local level.

[Milo Meningocele]

I haven't listened to 1130 in over 7 years, but Stoney & Wojo (and before that "Parker & The Man") were a staple of my drive home. I wasn't a huge Baligian fan at all, didn't really like him, I just listed him because he's a name I knew.

"Parker and the Man"? Auuuuugh. Unbearable.

My all-time favorite show was Jamie & Gregg.

It's all unbearable at the local level.

Personally, I prefer local shows. I like the option of a national perspective, but there's already plenty of that at night.

[fiasco!]

I haven't listened to 1130 in over 7 years, but Stoney & Wojo (and before that "Parker & The Man") were a staple of my drive home. I wasn't a huge Baligian fan at all, didn't really like him, I just listed him because he's a name I knew.

"Parker and the Man"? Auuuuugh. Unbearable.

My all-time favorite show was Jamie & Gregg.

It was either that or listening to the jackasses over at WRIF say "bitch" and "baby" for the umpteen thousandth time that day.

Jamie & Gregg did have a good show, I'll give you that. Regner's rants were fairly humorous as well.

[Milo Meningocele]

I haven't listened to 1130 in over 7 years, but Stoney & Wojo (and before that "Parker & The Man") were a staple of my drive home. I wasn't a huge Baligian fan at all, didn't really like him, I just listed him because he's a name I knew.

"Parker and the Man"? Auuuuugh. Unbearable.

My all-time favorite show was Jamie & Gregg.

It was either that or listening to the jackasses over at WRIF say "bitch" and "baby" for the umpteen thousandth time that day.

Wanna hear something sad? Jamie Samuelsen joined said jackasses at WRIF this fall. He's their sports guy, so he's barely heard. Too bad, I thought he could do much better.

[MadmanLA]

Here locally in L.A., Clear Channel was dealt arugably its biggest blow eariler this month when it lost the local radio rights of the Lakers to, you guess it, ESPN Radio. KLAC, through its different formats, have carried Lakers games since 1977. ESPN Radio (specifically its L.A. flagship KSPN 710) built new studios and offices in the new L.A. Live complex across the street from Staples Center. Obviously, KSPN and ESPN offered the Lakers a deal they couldn't refuse. Also, for KSPN, they trade up from carrying the Clippers to carrying the Lakers starting next season. KSPN is also the radio flagship of USC football and basketball (having acquired the rights from former Sporting News Radio O&O KMPC), and carrying almost all of the network programming (talk shows and live games), and they have been beating KLAC in the ratings for nearly the last two years. KLAC is the local home to Dan Patrick and the flagship of the Jim Rome show. The L.A. market has a third sports station, KLAA, which by owned and operated by the Angels, and they also carry the Ducks and Norte Dame's football games. They a few sports talk shows, but the majority of their schedule is mostly general talk.

[dfwabel]

I haven't listened to 1130 in over 7 years, but Stoney & Wojo (and before that "Parker & The Man") were a staple of my drive home. I wasn't a huge Baligian fan at all, didn't really like him, I just listed him because he's a name I knew.

"Parker and the Man"? Auuuuugh. Unbearable.

My all-time favorite show was Jamie & Gregg.

It's all unbearable at the local level.

I don't think that all is bad. I just dislike "caller driven radio" or when a caller uses his self-appointed nickname for his call (aka Radier Dave calling a St. Louis show). 100 % sports work, that why WIP in Philadelphia and KTCK "The Ticket" in Dallas work. Less calls, some sports, and guy talk.

[Mac the Knife]

I left Clear Channel in 2000. I've never looked back. (One of the few radio people you'll meet who left radio on their own terms. The Mad Mac is the other. )

This type of thing is why I left. I loved doing sports radio but I had also been in the business long enough to see the writing on the wall. Radio was dying a slow death back in 2000. As we can see, it's much worse now.

It's a shame when 1800 people lose their jobs. It's even more of a shame when those 1800 are just the latest CC or radio employees that have lost their jobs. There's a long way to go before radio stops bleeding.

ESPN being the only "terrestrial" sports radio network is simply inevitable. They are big enough to take the financial beating of doing radio these days.

The deregulation of terrestrial radio station ownership will ultimately prove to be the downfall of the entire industry. I said it when it was passed, and history is proving me correct.

Local radio barely exists anymore, as its cheaper for station owners to subscribe to sat services for programming and hire high school kids with faces that resemble pepperoni pizzas and who think they'll be the next Howard Stern if they just pay their dues by doing board op for $8/hour... but I digress.

One of the best things the Obama Administration could do is to reverse deregulation by reinstating the "one station, one market" rule for radio, and banning cross-station operating agreements, giving current station owners two years to divest themselves. It would at least to some small extent resurrect what was good about radio programming, and probably be better for the industry as a whole financially long-term.

[Gary]

I know here in Phoenix they got rid of the PM drive at XTRA 910 and 4 more from the weekend staff. Jeff Dean and his producer Joe Mack were fired and now are trying to find a replacement to either hire someone familiar with the station or pull in someone from the weekends.

I know Jeff and he's a good guy, but really haven't talked to him since Tuesday's firings. But what Cheapchannel is doing is just BS, to do it on a day when they knew the story would be back stage news to the Presidential Inaguration. Shame on you CC, and glad I do not work for the company anymore, as I know I would become one of the few victims as well.

[gingerbreadmann]

I left Clear Channel in 2000. I've never looked back. (One of the few radio people you'll meet who left radio on their own terms. The Mad Mac is the other. )

This type of thing is why I left. I loved doing sports radio but I had also been in the business long enough to see the writing on the wall. Radio was dying a slow death back in 2000. As we can see, it's much worse now.

It's a shame when 1800 people lose their jobs. It's even more of a shame when those 1800 are just the latest CC or radio employees that have lost their jobs. There's a long way to go before radio stops bleeding.

