Posted by Allan Sniffen on June 14, 2006 at 09:30:35:
In Reply to: Re: Re: The Dumbing Down Of Radio posted by Sid Schweiger on June 14, 2006 at 08:46:41:
>>>If you do have something to say, get to the point quickly and move on. <<<
I think that's the part I miss the most.
The thing that *really* got me was the firing of Bill Lee. Here's a guy who can do fast intro's, rhymes all to the beat and pace of the music and the format. He also does great phone bits. He does a great personalilty oriented radio show *without* interrupting the music. And Clear Channel let him go to hire Whoopie Goldberg.
I'm not criticizing Whoopie. But we all know it's going to be another one of those morning shows where the music stops, and the banter between whoever is in the studio (or on the phone) goes on for ten minutes. Yes, there's a place for that. How well she does it remains to be seen but if it works, then fine. That's personality radio too.
But do you sacrifice Bill Lee for it? His kind of radio takes just as much talent... probably more. And he's a proven winner. Yet he's gone.
Clear Channel will argue that AM Drive is more important for 'KTU so it needs to devote its resources there. Ok... I wouldn't argue that you need a strong morning show and recently, 'KTU hasn't had one. But why you can't have that *and* Bill Lee in PM Drive? I'm not buying this argument that they couldn't afford both. It's more like they didn't want to pay for both and, in today's radio environment, they figure they can dumb down the station and get away with it.
What bothers me is that thanks to consolidation and the complicity between all of the current mega owners, they may get away with it.