Scott Pitoniak

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

Remember when he got laid off after 20+ years as a sportswriter for the D&C?

 

Well, his wife (radio personality Beth Adams) just got laid off after 20+ years as the radio morning host at WHAM:

 

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20111027/NEWS01/111027002

[Taro T]

Remember when he got laid off after 20+ years as a sportswriter for the D&C?

 

Well, his wife (radio personality Beth Adams) just got laid off after 20+ years as the radio morning host at WHAM:

 

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20111027/NEWS01/111027002

Never knew Beth was married to Scott P.

 

I wonder if this means that they're keeping Chet in the morning. For some reason I figured that she'd out last him in that gig. Guess not.

[jr1]

Beth's really good. Shame to hear this

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Please don't take this the wrong way because most of us here know what it's like to lose a job… but both of them have actually been VERY fortunate.

 

First of all, how many people these days can stay in the same job for 20 years?

 

Secondly, how many of those people did so in the media business?

 

Hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost good jobs over the last decade.

[PromoTheRobot]

This is actually a national story. Between Clear Channel and Cumulus, they own 1400 radio stations in 266 markets. And the experts wonder why local radio is dying?

 

This is EXACTLY why I got out of the radio biz in 2003. Anyone who makes anything close to a living wage gets axed eventually and replaced by a minimum wage kid or a computer. This should also be an example of what sometimes happens to industries that get deregulated. The FCC used to have rules on flipping stations, ownership limits and maintaining minimum staffing. Those lobbying for deregulation promised local radio would flourish if the shackles were removed. Well turn on the dial and tell me if that worked out.

 

There also used to be a very quaint notion that broadcasters were just stewards of the public's airwaves. Some people also believe in Santa Claus.

 

PTR

Edited October 27, 2011 by PromoTheRobot

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Meanwhile another 10,000 kids graduate with a broadcasting degree every year.

 

It's a tough business.

 

I wouldn't recommend it.

[Momma Pecoraro]

Meanwhile another 10,000 kids graduate with a broadcasting degree every year.

 

I wouldn't recommend it.

Especially when a pair of fake boobs and a bottle of peroxide will get you much farther.

[ACor58]

Remember when he got laid off after 20+ years as a sportswriter for the D&C?

 

Well, his wife (radio personality Beth Adams) just got laid off after 20+ years as the radio morning host at WHAM:

 

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20111027/NEWS01/111027002

 

That is exactly what I thought of when I heard the news this morning. That is really too bad, I always enjoyed listening to Beth on WHAM in the morning. Big loss for WHAM and I hope that she lands on her feet.

 

Maybe she can replace Norma Holland on channel 13 in the morning. Norma Holland is brutal.

Edited October 27, 2011 by ACor58

[LabattBlue]

Meanwhile another 10,000 kids graduate with a broadcasting degree every year.

 

It's a tough business.

 

I wouldn't recommend it.

Not to mention journalism degrees. With newspapers dying everywhere, I can't believe the job market is rosy.

[SDS]

This is actually a national story. Between Clear Channel and Cumulus, they own 1400 radio stations in 266 markets. And the experts wonder why local radio is dying?

 

This is EXACTLY why I got out of the radio biz in 2003. Anyone who makes anything close to a living wage gets axed eventually and replaced by a minimum wage kid or a computer. This should also be an example of what sometimes happens to industries that get deregulated. The FCC used to have rules on flipping stations, ownership limits and maintaining minimum staffing. Those lobbying for deregulation promised local radio would flourish if the shackles were removed. Well turn on the dial and tell me if that worked out.

 

There also used to be a very quaint notion that broadcasters were just stewards of the public's airwaves. Some people also believe in Santa Claus.

 

PTR

 

Really? Deregulation has made people stop listening to the radio? Whatever you say Mr. Cleaver.

[PromoTheRobot]

Really? Deregulation has made people stop listening to the radio? Whatever you say Mr. Cleaver.

I'm sure you have your finger on the pulse of the industry, Scott. What do I know?

 

PTR

[GG]

I'm sure you have your finger on the pulse of the industry, Scott. What do I know?

 

PTR

 

He's more right than you are. Tell me, how has radio advertising fared in the last 3 yrs?

[PromoTheRobot]

He's more right than you are. Tell me, how has radio advertising fared in the last 3 yrs?

The decline of local radio involves eliminating local news and hosts. If you live near a major city like Scott does you don't see it much. But go into small and medium communities and you have satellite-fed programs wall-to-wall with barley any local content. And if there is anything local it's probably being shot through the internet from a larger city.