ESPN being the only "terrestrial" sports radio network is simply inevitable. They are big enough to take the financial beating of doing radio these days.

Ironically, in Boston ESPN Radio is like a :censored:ing ant trying to survive on Mars. It sucks so badly, nobody listens to it, it is the subject of very much ridicule . It will be dead within the next year, and I am astonished it is still alive. I guess it's different across the country but hearing ESPN Radio described as a strong radio network just sounds ridiculous to me. I honestly have no idea who is on it anymore and what any of the shows are, locally and nationally (besides Mike & Mike of course, but that's on TV now.)

[tmorss9]

ESPN Boston was pretty bad, but WEEI and their network were really, really good during the week I was up there in October. My wife, who is by no stretch of the imagination a sports fan, even enjoyed the afternoon guys.

The Detroit thing is sad- Stoney, Wojo and Baligian were all super nice people when you'd see them out and about. If I were to place a bet, Stoney will reappear somewhere after his 90 days is up, and both he and Wojo are still to be paid under their guaranteed contracts for another 3 years or so. That said, I wouldn't be shocked if another sports station comes up in Detroit sometime soon. With S&W, Drew Lane and to a lesser extent Gregg Henson still floating around out there it could happen- that's a pretty nice lineup to start with. (I bring up Henson only because there are lots of rumours out there of him putting together demo tapes for a solo gig, and his blog radio show has at least one of them, that featured an interview with Warren Cromartie, among others).

And Jamie is lost on Mike in the Morning, especially when Mike Wolters already did most of the sports talk on there.

[Still MIGHTY]

Here locally in L.A., Clear Channel was dealt arugably its biggest blow eariler this month when it lost the local radio rights of the Lakers to, you guess it, ESPN Radio. KLAC, through its different formats, have carried Lakers games since 1977. ESPN Radio (specifically its L.A. flagship KSPN 710) built new studios and offices in the new L.A. Live complex across the street from Staples Center. Obviously, KSPN and ESPN offered the Lakers a deal they couldn't refuse. Also, for KSPN, they trade up from carrying the Clippers to carrying the Lakers starting next season. KSPN is also the radio flagship of USC football and basketball (having acquired the rights from former Sporting News Radio O&O KMPC), and carrying almost all of the network programming (talk shows and live games), and they have been beating KLAC in the ratings for nearly the last two years. KLAC is the local home to Dan Patrick and the flagship of the Jim Rome show. The L.A. market has a third sports station, KLAA, which by owned and operated by the Angels, and they also carry the Ducks and Norte Dame's football games. They a few sports talk shows, but the majority of their schedule is mostly general talk.

yup now with these cuts KLAC is just basically nationally syndicated shows, which is truly blasphemy in a major market like LA.

Their lineup now is Dan Patrick, Jim Rome, the Steve Hartman and Chris Meyers show (they disbanded the Loose Cannons (Hartman, Vic The Brick, and Mychal Thompson) and put Hartman with Meyers who lost his sidekick on their national show. They are the new national show in that slot). The overnight show was national too, but they cut those hosts and replaced them as well. The only thing KLAC has now is the Lakers and the Petros and Money Show. Lakers will be gone next year, and Matt "Money" Smith is the pre-game and post-game Lakers host, so I dont know how his format will be affected next year.

ESPN has Mike/Mike then Tirico/VanPelt (I actually like that show) then they do Steve Mason and John Ireland, who aren't bad but theyre not great. THey were the direct competition with the Loose Cannons (who were the premiere show in that time slot, but they're act had worn thin with all the Lakers Lakers Lakers and the Kobe ass-kissing (which I hope doesnt happen to ESPN next year)) THey had their own late afternoon shows too and the syndicated overnight.

These cuts might actually give KLAA hope in the LA market as a legitimate player. If they can snag up the loose talent that has been let go by these cuts and get some legitimate sports shows all the time, they could grow into a bigger player. But besides the Ducks and Angels, their programming is pretty bad at this point. I've tried listening to their normal sports shows, and yeah they give me more Angels talk than any other station, but they give me too much much like KLAC has too much Lakers talk. Like I get that they are owned by the Angels, but I never hear any Ducks talk, Lakers talk, or anything else from them. It's either Angels talk around Ducks games and their terrible talk radio. But they have the station power and all that. They just gotta get a move on.

[buzzcut]

KFAN here in Minneapolis cut long-time host Chad Hartman and his producer Doogie. Haven't heard what is in place now.

[jkrdevil]

I left Clear Channel in 2000. I've never looked back. (One of the few radio people you'll meet who left radio on their own terms. The Mad Mac is the other. )

This type of thing is why I left. I loved doing sports radio but I had also been in the business long enough to see the writing on the wall. Radio was dying a slow death back in 2000. As we can see, it's much worse now.

It's a shame when 1800 people lose their jobs. It's even more of a shame when those 1800 are just the latest CC or radio employees that have lost their jobs. There's a long way to go before radio stops bleeding.

ESPN being the only "terrestrial" sports radio network is simply inevitable. They are big enough to take the financial beating of doing radio these days.

Ironically, in Boston ESPN Radio is like a :censored:ing ant trying to survive on Mars. It sucks so badly, nobody listens to it, it is the subject of very much ridicule . It will be dead within the next year, and I am astonished it is still alive. I guess it's different across the country but hearing ESPN Radio described as a strong radio network just sounds ridiculous to me. I honestly have no idea who is on it anymore and what any of the shows are, locally and nationally (besides Mike & Mike of course, but that's on TV now.)

I'm sure you can say the same thing in New York where WFAN has one of the strongest signals in the country (I can get it down near DC at night) and WEPN (espn) you can't even get the signla in parts of the New York area.