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Post by JMW on Jan 14, 2020 22:03:16 GMT -5
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Post by briguy52748 on Jan 15, 2020 10:47:27 GMT -5
I hope the fired employees — let’s face it, whatever euphemism you use, the fact is they were fired — are able to get on their feet soon and find new work, doing what they love.
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Post by adam31 on Jan 15, 2020 13:14:51 GMT -5
Here we go again with the continued destruction of radio by a big name mega monopolistic corporation. Thanks President Reagan!
That I Heart press release is an absolute sad joke - “iHEART is the rare example of a major traditional media company that has made the successful transformation into a 21st century media company"... not so successful if you have to lay off so many talented people to line the pockets of the CEO! How can they even release this with a straight face?
Why is it never the person responsible for the colossal failed policies that caused this to have to happen who is let go? How much does the CEO make? Whatever it is, no doubt it is many times over what the little guys who were let go made.
I wish the best to those that were fired for reason beyond their control and hope they can continue to pursue their dream. I'll let you guess who never got that chance.
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Post by adam31 on Jan 15, 2020 13:25:09 GMT -5
Here we go again with the continued destruction of radio by a big name mega monopolistic corporation. Thanks President Reagan!
That I Heart press release is an absolute sad joke - “iHEART is the rare example of a major traditional media company that has made the successful transformation into a 21st century media company"... not so successful if you have to lay off so many talented people to line the pockets of the CEO! How can they even release this with a straight face?
The press release continues: "“We are now using our considerable investments in technology to modernize our operations and infrastructure...." What technology? Automation? Voice tracking? Many businesses make technology investments without firing a large part of their employees. What about investing in them? In other words, you did the wrong thing or overreached and it didn't work out, so instead of resigning, the CEO decides to fire a bunch of employees.
Why is it never the person responsible for the colossal failed policies that caused this to have to happen who is let go? How much does the CEO make? Whatever it is, no doubt it is many times over what the little guys who were let go made.
As @paul alluded to, this isn't the first time. 10 years and already two big layoffs, what a "successful" company!
I wish the best to those that were fired for reasons beyond their control and hope they can continue to pursue their dream. I'll let you guess who never got that chance.
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Post by caseyfan100 on Jan 15, 2020 18:26:53 GMT -5
97.9 in Jacksonville is one that has been affected. They air AT40 Saturday 6-10am. At least they did last time I was up there and heard it. By the way, I love this line “ “iHEART is the rare example of a major traditional media company that has made the successful transformation into a 21st century media company -- ” Yes that’s why you had a mass lay-off in 2009 where hundreds of local personalities were let go, are doing so again now, had to restructure debt to avoid bankruptcy IIRC....because of a successful transformation. So by those standards the Jaguars have also made a successful transformation. Going from Super Bowl contender in the 90s to relative playoff contender in the 2000s to completely irrelevant league whipping boy in the 2010’s. Success everywhere you look ladies and gentlemen! Jack FM in Baltimore also affected. The SVP/Programmer Mike Preston is out. |
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Post by briguy52748 on Jan 15, 2020 21:23:27 GMT -5
The good thing is if you’re working with a smaller market and not for an iHeart station, you’re (comparably) safe.
Lots of Twitter/Facebook friends who are employed in small to tiny markets and never have worked for the big company are sure glad they’re where they’re at ... safe from a huge round of layoffs. But at the same time, sad for their large-market colleagues.
Just hoping that one day iHeart doesn’t come calling and makes an offer and won’t take no for an answer.
Sort of like the “new” Gannett (the old GateHouse Media having merged with Gannett) and print media ... just watch.
Brian
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Post by at40petebattistini on Jan 16, 2020 0:21:12 GMT -5
Here we go again with the continued destruction of radio by a big name mega monopolistic corporation. Thanks President Reagan! If you want to hand out presidential kudos, let's not forget Bill Clinton, who signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 into law. This summary, from Wikipedia, pretty well sums up radio's downward spiral, especially after receiving this week's iHeart news. "The Telecommunications Act of 1996 impact on the music industry is still felt today by musicians and the general radio listening public. The legislation eliminated a cap on nationwide station ownership and allowed an entity to own up to 4 stations in a single market. Within 5 years of the act being signed, radio station ownership dropped from approximately 5100 owners to 3800. Today, iHeartMedia is the largest corporation with 855 radio stations under its name across the nation. The Telecommunications Act was supposed to open the market to more and new radio station ownership, instead, it created an opportunity for a media monopoly. Larger corporations could buy out smaller independent stations, which affected the diversity of music played on air. Instead of DJs and music directors having control of what is played, market researchers and consultants are handling the programming, which lessens the chance of independent artists and local talent being played on air. This is a primary reason so many artists on air have the same sound. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 deregulation of the radio industry has had a negative impact on the public and musicians. It has promoted less competition and variety in programming. 'Deregulation has damaged radio as a public resource.'" |
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Post by djjoe1960 on Jan 16, 2020 10:54:16 GMT -5
Actually, the slow death of local radio began in the 1980's when satellites were able to bring the 'large market' quality sound all over the country. Local DJ's were not needed any longer and by consequence local stations lost the unique sounds that each radio station had. Then in the 1990's, as others have suggested, when large corporations could start buying up multiple frequencies in a market--local radio died making radio feel like a McDonald's--where there was a sameness to the sound of every format from city to city. Sad as the country lost the ability of each station to tailor it's needs to the community it served; pretty hard to do if your station is programmed in a city hundreds or thousands of miles away. Perhaps the break up of iheart media would be a good thing and return the stations to local owners, who could program a station to meet local needs--however, I doubt that is going to happen.
The really sad thing, as others have noted, is the loss of jobs in an industry that is very competitive and has been shrinking for years.
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