Blumhagen has all the right boxes checked: he's got 29 years in the radio biz and fits the Cumulus DNA--he's in his 40's and is White and is the perfect candidate to take over a thankless job; a sales guy with the ability to have 12,000 meetings and try to extract the most money for a group of stations that are seeking CASH in post-pandemic business models. GOOD LUCK with that. But that's another story.
Hammer wanted the GIG badly. After DOUG HARVILL left/retired/whatever, Hammer thought and did a lot of prospective e-mail/texting/phone call to friends of his at the office (Cumulus) and out of the office saying he hoped they would tell the suits that he was ready and willing/wanting to become Market MGR.
ONLY ONE PROBLEM: Cumulus not only didn't offer the job to Hammer, they didn't even bother to consider him for the position. Why so? MY INSIDERS tell me that Hammer "didn't have the chops" to take the gig. Thosed aren't my words but the sources.
ONE SOURCE in particular was more frank: "Lee is a good company man and loyal but he's NOT the guy for this job. This is a whole lot bigger and more important and it requires a lot of savvy and 'economic-kinship."
TRANSLATION: Hammer, we love you but not that much.
Which brings us back to Blumhagen. I don't know much about the guy other than he's a sales guy. That he's probably about to embark on a position (he starts May 3) way over his head--sort of like others who have had similar jobs who begin with a BANG and are GONE in a whimper. Blumhagen is going to be paid about $300K a year for the sole purpose of getting much-needed revenue into the SF stations; KGO, KNBR (to a lesser degree) KSFO, The BONE. In theory, post COVID, it (the economy) looks promising on paper but how relevant is radio now? More to the point, how relevant is terrestrial radio.
But again, we digress.
THE REAL STORY is Lee Hammer's diminished positioning at the Cumulus SF grounds. I like Hammer. I think he's a good person, a real lover of the business but someone that is more style than substance. Which might have been the reason he was torpedoed on the PD gig at KNBR for a guy named Crowe (Jeremiah). As I said, Hammer is a good company man and he doesn't have to worry about starving to death.
Only Cumulus didn't have any faith in him which is why he didn't get the MM gig and this Blumhagen guy did only given the back history of the job and how many people have faild it, I hope Blumhagen is renting and not buying.
In today's broadcast world, no programming nerd is going to become a MM of a major market cluster. It's sales world. If these sales corp's could operate without any programming people, they would be the happiest companies on earth!
ReplyDeleteHe is currently getting screwed.
ReplyDeleteThe good news is he can't tank the ratings any further!
ReplyDeleteI guess Hammer can't touch this.
ReplyDeletenow lee hammer can get back to being badgered by john rothman who continues to plead about doing 16 hour shows, (sarcasm)
ReplyDeleteGee, I wonder why? Because he seems clue less putting together decent talent at KGO? Or the suits listened to Chris Merrill for a few minutes.
ReplyDeleteLack of Ratings? Lack of Morals? Check both boxes in the case of the disgraceful Crowe. When the Cloud Clowns don't try to give Hammer some sales respect, that means they don't really know how to sell. The Knibber will continue to fall regardless of the SF sports teams as long as Crowe is still there. Need more outcry from the masses.
ReplyDeleteLee is 65yo, the new guy is in his 40's. The new guy was a sales director for Entercom in LA, and worked at KCBS in SF for Harvil. I like lee, but he is not a Manager, he is an "Order Taker" you keep your job for Cumulus by doing ONLY what you are told to do.NO free thinkers allowed...Lee is perfect for that.
ReplyDeleteThat's not true. The positive changes you've seen are 100% due to Lee's commitment to do the absolute best he can within an extremely challenging corporate environment. Without his leadership we'd be listening to national syndication. Go take a look at KABC and every other Cumulus talker in a major market. All that wall-to-wall news coverage over the course of the past year? It's 100% Lee's commitment to broadcasting in the public interest. He's one of the very few decent corporate managers who does the right thing when it's not profitable.
Deletetalk radio is DEAD, move on
ReplyDeleteYes, moving to podcasts.... more informative. Try NY Times.
DeleteAll style and no substance? That's not true. The reason you have Pat & John on the air Monday-Friday (6 days a week in the case of Rothmann) is because Lee fought for it. He's in a very challenging corporate environment and proactively doing his best to balance budget cutting that he can't control, while doing the right thing wherever possible. He cares about KGO and he's one of the most honorable bosses we've ever had.
ReplyDelete