 

That story I linked earlier talks about the two largest radio groups, Clear Channel and Cumulus, firing thousands of local personalities, like Beth Adams at WHAM. 20 years on the job, a pillar of the community, here's your severance check. See ya. And if radio listening and advertising is so robust, like you and Scott are gloating, then why they cuts?

 

PTR

[GG]

The decline of local radio involves eliminating local news and hosts. If you live near a major city like Scott does you don't see it much. But go into small and medium communities and you have satellite-fed programs wall-to-wall with barley any local content. And if there is anything local it's probably being shot through the internet from a larger city.

 

That story I linked earlier talks about the two largest radio groups, Clear Channel and Cumulus, firing thousands of local personalities, like Beth Adams at WHAM. 20 years on the job, a pillar of the community, here's your severance check. See ya. And if radio listening and advertising is so robust, like you and Scott are gloating, then why they cuts?

 

PTR

 

Who's gloating about listenership & advertising? Citadel went bankrupt, Emmis is on its back and it's probably a matter of time until Clear Channel files. Show me a 14-20 yr old who listens to radio over Pandora. That's a bigger cause than consolidation.

[Phlegm Alley]

I work in radio advertising (WPHT 1210 AM, the radio home of the Philadelphia Phillies) and we recently (as of January this year) got rid of Sean hannity and Glenn Beck to hire more local hosts to provide more local programming.

 

Radio is not dead or a dying medium, especially in talk radio formats. In addition, radio advertising dollars aren't just spent on radio anymore. Radio stations have an online presence (both website and social media), which advertisers pay to be a part of.

[PromoTheRobot]

I work in radio advertising (WPHT 1210 AM, the radio home of the Philadelphia Phillies) and we recently (as of January this year) got rid of Sean hannity and Glenn Beck to hire more local hosts to provide more local programming.

 

Radio is not dead or a dying medium, especially in talk radio formats. In addition, radio advertising dollars aren't just spent on radio anymore. Radio stations have an online presence (both website and social media), which advertisers pay to be a part of.

I think the game is played a little differently in a top 10 market like Philly or DC than in Scranton or Erie, PA. As for Pandora, GG, why do kids listen to that rather than local radio? When I first got into the biz in the late 70's there wasn't a cooler business to be in. People really dug what we did and we had a relationship with the audience.

 

It's never just one thing but you can see the change over the last 20-30 years. Time was the FCC limited how many stations you owned and required live staffing 24/7. Those regs went out the window but instead of local radio flourishing, the suits kept cutting costs so they could flip their stations. Then the next buyers cut some more so they could flip them, and so on. What you have left with now is radio stations that are 80-90% syndicated or voicetracked from out of town. And listeners figured it out, and the younger listeners don't even pay attention.

 

PTR

[GG]

I think the game is played a little differently in a top 10 market like Philly or DC than in Scranton or Erie, PA. As for Pandora, GG, why do kids listen to that rather than local radio? When I first got into the biz in the late 70's there wasn't a cooler business to be in. People really dug what we did and we had a relationship with the audience.

 

It's never just one thing but you can see the change over the last 20-30 years. Time was the FCC limited how many stations you owned and required live staffing 24/7. Those regs went out the window but instead of local radio flourishing, the suits kept cutting costs so they could flip their stations. Then the next buyers cut some more so they could flip them, and so on. What you have left with now is radio stations that are 80-90% syndicated or voicetracked from out of town. And listeners figured it out, and the younger listeners don't even pay attention.

 

PTR

And nostalgia is playing tricks on you because there were serious questions about whether AM radio was dying in an era you described as your golden age. Fact is that it's not deregulation that's killing radio but overabundance of stations and other alternatives for listeners. It was very easy to connect with the audience when you had no competition. It's a lot harder when people have more choices and are exercising them. You can't blame deregulation for MTV, satellite radio and the internet. All of them erode the ratings and ad dollars. Meanwhile you have all the radio stations vying for less share of the pie. That's why they're all cutting costs.

 

If there was a magic bullet someone would have found it by now.

[PromoTheRobot]

Well if AM isn't dead it was coughing up blood last night.

 

PTR

[Green Lightning]

Bottom line is if you don't own the 25-45 female demographic you're marginal in radio. I worked with Beth and she's terrific. They got a new 30-something boss put in to be a hatchet man to weed out all halfway decent salaries. I tell all my old colleagues, hit 40 you got to get out of media. The guy who canned Beth will get his one day as well.

[Mr. WEO]

How on earth did AM radio last this long??