They want to get bigger. But they have no desire to get better.

It appears the next day of doom will surface when the anchors and reporters contracts begin coming up for renewal at WTVG. The new owner is infamous for paring down their properties and have already axed well known anchors at their Michigan station and nearly two dozen producers , sales and other support at will jobs in Toledo.

It appears Clear Channel has trimmed all of their upper level employes and can't see the percentages in tossing out the low paid producers and board ops that are left to run the place, so now...........TOSS OUT THE EXECUTIVE AND SENIOR VEEP'S. If I were a market manager, I'd be sending out my resume about now.

Here We Go.......Nobody is commenting why, but with the ownership change and the new owners comments that "nothing will change" it is apparent...Something will change. Sports Director Chad Sokol has left the WTVG building. Look for more because we all know, "nothing will change" means "there will be changes."

It went by unannounced or noticed for that matter, but the alleged newstalk station, WSPD has shed one-half of their news department leaving only one guy to handle morning and afternoon anchor duties. For a while, when he was unavailable, the station just didnt do local news, moving from Fox , to traffic and weather. A real news committment there.

I noticed it a while ago. Seems morning news will usually be around, but afternoons not necessarily.

While Mark Brown's voice was brutal, I'd rather have him than national news.

And the beat goes on. CC has trimmed several of its recently purchased traffic division emplooyes, read that put them out of work, and is now farming out the "local" traffic reports. Toledo's, for example, is coming from Cleveland. This is another example of an absentee program director and a station manager who only reacts to the bottom line, service and listeners be damned.

The next Cumulus "Day of Doom" is on the horizon when Cumulus takes over Citadel stations. WJR will never be the same. You may expect talkers to be replaced by syndication, news and traffic reporters to be cut back and even sales and managers to be shown the door. It is the way Cumulus does things.

Here it comes. FCC approval has been granted. The switchover could happen in a few days time.

Dallas and San Francisco markets purchased by Cumulus have been hit hard with key people (big salaries) being shown the door. Is Detroit and WJR far behind? Stay tuned and keep your head down.

As I Said in previous post. WJR layoffs have begun as Cumulus begins its tearing down of the former Great Voice of The Great Lakes. Major names on the list as well as the chief engineer who actually went to WJR from the Cumulus operation in Toledo about three years ago. See Detroit page for more info.

Here comes the layoffs at Channel 36. LIN Media has informed 63 employes that they will be laid off when American Spirit Media takes over later this year. In the American spirit, the new company says they may hire some of those people back.
News staffers might want to look for new jobs as American Spirit will use WTOL to handle the news side. in the new operation.

Dooms Day at Clear Channel: CC has laid off more folks. A lot of traffic division jobs have been blown away in Nashville, Oklahoma City and Minneapolis as well as Columbus here in Ohio. Columbus cuts include WNCI APD/MD and night guy Sean Cage, while cuts at WTVN include Matt Demczyk in news and Dan Watson in Sports. Production director Dennis Cametti, Imaging specialist Dan Heid and traffic reporters Pam Spencer and Chuck Douglas. There may be more on the way.

The above prescriptions are recommended by veteran radio station general manager Mr. Ben Dover.

And the Merry Christmas round of layoffs continue at Clear Channel. All Access has the list, major cities, Cleveland Columbus, Cincinnati, Dallas, Minneapolis, Detroit, Tampa, Orlando and Miami among them. More to come no doubt. Is anybody left to turn the lights off?