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| Justin Wittmayer |
A source tells me a big powwow will take place today at the Battery/Broadway studio/building; there's talk that a few more heads could roll.
Part of the Cumulus playbook; as they further destroy SF Bay Area radio and kill once-legacy stations, they send middle-aged management white guys who really don't know broadcasting to begin with, packing.
Wittmayer is the latest martyr --just another body who shuffled papers and whose time was up.
Buh-bye.
As to the reasons why the latest MMG is out the door? There's a myriad of stories and rumors; now, this move might be a prelude to letting the incompetent "7F" guy, on his way out too.
If so, good riddance. You know how I feel about him and if you don't read this.
You know, I don't really care anymore about the inner sanctum of this company; they are not worthy of our intrigue and notice; I only write this today (Tuesday) because given my feelings about these mutants who KILLED Bay Area radio, it's a newsworthy, shop-talk event, that's about it...for now.
I'll catch some early coffee and wait for the messengers and make some calls.Meanwhile, should be just another illustrious day inside the sales department.
UPDATE: Doug Harvill takes over, formerly a big suit as CBS/SF.
Another paper shuffle. More of the same.
Some things can't be saved.
More later sometime in the future.
Just who is the "7F"guy?. Is it "Beermann"? I never listen to KGO since Cumulud trashed it.
ReplyDeleteThe brilliant Mike Anthony who wiped out the last vestiges of KGO when he fired the entire news department and brought on Armstrong and Getty. He also hired the Beerman.
DeleteMay the cloud burn in hell!!
ReplyDeleteDoug Harville is reputed to have done a great job at CBS. Hopefully, he'll be allowed to do what he does best at Cumulus.
ReplyDeleteWow, look at that empty newsroom. Unless it's 1:00 AM, that's very sad.
ReplyDeleteThey built us a decent workspace with 16 workstations for the news department. It even had more TV monitors than TV newsrooms I've worked in, but then they fired us all about 2 and a half years after they wiped out the talk show hosts to save 6% on payroll. I notice all the TV's vanished, likely into Wittermyers, Anthony's and other exec's homes.
DeleteI hear management in Atlanta was pissed over how Wittmayer and Anthony handled Brian Copeland. Caused a PR nightmare with fans, sponsors and the NAACP. Now Wittmayer is fired. Saw on Copeland's Twitter a few days ago that he's getting his show back. Wouldn't be surprised if the two are connected.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people on this blog rip on Brian, but I for one liked his show, at least most of the time. Several reasons, he had varied subjects, he was local, and interviewed local politicians. Compared to what is left on KGO Brian is preferable to Bearman, Chip and Dr. Drew. Ethan Bearman, talks too much about shit no serious person care about, and he is forever telling us he was on Fox, he was on CNN etc. Dr. Drew is syndicated, although I have liked him on TV I have not warmed up to his show. Chip Franklin, kind of falls in the Bearman category, although he is not always giving us recipes and diet advise. When Ethan Bearman took over after Barbara Simpson on KSFO his show was much different, he was serious most of the time, interviewed local politicians, and did not jump from one subject to another every 10 minutes, I was not a fan though, he was annoying sounded like he talked down to his audience (he has gotten somewhat better in that respect), he is smart enough, so I think his show now much be dictated from above. As where Brian is concerned, although he has not been on in months, KGO runs commercials, like he is still part of the station, tacky. I know when his show was cancelled the story was that he was still part of the line up, but he has never been back, even as a fill in host. I hope he is coming back I will be listening.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first met Ethan Bearman he was telling his producer "I can play it either way far to the right or far to the left.. ha, ha." He is terrible because he has no core, he is an actor. Unlike say Barbara Simpson who has sincerely held and well thought out conservative political beliefs or Brian who also has a core of beliefs and ideals. Bearman is terrible when he's on FOX or elsewhere defending "liberal values" because he has no values, not history, no thought of why I believe this way. All of the great KGO talk show hosts of the past had ideas and values that they had thought about and worked out over the decades, when you treat talk radio as "wherever the boss tells me to perform to" then you are an empty suit, a joke.
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